The Three Promises

When someone accepts the claims of Christ and trusts in Him for the ultimate promise of salvation, a covenantal relationship happens.  Christ promises several things based on that relationship to those who follow Him, and there are three promises, in particular, I wanted to deal with today.  First, however, I wanted to clarify some things prior to getting into the actual discussion.

To begin, it must be understood that the promises I will be talking about are not contingent upon salvation, but are rather fruits of salvation.  There are actually a couple of promises though that are contingent upon salvation, and they are made possible through sacramental grace - the first is forgiveness of sins (which is represented through both the sacraments of baptism and reconciliation) and healing of the whole person (primarily represented by the sacrament of unction).  The two of those are always tied together, as they both represent a type of restoration that Christ fulfilled in His Atonement.  As we go through our pilgrimage of faith though, it doesn't take a degree in rocket science to understand that we are still in this natural world, and thus are still subject to certain necessities that are warranted by the process of life and survival itself.  Those promises are given by God throughout Scripture in many places we will be discussing, and they are the result of the covenantal relationship of faith we have in Christ.  There are three of those promises that are specific to our discussion, and each will be discussed at length momentarily - provision for our needs, protection from damage of adversity, and direction for important decisions and choices we make.  Upon those three promises are what rest our trust in God beyond the grace of salvation, and are not conditional to salvation but are residual benefits we receive.

Over the years, teachings on similar things have been taken out of focus, and we will deal with specific cases of that later as we discuss each of these three promises individually.  However, the purpose of those three promises is to provide the stability to do that which God has called each of us to.  Especially if you are in full-time service to the Church, these promises are crucial, as often a sacred vocation is not something that will land one in the "Fortune 500" or on a high-society registry.  With that being established, let us now take each promise and initiate our discussion on them individually.

A.  Provision of Needs

If you are like me, you often find yourself placing a priority on financial concerns and other needs in your daily prayers, and in this day and age finances seem to dominate our prayers for some reason.  Does God grant material needs?  Looking at Philippians 4:19, we see our first and pivotal verse about this - it says "God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory."   Let us unpack this a little, as at times this is a big one which has generated its own plethora of misunderstandings and misapplications.  The first thing that comes to mind for many is the stereotypical image of the televangelist on religious television programs making statements such as "if you sow a seed, you'll meet a need."  The term for this type of "teaching" is either Positive Confession or "Word of Faith," and its detractors call it "Name it and claim it" or "blab it and grab it."  This faulty application, as we discussed earlier, has its genesis in what is known as the New Thought movement, which itself was a derivative of Christian Science.  In the early 1900s, a Baptist minister by the name of Esseck William (E.W.) Kenyon (1867-1948), who began teaching some ideas that were similar to the New Thought understanding of words creating reality (R.M. Riss, "Kenyon, Esseck William," in Burgess, Alexander, McGee, Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1988. p. 517).  This later entered the Salvation/Healing Movement among American Pentecostals via first Oral Roberts, who first taught the idea of "sowing seed," and later was more associated with Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003), who was a tent-revival Assemblies of God evangelist who later was considered the "founding father" of the Word of Faith movement.   Hagin, and the dozens of his proteges such as Kenneth Copeland, Frederick Price, and others, emphasized a teaching that centered on an uncompromising faith via "positive confession" (meaning speaking things essentially into existence that are not there as a work of exercising that faith) in God's desire to bless in every area of life provided no doubt entered the picture.  This has at its core a Biblical truth (based on Philippians 4:19 and other such passages) that was taken, twisted, and made to be something it was never originally intended.  It is important to understand that the key word in the Philippians verse is needs.   Over the years, Hagin and his myriad of successors and imitators (most prominent today being Joel Osteen) have twisted this idea in such a way that essentially they thought it was possible for God to even grant wants (or more aptly and rhythmically, greeds) and they taught people to treat this promise as if it were a quasi-occultic talisman or something, and that is where we have some serious problems.  I want to spend a little time on this now, as it is pivotal to the discussion.

