Through the years people have distorted the Word of God to the point that many now think these distortions are correct. Three of these distortions are claiming a promise, standing on the Word, and speaking to our problems. But nowhere in Scripture are these things mentioned. They don’t exist in Scripture or in the Kingdom of God. Why would someone claim a promise of God? To claim is to demand something that you think you have a right to. Who in his right mind would demand something from a holy God? Why would somebody stand on the Word; why not simply believe the Word? (Standing on the Word is not faith; it is an attempt to conjure up faith.) Why would anyone speak to a problem? We are called to endure and persevere in the midst of our problems.
May I suggest that these distortions of Scriptures originated from the mouth of Satan. He would rather have people standing on the promises of God and claiming those promises, rather than believing God and resting in Him. He would much rather we constantly struggle in our minds and talk to our problems rather than casting our cares upon our Lord. He would rather we spend our lives trying to make God work rather than resting in Him and trusting Him to work.
Some well-meaning people still believe and teach these three things I have spoken of (standing on the Word, claiming promises, and speaking to our problems) and I mean no offense to them, nor do I judge them; I love them as my own kin, my own family; I love them with the love God has poured in my heart for all people, without judgment, and unconditionally. I love them so much that I speak the truths of God and not the concepts of men.
Dear friends, it is a simple fact that the devil is behind these beliefs. The longer he can get Christians to concentrate on things they desire (promises, etc.) and things they don’t desire (problems [sometimes called mountains]) the longer he can keep Christians from doing the will of God. Satan is constantly trying to influence Christians to look at problems and unanswered prayers, and to concentrate on them, trying to fix them, trying to exercise power in the name of Jesus to overcome them; and the longer he can keep us doing that, the longer he can keep us from looking to and concentrating on the Person of Jesus.
God allows our faith to be tested by fire, and we endure the fire not by claiming or rebuking or speaking to problems, but by weeding out everything that tends to choke the word of faith, such as unbelief, the cares of life, the desires for riches, and the tendencies to worry. We can only cultivate the soil in which the seed of faith grows. As we weed out the things which are contrary to faith and water the soil of our hearts with the Word of God, we walk in the sunlight of His love and the seed sprouts and bears fruit to eternal life. We receive the things we ask of the Lord because we believe the Lord.
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things,” Philippians 4:8. If we do this we will soon find our Lord showering His promises upon us. He is good. He is love. We are His beloved.
Yours in Christ,
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
jondavidbanks.com 