You will never learn how to use God’s promises unless you first understand that God is perfect in all His ways. As for God, his way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). I remember the dark, dark period after my precious wife Angel had gone to Heaven and I was suffering one deathly agony after another. I didn’t see how I could live without her, how I could go on breathing without her. How would I do it? I opened her Bible one day, and there it was, an answer coming back from Heaven. She had written in her Bible, The way of the Lord is perfect. It was as though she were saying the words to me in person. You may not see it as perfect right now because of the way He hurried me through the gate of Glory, but the way of the Lord is perfect. You may feel you needed me more than Heaven did, but the way of the Lord is perfect. Remember, Honey, the Lord never does anything that is not perfect.

I had to decide that the way of the Lord is perfect. The way of the Lord is perfect was the rod of my strength in those awful days, weeks and months and years ahead without Angel. As for God, His way is perfect.

Know God’s Word

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). God’s faith comes from His Word, but if you don’t know His Word, you won’t get very far claiming the promises of God. The Christian world as a whole hasn’t moved with God’s promises, and God has not been able to move with them. You can only walk with God as you walk in His promises. You can only breathe with God as you breathe through His promises. You can only have joy from Heaven as you let the joy from His promises flow to you.

God Will Not Break a Trust

You must decide that God will not break a trust; His ways are perfect. If, however, you doubt God at times, then you don’t completely believe that God won’t break a trust. People have told me that they feel God has disappointed them, let them down. Why has God done this to me? they wonder. Why has this happened? They simply don’t know God.

God has never let anyone down. He let His Son come down to earth that He might raise us up with Him. Jesus came down, down, down, to lift us up. You can trust God, but first you must settle in your mind and soul the fact that God isn’t against you; He is for you. His strong love abounds toward you. You have security in Him, benefits, an insurance policy called “life eternal” through Him. Why, why would you ever blame God?

Use the Lord’s Promises by Pleasing Him

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight (I John 3:22). Why do we receive the benefits of His promises? Because we keep His commandments and please Him. Follow the Lord’s instructions. All you have to do is what He tells you—those things that are pleasing in His sight—and the promises will be fulfilled, gushing forth to you with all the fullness of the Godhead in every promise.

Know God’s Love and Faith

You must know God’s love if you want to come into that place of “whatsoever you ask of Him you receive because you keep His commandments.” You won’t know His love unless you keep His Word.

You must know His faith for you as well as His love. How strong is His faith? How far-reaching? What has His faith done?

Ponder His promises; know His faith. Know what is in the love and faith of God; the promises of God are fulfilled through His love and faith. You can only have the love and faith of God by keeping His commandments and doing His will, keeping His Word and pleasing Him.

The Power of a Promise

You can’t hold onto a promise until it’s fulfilled unless you know the power of the promise. If you don’t know the power of that promise, it will not work for you. Let His promise be living reality to you; you must have knowledge of that promise.

Some of us don’t really know what we are claiming when we claim a promise. We say we stake our claim for that promise, but we don’t hold to it. After the devil talks to us awhile, we dig up stakes and take off, thinking we won’t bother the Lord about it any more. It bothers Him more for us to forget His promise, for that means we count it weak.

His promise has all the strength of Heaven in it. Unless you know the power of His promise, the integrity of who made it, you cannot accept the power in it. Know the dependability and ability of God who made the promise in order to know the power in the promise. I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me (Jeremiah 32:27)? Jeremiah answers the question in verse 17: There is nothing too hard for thee.

Who made these promises in the Word? Did man have anything to do with them? Do you believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God or just the thoughts of man? Do you believe these promises are the covenants and vows God has made to us? Decide what you believe, decide it in your heart. You can’t compromise with the Word of God and expect it to have power in your life.

Christians Have Given Their Lives for God’s Promises

Will you stake your life on God’s promises? Do His promises mean that much to you? Would you die for the promises? The Early Church Christians gave their lives for these promises, for their faith. They accepted the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ with their whole hearts.

