If

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Deut 7:9 (NIV)

God always keeps His promises. What a wonderful truth we can celebrate as His children. But what I’m noticing as I study the promises of God is how many of His promises come with conditions. The word “if” occurs over 300 times in the Bible. God says if we obey Him, He will reward us. Here are some of God’s promises that come with conditions.


1. Wisdom. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)

2. Health. "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you." (Ex 15:26)

3. Love. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love. . ." (Jn 15:10a)

4. Strength. "If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace."(Ex 18:23)

5. Prosperity. "If you are willing and obedient . . . You shall eat the good of the land" (Isa 1:19)


Let’s obey God and then watch His promises fulfilled in our lives.

Healing Scriptures

During the past several of weeks of sickness in our home the Lord reminded me how important prayer and the Word is in our recovery and healing. The following are some Scriptures to increase your faith as you pray for healing.

…for I am the Lord who heals you. Ex 15:26 (NLT)

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. Ex 23:25 (NKJV)

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalms 30:2 (NIV)

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. Psalms 103:2-3 (NLT)

He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Psalms 107:20 (NKJV)

A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. Prov 17:22 (MSG)

…by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT)

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11 (NLT)

Silent

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven... a time to be silent and a time to speak.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 (NIV)

Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near.

Zephaniah 1:7 (NIV)

But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV)

Last week I was suffering from laryngitis. I had completely lost my voice. The doctor said the only way to get it back was to completely stop talking for an extended period of time. The problem is I like to talk. You might say (judging by the length of my sermons) I like to talk too much.

But there I was, silent for a week. Needless to say the boys loved it. I couldn’t yell if they did something wrong. Leslie loved it. She got to talk and I had to listen with no interruptions. I think my family enjoyed my infirmity a little too much.

I began to wonder if God enjoyed my silence. Silence, after all, is a spiritual discipline. I wonder if sometimes my words get so noisy that I miss God’s still, small voice?

We live in a noisy world. There will be times when it is necessary to turn off the radio, TV, computer, iPod, Blackberry, etc. in order to connect with God. There will be times we need to disconnect from everything and everyone demanding our attention. What would a little silence do for your relationship with Christ?

This week stop talking for awhile, turn off the noise, and set aside time to meditate on the verse… Be still, and know that I am God... Psalms 46:10 (NIV)