If what Hagin and others like him taught were true, a little common sense would dictate that results would be obvious - the mega-church parking lots where many of these people spout this stuff should be overflowing with Mercedes Benzes, Lamborghinis, and Lincolns, and instead of asking for more money, those preaching that message would supposedly have so much that they'd be giving it away and living by "sowing their own seeds," would they not?   Sadly, this is not the reality - oftentimes, those who are sucked in by the heretical "Word of Faith" teachings are often among the poorest, and those who teach it are the only ones benefitting from it, as they fly around in multi-million dollar private planes and live in palatial estates that were financed by people who often cannot even afford a bicycle, much less an Oldsmobile.  And, it also begs the question too - I am in no position to judge the hearts or intentions of such "teachers," but it seems to me that if they truly believed what they tell others, they would be handing out cash to everyone because they would have more of it than they know what to do with.  Yet, I don't see that - people who "sow a seed" to these people are often on the verge of losing their homes, or cannot afford to feed their families or pay their bills, yet they are not seeing Kenneth Copeland knocking on their door to help them, do they?   Hence, in the well-worn but appropriate axiom, the emperor has no clothes.  However, there is a more balanced way to look at this, and that is where the crux of my teaching here rests.

In Philippians 4:19, we are told that God will supply all of our needs, and this generates some questions.  First, what is a need?  To answer that,  a need is something that is vital to a person's stability and survival, while a want is a luxury that someone could actually live without.  Needs like this include food, shelter, utilities, reliable transportation, and financial resources to cover those things.  They may not be anything pretty - for instance, you may have a need for transportation, but God provides either a 1980 Chevy with a bad paint job or enough cash to provide a bus ticket - but it is a need that is met.   When we look in Scripture, we see a lot of examples of that type of provision being made, notably in I Kings 17:2-16, where Elijah is fed by ravens in a cave, or in 2 Kings 4 where his disciple Elisha stays with a poor widow and she manages on meager rations to have enough to feed her son and Elisha while the latter stays with her.  We also see it even with Jesus Himself, in the feeding of the five thousand - a couple of loaves and a few stinky fish feed a huge number of people and provide a need for satisfying a pang of hunger.  These are examples of God supplying needs.  One could also point out in Exodus the manna and quails God provided for the Israelites to eat in the wilderness - although they were not satisfied with it, those manna bits and quails supplied a need.  These Scriptural examples are something that should show us the perspective God comes from on this - he does care for us, and because he created the natural order he knows very well those things we need to survive, and if we put our trust in Him, He will take care of us.  And, that is the proper context of the idea.

Also in the context of supplying needs, there is a sort of meritocracy involved.  This meritocracy has nothing to do however with our salvation, as that cannot be earned, but rather it has to do with being awarded the fruits of our labor.  If you have a certain level of skill, education, or experience, then you deserve to have an occupation that provides dividends.  To divert any confusion on this, it in no way is the same sort of nonsense that Kenneth Hagin and his successors proclaim - you don't just get something for nothing, as that is not how the natural order of things works.  However, if you work toward something, then doors can open, and you deserve to harvest the fruits of your labor - this is reminiscent of a truth embodied in James 2:20 which is wrongly applied by some sects as being soteriological but rather is meritocratic - "faith without works is dead."  It also doesn't mean the incorrect saying "God helps those who help themselves" either, as that comes from Enlightenment-era Deism and Freemasonry and is not Biblical, although there is a valid principle at its core.  What it means simply is this - if you do your part, God will provide the increase to it, rewarding faithful labor.  Personal success then doesn't get handed to someone on a silver platter - you work toward it, and thus it is cultivated fruit and not a "faith promise." 

Noting all of these things, the provision of our needs then summarily consists of two dimensions:

1.  Our basic necessities will be covered if we trust in God to do so, but they may not be luxurious provisions yet will meet the need we have.

2.  Personal success cannot be "confessed," but rather is the result of merit in the area we are striving to achieve something, be it the promotion at work we have invested a lot of hard work into earning, or that graduate degree we have studied hard to achieve.  This is not a "positive confession," but rather a cultivated fruit that will not be given to someone who doesn't invest the effort into it on a silver platter.

