Get a Good Grip on God’s Promises

Are you having a hard day? A hard week? A hard life? Are you facing difficult circumstances that seem to have no solution?

If so, I have good news for you: God is thinking about you right now as you read this article. He knows what kind of day you are having. He knows your greatest burdens and your deepest dreams. He cares.

And He provided a solution for your problems before they ever existed through the promises in His Word. All 7,487 of these promises were given to guarantee your victory. All you have to do is lay hold of them, as the Bible encourages us to do:

“Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His Word” (Heb. 10:23, The Message). We know we will not be disappointed, for “all the promises of God in [Christ] are Yes, and in [Christ] Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20, NKJV).

It’s wonderful to know there are promises for every circumstance of life. Salvation promises. Hope and healing promises. Promises for finances, friends and family. Whatever your problem is, there is a promise for you. Whatever your dream is, there is a promise for you.

TICKET TO RIDE
A ticket to a movie costs about $7.50. A season ticket to the symphony costs around $650. Super Bowl tickets can go as high as $3,000! When you have a ticket to an event, it means you have a right to attend or participate in the event. Those with no tickets will be turned away at the door.

God’s promises are like tickets, as this verse from The Message states: “We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God” (2 Pet. 1:3-4). These tickets didn’t come cheap, but it costs you nothing to redeem them; Jesus already paid the price with His blood.

I heard of a woman who attended a Mercedes-Benz car show with her husband. While he was drooling over the features of a top-of-the-line Mercedes, she halfheartedly scribbled her name on a “Win This Car” contest card.

To her utter shock, six weeks later, the Mercedes dealership called to congratulate her on winning the car. “All you need to do to receive this Mercedes is bring us your winning ticket within 48 hours,” they told her.

To her dismay, she didn’t have a clue where she had put that insignificant piece of paper. Who would have thought she’d really win?

The hunt began. She dug through all her purses and pockets but found nothing. She went through all her drawers and even the community dumpster.

Her time was almost up, but she needed to pick up her son from school, so she stopped looking long enough to make a quick dash to the nearby junior high. In fact, too quick.

When she noticed the red lights of a police car flashing behind her, she groaned, pulled over and reached into the glove box for her registration and insurance card. To her surprise, she saw her winning ticking lying there, just waiting to be redeemed.

Jumping out of the car, she shouted at the police officer, “I found my ticket! I found my ticket!” She told him her dilemma and explained that she had only 20 minutes left to redeem it for a new Mercedes. The officer smiled and said, “Jump in!”

Sirens screaming, the policeman broke every rule to get her to the Mercedes dealership. They pulled onto the lot and saw the sales manager preparing to take the contest car off the display rack.

The policeman handed his radio to her. Across the car lot, her voice thundered: “Get your hands off of my car! I found my ticket!” The number on her ticket matched the winning number perfectly, and she was awarded the car.

God’s promises are like that winning ticket. They are hiding in the Word just waiting to be redeemed, and God will break every natural law to fulfill them. If you’re willing to search them out in the Scriptures, they will become tickets for you to participate in God’s abundant life.

As you purpose in your heart to stand on the promises of God, a “higher authority” steps in. Just like the policeman who handed the woman his radio to claim her car, Jesus, your High Priest, has handed you His authority to thunder through the heavenlies: “Satan, get your hands off my family and finances! I found my ticket!”