FEBRUARY 7 STANDING ON THE PROMISES

Jacob had experienced several personal encounters with God since leaving home and he had been blessed mightily as far as family and material benefits were concerned.  But still, in the recesses of Jacob’s mind there lingered the memory of the threat that his brother had made to kill him. 

Jacob was looking at his circumstances in the natural, from the standpoint of what he deserved rather than on the basis of what God had promised.   If we could just learn to see things as God sees them and adopt His point of view, how different our lives would be!  

If we could see as God sees, we would never need to ask “Why, God?”  But spiritual cataracts often blind our eyes so we cannot perceive our circumstances as they really are. We usually get our understanding of  situations from what we see, what we hear, what someone tells us, or what we imagine might happen--but that is not God's perspective.

Jacob was fearful to return home and confront Esau, but the reality was this: During Jacob’s absence from his homeland, Esau had amassed plenty of wealth himself.   Esau did not plan to kill Jacob.  He was actually on his way to meet him and welcome him home.

There is a verse in the book of Proverbs that says, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).   When your heart is not right with God, you will flee when there is nothing to fear.  When you are right before God, you know that you have nothing to fear.  You can stand in faith on His promises on the basis of His imputed  righteousness that provides assurance of His Word. You have no righteousness in yourself because“...we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).  As a believer, however, you are partaker of His righteousness and that instills within you the supernatural faith of God:

But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30) 

In Christ’s righteousness you are able to see as He sees, think as He thinks, and react as He reacts:  “Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

As a true believer in Christ Jesus, are you seeing as He sees, thinking as He thinks, and reacting to your circumstances as He would react?  Are you standing on the promises of God. or are you cowering in fear?