2 Corinthians 1:19-20(NKJV)
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. 20For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
(This week at LWCC we were blessed to hear from Dr. B.J. Pruitt. Here are some thoughts on his messages.)
The most important element of our walk of faith is the Word of God. The Bible is the source of faith, Rom. 10:17, and it is the foundation upon which everything else is built. In the above verses we find a most important statement concerning the promises in the Word. I have heard it said most of my Christian life that God answers all of our prayers in one of three ways. His answer is either yes, no or wait. This scripture gives us insight into how to pray in a way that yes is the only possible answer. The timing of God still comes into play, of course, but we will not have to wonder if what we ask will be yes or no. It will be yes, period.
Paul is talking here about some comments on his own ministry. It seems some people thought that he went to different places simply on the basis of whim or his personal desires. He tells them that he goes only where God leads and he is not subject to double mindedness in his decision making. Then he goes on to point out that Jesus is the same way. Jesus was not both yes and no, in him was yes. In other words He didn’t say yes to one and no to another. His answer was always yes.
Does that mean that Jesus would say yes to things that go against the principles of God? Of course not. He was hard on sin, just not on the sinner. The exception being those who were religious and hid their sin under the guise of their religion. They received His harshest treatment, but for most He clearly stood against the sin, but was compassionate toward the sinner. In this context Paul is not talking about sin, but instead he is talking about promises.
We see here that if we are in Christ, that is if we are born again, all the promises of God are yes. Not only are they yes, but Paul is compelled to add the word “amen” which means “so be it.” He wants no mistake. If we find a promise in the bible and ask for that promise to be fulfilled in our lives the answer is always yes. It is never no. Actually it is never wait either. As soon as we ask in faith the Lord begins to bring about our answer. Often it takes a while before we see the manifestation. That may be because we need to change some things in our lives or because God is dealing with circumstances or people, but if we find a promise and pray according to that promise, the answer is yes. Praise God!
You might ask, does this mean only new Testament promises. Since Paul was the author of 2/3 of the New Testament, that would be impossible. It didn’t exist yet. No, this verse is talking about all the promises of God. He is referring to every promise made to Abraham Isaac, and Israel. He is talking about every promise recorded in the Psalms and Proverbs. He is talking about the promises to Moses and David. He is also talking about the promises made by Jesus and, in the end, the promises that would be recorded in the New Testament writings. All the promises of God ever made are, in Christ, not only yes but amen as well.
What are the conditions to receiving this “yes?” There are two. First of all you must be in Christ. This is a promise to believers. It is a promise to those who are born again, saved by the shed blood of Jesus. These people are partakers of the covenant in His blood. That is what enables them to receive the yes answer to these wonderful promises. If you are in Christ, all you have to do is find the promise in the Word and you already have your answer. Yes. Not no or wait. The answer is yes.
The second requirement is that you ask in faith. You must believe what the promise says about you. If the promise says, “By His stripes you were healed.” as it does is 1 Peter 2:24 then you are healed. You may not yet feel healed. You may not yet be able to walk in this healing, but you don’t have to question if God has given you the “no or wait” answer. All the promises are yes, so God is healing you. It may take some time for the process to complete, but healing is yours because the promise is always answered with a resounding “YES.”
Can you see how this changes our prayer and faith life. We need to let this become ingrained in our thinking. If I find a promise and pray according to that promise, the answer is yes. There is no other option because the Word tells me there isn’t. When the devil tells me, “Maybe God just doesn’t think you are worthy enough, we can say, “The word says the promise is yes to those in Christ. I am in Christ so that’s not possible.” When our own heart begins to doubt that God would do this for us we can give the same answer. When time goes by and it looks like nothing is happening we can say with assurance, “God is working it out for me because the answer to my prayer was yes.
Take a walk through this wonderful book of promises called the bible. Every time you find one say to yourself, “There is another yes for me. There is another promise that can come to pass in my life if I need it. I don’t have to wonder how God will answer if I have need of that promise. The answer is already there. It is yes and Amen!
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