Will you stand on the promises of God?

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful
(Hebrews 10:23).

Americans have been forced to make a very difficult decision in the 2012 presidential election. Having to choose between a liberal Christian and a devout Mormon has divided our country along many different perspectives: religious, cultural, racial, economic, and gender. As a conservative evangelical Christian who has spent over 30 years promoting the principles of Scripture and teaching others to do the same, there was not a clear choice in this election. However, the election is over and now we are faced with the healing and uniting of our nation.

If we trust and depend on the divine providence of God, we understand that the president may lead our country in governmental affairs, but he is merely a man who is subject to the authority of God. We must keep in mind that every four years there are winners and losers in the presidential elections, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Regardless of who leads this country, as Christians we are responsible and accountable to God for establishing Christian values in a corrupt world. God has provided for the Christian a wealth of godly directions through the Bible that will direct our paths and heal our land. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105). Despite this world’s ungodly ways, the Christian is led by the illumination of God’s Word.

Please allow me to encourage you to teach, preach, and live unwaveringly for Jesus Christ, who will fulfill all of God’s promises. Standing on his promises provides peace, provision, salvation, deliverance, and forgiveness for every believer who will trust him. Because Christians surrender their lives to Christ as Lord and confess a hope in him as their savior they develop a personal relationship with him. Through this relationship believers are given a divine confirmation of their ability to access God’s promises.  Accepting Christ as Lord creates a changed life and gives Christians the confidence to know that his promises are true, thereby giving us strength, encouragement, and a concrete foundation for living the Christian life. If we accept that God has the power to do what he has promised and believe that he never breaks his promises we gain the assurance to trust him with the issues of life—trusting that his will is accomplished regardless of the results, whether favorable or unfavorable.

When we examine God’s promises, the Bible reminds us of God’s faithfulness to all who put their trust in him. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

God keeps every promise he makes. When we live as one in fellowship with Christ, we have the guarantee that every promise God has made in the Word is accessible to us. This truth should stimulate us to take our focus off society and search the Scriptures for its divine promises with the expectation of organizing our lives to achieve God’s potential for life. Jesus promised that when you ask for something in his will, he will give you what you ask (John 16:23). This promise is available to every Christian. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does (Psalm 145:13). God has given us the promise that the next four years and all other times are in his hands. He has promised he would be with us always even until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). It has been over 2,000 years since Jesus made that promise and it stands true because he is still with those who trust in him.

Standing on the promises of God requires Christians to live just as Paul encouraged: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 13:8). The Christian community must make a stand in our present age against the moral ills that confront us today and in the years to come. Without the Christian community establishing a standard of morality, sin and anti-biblical corruption will continue to overrun society, and ungodly norms will become the order of the day.

Not only is it essential to stand on God’s promises, but to stand against the movements of abortion, same-sex marriages, racism, etc. If Christians fail to take a stand, we will find ourselves faced with whether we submit or disobey laws that affect our biblical belief system. Standing on the promises of God requires us to stand like Joshua when confronted with living by the ungodly laws established by the inhabitants of Canaan: “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (JOSHUA 24:15).

In times like these, Christians must remind each other of songs that will encourage and enhance our faith. “Standing on the Promises,” by Russell K. Carter and published in 1886, is a hymn of trusting in a God who is able to accomplish his promises in the life of his followers. Carter wrote this hymn at the age of 30 after his doctors told him that he suffered an incurable and life-threatening heart condition. According to his life story: “He knelt and made a promise that healing or no, his life was finally and forever, fully consecrated to the service of the Lord. It was from that moment that the written Word of God became alive to Carter. He began to stand upon the promises of healing, determining to believe no matter what his physical condition, no matter how he felt. Over the course of the next several months his strength returned, and his heart was completely healed! Carter lived another healthy 49 years.”

Lyrics to “Standing on the Promises”
Russell K. Carter

Standing on the promises of Christ my King, thru eternal ages let His praises ring; glory in the highest I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I now can see perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me; standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, standing on the promises of God,
Standing on the promises I cannot fall, list’ning ev’ry moment to the Spirit’s call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, standing on the promises of God.
Chorus: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.