Standing On The Promises

                                                 "Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
                                                  through eternal ages let His praises ring;
                                                  glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
                                                  standing on the promises of God.
           
                                                  Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
                                                  when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
                                                  by the Living Word of God I shall prevail,
                                                  standing on the promises of God.

                                                 Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord
                                                 bound to Him eternally by love's strong cord,
                                                 overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword, 
                                                 standing on the promises of God.

                                                 Refrain:
                                                 Standing, standing,
                                                 standing on the promises of God my Savior;
                                                 standing, standing,
                                                 I'm standing on the promises of God.

                                                Standing on the promises I cannot fail,
                                                listening every moment to the Spirit's call
                                                resting in my Savior as my all in all,
                                                standing on the promises of God."

                                                    Standing On The Promises Hymn
                                                            Russell Kelso Carter
                                                                         1886




At the time when Russell Kelso Carter penned this well known hymn, he was also teaching at a military academy in Pennsylvania. Many have said that this military academy affected the lyrics of this hymn and that it is taken from the passage in Ephesians that says, "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place" (Ephesians 6:14) and from the passage in 2 Samuel that says "As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is tried; He is a buckler to all them that trust in Him" (2 Samuel 22:31).

We are first equipped with the armor of God and then it is time to take our stance. In the Christian faith, it is our attitude that determines the stand we take. And, our attitude emerges by our level of faith. If I have doubts in God's Word as to whether He is really on my side or whether He is really fighting my battles, I will be slouch in my stance. If, however, I stand on God's Word and really believe the truth of His Word, I can lean forward in confidence that no matter what the enemy hurls my way it is he that is going down and not me.

This past week I listened to a sermon by David Jeremiah and he was teaching about what to do when life throws you a difficult curve ball (or several of them). He said that we can either get mad at God or we can lay down in discouragement because it looks like evil is winning and will ultimately prevail. Or, we can determine in our hearts that we will be the absolute best student in the midst of our circumstances that we can be.

After hearing this, I have meditated on how to be the best student I can be. A few thoughts came to mind:
               1. I can study what God's Words says about my circumstances
               2. I can write down the promises that God is speaking to my heart
               3. I can declare His Word daily until I see change
               4. I can discard every lie from the enemy that says something contrary to God's Word

Many of us would prefer not to believe that standing on the promises of God is really a battle. And, yet it is. His promises are always right, and good, and true, but we also have an enemy that wants to steal them from us at every turn. Satan salivates at the thought of stealing victories from God's children. He lives to make us as weak and ineffective as he possibly can.

The verse in 2 Samuel (written above) tells us that the very Word of God will be tried. The word tried that is used means "refined like pure gold, with no taint of earthly dross". This means that God's Word is perfect and pure and completely faithful. No matter how much resistance comes against it, it will always remain pure. God knows this to be true and sometimes He allows us to sneak a peek at this truth, as well.

These are the times in our lives that can get somewhat uncomfortable. It is the fork in the road where the truth of God's Word stands face to face with the ugliness of our circumstances. We are being stretched and challenged in our faith and we have to choose which we will believe? Will we believe what we see with our eyes along with the sinister whispers of the evil one, or will we stand on God's Word until the end and believe in the inerrancy of what God has said?

Doubts and fears whirl loudly around us and our deepest desire is to try to maintain some semblance of control in what is happening. And yet, we are not in control. We do not know better than God does, even when His plan involves intense pain and suffering. He is still good, and kind, and merciful. His Word is still true.

Jesus calls us unto Himself so that we can rest. He understands the chaos and turbulence that afflicts our world and He knows that it is only when our ears are leaning upon His chest, listening to His very heartbeat, that we can find the true comfort that we need. It is in His presence that we do not need a military stance or additional protection because we will never find a safer place.

It is in the midst of this world that we do need to be armored up and fighting offensively with the Word of God. May I encourage you today, dear friend, to search in God's Word the promises that pertain to your circumstances and declare them over your life. Hold onto them as a sacred treasure and believe in your heart that even though God's Word may be being tested in your life today, there is zero chance that it will fail if you hold onto your faith. Adjust your stance and look the enemy in his beady little eyes and declare to him that he is already defeated. This is how we stand on the promises of God and shout our victory!!!

         "Faith... involves trusting in the future promises of God and waiting for their fulfillment."
                                                          R. C Sproul