How To Appropriate The Promises Of God

TEXT: 2 Corinthians 1:20

TITLE: HOW TO APPROPRIATE THE PROMISES OF GOD.

We hear a lot about faith & appropriating or taking hold of God’s promises today. Well just how are we to appropriate or take hold of God’s promises?

THE FIRST STEP

The first step toward appropriating the promises of God is the same as the first step toward salvation, or any other blessing that God promises; that is, for the individual to know what the Bible clearly teaches, that it is God’s will. The Word of God must convince each individual that what he/she is praying for is the will of God. We must know what the Bible says about what we are praying or asking for. For it is impossible to have real faith as long as there is the slights doubt as to its being God’s will.

It is impossible to boldly claim by faith a blessing, which we are not certain that God offers, because the power of God can be claimed only where the will of God is known. For instance, it would be next to impossible to get a sinner to “believe unto righteousness” before you had fully convinced him that it was God’s Will to save him. Faith begins where the will of God is known. Faith must rest on the will of God alone, not on our desires or wishes. Appropriating faith does not believe that God can but that He will.

Faith Is Expecting God To Do

For instance, when God commands us to pray for the sick, He means us to pray with faith, which we could not do if we did not know His will in the matter. Until a person knows God’s Will, they have no basis for faith, because faith is expecting God to do what we know it is His will to do. It is not hard, when we have faith, to get God to do His will.

When we know it is His will, it is not difficult for us to believe that He will do what we are sure He wants to do. It is in this way that every saved person has experienced the still greater miracle of the new birth. There can be no appropriation by faith until we are made to know by the Word of God what God has provided for us.

God’s way of saving the soul, of healing the body, & of doing everything else He wants to do, is to send His Word – His promise - & then keep the promise wherever it produces faith.

Just as a little girl’s faith for a new dress comes by hearing the promise of her mother to buy it next Saturday, so our faith comes by hearing God’s word, or promise, to do it. Both the little girl’s faith & ours “comes by hearing.” Now, the little girl could not, & would not be expected to have faith for the new dress until her mother promised it; so we cannot, nor are we expected to, have faith for any of the blessings or promises of God until that faith comes by hearing the Word (promise) of God to do it.

How could any one find “justification by faith” until it was preached to him, & how could any one find healing by faith until it was preached to him? It is the Scriptures, which are able to make men wise unto salvation.

THE VALUE OF GOD’S REDEMPTIVE NAMES

God has given us some promises we can appropriate or take hold of in His redemptive names. What can be more His Word than His redemptive & covenant names, which were given, all 7 of them, for the specific purpose of revealing to every man in Adam’s race His redemptive attitude toward them.

His 7 Redemptive names reveal what our Redemption includes. If we haven’t appropriated the promises of these names then we need to. He has many other names, but only 7 Redemptive names; & these 7 names are never used in the Scriptures except in His dealings with man. Not 6 names, not 8; but 7, the perfect number, because he is a Perfect Savior, His redemption covering the whole scope of human need. The blessings revealed by each of these names are all in the Atonement.

Jehovah-Shalom means, “the Lord is our Peace.”

Jehovah-Raah means, “the Lord is my Shepherd.” He became our Shepherd by giving His life for the sheep. He leads, guides, protects, & provides for us our Shepherd.

Jehovah-Jireh means, “the Lord will provide.”

Jehovah-Nissi means “the Lord our Banner,” or Victor, by spoiling principalities & powers on the cross.

He bore our sins, & became Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “the Lord our Righteousness,” opening the way for every sinner to receive the gift of righteousness.

Jehovah-Rapha means “I am the Lord that heals you,” or “I am the Lord your Physician.”