Tag: #godspromises

Protection and Promises

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

God’s promises are sprinkled throughout the Bible, encouraging us not to give up.  When Moses questioned his ability to carry out God’s plan, lead the Israelites, and ask God’s name, God reassured him, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14, ESV, Emphasis added). He instructed Moses to tell the people I AM sent me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:14).  

In Hebrew, “I am” can be translated as “I will be.” In context, verse 12 records God telling Moses He will be with him. The name Yahweh (the Lord) also reminds us of God’s promises to His people and His help fulfilling their calling. God’s name indicates His character and attributes (ESV Study Bible notes, Exodus 3:14).  

Later, when Joshua took leadership, God gave him a notable task and told him to “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6). God doesn’t give orders and leave Joshua to his own devices. He gave a daunting task, yes, but He framed it with promises: “I will be with you” (v. 5) and “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (v. 9). These examples indicate a compassionate God who will never leave us.

Besides the promises and the task, God also shows Joshua how to succeed by not turning from the Lord’s instructions, which are integral to who he is and what he does. Likewise, we are given instructions to live by; a role model in Jesus Christ, to imitate, and promises to help us stay strong and courageous.

Peace comes from God’s love inside us. Stress and worry are not of God. Believe and receive the goodness of God. Faith captures the essence of God in a believer’s heart. He is undeniably for us. We do not need to fear, because the Lord is our helper (Heb. 13:6). We can trust in the One who holds eternity in His hand. He promises never to forsake us (Ps. 94:14). The hiccups in life are only temporary.

If we face a task God gives us, we can step out in faith, knowing He will not leave us to pursue it alone. He will open and close doors to guide our path. It is vital to remain in communion with Him, asking that His will be done.

We can lean on the promise that Christ is coming back for us, as John records Jesus’ words, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am preparing a place for you? And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also” (John 14:1-3, Emphasis added).  

Sweet promises that sustain us until that day comes. We can find rest in these assurances.

For the last few years, I have been able to hold on to a personal promise, which I pass along to other abuse survivors: You are a beautiful flower in My garden. I send rain and sunlight to nurture you and help you grow. You are protected under the care of the Master Gardener, never to be plucked and taken away from Me again.

How are we to live in light of these promises?

Freely and joyfully, living life to the fullest, showing others the way of Christ in love. Our eternal perspective changes our attitude, as we are charged to keep our focus on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). We can listen for God in the day-to-day tasks and show the love of Christ to everyone we meet. Don’t get caught up in the minutia; be Kingdom-minded, doing them for God instead of men (Col. 3:23).

“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4, Emphasis added).

The Transformative Word of God

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

The Word of God is not just a text; it’s a potent force that can transform lives. In 2 Cor. 10: 4-5, Paul urges the Corinthians to seize every thought and make it obedient to Christ. This transformative power of the Word is our key, offering us hope and inspiration. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we, like Paul, can dismantle strongholds of wrong thinking and behavior, paving the way for a more enlightened and hopeful future.

John’s writing tells us that Jesus Christ is the living Word that reveals the glory of God—a pre-existing life-giving person (John 1:1-18, NLT).

The Word of God possesses the strength to create everything around us – including us – and demolish strongholds, a testament to its unparalleled power. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary expounds that it represents Jesus’ message, the message about Jesus and Jesus Himself (Brand 1666).

The book of Psalms paints a majestic picture of how the Word, with its remarkable power, directs nature and comes to the aid of His people. This power is a testament to the divine origin of the Word and its ability to bring about miraculous changes in our lives.

“He sends his orders to the world – how swiftly his word flies! He sends snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws (Ps. 147: 15-18, emphasis added).

“He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death” (Ps. 107:20, emphasis added).

The Word of God is not a passive entity; it is described as living, active, sharp, piercing, and discerning (Hebrews 4:12)—God’s utterance delivers awe-inspiring results, engaging us in a dynamic relationship with our faith.

Hebrews records that God’s promise and oath are unchangeable because God can’t lie. We can have confidence in our hope in Christ (Hebrews 6:18). The Word, as the Gospel message, gives us steadfast hope that is strong and trustworthy, like an anchor for our souls (v19).

With this in mind, we can claim every promise that is ours as His children and heirs with Christ (Gal. 3:29). Abraham never hesitated in believing God’s promises. He was convinced that God would do whatever He promised (Romans 4:20-21). We can have the same confidence today because God’s Word is God. God is Love (I John 4:8). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), providing us with a reliable anchor for our faith.

When He ascended to heaven, Jesus left us the gift of peace for our hearts and minds—one of many promises we can claim—something the world cannot give (John 14:27).

When we accept Christ, we receive a new heart and spirit. The Holy Spirit Jesus speaks of as our Advocate who reminds us of these promises and gives us hope to persevere. The OT also speaks of this, pointing to Christ when God showed Ezekiel in a vision that He can bring dry bones to life (Ezek. 37:1-14). The breath in this passage is the Spirit. These passages often end with God’s promise that He has spoken and will do what He says (36:36; 37:14).

