Month: October 2013

Is Your Name in the Bible?

There is even a Personal Promise Bible presently available. You can read your name personalized in over 5,000 places in the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.

Here are a few examples:

  • “If Kofi dwells in the secret place of the Most High, Kofi will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalms 91:1).
  • “By which He has granted to Kofi His precious and exceedingly great promises..” (2 Peter 1:4).
  • “The Lord is Kofi’s shepherd. Kofi shall not want” (Psalms 23:1).

You may never own a Personal Promise Bible but you can mentally insert your name into every promise God intended for mankind.

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Promises can be placed in all kinds of categories. Basically there are only two types: conditional and unconditional.

Most promises are conditional. God says, “I’ll do this if you do that!” The condition(s) must be met in order for the promise to be fulfilled. God waits on us to do our part, so He can do His.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Unconditional promises are without conditions. God will do it no matter what we do or don’t do. Nothing can stop it.

“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11, NIV).

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17).

Some promises combine both.

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

The unconditional part of this promise is that the Holy Spirit was to be sent. The condition was they had to wait in Jerusalem to receive it.

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God, the Promise Keeper!

God is a Promise Keeper: “Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely wipe you out from this good land he has given you” (Joshua 23:14-16, NLT).

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Dick and Margaret were missionaries in a place caught up by an invasion. Their story is told in a book entitled, Steel in His Soul, The Dick Hillis Story. Dick developed a sickness and had to be admitted into the hospital. It was at the worst time. Margaret was sad as she watched her husband leave. Soon an army officer came with news. The enemy was near. Everyone should evacuate. Margaret and her two children could not leave. She stayed. She prayed. Early the next morning she ripped a page from her wall calendar. It contained a Scripture: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalms 56:3).

The town emptied during the day, but Margaret didn’t move. The next morning she again ripped a page from her calendar. The new day’s Scripture read: “Thou, Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Psalms 9:10).

The next day when she woke she heard distant sounds of gunfire. She worried about finding food for her hungry children. Someone came with a basket of eggs. Another person brought milk. The calendar verse for the day: “I will nourish you and your little ones” (Genesis 50:21).

The sounds of war grew stronger and Margaret prayed for protection and deliverance. The next morning she tore the page from her calendar. It read: “When I cry unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back” (Psalms 56:9).

The fighting came closer. That night Margaret could not sleep. Danger was close. But, in the morning all was calm. The army officer returned and knocked on her door. He told her in amazement, “The enemy has retreated. It’s unbelievable!” No one could understand it. Peace returned. Margaret glanced at her calendar and praised the God that promises.

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God Gives

“If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” (Luke 11:13, AMP).

Our God gives for our greatest advantage.

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God Gives Life

“Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (John 6:33).

God Gives Eternal Life

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me” (John 10:28-29, NLT).

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

God Gives Abundant life

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

God Gives the Holy Ghost

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10).

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13).

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

God Gives Revelation

“Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12, AMP).

God Gives Rewards

“Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10, AMP).

God Gives Healing

“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

God Gives Peace

“I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27-28, NLT).

God Gives Wisdom

“Give me wisdom and knowledge to rule them properly, for who is able to govern this great nation of yours?” God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for personal wealth and honor or the death of your enemies or even a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people, I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. And I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor such as no other king has ever had before you or will ever have again!” (2 Chronicles 1:10-13, NLT).

“If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him” (James 1:5, AMP).

God Gives Understanding

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalms 119:130).

“For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy” (Ecclesiastes 2:26).

God Gives Grace

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God Gives Our Desires

“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalms 37:4-5).

God Gives His Word

“In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession” (James 1:17-18, NLT).

God Gives Spiritual Gifts

“Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. [Psalms 68:18.]” (Ephesians 4:8, AMP).

“God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well” (Romans 12:6, NLT).

“Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-5, NLT).

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From the Distance or Up Close?

An old African story tries to explain why God withdrew into the heavens. The Old Woman was pounding her fufu. Each time she hit the Old Man in the head with the blunt end of her pounding stick. The Old Man, tired of being beaten, escaped into the skies above; always keeping His distance. Not bad for an old story. However, it does not contain any biblical truth. God occupies heaven, but also fills the earth. He is everywhere. He loves to be close to His people; lives with us; and in us.

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Another old woman (this one in God’s Word) felt that God had withdrawn from her. But one day she heard a rumor that provided her hope, that God had returned and turned His favor toward His people. “Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread” (Ruth 1:6).

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A Prepared Place for a Prepared People

Heaven is a prepared place is for a prepared people. Much is said these days about accepting the Lord as one’s personal Savior, and of the need for repentance. Yet, many times it stops there. We need to go on to full obedience to the plan of salvation.

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Jesus introduced this plan in Luke 24. Peter started preaching it in Acts 2. Let’s take a look.

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).

“(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus)” (Acts 8:16).

“And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days” (Acts 10:48).

“When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5).

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

Why did Jesus command to baptize in “the name?”

  • His name is above every name (Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 1:21).
  • There is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:10-12).
  • Whatever you do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17).
  • We are washed in the name of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11).

The Apostle Paul was so convinced that baptism in Jesus name was necessary that he rebaptized some believers in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:1-5).

Baptism remits sin. The blood of Jesus Christ is necessary to remit sin (Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:7). The only biblical way to receive remission of sin is through baptism in Jesus’ name (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38).

We are privileged to be filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. A sobering thought is this: “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9). This Scripture implies that if we do not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit we do not belong to Jesus Christ.

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). We will need the baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to go in the rapture.

One day the Master will call our name. We will have no choice but to answer, “Yes, sir!” However, there is a choice you now have. Where will you spend eternity? The right choice now ensures your new home later.

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