The Unrivaled Promises

I never was much of a princess kind of girl.  You would have found me catching bugs and lizards, riding my bike and building forts rather than playing with my Barbies (Though I did have a cool one with a bald head and three interchangeable wigs!). 

I could probably pay-off my house with this now:)

 So when I come upon "princess stuff," even in a wonderful Christian book, I have a tendency to want to bust through quickly and get on with it.  That's what happened when I began to read this week's chapter "A Promise Without Rival."  I could feel myself cringe a little as I began to read, "Imagine there is a knock at your door..."  As I continued reading (as fast as I could) I realized that though I might not be connected to this kind of imagery, there are many who would.  Like my granddaughter, Adley.  She LOVES the whole princess thing and this kind of story would reach to her very soul! And whether you are "princessy" or not, the truth is, in Christ, we are of a royal line.

But in reality this chapter is not so much about princesses, as it is, at its very core, about the promises of God on our lives.  Now that is something I can wrap my heart and mind around!  Here are a some of my favorites:

Exodus 14:14
The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still.

Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.   He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Psalm 86:5
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Psalm 9:9-10
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Philippians 4:6-7  
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3:4-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, bring rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Luke 11:9-13
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

I could go on and on.  Each one of these wonderful promises have meant EVERYTHING to me during different times of my life.  I clung to them like a drowning person to the one stable thing within her grip or sometimes they lit my path like a flicker of hope in the future.  At other times, they were the my only "how to" when searching for an answer or my way.

C. S. Lewis, who can, at times, bring a truth to light in such a way that it smacks you upside of the head, does this in one of my favorite quotations: 

"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.  We are far too easily pleased."

"We are far too easily pleased" with a lot of silly stuff we idly spend our time on day after day. What could the Lord do with our lives if we embraced the truth of His great promises and stopped believing the enemies whispered lies of "too late," "too young," "too old," "too difficult," "too risky," "too damaged," "too uneducated," "too much for me."
What. Would. Happen?

That is a question I would LOVE to see the answer to:)

Whether you feel like a princess or not, the truth is in Christ we are royalty, chosen by Him, loved and sacrificed for, blessed and given the greatest promise of all...the Holy Spirit within and someday the Lord has promised we will see Him face to face!!!

I am praying right now that we would begin to get a glimpse of how monumental all these promises mean to our lives.  May we know Him and His great goodness, hear the Holy Spirit speak and walk forward in all the promises He has for us each day!

Which of God's promises have meant the most to you lately and why? 

How is God asking you to step out in boldness into His promises for your life?

Blessings to you this week!!

Cherri