Meditation 
We continue to look at the promises of God, particularly in regard to healing. The children of Israel have arrived at Mt. Sinai and they are receiving the laws of God. In Exodus chapter 20, God, through Moses, gives them what is known as the 10 commandants. The following chapters include other laws that they are to follow. These laws covered workers, personal injury, property damage, theft and a host of other things. The laws would provide a foundation for their government and social order for the children of Israel and establish them as a strong, orderly nation.
 
God also gave them instructions about the conquest they had to undertake. Although God had given them the “promise land”, they would still have to take dominion of it. God did not drive out the occupants before they came, He would use them to drive them out. He would do it in an orderly manner so that the land would not lay barren and the animals take over. God had a plan. However, the Israelites would have to do their part in order for the plan to be successful.
 
God explains to them that He is sending the Angel of the Lord before them. The Angel of the Lord is known to be the pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. God warns them not to provoke this Angel. He does not play. God tells them that He will not forgive them. But if they will obey the voice of this Angel and do what He says, they would be successful.
 
This brings us to our promise for today. God tells them that if they would just serve the Lord their God, He would not only bless their food and water, He would take sickness away from their midst. God had already introduced Himself to them as Jehovah Rapha, The Lord that heals in Exodus 15:26. We see again, it is God nature to heal.
 
Consider God’s character as revealed here. Not only will He heal them, He would take sickness away from their midst. Sickness would not even be in the air. They did not have to worry about catching something. They would live without the threat of contagious viruses or bacteria. He goes on further to say that there would be no miscarriages or barrenness and everyone would live to the fullness of their days.
 
God’s character does not change. He still desires to direct us in the dominion that He has assigned to us. He still wants us to live in health and wholeness with none barren. We do not have to walk in fear of every news report we hear about sickness and disease around us. He still wants us to live to the fullness of our days. It’s His character and He is the same yesterday, today and forever more.
 
Affirmation
God wants me to be successful in the “promise land” He has assigned for me. I will walk in the dominion that God has designated for me. I will listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I will serve the Lord. I know that by Jesus stripes, I am already healed. I rejoice and am grateful for the promise that God will take sickness from around me. In Jesus Name.

Meditation
Jesus not only came to give us eternal life, He came to give us abundant life.  Eternal life speaks of our life in Christ after this experience of living is over.  Abundant life speaks of this present life.

The dictionary tells us that the word abundant means “present in great quantity; more than adequate; over sufficient; well supplied; abounding, richly supplied”.  But what did it mean in Jesus’ day?  The word translated abundantly here is the Greek word perissos.  According to the Strong’s Dictionary of Greek words, perissos means “exceeding some number or measure or rank or need, over and above, more than is necessary, superadded, exceeding abundantly, supremely, something further, more, much more than all, more plainly, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon, pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent”.  It is clear that for many of us, we are living beneath our means.

Does this mean that Christians should have an abundance of material things?  Or should we over spiritualize this scripture as we do so many others to say that Jesus was talking about an “abundant” spiritual life? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between?  Our greatest clue comes from the beginning of this scripture.  Jesus states that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.  However, as a contrast, Jesus comes that we might have life and an abundant one at that.  Can the thief steal, kill or destroy our spiritual life?  He does not have that type of power.  But he can steal our resources, kill our dreams and destroy our passion to work for the kingdom.  While these may appear to be strictly “spiritual” things, they have many physical components.  Kingdom work requires resources.  And while we are to have an exceeding abundantly spiritual life, we can be of little help to the kingdom without proper resources.  Jesus has, by grace, provided for that also. 

Affirmations
Although the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy, I have learned that through Jesus I have been given authority over all of the power of the enemy.  Therefore, I will accept the superior, exceeding, more remarkable, more excellent life that has been promised to me by Jesus. I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise of an abundant life.

Meditation
Our promise today is around a subject that many of us do not get enough of; rest.  I am not saying that we are super productive because most of us are always doing something.  Our schedules have gotten so busy that we hardly have time for those things that we say are a priority in our lives.  We are always doing something.  However, that something is not always producing what we need or desire in our lives.  As a result, our relationships, our health and our spiritual walk suffer.

If you ask most people how they are doing, you will get some type of response that speaks to tiredness or fatigue.  These same people will tell you that, for the most part, they are not particularly happy with their lives.  So they are working hard but not seeing the accomplishments they desire.  For these people (many of us would count ourselves in this group) Jesus provides an intriguing invitation.  Come to me all you that labor and are heavy burdened and I will get you rest.  Where do we sign up?

Then He tells us something that makes us think, “Ah, I knew it was too good to be true”.  He tells us to take His yoke upon us.  Are you kidding me?  My burdens are hard enough without taking someone else’s yoke, especially the Savior of the world.  “No thanks”, we may say at first glance, “I’ll just keep what I have.” 

