// Doesn’t matter what I feel. Doesn’t matter what I see. My hope will always be. In Your promises to me. //

Your Promises: Elevation Worship

God trusts you. It’s time to start believing what God has told you and step into your promise.

We’re back! Last thing we covered was the path of guilt and shame. I encourage you to view the past posts; we are building a foundation here and we are growing! We discussed a bit about forgiving others, and we discussed how others can hold us to Godly standards. Now I want to take an adventure on a different topic. How do we hold God accountable to the promises of God has told us? We go through life, and we have struggles. Some days more than most, at least it can feel that way. What if we could speak to God, and begin to tell Him what we are feeling? What if He began to speak back? What keeps us moving when He seems to remain silent? I know some days I have said, “what’s the point? I’m getting no where. Where are you? Don’t you remember what you said to me? Do you even care?” While we can feel this over and over again, we have to remember our promises. That’s where I want to stay for a bit. The promises of God? “I’ve never had one of those.” “Those don’t apply to me.” “Yeah, I had one of those once. It never came true.” I have to be honest at different point in my life I’ve probably felt or said some of those things as well. Regardless of age, every day you take a breath YOU live life long enough to encounter the ups and downs life can throw at you. Some people can just add more tally marks to their up and down count; but you can also probably agree or confirm God came through, and remains to come through even now.

Let’s go back to Genesis 6. Now around verse 5 imagine with me for a minute. What would it look like for all the Earth to be evil. No hope. No true love. Just wicked after wicked act, and people who constantly just think how to be more evil than your worst thought on a bad day. Imagine not only one person, but communities… cities… states… nations… While yes, back then they didn’t specifically have all those terms, this is to help you transition in thinking. This was so bad God Himself felt remorse for His creation. To the point of giving up and starting over. Pause. Doesn’t that sound familiar to us, somehow? How about if it sounded like this? “I’m tired of all this! My spouse hates me. My kids just consistently get into trouble. My job doesn’t respect me. I can’t even go out anywhere without feeling like everyone knows all the mistakes I’ve made in my life. I’m not even that person anymore.” Doesn’t that sound a bit more real to us? God feels just like you an I. “But that’s God, creator of the universe and I’m just me.” While yes that’s true, the very one who created the Earth is living inside of you. At least if you’ve accepted Jesus into your heart. He’s been through this, and He knows how it feels. He knows how you feel. Verse 6, reveals God has emotions. “He was grieved in His heart.” Can’t we grieve in our heart about situations? Even those struggles listed before? So let’s go to verse 8 of Genesis 6. “BUT Noah… But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” It took one person to move God so passionately He chose to divert the original plan of total destruction to a promise that would change the course of history. Literally; our lives as we know today would be non-existent.

“But he was Noah, and I’m not. I can’t do that.” So often we want to discount ourselves. We weren’t made to live in doubt, but to live in authority. Noah probably did that to himself as well, question if he could do this great task. Can you hear Noah talk to God? “God, you want me to build what?!? How am I going to do that? You want me to gather all the animals? I’ve never really even been out of the village. You want me to get animals from around the world? Even those I’ve yet to see from all your creations. Me? Are you sure you aren’t talking about Noah down the street?” Do you get the picture? We can miss our blessings because we’re so busy focused on our cannots when God has said we can. He knew Noah could do it, and then some. God knew Noah had kept His word dear. Genesis 6:9 perfects states this “Noah was just a man.” Then carries into “Noah walked with God.” Noah knew what he stood for. Don’t be too afraid or too tired to walk with God. Even when it’s not convenient for you. It’s all about the fellowship with the King and letting Him give you rest. Genesis 8:18 always gets me. “But I will establish My covenant with you.” Not only do we have to come to a place where we trust God, but there is a place where God begins to trusts us. Genesis 22 brings forth the goodness of God all together. The “yes” Noah made to follow the requirements of God. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Sometimes you have to walk out that faith. It is a RISK movement that stirs the heart of God.

