Experience the Richness of God's Promises

Shonda Whitworth offers hope to those who have been impacted by incarceration, and in this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, she remind all of us to break into the freedom of God's promises.

"With that one late night call containing tragic news, life as I knew it vanished," Shonda said. "As shock took over my body, a familiar verse popped into mind. 'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.'

"That wasn’t the verse I would have selected for this heart-crushing news. That Scripture seemed—cliché."

Though I (Dawn) never got a call like Shonda did, I've faced a number of shocks that made me wonder what God was up to. In one case, I found myself clinging to Romans 8:28 too. For me, the key words were "His purpose."

Shonda continues . . .

How could God work something good out of such a horrific situation?

The caller on the other end of the line informed us that one person’s life had been taken and another’s was in serious condition. And my son was one of the two arrested for this unimaginable tragedy.

In my church circles of influence, I heard Romans 8:28 quoted repetitiously when someone faced a difficult trial. Following this example, I even hugged others and quoted this verse in my feeble attempts to comfort them.

Yet, I found no comfort in that moment hearing it in my thoughts. So, I know I would NOT have wanted one of my loving Christian friends to hug me and say, “Hon it will be alright because God works all things together for good for those who love Him.”

In spite of my feelings about that verse at that moment, I shifted into autopilot mode and did what I had practiced for years—wrote out the Scripture and turned it into prayer.

Clinging to the paper, I prayed,

“Lord, if You are Who You say You are, then make this passage real for me and my family and the families who are grieving tonight. Only You can work something good out of this horrific situation.”

My reality merged into a portion of an unimaginable tragedy. At that juncture, I faced a choice—believe God’s Word or reject it.

I chose to believe.

Scripture may seem trite when it is overused or used inappropriately.

The Word of God is never void of His power, but the enemy wants us to think it is.

Looking back, I found two reasons I thought the Scripture was cliché.

1. Familiarity

Overused Scripture may breed familiarity. For those who attend church regularly, certain Scriptures become familiar to us.

Part of our human nature is that when something become generally known, it loses its awe.

No true prophecy comes from human initiative but is inspired by the moving of the Holy Spirit upon those who spoke the message that came from God (2 Peter 1:21, TPT).

Scriptures are literally God’s word to us. We must treat the written word as if the Lord is speaking to us face to face as He did with Moses.

God is holy, and we’re to reverence Him as such and that includes His Word.

2. Used inappropriately

Scriptures may be deemed misused if the person quoting it does not have a testimony to support it.

At the time of my son’s arrest, since no one in my circle of influence had walked through my type of trial, if they had quoted Romans 8:28 to me, I would have dismissed them.

As long as the Lord tarries, we are to comfort one another by sharing our victories of overcoming trials.

First Thessalonians 5:11 says,

Because of this, encourage the hearts of your fellow believers and support one another, just as you have been doing (TPT).

Our lives should demonstrate the power of God.

So, an appropriate way to encourage someone with Scripture is to be open, transparent, and vulnerable with how it worked in our lives—not just merely tossing out Scriptures to sound spiritual. 

Since I choose to grab hold of God’s promise in spite of how it felt cliché, over time God demonstrated His faithfulness to bring about good things out of something tragic.

To summarize a few "good things"—

• My son fully committed his life to Christ and lives uprightly in confinement
• Many of my heart wounds have been healed.
• My husband and I started a nonprofit ministry to support families who face similar trials.

The enemy, who is the father of lies, twists the truth of the Scriptures.

If he can get us to dismiss God’s Word due to familiarity or misuse it by merely tossing it around without demonstrating its power, then we will miss the richness of God’s promises.

What is your approach to the Scriptures? Are you treating it with familiarity? Misusing it without the humble use of testimony as to its power? How can you change your approach?

Shonda Savage Whitworth is the founder and president of Fortress of Hope Ministries, Inc. (https://fortressofhopeministries.com/), offering hope to those whose lives have been impacted by incarceration. Shonda connects with others through her personal experiences and testimony of God’s faithfulness in her life. You can read more stories about Shonda’s unexpected prison family journey on her blog. (https://www.shondasavagewhitworth.com/)

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Delanie at Lightstock.

How to Trust God with Unanswered Prayer

Debbie W. Wilson is not only an exceptional Bible teacher, she is a life coach who applies scripture in practical ways. In this Prayer UPGRADE, she addresses a topic that sometimes causes Christians to question the Lord.

Debbie asks, "Have unanswered prayers ever shaken your ability to trust God?"

I (Dawn) know I have had many unanswered prayers. I wondered, "Isn't my faith strong enough?" My focus was all wrong, regardless.

Years ago, a movement named Promise Keepers called men to faithfulness. But this article is about the faithfulness of God. Debbie is calling people to the Faithful Promise Keeper.

Debbie continues . . .

My friend and I prayed for her teenaged sons who were rebelling against her faith and values. Nothing she did seemed to reach them.

One day while reading the Bible she came across a Bible passage that resonated with her.