But if we don’t understand the yoking process and take time out of our busy schedules to learn of Him, we will miss the whole thing.  A yoke is a harness or instrument placed upon two oxen, causing them to plow together.  If one gets weak he can be pulled by the other.  Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Since we know that it is not the work that is easy and light, it must be that Jesus is pulling most of the weight.  That is not the Gospel of Jesus that most of us have heard preach.  Many believe that Christianity is a hard and burdensome task that will keep you down.  And as a result, we have turned many people away from the faith.  Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Our promise today is that Jesus will give us rest for our souls when we become yoked to Him.  Remember, our soul is not our spirit.  Our souls consist of our mind, intellect, and emotions.  Could your mind use some rest?  A rested mind learns how to work smarter, not harder.  Learn of Jesus.  Stop being weighed down by burdens you should not even be carrying.  Find out what Jesus has already done for you by His grace.   

Affirmations
I am yoked to Jesus.  His strength carries my burdens and cares. I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that I can find rest in Him.

Meditation
We come to the end of one of the final teachings that Jesus shared with His disciples.    Our promise for today has been repeated over 6 times in John chapters 14-16 and more than 10 times in the Gospels.  Although our lessons may sound like a broken record, these scriptures are recorded separately.  Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you.  He continues on to say ask and you shall receive so that your joy may be full.  Why does Jesus have to keep repeating the same thing over and over? 

It is obvious.  This would be a challenging subject for God’s children.  But why?  It doesn’t make sense.  If Jesus is going to take the time to tell the disciples this same thing over and over again, it must be important.  Jesus did not spend this last good teaching session telling them about sin issues, living right or giving to the poor.  He spent these last hours telling them to love each other.  He told them about the greater works them would do, how to abide in Him, and the work of the Holy Spirit.  But He also made them a promise; a promise that He repeated over 6 times in this one lesson.  Ask the Father for what you want and believe that you will receive it. 

Here is the interesting thing.  We still don’t get it.  After close to 2000 years, we still don’t believe that you can ask God for what you want.  We must make everything a struggle.   If you don’t like what is happening in any area of your life, ask God to fix it.  If your kids are acting up, ask God for what you want.  If your boss does not treat you right, ask God to fix it.  If you want your employees to have a better work ethic, ask God to fix it.  Instead of complaining about what you don’t have and what you don’t want; ask God for what you desire.

Look at John 16:24.  Read it over and over again until you get to the point that you believe what it says.  Ask and you will receive so that you joy may be full.  God wants you happy.  He wants you full of joy.  He does not want you beat up and broke down.

Perhaps, this is why we must come to God as a child.  If you took a child to the store and told them that you would buy them whatever they wanted, they would not be in theological discussions about how this was too good to be true.  They would race up and down the aisle, getting what they want.  Let’s stop tell each other what we don’t want and start asking God for what we do want.  This is not prosperity teaching, “name it and claim it” theology or new age “ask the universe” stuff.  This is what the Bible has instructed us to do.

Affirmations
I want to obey God’s Word.  Instead of complaining about what I don’t want, I will ask God for what I do want.  I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that whatsoever I ask the Father in my name, He will give it to me.

Meditation
Do you know that you have an inside connection to what is happening in heaven?  It is better than any surveillance system that the CIA could ever dream of.  You have access to conversations that are only happening in the spiritual realm.  You are being shown things to come.  You have the ability know things that others could only dream of.  How is all of this possible?    Say good morning to the Holy Spirit.

As we continue to listening to Jesus in one of His last major discourse with His disciples, we learn more about the job of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is sensitive to the hearts of His disciples.  He makes mention in verse 6 that sorrow has filled their hearts.  However, they have a big job to do.  It will be up to this group of believers to spread the Gospel to the world.

He tells them that He still has many things to share with them but they cannot bear them now.  Perhaps time was getting short.  Jesus tells them that as they are getting closer to His time, He would not be speaking as much with them as He has in the pass.  Perhaps the disciples were too depressed at this time to really hear strong teaching and instruction.  In any case, He had a plan.  The Holy Spirit would have His work cut out for Him.