When I surrendered my life to Christ, these dry bones came to life for the first time. The weight I was carrying from my past lifted immediately with the utterance of one question—God, what do you want? I had never asked this before because I was focused on what I wanted (or thought I wanted).

Can you relate?

Maybe it’s time to ask God what He wants for you.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30, NIV, Emphasis added).

“From his abundance, we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17, NLT, Emphasis added).

I Believe!

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell
Mt. Rainier

Do you believe God parted the Red Sea as though it were dry ground? Do you believe the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down? Do you believe God shut the mouths of lions, quenched flames of fire and placed Jonah in the belly of a whale? Do you believe Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood? I could go on and on through scripture how God saved His people, preformed miracles and changed lives through the faith of His people.

I believe because I have seen first hand in my own life how God spared my life from a tragic car accident, saved me from an abusive relationship, brought good out of my mistakes and bad decisions, and I could on and on about that as well.

We all have our blanks? How do you fill in the blank? What have you seen God do in your life that causes you to believe?

I believe because God saved me from________________________________________.

How has God changed your life so much that you know it could only be Him?

So why not trust Him with this?

Whatever your ‘this’ is right now. That daunting thing that looks overwhelming, but you know God brought you to it. It reminds me of the song lyrics, ‘I’ve seen You move, You move the mountains, and I believe I will see You do it again.’ Friend, when we’ve seen God work in our lives before, we can believe He will do it again. If we believe we can receive everything He has for us, in full measure and abundance. If we believe we will receive. Hold tight to that confidence- not in ourselves but in what God can do in and through us when we believe, have faith and trust Him with the results.

This also comes with a warning; it probably won’t look like what we thought, but we can trust God with the outcome and believe where He is leading us will be even better than we ever imagined for ourselves.

When you get a chance, read through Hebrews chapter 11. Refresh yourself in one chapter with what all God has achieved through those who believed.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Pink Unicorns

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

It may seem odd that I am writing something called ‘Pink Unicorns’ or that God can use something like that to send me a message, but I am here to tell you that He did and He can use anything that He feels will resonate with the person He is trying to reach.

At a time in my life when I was in a dark place and an abusive relationship, I had a dream that me and the guy I was with at the time were sitting on top of bleachers in an open field. I looked up and, in the distance, I saw three old planes coming into view and they flew over our heads. Next, I saw 3 newer fighter jets and they also flew over us. Then I saw black hawk helicopters and they flew on past.

Last, I saw something white flying towards us, as they got closer, I could see that it was several solid white horses, but they didn’t fly on past. As they begin to land in the distance, I could see the last few were pastel colors; blue, pink and purple. They started to head my direction and as they approached, I saw they were unicorns. They were so beautiful! They came straight up to me. I held out my hand and just as the first one got close enough to touch my hand, I woke up.

At the time it was a beautiful sight, but I didn’t know what it meant. I was in a controlling relationship where I gave in to every command. Now if your abuser/controller has that kind of manipulating power over you, where he is getting everything he desires, do you really think he is going to make you move out? That is exactly what happened to me. At the time it caused pain, heartbreak and confusion. But now, I can see it was God working in my life and causing this person to be so unhappy with the situation that he threw me out; (By the way, that is something I now thank God for every day!)

I had a tendency as a people-pleaser to stay in a bad situation much longer than I should. I was trying everything in my power to make this relationship work. Problem was just that…everything in “my” power.  At the time, I did not have Jesus in my life.

I was sitting in quiet time with the Spirit, reflecting on some dreams. He brought this dream back to the forefront of my memory with an explanation and I saw the image of a pink unicorn.

“Human armies couldn’t have gotten you to leave him. Some will pass you by and not even stop to save you. But I will send My army of white horses for you. They will come in a form you won’t expect or understand at first, but it will be unique and beautiful.”

He was so right about that. I can see now in hindsight how He was working in my life to get me away from this situation. All of this happened just a few short months before my life-changing year.

Funny thing, I started seeing pink unicorns everywhere I went. I thought about my dream and how God saved me. But I didn’t think of writing about it at the time. A few weeks later, I began to see even more pink unicorns and one day I lost count I saw so many. (Not actual live ones…but you know- images in stores on everything. Ha!)

The next morning, during a run I was processing how many I saw the day before and I asked him to reveal to me if there was another message, I needed to receive from them. That is when He gave me this message to write. In my experience, when I don’t get His intention at first, He puts it in front of me again and again until I get the message.

If we pay attention to the things God is trying to tell us, there is always a prominent message in it, and it can bring the type of change that we don’t know we need. We can rely on His promises and know that He will come for us with an army of warriors to bring us home.

How have you seen God work in your life?