^"This is what the Lord says: ‘Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,’ declares the Lord.

‘They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,’ declares the Lord. ‘Your children will return to their own land’” (Jer. 31:16-17 NIV).

My friend believed this was God’s promise to her.

She repeated “they will return” to herself when their behavior worsened. This word from God boosted her faith whenever she was tempted to worry.

Abraham and Sarah, an Old Testament couple, also found hope in a promise from God. This couple tried for decades to have a child with no success. Sarah was infertile.

Imagine their surprise when God approached Abraham when he was pushing 100 years to say the time had come. Sarah would give birth to a son next year.

“As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her” (Gen. 17:15-16 NIV).

Sarah was at least 89. If she couldn’t conceive during the normal childbearing years, how could she hope to conceive a child now?

When their circumstances contradicted God’s words, they focused on the promise.

Their placed their hope in His ability not in their circumstances.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed… Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Rom. 4:18-21 NIV).

Abraham didn’t live in denial.

Neither was he a Pollyanna.

He considered his “good as dead” body and Sarah’s dead womb and laughed. God sure had a sense of humor to bring a son from them—now!

At age 100 Abraham held his infant son in his arms. At age 90 Sarah sang lullabies as she nursed her newborn.

God ALWAYS keeps His promises!

God fulfilled His promise to my friend too. Today, both of her children walk with the Lord and are raising their children in the Lord.

How do we trust God when our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears?

1. Ask God for His will and perspective and then expect to receive a word from Him. It may come from your regular Bible reading, a sermon, or what the Holy Spirit brings to mind.
2. Focus on His promise—not on what you see or don’t see. Memorize it and say it out loud.
3. Trust God’s timing. Some of God’s promises—like Abraham being the father of many nations—are bigger than our lifetime.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1 NIV). 

God always keeps His promises.

Has He given you a promise, but you can’t see anyway it will be fulfilled? Trust Him. He is the Promise Keeper.

Debbie W. Wilson—drawing from her walk with Christ and decades as a Christian counselor, life coach, and Bible teacher—helps women give themselves a break so they can enjoy grace-filled lives. Based on Hebrews 11, her most recent book, Little Faith, Big God, shows people how to live strong and finish well. Debbie enjoys a good mystery, dark chocolate, and the antics of her two standard poodles. Refresh your faith with free resources at debbieWwilson.com.

God's Promises for Your 'What if ...'s'

Vonda Rhodes knows how to turn a scary negative into a God-blessed positive, and I appreciate her attitude UPLIFT today.

Vonda asks, “Have you ever been faced with an unpleasant circumstance and found yourself immediately defaulting to the worst-case scenario?”

Actually, I (Dawn) used to use “worst-case scenarios” to talk myself out of my fears and worries, but Vonda has a better idea!

She continues …  

“Instead of following ‘What if...’ with a negative, how about inserting one of God’s promises?

• What if I can trust You fully?
• What if You’re sovereign over all?
• What if Your provision is more than enough for this situation?
• What if You’ve forgiven me completely and I’m free from the enemy’s oppression?" *

There is more than one way to talk to yourself. You don’t have to be oppressed. Joy is possible even in the midst of trouble.

How? By renewing your mind with the Truth found in God’s Word. By getting into agreement with God and kicking out thoughts that don’t agree with His.

The God who gave you life is more than capable of handling all the details of your life. Trust Him. He is faithful!

I love the verse that says, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).  

It doesn’t say, “Keep your eyes on your problems. Think of all the things that could possibly go wrong, worry, fret, be anxious and fearful and, in the process, make yourself and everyone else around you miserable.”

No, instead of negative “what ifs,” remind yourself who you are and Whose you are. It will help turn things around—beginning with your mood and attitude.

 The devil would love nothing more than to steal your joy, because he knows that the joy of the Lord is your strength!

He would love to discourage and depress you. Don’t let him! Remember, the devil is a liar!

I remember times (before I knew better) that I would let the devil fill my mind with all kinds of wrong thoughts. It began with one thought, then he’d add another and another. The next thing I knew, I went from being mildly annoyed to completely depressed! I went from sitting on the couch to curled up on my bed and crying a river of tears based solely on the wrong thoughts I was meditating on in my own mind!

I am so thankful for revelation from God and great teaching from anointed preachers, teachers and pastors!

Remember that ultimately, all things will work together for your good, because you love God and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). That is a promise from God! If God is for you (and He is), who can be against you? You, along with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit make a majority!

Don’t give up in defeat. Armor up and fight back in the Spirit! Know in your heart that victory already belongs to you in Christ. And while you’re at it:

Smile and give the devil a nervous breakdown!

How would your life be affected if you lined up your thoughts with God’s today?

Vonda Rhodes is a full-time caregiver who resides in Arizona with her husband. She currently gives her free time to encouraging others on Facebook and actively serving in her local church.

Graphic in Text an adapted Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

* Vonda's questions are adapted from the “Every Good Thing” calendar.