Amazingly, God has helped me learn that His Word is not just true—it is powerful! This compound truth is one of the most important foundational facts that we can ever learn. Furthermore, because God’s promises are true and powerful, they are our best remedies for our troubles and whatever ails us.
All of God’s promises are wonderful and yet, surely, it is even more valuable when the Lord personally gives us a promise from His Word. When this happens, we must hold on to it, knowing that it is precious. The God of the universe, who made the sun, moon, and stars, has given us His Word.
God’s promises are so powerful, they have brought me breakthroughs and victory, and changed my circumstances. They have even changed me. Now, that’s a miracle! Truly, with God, “nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37).
If we want any one of God’s specific promises to be fulfilled in our lives, we must learn how to hold on to it. We must believe His promise, trust it, count on it, and act on it. We must memorize His promise, think on it, say it, repeat it, make a song out of it, and tape it where we will see it. We must do all we can to hold His promise up and set our compasses and lives by it.
It may take time to think on it and believe it so that it brings us comfort and peace. That’s okay. Long journeys, successful accomplishments, and significant endeavors are all made up of small steps.
In part 1 of my story, I recounted the painful events that happened to me, which brought pain and fear, and yet, God gave me a biblical promise of health and healing. This is the promise verse He gave me:
“Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to [you]; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.” -Jeremiah 33:6 NIV
I knew that God’s promise was key to finding peace, but I had no idea how to receive help from it. God had much to teach me, so that I could experience His peace.
In part 2 of my story, I shared what God taught me about the power of His Word, proof, and evidence, which gave me greater faith to trust Him and the Bible. Still, I needed to learn to trust in a specific promise from Him, for myself, personally. Sometimes it is easy to believe in God and the Bible, generally, and for others, but it’s another thing entirely to believe the good promises are meant for us, too!
Growing in Faith
Faith is an important component of our Christian life. Faith is more than simply mentally knowing something and assenting to it. Faith is belief + action. It is counting on God to act on our behalf and trusting Him and His Word. Studying about faith and frequently reading accounts of great faith in the Bible can help with this aspect.
The Old Testament reveals many stories of great faith in God. The gospels in the New Testament give us many accounts of people who believed Jesus so much that they sought Him out—no matter what it took—so they might receive His help and healing.
- The woman with a bleeding issue believed (and must have said something like this to herself): “If I just get to Jesus and touch His garment I’ll be healed.” (See Luke 8:40-48.)
- The paralytic and his friends had incredible faith and knew they simply had to get their friend to Jesus. This ended up meaning they had to climb on a roof, make a hole in it, and lower their friend down with ropes right in front of Jesus. But they knew that Jesus was their only hope. That’s faith! (See Luke 5:17-26.)
- The disciples declared, “Who else would we go to, Lord? You alone have the answers of eternal life.” (See John 6:27-69.)
In this post, I want to share how I learned to stand on God’s promises and received peace. I had learned to believe in the power of God’s Word, but now I needed to have faith in His promises for myself. This was a process of God working, and me growing, and not giving up. During this season, the Lord orchestrated two miraculous events that brought the right people and the right resources to me.
One day when my phone rang, I answered it. The voice on the other end was an old family friend, MaryAnn, who called out of the blue. She has an amazing testimony, which I knew a bit about. She was healed from stage-four cancer with the power of God’s Word. (Yes, she did seek medical care, but the news was bleak.) While MaryAnn, a bit nervous, attempted to explain the reason for her call, I knew immediately the call was from God to encourage me. Her nervousness, though, made the event even more real and meaningful to me. She explained that she sensed God urging her to call me and share a bit of her story and the books that encouraged her, which she did. We later met in person, and our friendship picked up again.
MaryAnn has been (and is) a great source of truth, faith, prayer, and encouragement to me. When she talks, I often scribble pages of notes because the Word of God, and spiritual principles, pour out of her. Her story and testimony always encourage people to believe God’s Word and fight spiritual battles with His promises. It is how she has won many spiritual battles in her life. She is someone I still occasionally call for prayer and a good spiritual pep talk when I need one. (This is another reason we must be in church and around other believers. We need friends who prod us to persevere in faith and challenge us to grow.)
I began reading the books and resources that MaryAnn suggested, which helped her to know God’s provisions and to “believe with faith.” Around this same time, I happened to have a random encounter and random conversation with someone who told me about a counselor-coach. Not one to turn down help and hope, I met with the counselor-coach. After sharing about my promise from God, along with my struggle to receive peace from it, he pulled from his desk drawer a booklet and information on the ministry of Kenneth Hagin. The information confirmed what God had MaryAnn share with me, and it immensely ministered to me.
I still keep the booklet, God’s Medicine by Kenneth E Hagin, handy and refer to it occasionally (1). It is small—just a bit over 3 x 5, and only thirty-two pages. Kenneth Hagin’s ministry (Rhema.org) and Amazon.com both offer the minibook for $1.95! (At the end of this post, I will share a few more of my favorite resources.)