Paul asked, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35,38,39).

Separated from God’s Promises

If you can’t be separated from the love of Christ, you can’t be separated from His promises. If you can be separated from God’s love, you’re automatically separated from His promises. Many have been separated from the promises because they have been separated from the love of God. Their love affair with the Lord is an “in-and-out” thing. You either love Christ or you don’t love Him. You either trust Him or you don’t trust Him.

Do You Blame God?

Know Christ in the power of His resurrection. Stop blaming God and accusing Him part-time or all the time. To accuse Him means you don’t really know Him.

How many times have you blamed God in your own spirit? You wouldn’t speak it aloud, but the blame was there. Never blame God when things don’t go your way. Many say they don’t blame God, but their actions contradict their words. Pouting, giving up, they see no need of trying. If they weren’t blaming God, they would stand up straight and say, Of course there is a need of trying because God is still on the throne; He still loves me. He is with me, leading me by His mighty hand. He will never leave me or forsake me. I’m in the hands of God, under the wings of the Almighty and I’m all right. The way of the Lord is perfect.

I’ve seen it in people even when they wouldn’t admit it—they blamed God. When you blame God, you judge Him. Who would dare think they could judge God and get by with it? God ignores people like that. If you blame God, judge Him, He lets you alone to wallow in a pit of misconception. You can repent if you want to, but until you want to, He is not able to move you out of that pit, not able to help you, not able to deliver you.

God can’t move for unbelievers. He gave you free choice, and when you choose not to trust Him, you tie His hands. You are a free moral agent with the power to choose. You can choose how much of God’s help you want and will use, or you can choose how much of God’s help you will reject. You have the choice to accuse God or to say God is perfect in all His ways.

Don’t Deceive Your Heart

There is no need to be hypocritical, God wants you to be forthright. If you don’t believe Him, say so. Tell Him what is in your heart, spit it out, examine it. See how terrible it looks; let it put you under conviction. Then repent, receive a real born-again experience and get the love of God in your heart. Don’t deceive your heart. Some people claim to have the love of God all the while they are talking themselves right into hell. Their own tongue has influenced others to reject the promises of God and His blessings. God doesn’t listen to those who just wag their tongues before Him; He knows they have nothing in their hearts to hold His message. It takes the love and faith of God to carry the message of God.

Wake up and stop playing church. You’re going to either Heaven or hell. The majority of people on planet Earth today will make the Rapture or else be spewed into the Tribulation Period.

I Can Do All Things through Christ Jesus

We’re in the final hour; Jesus is soon coming. We don’t know the day, the hour; but we know this is the season. We know Jesus is coming soon and we’re getting ready to leave with Him. You can embrace defeat by convincing yourself you will never make the Rapture, but why not use the promise the Lord sent us through the Apostle Paul? I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13).

God wants you to have salvation and the Holy Ghost baptism, two experiences needed to make the Rapture. You can receive it all through Christ who gives you the strength.

There is nothing you can’t do for God through His strength, through His help, His grace. The Lord told Paul, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (II Corinthians 12:9). In Paul’s worst trials, he was able to overcome. That same strength is available to you when you use God’s promise.

Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

Beaten, jailed, starved, Paul was in fastings much, in prayers; but one thing was especially hard for him to conquer. He described it as a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me (II Corinthians 12:7). A spirit from Lucifer—the thorn in the flesh—followed him everywhere he went. It was not sickness, not an eye disease as some people claim, but the buffeting of the devil. Can you imagine people’s faith being helped by a person praying for them who had corruption pouring out of his eyes? It’s a disgrace the way some people doubt God, rob Him by unbelief. Paul plainly tells us that his thorn in the flesh was an angel from the devil sent to buffet him. To buffet means to strike forcefully. Everywhere Paul went the devil was stirred up. Follow Paul on his missionary journeys and see how the devil came against him again and again. Three times Paul sought the Lord for deliverance, but when the Lord told him His grace was sufficient, that settled it for Paul.

