Episode 38: RAINBOWS & RAZORS: Persevering Between the Promise & the Possession

The Bible says all the promises of God in Him are yes, & in Him amen, to the glory of God through us (2 Cor. 1:20). God makes promises, but then we often face a pickle. In other words, shortly after God makes a promise to us, we often enter into a fiery trial or a wilderness phase on the path to fulfillment of the promise. God made a covenant promise to Noah & sealed it with a rainbow, but later God makes a covenant promise to Abraham & seals it with a razor - for circumcision! We love the rainbows, but not so much the razors. We get a promise from God, and we wonder "why the wilderness, God?" & "why the circumcision, God?" Deuteronomy 8:2 sheds some light on this: "You shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you & test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” The razor God gave Abraham was literal, & it was meant for him to circumcise his flesh. The razor God gives us today is spiritual, it represents His Word, & it is intended to circumcise our hearts of all that is unChristlike. Deuteronomy 30:6 (AMP) says, "“The Lord your God will circumcise your heart & the hearts of your descendants [that is, He will remove the desire to sin from your heart], so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart & all your soul, so that you may live [as a recipient of His blessing].”As devoted followers of Jesus, we need to understand that God's great & precious promises are meant to make us more like Jesus (2 Pet. 1:4). Therefore, every promise comes with pruning, & every blessing comes with a blade. But don't lose heart. Don't faint in the fiery trials or in the hot wilderness. God is with you. And the only reason He wants to circumcise our hearts, is not to hurt us, but to make us more like Jesus. When the razor of God's Word comes to circumcise your heart, submit to it - just keep your mind on the rainbows in the process between the promise & the possession! (Originally uploaded on August 31, 2021)