THE CANAANITES ARE STILL IN THE LAND
THE CANAANITES ARE STILL IN THE LAND
Were you ever confused with Col. 4:2 which says to continue in prayer, and
1 Thes. 5:17 which says to pray without ceasing, Luke 18:6-8 where Jesus said to cry day and night, these verses are saying we should keep on praying for our needs: and, conversely, verses like_Mark 9:23 where Jesus said “…if you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.” and Ephes 6:14 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness
Or Matthew chapter 15, where Jesus commends the woman who demanded to be allowed to eat, even though she was not invited. And other verses, which
say we should stand on the promises and not insult Our Lord by asking for promises we already have?
The answer lies in the kind of promises we’re referring to, and how we received them.
Also, again, it gets down to that same foundation that you’ve heard repeatedly on this site………that foundation of being devoted wholeheartedly to our Lord, and truly desiring NOTHING EXCEPT HIS WILL for our lives and our Loved ones.
Once we have come to that point in our relationship to Our Lord, we are ready to see the difference and the reasons for these verses.
When we see a need in our lives, or that of another person, we pray about it….we ask the Lord for it, and if applicable, we find Bible promises that pertain to it. In the process of perpetual praying about this need, (like the first group of verses say to do), we develop a new relationship with God concerning the subject….we begin to connect to Him in a new way, and see the larger, spiritual view of the need….
In other words, we begin to see the need from God’s eyes instead of our own. Our prayers begin to take on a deeper, spiritual level, as we bend to the Will of God.
This is when we begin to hear from Him about the need….if it is His intent to show us….Sometimes He will speak to our spirit as our spirit grows to hear Him about this problem, and sometimes (if it is His will) He will give us a promise concerning it. When and if that occurs, we will KNOW FOR SURE that the thing will come true in the flesh. He has told us that it is already true in the spirit world.
Everything comes true first in the spirit world, before we see it with our flesh eyes. If the Lord shows us that this has happened concerning our prayer, it may be some time before we will see it with our physical eyes.
Abraham’s promise of a son took many years to be fulfilled. Rachel’s promise concerning her children was never seen by her physically, because she died before any of the promises could come true.
Mary raised Jesus like any other mother, and had to wait thirty three years to see the promise fulfilled that she heard from Anna and Simeon at the temple.
John the Baptist preached Jesus for a long time without seeing Him.
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for thirty years before they saw their Promised Land.—and that brings us to the next step in the process God teaches us.
His people had their promised land, and stepped onto it, but they couldn’t possess it until they fought the native Canaanites. Just as we have our promises IF the Lord has told us that we have, but we still have to deal with the physical limitations that exist, as well as the lies of the enemy, who will surely tell us that the promise is not ours. It is important to stand on the promises that God has actually given us.
Heb. 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
That is one kind of promise that we need to stand on, and there is no more need to pray, since we are sure it is already given to us. Thus, proving the last group of verses. It is important at this time to praise the Lord continuously for meeting the need, because, in His realm, which is the real realm, it is finished. Praise and thanksgiving are so very important in our relationship with God, and they also are strong weapons against the enemy’s lies.
Remember, that God ALWAYS answers our prayers with the very best for His children. Its just that we don’t know what the very best for us and our loved ones is…only God knows that, so if the outcome that we wanted didn’t come, know this for a surety, that God always has something better for that person. When we are TOTALLY devoted to having His will in our lives, we know that He will hold us up and give us comfort and assurance until the time comes when we will see why His will in this situation really was the best.
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The other kind of promise that we need to stand on is a promise that is given to all Christians in the Word of God. If you have truly given your heart to Jesus, and are living 100% for Him, then the promises in the Word are yours.
But, in studying the Word, it will show us that God usually, if not always, had a “condition” of testing, or obedience before a promise was fulfilled. He knows our hearts, and it grieves Him for people who are not fully His to ask for material gifts. He said that only a wicked generation seeketh after a sign. He wants us to be seeking HIM and HIS WILL, not just a miracle, or a sign of His presence. He needs to be our primary target for our heart, no matter what His will is for us.
He told us to “seek the kingdom of God and all these things will be added”…He wants us to seek Him and His will, and our desires will be His will.
Always read the context of a verse, and pray about it, finding out if there are conditions you need to meet before the promise can be applied to your situation. Also, some Biblical promises were specific to certain people, and the context, again, will determine this. But, since we have been grafted in to the vine of the Chosen people of God, all the general promises to His people (the Israelites) apply to the born again, devoted, believer of Jesus Christ now and through the ages.
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So, we need to pray deeply until we get a “breakthrough” and the Lord shows us something about our situation….then, simply obey what God has told us through our spirit, or through His Word.
Once we have come to the point of seeing all things as useless and empty, except for Our Lord, many doors open up to magnificent vistas!!!!
Live in the Light of Our Lord 