3.  Provision of our needs is not a clause of our salvation, but rather is a fruit of walking in our salvation.

B.  Protection From the Damages of Adversity

This is another interesting promise God has made, and again, what it entails is not freedom from adversity, but rather the strength to overcome it and come out better.  Adversity is a fact of life we all face - as a consequence of the Fall, adversity is a sure bet at some point in all of our lives, and it is inescapable.  The question is not if we face adversity, but rather when, and how we face it.  The primary passage in Scripture that addresses this is the famous "Armor of God" passage in Ephesians 6:10-18, and accompanying that is another verse from Isaiah 54:17 - "No weapon formed against me will prosper."  In my personal prayer time every morning, I always "put on" the armor of God based on the promise in Isaiah that weapons pointed at me will not take me down, and it's actually a good prayer to have.  Let us unpack this some more, shall we?

What is the purpose of wearing armor after all?  It is to protect the soldier in battle, not to help the soldier avoid battle.  If the battle could be avoided, the armor would not be needed - that is just plain common sense, right?   Within the passage of Ephesians 6 that deals with this, the reason for the armor is given from the outset, that we might stand in the "evil day."  So, what is an "evil day" then?  It is not a collective event, as every one of us faces an "evil day" at some point.  If you are on social media, for instance, and you are standing up for your faith and traditional values, inevitably someone will get "triggered" and go on the attack - the moment that happens is an "evil day."  Or, it could be while you are shopping and a thug attempts to mug you at an ATM - that also is an "evil day" when it happens.  The "evil day" when is that moment when we face adversity of some sort, and it may scare and intimidate us.  But, if we trust in God, eventually it works out, because as Romans 8:28, all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  Even a bad situation can be clay in the Master Potter's hand, and He can use that to mold and shape our character.  I want to now go to two prime examples of this in Scripture, and then I want to share how in retrospect this has worked in my life.

Let's first look at the story of Joseph, one of the progenitors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and a son of Jacob (his favorite actually) which we begin to read about in Genesis 37 and continues until the end of the book, as the story of Joseph is even longer in some aspects than that of Abraham, his great-grandfather.  Joseph is essentially spoiled rotten and protected by his father Jacob, so much so that he is given special treatment and even given a very expensive piece of clothing.   This arouses the jealousy of his brothers, who actually entrap him and sell him to some Arab slave-traders who in turn sell him to Potiphar, a high official in the Pharaoh's government.  God uses this experience to bring Joseph to where he wants him to be, as Joseph had a lot of bizarre dreams and they led him to this point.  However, adversity strikes again when that hussey of a wife of Potiphar's tries to molest Joseph, and he flees but is falsely accused of trying to molest her - this lands him in prison, where he has a series of dreams that get the attention of the Pharaoh eventually (I am abbreviating details of the story of the butler and baker), and he ends up in effect becoming the Pharaoh's prime minister - not bad for a nomad's son from Palestine, is it?   Adversity struck Joseph hard, in other words, but God preserved him.  We also see a similar situation in the story of Job too, in which Job is attacked mercilessly by Satan to try to prove God wrong, but Job prevails and is abundantly blessed later for it.  Again, that whole Romans 8:28 thing comes in.

It is true also in my own life too - when I was around 9 years old, my mother and I ended up in a chaotic situation that left us dirt-poor and destitute for a number of years.  Yet, during that time, I worked at my studies, and eventually, I was able to complete both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees.  God made the way possible, and often in lieu of less-extreme circumstances I admittedly forget that and get impatient with Him, but He reminds me of where I came from.  One other aspect of adversity is that it is in a sense the fertilizer in which character grows.  The sweet-smelling roses or succulent tomatoes we often enjoy from our gardens and flower boxes are often nourished by the foulest and nastiest fertilizer - ground-up cow dung, decaying animal carcasses, etc.  Yet, out of that mess grows the beautiful rose or the succulent vegetable.  That is how the adversity we face in life often works to our benefit.  It is also why we pray for God to protect us - we don't pray necessarily for him to protect us from the adversity, but rather from being destroyed by the adversity.  What often is meant for our destruction can actually be exactly what we need to grow us, and that is one reason God allows the adversity to happen, but he also will help us navigate through it. 

In summary, there are two things to glean from God's promise of protection:

1.  We are often not spared from going through the adversity itself but are equipped to go through it without lasting damage.

2.  Adversity is not necessarily evil, although it may have initially been intended to be so - rather, it is a chance to cultivate and grow our character.

