Standing on the Promises

What do you do when you are awakened early and you can’t go back to sleep? How about those times that you lay there and think about life in America? You think about the years of blessings on a nation sent from God Himself. Sometimes you wonder about how long it will continue. It is in these moments that we have a decision to make. We can despair or dismiss the thoughts. We can worry or try to muster up some faith. Or…. we can look at the promises of God.

There doesn’t seem to be many promises given directly to America in the scriptures. However, there are major promises for the world itself and especially for those who make a covenant with God. Scripture is filled with promises for the people that God has made a covenant with. He made a major covenant with Abraham and his descendents. He made another even greater covenant through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. The early Apostles gave many encouragements to covenant people by the Spirit’s inspiration. Men and women who have connected with the vision of the Spirit have continued to see the promises of the covenant throughout the years. They have spoken and written letters, articles, and books that are filled with these visions of promise.

Stepping onto the scene in our times is an army of people filled with hope because of the promises of their God. They are as certain as Jeremiah that the order of the sun, moon, and the roaring of the sea would cease before God’s promises for those He has a covenant with would fail (see Jeremiah 31).

This remnant group (that is growing every day) knows there is great darkness on the earth. They are not in denial. They understand it is a deep, serious darkness. Yet, they hear the clarion call of Isaiah to arise and to shine. They are certain beyond doubt that their Light has come (see Isaiah 60:1-3). They are certain that the glory of the Lord has risen upon them and they are ready to march. Darkness cannot affect light. Light repels darkness. The Lord, Himself, has risen upon them and His glory appears all around them. They have been touched by Ezekiel’s River (see Ezekiel 47) and everything they touch is affected. Like a “Midas touch”, life flows to everything they touch. Nations are touched by their light. It is their inheritance and their delegated authority. They have doves eye vision for recovering what has been lost and for the promises to be fulfilled.

Instead of just standing by idly waiting for something to happen, they see that the fullness of time has come. Don’t be mistaken, they have seen the “thumbs up” of the Lord and they are ready to go forward. Is there danger? Sure, but this is their testimony, they love not their lives to the death. This is how they overcome (see Revelation 12:11).

The Psalmist wrote that the heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth has been given to the sons of men by God (see Psalm 115:16). The Lord has delegated authority of the earth unto men. Our response is to agree with what He has already spoken and through prayer, intercession, declaration, and sometimes fasting, move towards the advancement of the kingdom of God upon the earth. When Daniel read about from the prophecies of Jeremiah that Israel was to return home from captivity after 70 years, he started praying into it. Promises need the mixture of intercession. The book of Revelation gives an illustration of how the prayers of God’s people mixed with the fire of the altar of Heaven brings a reaction upon the earth (see Revelation 8:3-5). We need the reaction of Heaven upon the earth and the authority has been given to man to intercede accordingly. We make a difference.

So… we lie awake and we ponder our choices. Darkness or light? Disaster or blessing? Hopelessness or glory? Death or life? Unless we are in great bondage to the lies of the enemy, the choice is easy. We will stand on the promises of God and we will intercede, fast, and proclaim His goodness in the land of the living. We will watch as the river flows through the desert and watch the flowers bloom. We will experience restoration of our lives and our land.

As we recently watched a documentary on the transformation going on here in the Appalachian mountains, I felt excitement. Most of the documentary was about restoration in the lives of the people in Manchester, Kentucky, as they stand on God’s promises for them. However, I was blessed to see how the land is being affected. One of the ways the land is being restored is the return of wildlife. Elk is coming back in great numbers. To the people of Appalachia this is like a rose blooming in a desert. Isaiah talked about how barren places would blossom like a rose (see Isaiah 35:1). We can watch the lives of people being transformed. We can watch nature glorify the restoration process of the Lord. This will include restoration of the land, the water, and the wildlife. All of this is welcomed by the people of God.

The gloom and doom reports don’t have the final word. God does. The gospel means good news. How long has it been since you heard some gospel? It can become a new kind of normal. The choice is ours.