Devotionals for the Heart: Promises

Claiming the Promises of God
A devotional by Nanci Rubin

I wonder how the Biblical giants lived by such great faith? When I read the scriptures of overcoming faith, I wonder, can I do that? Is it possible? By faith, we receive. If it wasn’t possible, God wouldn’t have made such claims, as He does in Mark 9:23 (KJV) when Jesus said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

Scripture gives us a blueprint on how to do it. According to Matthew 21:21-22 (KJV), Jesus answered and said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive.”

Notice, He didn’t say you might receive, He said you shall receive.

Four Steps to Claim What God Promises

Step #1: Say It!

Positive or negative, it’s up to you. The woman in the Bible with the issue of blood could have said, “It’s no use for me to go to Jesus. I’ve suffered for twelve years.” But she spoke positively. According to Matthew 9:21 (KJV) she thought, “If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.”

Sometimes because of our unbelief and timidity we may have lost out on a blessing, a healing or a missed opportunity to witness. We should yield to the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit when He gives an unction for us to pray for a certain situation. We can have what we say as long as it lines up with God’s Word and we have faith to believe God for it.

The Bible says in Matthew 7:7-8 (KJV), “Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

God is so ready to give us what we believe Him for. He delights in His children and loves to give us good gifts. He says in Matthew 7:11 (KJV), “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

Step #2: Do It!

Your action either defeats you or puts you over. Your action is really important. The Bible says that Jarius approached Jesus while his young daughter was at home near death. He was the ruler of the synagogue and had faith to believe Jesus could heal his daughter. Even when he was told his daughter was dead, he was proactive and exercised his faith. Read about this remarkable story in Mark 5:36-43 (KJV).

We read in the Bible where Jesus instructed those He healed to go and “do” something. Wash their eyes or get in a pool of water. The widow of Zarephath was to make the prophet a cake from the last bit of flour and the last oil in her cruse. Do you think her son would have been healed if she hadn’t done what the Lord led her to do? Read 1 Kings 17:8-24 (KJV) for the full story.

Step #3: Receive It!

The woman with the issue of blood felt in her body that she was healed of the plague. It is written in Matthew 9:22 (KJV) how Jesus turned and when He saw her, He said, “Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith has made thee whole.” And the woman was made whole at that moment.

You can notice that the feeling and the healing followed the coming and doing. The woman said it first. She came for it second. Then she received, and felt in her body she was healed. There is no doubt in my mind that she told her family and friends all that the Lord had done. Wouldn’t you have? If I had suffered twelve years with a disorder, you bet I’d tell someone that I was supernaturally healed.

The Bible says that this woman had gone to many physicians, spent all that she had and was never better. God has provided everything we will ever need by the life and death of His son, Jesus. His sacrifice paved the way for us to be saved, healed and delivered. It is finished.

Step #4: Tell It!

There are many instances in the Bible where Jesus instructed the person healed to "Go and tell" or "Go and show" their healing to the priests. It’s important to testify to what the Lord has done. The Bible says in Revelation 12:11 (KJV), “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

We can speak a good confession and in so doing so we can write our own ticket with God. Our words frame our outcomes. The Bible confirms these steps for our success in every area of our lives as it is written in Psalm 45:1 (KJV): “My heart is inditing a good matter, I speak of the things which I have made touching the King, my tongue is the pen of ready writer.”

The Gadarene demoniac was healed when he saw Jesus afar off and ran toward Him and worshipped Him. According to Mark 5:19 (KJV), “Jesus suffered him not, but said unto him, 'Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.'”

I’m sure we have all experienced that adrenaline rush and good feeling after we’ve witnessed to someone about what God has done in our lives. The enemy hates for you to give God the Glory and Honor due Him. We must always “tell.” 

Again, how could we not? God is a good Father and He loves us beyond anything we can imagine. Remember He loves you just the way you are and He loves giving good gifts to His children.

~*~
Author Bio:

Nanci is a poet and short story writer published in Cypress News, Family Times E-Zine, Free Verse and the Commonwealth of Poetry. 

She belongs to RWA, ACFW, and Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild where she’s enrolled in his novel writing program.

Nanci lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and cats, Romeo and Juliette, along with their newest member of the family, Roni who is a seven-month-old Goldendoodle.

Recently, Nanci completed her debut novel, A Betrayal in Cross Keys. It is an Amish romance that she has placed in her agent's capable hands. The rest is up to God.