C.  Direction for Important Decisions and Choices

Have you ever been in a position where a life-changing decision has faced you, and you are not sure what to do?  If you go one direction, it may have one consequence, yet if you go another, it could have other consequences.  The permanence of the consequences for whatever decisions we make can make or break us, and thus they are things that cannot be entered into lightly.  As Christians, God has clearly promised to guide and direct us in all we do, and it is our responsibility to trust him to keep that promise.  Again, Romans 8:28 comes into play,  as all things do work together for our good.  In this context, the rightness or wrongness of our decision is not the factor, as even when we screw up God can use that to bring us to the place he wants us.  Rather, it is about relying on God to make the appropriate decision for the current situation, and in doing so it requires a lot of trust.

There are two main passages besides Romans 8:28 that relate to this promise.  The first is in Psalm 119:105 - "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  The second is Psalm 37:23 - "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord."  A third and very important verse is also related to this, in that we should expect and accept nothing less than clear spiritual direction, and that verse is in I Corinthians 14:33 - God is not the author of confusion.  I am going to discuss various aspects of this now, as they are very important to the study.

We as human beings are limited, and as a result, bad decision-making at some point is inevitable.  A bad choice or decision on an important issue can lead to a lot of negative impact for our lives and those of our family, so obviously these things are not to be taken lightly.  When we rely on God for direction, we should pray for and expect nothing less than a clear answer.  This has nothing whatsoever to do with His faithfulness, but rather with our own propensity to go on feelings and other misleading criteria.  To see an example of how this works, we look at the story of Gideon in Judges 6:36-40.  In that account, Gideon was the de facto leader (judge) of all of Israel, and as his people moved toward their Promised Land, they faced a lot of obstacles - hostile tribes such as the Midianites in this case.  Gideon knew that based on his own wisdom he could not strategize successfully to battle the Midianites threatening his people's camp, so he did something interesting.  In order to get God's direction, Gideon took a wool fleece, and based on whether it was wet or dry, he would take it as God's direction to render his decision.  He wanted to be absolutely sure he was doing the right thing, so he did this test three times, and God did what he asked all three times.  The result was a successful battle and a momentous win for the people of Israel, and it got them closer to their destination. 

In my Pentecostal days, it was often a common practice to "put a fleece before the Lord" in order to discern the proper way to go about making a decision, something I still do today I might add.  Many times it works, and I have been able to do some remarkable things because I sought God's direction in that way.  I don't recommend that this be done in every circumstance, as it can degenerate into superstition, but it can and does prove to be an effective way to get a solution to a problem.  Another practice related to this that some do is the discipline of fasting.   Fasting is typically to be observed as an act of self-denial in order to draw close to God, and over the years I have learned it is never proper to fast for direction, as this amounts to essentially just a "hunger strike" to get what one wants from God, and it doesn't work that way.  Fasting is first and foremost an act of worship - you are denying self to give God more of a central place in your life.  If you fast for simple direction, it will not avail much as God is not the object of the discipline, but rather your need is.  That is why I would never suggest that anyone fast for direction - you fast as an act of adoration, not to get something.  Many Pentecostals have misunderstood that over the years, and it was only after understanding Lenten devotion better that I learned how to observe fasting and abstinence properly.  It is my hope that more of these people who have a misunderstanding about the discipline of fasting would see the light as well.

In summary, there are two things we understand about God's promise to give us direction:

1.  If we seek divine guidance, we need to ask that it be given to us in a clear way, to avoid the confusion with our own feelings.

2.  It is OK to do a tangible expression of seeking direction - such as a "fleece" - but never use the spiritual discipline of fasting and abstinence in that regard.

Now that I have explored these promises in detail, it is time to add some concluding thoughts.

Conclusion

There are many more things that could be said on this topic, and one area I wanted to touch on but forgot to do so is the practice of "pleading the blood of Jesus" as an act of asking for protection.  I have decided to do a separate study on that later, as honestly, it would take more detail to talk about that, but it is needed teaching for sure as many (including until recently myself) have misunderstood that.  However, as a precursor to that, let me just say this - the precious and sacred should never be reduced to mere talismans, for then they become the focal points of our faith rather than God Himself, and that is a form of witchcraft.  Again, I will deal more in-depth with that at another time though.

I hope this study, like other insights I have shared, will be a help to someone, as it is my prayer that what I write here will be used of God to touch others and make an impact.  If it does, you are always welcome to share it.  Until next time, thank you for allowing me to share my own insights with you, and hopefully will be back soon.