In the booklet, God’s Medicine, Kenneth E. Hagin shares how he was healed from a childhood heart defect by holding on to the promise of God’s Word. However, it took him time to learn how to trust and believe the biblical promise. His story of being healed from a heart condition, especially ministered to me because of my mom’s death from a heart condition, followed by the television show pronouncing the condition was genetic. (This is in part 1 of my story.)
Know God’s Truth and Lean on the Promise
In his books, Hagin shares the biblical premises for believing God’s Word and His promises. Hagin explains the many blessings that Jesus secured for us through His life, death, and resurrection. The blessings include healing.
The scriptural promises of healing often cause many people to hesitate and ask, “But why do some people not experience healing?” This question is valid, but before we concern ourselves with this aspect, we must first know and understand what Scripture declares about our healing and the help and provisions that we are offered through Jesus. Scripture declares much on the topic.
It’s worth repeating that God calls us to seek His promises, know them, memorize them, claim them, think on them, and say them to ourselves. We are to write them down and put them where we will see them. We must do all that we can to hold up God’s truth and promises before our eyes, and get them into our minds and hearts. We must give them time to do their work.
Having a promise from the Lord is easy. Fully trusting His promises takes practice, and the training of our minds, so that we can stand immovable upon His good promises. Like others before me, I had to learn to allow myself to trust God’s big promises, and believe that they are for me (and my family).
We need to trust that God’s promises can hold up to anything. We must believe them and let God work out any details that seem to contradict His promises. As we trust God, we will experience more peace and healing. Knowing that God is our only hope can propel us to hold on to Him with all we’ve got.
Through Kenneth Hagin’s encouragement, I memorized the promise that God gave me, and began saying it frequently. God was my only hope. Nothing changed the first time or first day. But I kept at it. Even when I became weary, or nothing seemed to be happening, I stuck with it. When the fear or doubt would come, I would throw God’s promise at it. Nothing mattered but God’s good promise. I said it a hundred times. I repeated it when I was scared and had panic attacks. I repeated it when something ruffled my mind. Peace slowly grew and the fear and physical manifestations lessened.
I continued to hold on to God’s promise as my mind, body, and circumstances lined up in agreement with God’s Word and promises. I said it a thousand times. A week, a month, a year, two years. I still remind myself of God’s promise.
I learned to train my mind and hold on to His promises! This took time, practice, and persistence. I had to cultivate the practice of holding on to His promise in my mind—day in and day out—until my body (and mind) got the message that I was claiming God’s promises and power. I did it until it became second nature for me to trust, and the peace became more prevalent than my fear. My faith and confidence in God continues to grow as I hold on to God’s promises.
The first five times, maybe the first fifty times, when you try to tell God’s truth to your anxiety, it won’t budge. Your anxiety may laugh at you. It will probably go get more anxious thoughts that you hadn’t thought of. Don’t quit. Keep at it. Speak God’s truth-filled words to your thoughts, feelings, and circumstances.
God’s Nevertheless
As we seek to believe and hold on to God’s promises, our minds (and Satan) will be prone to throw at us “what-ifs.” What if this happens? Or, what if that? We can counteract every “what-if” with God’s “Nevertheless,” which is a biblical word.
In fact, the verse of promise that God gave me starts with “Nevertheless.”
\”Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to you; I will heal you and will let you enjoy abundant peace and security\” (Jeremiah 33:6).
Other similar biblical words include “yet,” “but,” and “however.” “Yet” is used in this Scripture in Ezekiel:
“Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you” (Ezekiel 16:60).
Along my journey, God amazingly brought a little hardback book to me. It is titled Nevertheless: The Most Powerful Word You Can Use to Defeat the Enemy, by Mark Rutland. (This is the original subtitle and the one that is on my 2001 edition.(2))
Aah, nevertheless. Right now, as I read those words, I can feel my stress and fear drain away. Nevertheless, I will prevail with God as my help. Nevertheless, the Lord is good and desires good things for me. He desires good things for those who trust and follow Him. There are no “what-ifs” that God’s “nevertheless” cannot cover.
No matter what my Red Sea is—God can cover it, part it, drain it, or throw a bridge over it. Or He’ll walk with me upon it. Through it all, God desires that I know Him more; seek more of Him; and depend on and experience more of His grace, mercy, power, peace, comfort, and truth. Whatever my circumstances are, God wants to and will bring good out of it them when I trust Him. (The account of God parting the Red Sea for the Israelites, when the Egyptians were in hot pursuit of them, is found in Exodus, chapter 14.)
In the past, sometimes this question would come to mind: “What if on the way to His good purposes, there is more trouble and pain?” I learned to counteract these questions, too. Nevertheless, God is a God of mercy. He hears me and turns to me every time I cry out to Him in prayer. My life has had its share of suffering and sorrow, but the Lord has been there in every circumstance. I have felt His hand and His Presence. I have seen with my own eyes God at work in every circumstance. He is my Nevertheless and His power extends to every circumstance.
I won’t let Satan finish his “what-ifs,” or torment me because God promises go before me (Deuteronomy 31:8). God is already there. God is already making a way for me that will work out for my good. He wants me to enjoy His good provisions.
