The Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians was written after he had passed through some very difficult experiences. He was talking about them in the opening chapter with an optimistic faith, knowing, however, that he had passed through probably one of the most dangerous periods a man could pass through and still survive.
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. II Corinthians 1:5. Could we say that we have been in the place where we had the sufferings of Christ in abundance? Yes, I think we have gone through some very difficult times. Everything that happens seems to be contested so intensely that we sometimes wonder, “How are we going to make it?” Paul went through that. Read from II Corinthians 1:8 about the difficulties Paul went through, and notice the close parallel between where we are and what Paul was speaking about.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life (it was so intense); indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. II Corinthians 1:8–9.
We do not know the details; they were not recorded in the book of Acts. Perhaps it was beyond the knowledge of Luke. Regardless, they had the sentence of death upon them. Paul said, In I Corinthians 15:32, “After the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus.” That event was not recorded either, but those were literal beasts, not men. Many were the times that the early apostles escaped from arenas of animals and from plots to kill them. They had the sentence of death on them many times, and they would have died if God had not performed miracles, such as raising them from the dead. Remember how they stoned Paul at Lystra and dragged him out of the city? They left him for dead, which means they probably used a large rock to crush his skull, but as the disciples gathered around to bury him, Paul came alive. He went into the city and ministered to the brethren and then went on his way (Acts 14:19–22). Paul said, “Whether in body, or out of the body, I know not. But this man, fourteen years ago, (referring to himself) was caught up and heard unspeakable words” (II Corinthians 12:2–4).
II Corinthians 1:8–10: … we despaired even of life; indeed we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us. This tells us we have been delivered, we are being delivered, and there will be more deliverance yet. We believe in deliverance. Today is the day of deliverance. We can look back and say that God has answered the prayers and intercession. We can look and say that God is answering the prayers and intercession. Or, we can look at some of the things that have not been done and say that God has not answered prayers. It all depends upon our view point.
We can look back and see thousands of answers we have already received from the Lord. Look around and see the miracles that are taking place in our midst; we are being delivered. Answers are coming; they are being fulfilled in us right now. But I am focusing upon those things we have not yet seen. They are intangible things that our faith has laid hold upon, the evidence of things not seen. This is what we want. We press in and believe that today we will see something more happen, that we will see more deliverances and more answers today. We believe to see changes within ourselves today.
… He on whom we have set our hope (how beautifully Paul expresses that). And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed upon us through the prayers of many. II Corinthians 1:10–11. The early Christians were called to prayer, and we too fast and pray for the apostles, pastors, elders, etc., for the Word and for the problems that face the various churches where we inch along under unbelievable odds.
Satan resists this Walk because he knows it will gain momentum. He is holding the brakes on as long as he can, but it is not holding us back. We are moving in. Satan cannot stop the Walk any more than he can hold back the dawn. It is coming, and we are moving into it. If we fast and pray we can accelerate it.
Then Paul tells how he is going to give the Corinthians a double blessing. In other words he is going to visit them on the way to his destination and visit them again as he is coming back, so he will have a double visit. Verse 17: Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or that which I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? This was a way of saying in Paul’s day what we would say today, “Well, maybe yes, maybe no”: not really too sure, sort of vacillating. But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. Verse 18.
Do you believe in this Walk? “Well, yes and no.”
What kind of answer is that? Do you believe that God has a ministry for you?
“Well, yes and no.”
Paul said it wasn’t “yes and no” when he talked to the Corinthians. Verses 19–20: For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us,—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen… Amen means verily.
When Jesus says, “Verily, verily I say unto you,” it means “Amen, amen I say to you.” Amen means, “Verily”; “let it be true,” “we bear witness to the truth of it”; “so be it.” When God gives a promise, and people say, “Amen,” some do not know what they are saying. When you say, “Amen,” it is more than saying, “Banzai!” You are giving your faith to the statement. You are declaring it not only true, not only a good point, but you are claiming it as valid and real. You are sealing that word to your heart when you say, “Amen.” However many are the promises of God, in Christ they are yea and verily. And we say, “Amen. Verily, it is true.”
For as many as be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. II Corinthians 1:20–22.
The way we walk must be in keeping with this approach of the Scriptures. The promises of God may be many. II Peter 1:3–4 tells us: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him.… Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might become partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. These promises are so great that you actually partake of the divine nature. These promises reach in and include everything that pertains to life and godliness, life on any plane: natural, physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. These promises include relationships, circumstances—all things that pertain to life and godliness—even reaching in to participating and becoming, in the divine nature.
We cannot have anything greater, but the approach today is not like that. People have been conditioned, even in their teaching. So they get up and talk about it, “Well, it’s sort of yes and no. Well, yes, and no—a lot of good points there, but there are some other things here you have to consider.” It is very, very difficult to come out and say, “It’s yes!”