God’s grace is sufficient for you, too. If you are His child, you are in the grace of God. If you’re not in the grace of God, it’s time to move into it. There is a price to pay for God’s grace; you will have to suffer—not sickness, but persecutions, trials, tribulations.

One of the promises in the Word Jesus made: In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus promises tribulation, but He promised to deliver, to help us overcome as He overcame. How else could you be delivered? You can’t deliver yourself; you don’t have the power to do it. Jesus furnishes the power to deliver.

Rejoice in Jesus’ Coming

When the trials come, praise God and trust Him to battle for you. Make a hallelujah time out of it. If you let trials and persecutions discourage you, the devil will see to it that you stay discouraged. A depressed person telling others about the coming of Jesus won’t convince very many that this is a wonderful event to look forward to.

When you talk about Jesus’ coming, have a heavenly smile as you glory in that promise. I know He is coming, and I rejoice! What day He will come, we know not; it makes no difference. When the last soul that can be won is brought into the fold, be ready for Jesus to come.

After we are caught up with Him, days will not count anymore. Unpack your calendar, your watch; you won’t need them in Heaven. The Lord has better things for us.

God Reveals Himself to the Sincere

God reveals Himself to those who are sincere. If you are not sincere, God won’t reveal Himself. He doesn’t reveal Himself to everyone. The disciples received a limited amount of the knowledge of the power of Christ while He walked the earth with them. Not until after Pentecost when they were baptized in the Holy Ghost did they understand the greatness of the One who had walked in their midst. The Holy Ghost became their teacher. Study each person who walked with Jesus.

The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached

Read the Sermon on the Mount again and again. Every time you go through it you can find something new and different. That sermon has the depth of Christ in it, the greatest sermon ever preached. It covers all lives, all people throughout the whole earth.

Have you needed strength, help, deliverance, serenity of mind, peace? You can find it all in the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are ye, blessed are ye, blessed are ye. Don’t be afraid the devil is going to put a curse on you; read the Sermon on the Mount and find what it takes to be blessed. Study until you take on the Jesus-qualities of the blessed.

Then you can tell yourself—and mean it—that you are blessed, tell yourself often.

Speaking the things of God brings great strength and deliverance. Angels never say anything else but God-talk. Did an angel ever talk to you? The angel of the Lord has talked to me many times, and it always has been God-talk. Take a lesson from the way angels speak.

If you don’t learn Jesus, you won’t learn the new and living way He brought. Jesus is the new and living way of power, deliverance, greatness. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). The Jesus new and living way is paved with beautiful, wonderful, powerful promises.

There is a power from On High that will work within you to bring about the fulfillment of all God’s promises. When you have Jesus, you have the faith, the love for His promises to be fulfilled.

The Word Sown in Many Places

The parable of the sower in Matthew’s Gospel is one of the most blessed lessons the Lord taught when He was here on earth. Behold, a sower went forth to sow (Matthew 13:3). What was sown? The Word of God, of course. Some of the seed fell by the wayside, and the birds ate them. Some fell on rocky ground, and the sun came out—persecutions took place—and the plants withered. Some fell on thorns that rose up and choked the seed. But some fell on good soil and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold (verse 8). The seed in good soil produced a gain for the Lord.

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side (verses 18,19). Without a person’s understanding, the Word fades away. The children of God have not had enough understanding, saith the Lord, to hold His promises in their hearts so He could fulfill very many of them. Although it isn’t God’s fault, God has been blamed. But in this final hour, He won’t take the blame.

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended (verses 20,21). Some of you have heard the Word of God, you have rejoiced over it; but then the devil robbed you before the next day. On tomorrow you needed what was in the Word, and you didn’t have it any longer. How many times have you been offended by the Word after thinking about it for a while?

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it (Matthew 13:22,23). To understand something you need to know how to use it, what is there for you. Look for sermons with faith and power in them, sermons filled with grace, love, wisdom and knowledge.