Because, nevertheless, God loves me. Me. And I love Him. His eye is on me. His ear listens for my cry, my requests, my praise, and my voice. He desires to show me great things about Himself, as well as about righteousness and truth. I am learning to listen to God, hear Him, and do what He says.
There are no “what-ifs” with God and Christ. It is always—Nevertheless. Nevertheless God is good. Nevertheless God desires for me to know His goodness. I can even ask Him to help me in this–to know His goodness more.
Letting Go of Fear and Cultivating Courage
God not only tells us NOT to fear, He declares it 365 ways—one for every day of the year! He directs us 365 times in Scripture to not be afraid, but have hope, courage, peace, and trust in Him! (Various lists for these 365 daily verses can easily be found online.)
God declares: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).
Therefore, I will fight Satan, my fears, my doubts, and my circumstances—with God’s Word. It is both my shield and sword. It is my defensive weapon and my offensive weapon against the enemy’s tactics. God is my defender.
Let me share just a few more brief helpful truths that God has taught me about the power of His promises and faithfulness.
One particular Sunday, when my husband and I attended our Sunday-morning class before church, a woman friend of ours was filling in for the regular class leader. The small class sat in a circle and I was next to my friend. As she discussed her topic, she shared the verse:
No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ, and through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20; and see 2 Corinthians 1:18-22.)
Astonished, I asked to see her Bible. I had to read that verse myself. As I did so, all I could think was, Oh my goodness! This is incredible! I knew that God was, once again, confirming His promises to me—and that they are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ! You can’t get much more certain than a promise, and a “yes” and an “amen!”
Later, I discovered in Revelation (the last book of the Bible), that Jesus is our Amen!
“These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation” (Revelation 3:14 NIV).
God has made many promises. All of His promises are ratified, confirmed, and carried out by Jesus through His life, death, resurrection, and continued ministry to us and for us. Our choice is—will we believe Him and follow Him?
While there are many verses on God’s promises, this one seems to hold particular power:
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV).
Assuredly, God’s promises hold. He is faithful. May we know His goodness and live in, and live out, His good news!
Christians often talk about standing on the promises of God, which brings to mind the old foot-stomping hymn, “Standing on the Promises,” by Russell Kelso Carter (1849-1928). He composed the hymn in 1886. The title is an accurate description of how we must know and be immovable with God’s powerful truth. While the story behind the song (which includes Carter being healed from a heart issue) can easily be found online, I enjoyed this account: https://honeyforsweetnes.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/the-story-behind-the-song-standing-on-the-promises/.
Alan Jackson recorded and included the song on his album, Precious Memories (released February 2006). His rendition can be heard here: https://www.countrythangdaily.com/standing-on-the-promises-of-god-jackson/.
When we’re in need, we can let ourselves be encouraged by stories of believers in the Bible. We can read about Noah, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, David, Daniel, Jonah, and many others in the Old Testament, along with the thrilling examples of believers in the New Testament.
To hear God means that we have to shut out other things. We must strive to shut out all the noise, and fear, and any voices except for His. We must focus on Jesus and His words and promises. We must take time to find out what God says on the topic. If we are going to listen to God, we will have to let go of and ignore anything that doesn’t agree with God’s Word on the matter.
Don’t say—“it can’t be done,” because with God, there is no “impossible.” In the Bible, God has many names. One of His names in the Old Testament is El Shaddai, which means “more than enough.” God is truly more than enough.(3)
Remember, Satan will try to tell you that your situation is hopeless, but Jesus came to give hope to the hopeless!
We must not measure God’s unlimited power and goodness by our limited viewpoint and expectations. God is able and willing to do more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
As Niecy Nash, from the television decorating show, Clean House (airing in the early 2000s), used to say, “bettr get to gettin’.” We need to get to gettin’. Let’s get to asking God, let’s get to believing God, and let’s get to doing all that He calls us to do (for our sake, His sake, and the sake of others).
Until we want God’s help enough to ask Him, He doesn’t usually step in to help because He requires our participation. He requires our awareness, alertness, and attention. The Lord requires our asking and receiving. He requires us to “get to gettin’.”
Ask Jesus for the help and answers that you need. Seek and search. There are promises to learn about and trust, so that you may enjoy God’s abundant blessings!
May God bless you greatly as you seek Him.
Part 1 and 2 of my story can be found here:
My Story—From Fear to Receiving God’s Help and Peace—Part 1
My Story—How the Power of God’s Biblical Proof Brought Faith, Hope, and Peace—Part 2
1 God’s Medicine by Kenneth E. Hagin. Rhema Bible Church, 1977. See https://www.rhema.org/. Kenneth Hagin (1917–2003), an American preacher, pioneered what is known as the Word of Faith movement. His son, Kenneth Hagin Jr., continues the ministry, Rhema.org.
2 Nevertheless: The Most Powerful Word You Can Use to Defeat the Enemy by Mark Rutland. (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2001).
3 Wonderful studies can be found on the meaning of God’s names, of which there are many. This is an article I enjoyed: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-is-the-significance-of-el-shaddai.html.
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