Doctrine has done a lot of that. People open the Bible and find a wonderful promise of God.
“Yes, but that belongs to the Jews.”
Oh well, here’s another promise.
“That belongs to Abraham. Don’t you understand, that’s Abraham’s promise.”
Here’s a good one: “sure mercy” is promised.
“But that was a covenant of mercy God made to David. You can’t rightly ‘divide’ the word of truth—just chop it all up!”
The Scriptures say “rightly handle” the word of truth, not divide it. II Timothy 2:15 says, … handling accurately the word of truth (New American Standard Bible).
“Well, let’s see, all of these dispensations back here—you can’t believe that now; that was just—”
What about the gospels?
“Well, that was still, that was kind of a dispensation.… we’ve got it all worked out.”
What about the book of Acts?
“Yes, but the miracles ceased. They were only there to introduce the Church. ‘Whether there be prophecy it will fail,’ etc. It’s all done away with now.”
Oh—here are some good promises!
“I’m sorry, they belong to the millennium. We’re not there yet.”
So, you’re left with your face hanging. There isn’t anything. It’s all gone! The prophets used it up; the disciples used it up; or, it hasn’t been delivered yet. We sit with a box marked, “Do not open until the millennium.”
Let me point out something to you. Paul said, “in Christ” all the promises, however so many there be—thousands of them—in Christ they have an Amen. In Christ it was yes. Not yes and no! It was yes! That promise IS yes.
“No, no, no, no. That promise is for Abraham.”
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29. Abraham did not use up that promise. Anyone who is in faith is a seed of Abraham and an heir to the promise. I can go back and read the life of Abraham for only one reason, to find out what I really have. It is mine. In Christ it became mine. In Christ I am the seed of Abraham.
What about David? The son of David also made the covenants real to us. When you begin to talk about doctrine, Christ took every promise that had ever been made, and He put them all together and said, “Here, they are all yours.” In Christ, every promise, no matter how many there are, has its YES. In Christ they all have their YES (II Corinthians 1:20). When you read the Scriptures, stop making yourself a disinherited believer.
Based on the book of Hebrews, we call the Bible the Old Testament and the New Testament. You know what a testament is, such as a last will and testament? To illustrate, here is a true story. In the days of persecution, during the reformation when they were destroying Bibles, a little girl was going to a secret meeting where they read the Scriptures. On her way the military stopped her and asked, “Where are you going?” She answered, “Oh sir, I’m going to a house where they are going to have a reading of my Father’s will.” They let her go and she then went where they opened the Testament and began to read.
When you read the Scriptures, realize that this is God’s testament to you. This is His commitment to you. God did not have to do this. He is unlimited. He could have governed the universe by whim and by chance. He could have looked around and said, “You, I like, and you, I don’t like. Him, I’ll bless.” He didn’t have to promise anyone anything. He could have become too busy and let it all go to pot. He didn’t have to do anything. God was unlimited: He could do anything; He could be anything; He knew everything capable of knowledge from the very beginning of time. Why on earth would God, who was that intelligent, limit Himself with promises that He would be bound to? Because He cannot lie, He has to respond according to whatever we believe. The promises of God are unlimited, but only as far as you are concerned. The promises of God are a limitation on Himself. In effect, He said, “I am going to tie My hands.”
“What are you tying your hands with, God?”
“With promises!” Every time you see a rainbow in the heavens, God has His hands tied: “I’ll never destroy the world with a flood again” (Genesis 9:15). Every time He has made a promise, He has limited Himself to the way He is going to react to you under a certain circumstance. When you repent, He is going to forgive you. It is already predetermined; God has limited Himself to that. “When a man repents, I will forgive him. If a man believes, I will move. All these promises I have ever made, in Christ Jesus I make them available.” It is like a testament, a covenant. It does not limit us; it limits Him. It takes the limitations off of us. God did not have to do this, but we are glad that He did. Every time we come to Him it gives us a little leverage. It is excellent to remind the Lord, to take the promises and quote them to the Lord. Not that He has forgotten them, but He is waiting for someone to enforce them and put them into action. It is all laid up as a deposit in a bank for you. If you believe it, you can go and get the money out. If you do not believe it, it will sit there.
Do you want the blessings? Do you want things to change this week? “Well, I’ve been praying, and I’ve been struggling.” However, pray with faith! Stand on the promises of God! According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9:29. The difficulty is that you are going to have to believe it. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7. If you believe in your heart, nothing will be impossible. Do you believe that? I am trying to because we will have to use the promise one of these days, so we ought to work on it and kind of ease up on it a little. Keep trying a little bit harder. Step out with a little faith. Faith has to grow.