Not only would the Holy Spirit have to bring back to their remembrance things that Jesus had spoke to them in the pass, the Holy Spirit would have to relay to them new teachings that Jesus had for them.  Jesus tells them that the Spirit of Truth (which is just another name for the Holy Spirit) would guide them to all truth.  However, He would not speak of himself.  He would speak whatever it was that He heard and he would show them things to come.  And make no mistake, Jesus makes it perfectly clear that the Holy Spirit is glorifying Him and showing them things that Jesus wants them to see.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is vitally important today for believers.  We are reminded in 1 Corinthians that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Do you realize how awesome this is?  As we commune with the Holy Spirit, He tells us what He is hearing from Jesus.  It is like having an inside reporter in heaven, telling us the latest news.  We will not have to worry about knowing the will of God as long as we are listening to the Holy Spirit that is dwelling in us.  Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Affirmations
I will be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.  I want to hear whatever it is that Jesus wants to tell me.  I want to see whatever it is that Jesus wants to show me.  I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that whatsoever the Holy Spirit hears, that shall he speak: and the Holy Spirit will show me things to come.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Meditation
We will begin our series on promises of faith.  These are promises in the Word of God that specifically deal with faith.  Although most of them sound the same, we will look at each one separately.  Hopefully the sheer fact that they are repeated will have an impact on us. 

Our promise today begins with the disciples making a request of Jesus to increase their faith.  What was it that had occurred that made them feel they needed more faith?  Did a sick person show up that required healing?  Maybe a demon needed to be cast out?  Or better yet, maybe the dead needed to be raised?  Why did the disciples feel that they needed more faith?

We see that the disciples did not have a problem with healing the sick.  They were sent out in Luke chapter 9 and came back with glowing reports.  That was not the problem.  In fact, there was no immediate need at the time.  It wasn’t something that they needed to do right then that made them ask for more faith.  It was a hypothetical situation that made them cry out for help.

The problem was forgiveness.  Jesus told them that they would have to forgive.  Even if the person kept doing what they were doing, as long as they said “I repent” or basically I’m sorry, the disciples had to forgive them, even if they did the same thing 7 times.  Their answer to this was they would need some help.  They would need more faith.

Jesus did not tell them how to get more faith.  More faith was not what they needed.  They needed to learn how to use the faith they had.  His answer to them is our promise for today.  If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can speak to whatever it is that is in your way, even a tree and it shall obey you.

Whether you need to speak against your hard heart of unforgiveness, sickness in your body or bills on your table, you can expect results if you can believe this promise. 

Affirmations
God has given me a measure of faith.  I can activate my faith by using my words to move those things in my life that hinder me.  I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that if I have faith as a grain of mustard seed, I can speak to hindrances in my life and they will obey me.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Meditation
In Luke chapter 6, Jesus teaches about love for enemies and judging others.  It is nestled in these scriptures that he also teaches about lending and giving.  But it is not what you may expect.

Many of us have passed beggars on the street.  Perhaps we have given to them a few times, but generally we will pass them by.  We think that they may do something illegal with the money.  Besides, we want to be good stewards over our finances and do not want to cast our pearl to swine.  We work hard for our money and if we give to someone or something we want to make sure that it is for a good cause. 

What about loaning money to people?  We have been taught that it is not good business to loan to someone that probably cannot repaid the loan.  Jesus teaching blows a hole in both of these ways of thinking.  We are not only to give to those that ask, but we are to lend to those that can’t pay.  What kind of teaching is that?

It is the kind of teaching that our promise for today is found in.  We are told that even sinners lend and give to those that they expect can repay them.  But we are to be different.  We are to give and not expect to receive anything back from them.  We are told if we do, our reward will be great. 

Where will this reward come from?  What kind of reward will it be?  We are simply told to give.  If we give, it will be given unto us, good measured, pressed down, shaken together and running over.  Where will it come from?  It will come from others.  People will give to you.  How?  It is how the universe is set up.  It was designed by God to operate this way.

What a wonderful promise.  When we give, we set things in motion in the universe for that good to come back to us multiplied.  Well what about the people we are giving to.  They don’t deserve it.  Exactly.  Luke 6:36 tells us to be merciful just as our Father is merciful.  We are not to judge or condemn, just give.  And when we give, we have a promise that what we receive will be far greater than what we gave.

Affirmations
I am a giver.  I am a lender and not a borrower.  I will give and not expect anything from the person that I give to.  I know that my reward is great.  I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that if I give, more will come back to me.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Meditation
Yesterday we looked at the nature of the three promises given in these scriptures.  We are told to ask, seek and knock.  We cannot be afraid to ask God for what we want.  We then must seek out those things through the Word of God with the expectation of finding it.  And finally, when we have arrived at the destination, we cannot be afraid to knock. 

Today, we will talk about the logic behind the promises.  How can God make these types of promises?  Is He serious?  What is the force behind these promises?

The force behind these promises is love.  Not just any kind of love but the love a caring father.  Jesus poses several questions to those that are listening in order to convince them of the certainty of these promises.  For Jesus, these promises are what we would call a “no brainer”.