Understand the Word

Those who understand and embrace the Word bring forth much fruit. Because the disciples received a limited amount of the understanding of Jesus when they were with Him, they received a limited amount of His love, too. They didn’t recognize what He offered, didn’t know how to accept it. Peter proved that he lacked understanding when he vowed to never deny Jesus, and then denied Him that very night. Although Jesus tried to give him understanding, Peter didn’t receive it at that time. Had he understood, he would have known that Jesus was going to Calvary to pay the price for the sins of all mankind, that it would be terrible; but because of Calvary, the world would be free from sin if it wanted to be.

Peter would have followed Jesus to the tomb and seen Him defeat death—had he understood. He would have seen Jesus walk out of the tomb in power and glory, more victory than he had ever imagined. Jesus walked out of the tomb for us, showing that He is life, that death had no power over Him. Rejoice in the Lord! Rejoice in the blood, in redemption, in saving grace! I cannot emphasize too often that you must have understanding.

Learn to Recognize the Voice of Love

Some do not understand the love described in First Corinthians 13. For many people, love is a total stranger—human love and God’s love. They find God’s language of love to be foreign. Many couples have married not knowing what love is or knowing what to look for. They met passion and called it love. Physical attraction and desire are not real love.

Attraction is just a desire for the flesh, plain ugly passion, that has deceived many people. When passion is satisfied, it’s over.

When passion is over and nothing is left to bind two people together in love, they become miserable. They didn’t plan it that way, but the results are the same. They didn’t intend to marry to make someone else miserable, but they did. It wasn’t love, only passion. That’s the reason so many act differently when the honeymoon is over. Not recognizing real love, they don’t recognize the love of God, what it is, how it acts. They confuse God’s love with human love, consider it no better, no stronger than human love and just as ugly and weak. Misunderstood love is the reason for many broken marriages.

Most human beings have no idea how to handle love; the wouldn’t know love if it walked up and said, Hello. That’s the reason so many other voices fool them; they don’t know the real voice of love.

Deceit can be in the voice of a person who declares love. If you don’t know love, don’t know how love behaves, you can be deceived. Those who haven’t been taught what love is don’t know what to look for.

If you have never experienced real love, how will you recognize it? Love is never over; it’s always reaching for more love to give that person. It may be ten, twenty, thirty years later, but love still reaches for more love.

If you have been reared in a home filled with great love, you know what to look for, the characteristics of love. You identify love when it reaches out for you. Real love doesn’t love only the way a person looks, it loves the spirit of the person. People can get into great trouble by not recognizing love, for they very easily settle for a counterfeit.

The thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians tells us what God’s love is like. Love, charity in the King James Version, suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (I Corinthians 13:4-8,13). Do you have the real God-love described here?

If your human spirit isn’t cleansed from envy, strife, puffing up, evil thinking and deeds, you don’t know God’s love. The love of God will not mix with that which is wrong, will not abide in a carnal mind. The human spirit that is cleansed, saved, delivered and washed in the blood of the Lamb has the love of God.

Love Comes through the Word of God

Some Christians puff up at a moment’s notice and still believe they are going to Heaven. They are not. Many turned aside from the true love of God because they labeled human faults as God’s love. They failed to find the true love of God described in His Word.

Love, remember, as well as faith, cometh by hearing the Word of God. You learn God’s love from the love-Book, the Bible. You will never know what God’s love is like unless you get it from His Book. The Lord gave us His Word so the devil couldn’t deceive us, so we will know when we have His love and faith and when we don’t.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love (Revelation 2:4). The first love for God when a person becomes saved can fade in time if it is not treated properly. The new converts love everyone, even their enemies; they treat everyone right. At home their actions are amazingly different—kind, loving. Seeing the transformation of a loved one has brought many unsaved companions to God.