          Chapter 7 of Genesis just goes along with what God said. The rain came. But in it you see that God had to provide on the promise. God said He would protect Noah, his wife, their children and their wives, and the animals that God required. We’re using a lot of imagination here, but you can’t just think about the word as this piece of paper with words on it. But rather a history of things that really happened. It’s something that can come to life and feed your spirit. It becomes so real to your situations. Can you picture Noah building this ark? The scrutiny he has to endure. “Is it gonna rain today Noah? Are we going to die today Noah? Picture these foreign animals coming into town from all over. Two by two; lions, tigers, and bears oh my! There were animals people probably had never seen flying, crawling, hopping, walking, etc to Noah’s house. Maybe that’s just me, but I’m gonna freak out a bit if a hoard of wildcats, or even worse SNAKES come stirring down the middle of the road. So it rained forty days and forty nights. Just as God said it would. Noah’s on this ark for just as long.  Even when the rain stopped the water was still high. God not only brings us to a place of promise but a place to receive more of Himself. He rewards the obedience.

Out of Noah’s obedience the world was recreated. Genesis 8:21 is God’s promise. Noah’s obedience was pleasing to the Lord. Noah’s obedience to stand on His promise was fulfilled. It took years, but Noah endured it all. Just because God said so. Genesis 9:13 brings a new thought. “I will remember my covenant.” Not only in verse 12 was it for us to know and remember the covenant, but here in verse 13 it was for God to know and remember as well. Here’s where I need to pause and say something. We can hold God to His word. Noah must have told God “remember me, remember what you said” while he was on the boat. Even before the boat, the building process. While Noah was creating the ark, coming under that ridicule. It’s ok to tell God how you’re feeling. It’s ok to tell God what He has told you. It defiantly ok to tell God what His word says. Yes, He knows what He said. There is power in reading and proclaiming the word. It not only does something to you, it releases something in the very atmosphere. If you’re needing healing start standing on the healing scriptures. If you’re depressed start standing on the joy scriptures. If you’re needing provision start standing on the provision of God scriptures. If you need peace there are scriptures to obtaining peace. Your struggle right now has a scripture. The living word of God is there for you to speak into your situation. I love a song by Catherine Mullins Robins and RAMP team and what it says in “Never Lost.”

//Who are you great mountain, that you should not bow low. Jesus defeated the darkness. He has never lost a battle.//

Never Lost: RAMP music

         There is so much truth and revelation in this song. It’s defiantly be a topic for us to discuss later on. Speaking to your mountains. You maybe going through a rough time right now. But God has not abandoned you. God has not forgot about you. He may seem silent. But aren’t teachers silent when giving a test? Maybe God is preparing you for an upgrade and shaking off those doubts, and fears so you can handle ridicule from others whom don’t understand your mission. Maybe God is preparing you for a task that will save a generation? It may not seem like it now, you may never know what your mission’s fruits will bare. But will you R-I-S-K it just because He said so? Will you obey and just do?

          In closing the enemy would love to shut your voice. The enemy would love to silence your mission. Because he only wants to steal, kill, and destroy. That’s why it is so important to go to those accountability partners and have them join you in your prayer for wisdom and revelation concerning your promise. Maybe you need to repent for not fully devoting all of yourself to the call. Maybe you’ve strayed a little, but it was enough that you forgot what God even said. Maybe the word has the answers you’re seeking, but you haven’t opened your Bible in ages. It may even have some dust. Time to start digging in your heels, put on the war paint, and get to praying, singing, praising, whatever you need to do for that breakthrough. Grab you some Godly accountable friends, and start crying out for each other. You’d be surprise what happens when the Lord starts getting awakened from the cries of His children. The promises of God don’t return void. Let’s get to crying out for the breakthrough. A fresh breath, and a peace with power to see that mountain move. Peace and blessings!!

Marco Rice

Hello friends, I’m Marco. I’m an RN, & founder of Four Winds, a ministerial blog.

I have a heart for this generation to know who they are & whose they are. I also contend for revival to cover college campuses.  As well as preach the word until every nation has heard.  Sharing Jesus with all, & showing the love that was once shown me.