It’s
not enough just to know about God’s promises. We must receive the
Scriptures for ourselves to make them a reality in our lives (Heb. 11:33). When
prospectors discovered gold during the California Gold Rush in the 1800s, they
had to “stake a claim.” Staking a claim meant they had to drive posts into the
ground to claim the marked property as their own. This illustrates what it means
to claim God’s promises.
You
can’t see God, but you can see His
promises recorded in the Bible. He wants you to stake a claim on them,
which means to receive them by faith as your own personal property. Many
people in the Bible chose to believe what God had promised, even when their situations
looked impossible.
God
promised Sarah she would have a child—and she gave birth at 90 years old. She was
the first woman in history to go through menopause before she got pregnant! “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive,
even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who
had promised” (Heb. 11:11). Her husband Abraham was “fully convinced
that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Rom 4:21).
Staking Your Claim: For example, if you
aren’t sure God will forgive your sins, you can pray, “Lord, I receive your promises for
myself. I’ve received Jesus and claim your promise that I’m your child (John
1:12). You’ve promised to forgive my sins (Eph. 1:7) and remember them no more
(Heb. 10:17). You became sin for me and gave me your righteousness (2 Cor.
5:21). I stand in your righteousness, not mine (Rom. 4:5)."
The
fulfillment of each promise is God’s responsibility, but it’s up to us to trust
Him to come through. He fulfilled every promise He made to
Israel. “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of
Israel failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45) Have you staked
your claim? www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net Twitter: @KentCrockett
