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A PROMISE FOR YOU
by Jacques More
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Over the years I have had many favourite verses. Some to express the new
life I was living and Who Jesus is like: |
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. . . I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me. |
John 14:6 |
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Or, as in my early days as a Christian I went through periods of guilt for
wrong I had done (allegedly). Later to realise these are normal tactics of the
enemy. An early verse that sealed this up and helped quickly was, |
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If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. |
1 John 1:9 |
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Or, after a season of intense attack from the enemy the reality and truth
that, |
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. . . God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. |
1 John 1:5 |
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A particular treasure - An effective solid rock foundation and weapon
against Satan: a real testimony that only good comes directly from God. |
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A personal one given me several times by different people over the years has
been Psalm 32:8, |
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I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go; I will guide you with My eye. |
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Sometimes accompanied with the following verses; sometimes not. |
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There is of course, the classic from the prophet Jeremiah's experience: |
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. . . Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,
because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your
faithfulness. |
Lamentations 3:22-23 |
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Though usually remembered in terms of "His mercies are new every
morning: great is His faithfulness": A real gem. |
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One of my all time favourites: a Promise for you |
But in recent years a most significant one has been added to the list. A
verse that I once could not appreciate and indeed found hard to swallow, has now
become one of my all time favourites. Jesus is quoted as saying it 5 times in
the gospels and yet I never heard a sermon preached on it. |
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Here I wish to share with you this verse and what it has come to mean to me
- a promise and giver of hope when life sometimes feels like it has little to
give hope for. Or, when doubt and fear attack, a promise to dispel the lies it
has really become. |
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It is this, |
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For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he
will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken
away from him. |
Matthew 13:12 |
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I remember thinking and feeling how unjust and unfair this passage seemed. .
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Until the day I asked the Lord to explain it to me (James 1:5). And it now
makes so much sense. |
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If you have a genuine desire for righteousness - to do what is right - what
is good - then more will be given you, and you will have abundance. |
But, if you do not, then what good you have received and what you possess
that is helpful, will be taken away. |
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Paul expressed these things in terms of you reap what you sow (Galatians
6:7). Or even in greater expansion if you love God in your heart (of hearts) and
don't really know how to follow Him, or how to pray, then God will enable you
and make it happen for you. |
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Earlier this evening a good friend of mine who has been having marriage
difficulties and for whom I have been praying, shared with me how they had
recently talked honestly and expressed the desire to make things work and how
since genuine progress had begun. I rejoiced with him. As I did so this verse of
mine came to mind and I expressed it as a promise to them. |
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As they both had a desire to make it work, then more will be given them, and
they will have abundance. |
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He looked forward to sharing it with his beloved. |
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So, when you feel or think nothing is working and you are a total failure
ask yourself this question: |
"Do I want to do what is right?" |
"Do I want to do good?" |
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If the answer is yes, then Jesus promises more will be given you, and you
will have abundance. |
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Hallelujah! And Praise the Lord! |
Amen |
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For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he
will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken
away from him. |
Matthew 13:12
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Ref. S.059 |
Unless otherwise stated Bible quotes are from the New King James Version |
© copyright Thomas Nelson Inc. 1979,1980,1982. |
© copyright Jacques More 2004. All Rights Reserved. |
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