Faith Activates God’s Promises
God’s promises are true for everyone. Doubt and unbelief do not make His promises any less real – they just won’t be true for you if you don’t believe them. Faith brings His promises off the pages of the Bible and into your reality.
Hebrews 4:1-12 Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest He spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest. 2 For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. 3 We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised. It is just as He said, “I was angry and made a solemn promise: ‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’” He said this even though His work had been finished from the time he created the world. 4 For somewhere in the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: “God rested on the seventh day from all His work.” 5 This same matter is spoken of again: “They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest.” 6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. (NLT) (Other translations say disbelieved or rebelled.)
7 This is shown by the fact that God sets another day, which is called “Today.” Many years later He spoke of it through David in the Scripture already quoted: “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn.” 8 If Joshua had given the people the rest that God had promised, God would not have spoken later about another day.
9 As it is, however, there still remains for God’s people a rest like God’s resting on the seventh day.
Why did God rest from His work? Because He was finished. His work was completed. We must realize and rest in His completed work. His promises are not going to be done for you. They already are done for you.
10 For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest from their own work, just as God rested from His. 11 Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith. 12 The Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (GWT)
Release the Word of God with your faith by believing (putting into action) what it says. You don’t have to beg a river to flow just remove the blockage – doubt, unbelief, or uncertainty.
Isaiah 9:6-7a For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given. The government will rest on his shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. (NLT)
John 14:1,27 Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (NKJ)
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body; and be thankful. (NKJ)
Rest, peace, and faith are unequivocally linked together.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you. (NKJ)
Trust is faith and faith is trust.
Luke 17:5-6 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say unto this sycamine tree, Be plucked up by the root, and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you. (NKJ)
If you never plant it, it will never produce anything. If you never stretch your faith towards something bigger than yourself (too difficult so that you see no way out) you limit God and will not see something happen. It will never happen until you speak it and you’ll never speak it with faith until you truly believe it! You cannot polly-parrot words—you must truly believe and believing brings with it peace and rest.
Matthew 17:19-21 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Remove from here to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 But this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting. (NKJ)
People will say, “All we can do now is pray,” “I’ll try it and see if it works.” At best, that is only wishful thinking. At worst, it is presumption—neither of which are faith.
Doctors do their best but can only report what they can see. We walk by faith and not by sight. So, whose report are you going to believe, talk about, agree with, stand up for, or stand against? Activate His promises. Speak them out in Faith.