What man is there that would give his son a stone if he asked for bread?  Bread is for nourishment.  What nourishment would you get from a stone?  Absolutely none.  What kind of man would give his son a serpent if he asked for a fish?  Fish is also nourishment.  Not only would the son not be nourished by the serpent, he would be in danger of being injured.  Jesus then tells them that if they, being evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more shall the heavenly Father give good things to them that ask?

This scripture comes up against a lot of teaching that says God allows bad things to happen to us to teach us a lesson.  Yes, God does discipline His children just like fathers discipline their sons.  But most fathers would not give their children stones to eat and serpents to bite them as a form of punishment.

We are told in this scripture that our Father will give us good things if we ask.  We have learned that God has provided those things for us by his grace.  Therefore, we can ask in confidence if we believe the promises and walk in this truth. 

Affirmations
I am a child of God.  He is my heavenly Father.  As my Father, he would not give me stones for bread or serpents for fish.  I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that He gives good things to them that ask Him.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Meditation
In Matthew chapters 5-7 we find what many theologians have entitled the “Sermon on the Mount”.  In these series of teachings, Jesus covers a lot of ground including the beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, new laws, a proper attitude towards money and a host of other things.  In chapter 7 we find our promise for today is found.

In this set of promises, we are told the exact nature of the promises in verses 7 & 8.  In verses 9 through 11, we are given the logic behind the promises and why we can trust the promises.  Today we will deal with the nature of the promises and tomorrow we will deal with the logic behind them.

In this portion of scripture we are encouraged to ask God for what we want.  This may seem to be a simple task, but it is not.  There are many different teachings on the subject of asking God for things.  Some say that you should not ask God of things, especially material things.  Others teach that God is like a Santa Clause that you should provide your list to on a regular basis.  However, the teaching that Jesus presents here is simple; ask, seek and knock.

We are told that if we ask, it shall be given unto us.  To ask is to make our request known to God.  This is consistent with Philippians 4:6.  Like the old saying goes, many of us have not because we have asked not.  We have allowed fear and doubt to keep us from even obeying the command to ask.

We are also told to seek.  When we seek something, we are looking for something with the desire of finding it.  Just because something is not apparent does not mean that it is not there.  However, like a hidden, precious treasure, we must diligently search.

Lastly, we are told to knock.  This is the hard one for most of us.  The idea of knocking means to engage, to deliver a sharp blow or push.  Knocking can be hard work.  However, it is in this hard work that the doors will be opened.  But once the doors are open, we must make the effort to walk through.

Are there things you desire from God?  Perhaps you are looking at physical well being, or financial security or a host of other things.  Follow the instructions given in these verses.  First, don’t be afraid to ask God for what you want.  You think it is too big?  I doubt it.  Then seek out those things through the Word of God with the expectation of finding it.  And finally, when you have arrived at the destination, don’t be afraid to knock.  Don’t just tap on the door of your dreams; knock hard.  And of course, once the door has been opened, don’t be afraid to enter in.

Affirmations
I will not be afraid to obey the Word of God.  I will ask God for what I want.  I will seek out opportunities that are in line with my request.  I will not be afraid to knock on the door once I find it.  I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that everyone that asks receives; that seeks finds and that doors are open to them that knock.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Meditation
For Jesus disciples, this had been a wild month and a half.  Jesus had been arrested, crucified, and resurrected.  Their emotions had gone from extreme sorrow to sheer joy.  Now they were ready to see what was to happen next.  Would this be the time that Jesus restored the kingdom to Israel?  They had been under Roman rule for many years.  They were ready for total freedom.

They did not get the answer from Jesus that they wanted.  Jesus told them not to worry about that.  They had bigger fish to fry.  It was time for them to get to work.  However, they did not have everything that would need.  They would still need power.  That power would come from the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit would not only comfort them as Jesus explained in John chapter 14.  The Holy Spirit would also give them power; the power to be a witness of him.  A witness is one who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced: one who furnishes evidence.  They were called to furnish this amazing experience to world and to present it in such a way that it would be believable. 

How well did they do?  How powerful was the Holy Spirit in their lives.  Through this power, a group of 120 people were able to establish a religion that has over 2.1 billion people worldwide today.  That does not even include the billions and billions that have passed on.

That same power is available to us today.  We have the power through the Holy Spirit to be a witness of Jesus Christ.  Through our witness, we are impacting more people than we know.  We are also impacting future generations.  But what legacy are we leaving?  What will future generations say about our representation of God? 

Affirmations
I have the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.  Through His power, I can have an awesome witness for Jesus Christ.  I am mindful that people are watching me.  I want to present a witness of Jesus Christ that is true to His Word. I rejoice and I am grateful for the promise that I have the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus Name, Amen.