The heritage of a Christian

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper…” – Isaiah 54:17

As a believer in Jesus, you have certain privileges because you belong to Christ. When you chose Him, God put a blood line around you that the enemy cannot cross. As long as you’re keeping Him first place, you have a hedge of protection, a hedge of favor, a hedge of mercy surrounding you like a shield. When difficulties come, God says that because you’re His child, because you honor Him, even though that problem has formed, in the end it is not going to prosper. When it’s all said and done, it’s not going to harm you. God is going to turn it around and use it to your advantage. That’s your heritage as a believer!

Notice it doesn’t say we’ll never have problems. No, life is full of difficulties. The promise God is making to us is that when things do come against us, because you’re in covenant relationship with Him, you can stay in peace knowing that it is not going to prosper. He has already paved the way for you to live in victory in every area of your life!

Remind yourself of His Promises

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” – Joshua 1:8

When things don’t go the way you planned or something unexpected happens, do you go around complaining, expecting the worst? Or, do you go to God’s Word and remind yourself of His promises?

The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. You have to have faith in order to activate God’s promises. When difficulties come and you’re tempted to get upset, remind yourself, “This is not going to prosper against me. They may be talking about me. It may look bad. But I know God is my Vindicator. He’ll take care of me. I know God has me in the palm of His hand.”

When you remind yourself of His promises, you don’t have to get worried. You know God is still on the throne. You know that problem didn’t come to stay, it came to pass. So today, remind yourself of His promises and feed your faith so that you can move forward in the victory He has prepared for you!

Prayer: A daily investment

“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there” (Matthew 14:23).

“Today many people regard prayer as a venerated tradition. We have no sense of coming to grips with God; we simply use prayer as a formality. Yet how can we go on unless there is a renewed emphasis on prayer? Thousands of people pray only in times of great stress, danger or uncertainty. Christ instructed His followers always to pray. So fervent and direct were the prayers of Jesus that once when He had finished praying, His followers turned to Him and said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ (Luke 11:1). They knew that Jesus had been in touch with God, and they wanted to have such an experience. From one end of the Bible to the other is the record of those whose prayers have been answered—those who turned the tide of history by prayer; those who fervently prayed, and God answered.”

Trust God to do His way

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” – Isaiah 55:9

Every person has things they’re believing for, situations they want to see changed, and dreams God has placed in their hearts. But sometimes, we try to figure out how it’s all going to happen. If we’re not careful, we’ll put God in a box and try to tell Him how to do it, when to do it, and where to do it. Today’s scripture tells us that God’s ways are not our ways. They are higher and better than our ways.

If you don’t get your way, if things don’t happen on your timetable, instead of getting discouraged, why don’t you believe that God has something better in store? Just because it doesn’t happen your way doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. Remember, God has a plan. He’s got it all figured out. Don’t limit Him by trying to get it done your way. Instead, simply say, “God, I’m trusting You. I know You have my best interest at heart. And even if I don’t get my way, I’m going to stay open and believe that You’re still directing my steps into the abundant life You have for me.”

Seek the Lord

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” – Psalm 34:4

In this day and age, it seems that there are so many things that people are afraid of. I’m not just talking about phobias, but many people are afraid of the future, afraid they won’t get married, afraid they won’t find a better job, afraid of getting sick. But the scripture gives us a simple remedy for all our fears and that is to seek the Lord. How do you seek the Lord? With a humble and open heart. By setting aside time each day to commune with Him. By focusing your thoughts on Him and His goodness.

Friend, no matter what fears may be plaguing your mind today, God wants to deliver you. He promises to keep us in perfect peace when we keep our minds stayed on Him. Today, meditate on His goodness. Meditate on His perfect love which casts out all fear. As you seek the Lord, He will answer you. He will deliver you and lead you in the path of peace and victory all the days of your life!