Pay Attention to the CONDITIONS of Biblical Promises

Elsewhere on this site it has been emphasized that “no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:20). In other words, the believer can claim a promise in Scripture by faith, such as Psalm 91:1-7 and Isaiah 54:17. But have you ever claimed a promise by faith and it wasn’t manifesting? So you naturally cry out, “But God, you promised”?

When this happens, first examine yourself to see if you’re being compliant with the conditions of the promise (2 Corinthians 13:5). Even promises that don’t seem to have terms have assumed ones, such as keeping with repentance and faith (Matthew 3:8 & 1 John 1:8-9), which are the first two doctrines of the six basic doctrines of Christianity (Hebrews 6:1-2).

As far as faith goes, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Moreover, faith works by love (Galatians 5:6) and loving the LORD is the preeminent commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) (remember, believers are not under the Mosaic Law, but rather under Christ’s law, which is the law of love). If we love God we’ll be sure to keep with repentance since it’s the first basic doctrine of Christianity. Are you following?

So repentance and faith are assumed conditions in claiming any promise from the Bible, but there are sometimes specific conditions cited in the text. For example, observe the conditions cited in this popular passage:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹²Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord,

Jeremiah 29:11-14a

Verse 12-13 illustrate the if/then principle: If the Israelites would call on the LORD and pray, then God would listen to them; if they seek the LORD with all their hearts, then they would find God. The same applies to anyone today wanting to claim these promises.

Here’s another example:

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

The verse is showing us how to overcome when facing attacks from the kingdom of darkness: If you (1) submit to God and (2) resist the devil, then the enemy will flee from you.

Here’s another one:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

If you ask, then you will receive;
If you seek, then you will find;
If you knock, then the door will be opened.

Now let’s consider a couple of examples that actually include the conditional terms “if” and “then”:

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

¹My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
²turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
³indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-6

The first one is a fairly well-known verse and speaks for itself. The second passage is more obscure and happens to be a treasured text from my early years as a believer. I turned to the LORD at the age of 20 after some extremely lost years as a teen and immediately started engulfing the Word of God like a famished man (Matthew 4:4). I wanted the spiritual understanding and knowledge of God noted in verse 5, but I knew that attaining this was dependent upon doing verses 1-4. So I diligently put those verses into practice and here I am today decades later sharing the understanding & knowledge of God’s Word with people all over the world on a daily basis.

To close, when claiming a promise from the Scriptures by faith, always be mindful of the conditions thereof and you’ll be blessed.

How to “FEAR NOT” in Perilous Times

Prayer — The Basics

When You Should ASK and when You Should SPEAK IN FAITH, aka DEMAND

When You Should Pray “If it be Your Will” and When You Shouldn’t

How to Keep Yourself BLAMELESS (while Not Being SINLESS)

The Basics of Christianity