Here are some Scriptures which involve promises. Luke 11:5–9: And He said to them, “Suppose one of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he shall answer and say, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. And I say to you, ask…” The margin says “keep asking.” The Greek verb is predicting the action to take place. You ask, but you keep on asking. Some people say it is not faith, but we read, Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11. In Greek it reads, “Give us day by day our bread. We want it fresh every day.
We have a standing order. Every day we come praying, “Lord, deliver it fresh, keep it coming.” Keep on asking, keep persisting, for God does not intend to keep your answer from you; He intends to keep you in the flow. Prayer is not just a petition; prayer is a way of life. Keep asking; it shall be given you. Keep seeking; you shall find. Keep knocking, and it shall be opened to you. Every one who keeps asking receives; and he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking it shall be opened (Luke 11:10).
Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:11–13.
John 14:12–14: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” Stand on it. Believe it.
These promises are faith builders. Read them over and over.
Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry. And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. And seeing this the disciples marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it shall happen. And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:18–22.
Notice this one verse about prayer: And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. The other verses are not about prayer; they are about commands and directives you give by faith. You say to the fig tree, “No one is going to eat of you.” That is not praying; it is cursing a fig tree. If you have faith and you don’t doubt, you can say to this mountain, “Mountain be gone; be cast into the sea,” and it will be done (it doesn’t say anything about praying). People think, “We must pray for the sick.” The disciples rarely prayed for the sick; instead they commanded: “In the name of Jesus, get up!” What kind of prayer is that? That is not prayer; that is just telling it, speaking it into being. That is what we will do when we prophesy. The old begging style of prayer has pretty well disappeared. This is the way we pray for the sick: “Lord, we loose them—we bless them.” We also pray, yet the promises of prayer also had no limitation upon it. Anything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
Are you sizing up your mountains, looking for a big hole to throw them into? Don’t be afraid to start, even though sciences have never credited as being true or ever working such things as prayer and commands of faith. For the past few generations, science has tried to discount that. Still it is interesting to know that at the present time scientists are beginning to realize that things are not controlled by physical laws, that there must be some other superseding laws they don’t know about. We read about people who can bend pieces of metal and move objects weighing tons by concentrating on them. If that can be done through psychic power, how much more will be done when the human spirit is in line with God and there is complete faith to believe?
We still do not believe that we have the full answer; we still are not enough out of the beggar class. We have not moved into the privileges of the Testament and of the Covenant. We have not not moved into the promises as they really are. We cannot blame God, because the Word shows not only the promises but evidences that they had worked. With all those thousands of promises in the Bible, if there were only one story of a promise that had worked it would still be evidence we could believe God for it to happen again! Yet if God had made a promise and there were no stories of it working, we should believe it anyway.
I have never seen anyone move a mountain by faith, have you? Nevertheless, let’s get our feet wet. Let’s try to start walking on water. Let’s start claiming a lot of things for the Church—for the Walk; for these new churches coming up. Let’s start really believing for release. In the natural, there will never be enough money, or enough people to dedicate their time to get the job done that has to be done to reach the world, but God could do it with two loaves and some fishes. God could do it with a handful of corn on the top of the mountains. God could do it if we get over the idea of putting our faith in something else.
“What do you have in your hands, Moses?”
“A shepherd’s crook.”
“Throw it down. Ahhhhh, look at that sidewinder! Reach out and catch it. Now you are holding one end of the rod. See what I can do? When you stretch that rod out, people will be scratching lice, seas will part—anything can happen.”
We may not have much, maybe just an old stick, but we have a promise. Let’s start using it. Let’s step out, even if it doesn’t look as if it is going to happen. No matter what it looks like, let’s believe. God deal with our unbelief. Somehow, as if it were the grossest of sins, we must have a horror of unbelief and repent of it. There is no way we can say, “I didn’t believe, but now I’m going to believe.” We have to repent of this that can fill our hearts and darken our souls. We can eclipse it until it poisons the whole stream, and stops the processes of the supernatural in our lives.
Lord, loose us from this unbelief in the name of the Lord. Forgive us of it. We repent of it. We are going to move in it to be believers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
A little doubt may nag at us and we may wonder, “Are things going to be any different? Can we really see it happen?” Yes, let’s sweep out the leaven of malice, wickedness, unbelief, and let’s determine to keep working on it. When unbelief pops up we will repent. We will believe God to remove it, and we will walk in faith. Don’t wait until later to fight unbelief; get at it now. We are sometimes accused of being fanatics, but anyone who dares to believe the Bible and the promises in it will be considered fanatical. The while Christian world has settled on a modified, conditional acceptance of the Scriptures. Think what will happen if we step out on the promises of God completely. We are going to believe them. We are going to walk in them.