It means everything to know love, to understand love. Some people go from loving one person to another, then to someone else. I heard a girl say one time, “I’m like Jesus—I love them all.” Every handsome face she met she loved. It wasn’t love; infatuation is not love. Human love must take on the characteristics of God’s love, be mixed with God’s love so it won’t pout, seek revenge, or have a mean tongue. The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Think of a doctor working on you with an instrument sharper than a two-edged sword. In order to take out a diseased part, you will be cut. The Word of God cuts out spiritual disease.

Check Your Faith

Some people carry counterfeit love, counterfeit faith. You can tell them the truth, but they don’t want it; they are in denial, sure that the false is real. Don’t allow the devil to fool you. Check your faith with the faith in Hebrews: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). It tells of people who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens (verses 33,34). Women received their dead raised to life again, people were tortured, tormented in all kinds of ways, but they had the real thing, not a counterfeit; they had the faith and love of God. With His love and faith coupled together, nothing can stop you. You will not have to worry whether you are going to Heaven or hell; you will know.

God’s love and faith have a wonderful, beautiful voice of strength, power and grace. The greatest strength on earth today is faith and love together. You can overcome anything and everything; you can be victorious in every valley, climb to the highest mountain peaks, trample underfoot every devil that comes your way when you use the love and faith of God. You can have victory in Jesus. Not only will you be singing Victory in Jesus! you will have His overcoming power as a part of you.

Let God’s Power Work

Look unto the Lord and let His power work inside you. Through the faith and love of God, let His power work. If you do, one day you will walk down the avenue of Glory in His love and faith all the way.

Treasure the promises of God. Look into your spirit and see it loaded down with those promises. How beautiful they are, Lord! They help overcome in every valley, bring victory over the devil and all his demons. Lord, these promises are priceless. Why not take a look and see that you have an armful of God’s promises? Everything you need, all God’s power, greatness, and strength is in His promises. Glory be to God! Why sit discouraged? It’s a waste of time. We’re in the last hour and we must get the Lord’s work done.

The Jesus life is wonderful indeed. Much happiness is in it. No wonder the Lord doesn’t want us to grumble and complain. We have nothing to complain about. God’s children are not in the wilderness, but have already entered Canaan where all the good fruit of the Spirit is provided. Through the fruit of the Spirit comes all the strength we need. Nine different kinds of gorgeous fruit—what strength, what power! But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22,23). Rejoice! we’re in the light, the real light of God.

Have You Been Redeemed?

Are you ready to go to Heaven? Do you believe God’s promise of salvation? If not, if you need to be redeemed so you won’t die lost, pray the sinners’ prayer with me now: Dear God, save my soul! Forgive me of my sins. I’m so sorry I sinned against you, Lord, but I’ve come home. I’m going to serve you, Lord, the rest of my life. And I believe that the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart Jesus, come on in.

If you meant that prayer you can say, Hallelujah, He has come!

God Is the Healer

You who are sick and afflicted, get ready for the Lord to move for you. The Bible says with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). What a glorious promise! I’ve seen it fulfilled again and again. I’m the Lord’s believer, and He is the healer. No matter what the disease or affliction—cancer, heart trouble, paralysis, or whatever—God can heal it. Trust in God; He is your faith.

We believe in good doctors, good hospitals, good medicines; but when man can’t find the help he needs, God is the only answer. I found that answer at twenty-three years of age when the Lord made me whole all over. This power that made me whole through and through when I was dying is the same power that can deliver you. This is the power that stayed the hand of death for me. I went to the edge of the grave, but this power brought me back to life, great life. He’s my healing Jesus and He will be yours if you trust Him.

Lord, I bring the sick and afflicted to you. You have ordained me with your mighty, wonderful gifts to bring deliverance to the people. Through your marvelous supernatural gifts it comes in the name of your Son Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Ghost: Heal! Heal! in the holy name of the Lord. Heal, in the all powerful name of Jesus.

Let this power work within you. According to the power that worketh within has been injected into your body, according to the way you let it work. If you let it work, it will get you well. Write and tell me about it, I will rejoice with you.

The Lord is doing great and mighty things, and He will do them for you when you learn how to use a promise. Use a promise right now, and your need will be supplied.