Isa. 1:19-20 – “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword’; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Have you ever wondered why some receive and continually walk in God’s blessings while others seem to always come up short? The reason, in all likelihood, is all about the little BIG word “if”. I haven’t done any kind of exhaustive study on where the “if’s” are in scripture, but I do know that God’s covenant promises are ours IF we do our part of the covenant – that is, have faith in Jesus Christ and the word of God; and faith requires our action! Examine the legal document of the covenant God made with Abraham with the law of that covenant given to Moses - Deuteronomy, chapter 28, which lists the blessings for obeying (vs.1-14); and the curses for disobedience (vs.15-68). Notice Deut.28:1 – “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.” Moses goes on to lay out God’s blessings for obedience through verse 14. Then, he lists the curses starting in verse 15 – “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” Moses goes on with a fearful list of curses until verse 68! “IF” is the determining factor whether you will walk in God’s blessings or curses in life.
Jesus spoke several “if’s” as well. Here are just a few:
Jn. 7:37-39 – “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of His heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because us was not yet glorified.”
Jn.8:31-32 – “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Jn.10:37-38 – “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” I love these verses and believe that every believer should use them as their ministry goal. After all, didn’t Jesus say – “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (Jn.14:12)? Again, this is totally dependent upon our response to “if” we truly believe in Jesus Christ!
Jn. 12:32 – “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Jn. 14:14-18 - “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me. Keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him not knows Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will; come to you.”
Jn. 15:7 – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Jn. 15:18-19 – “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Jn. 20:23 – “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Paul understood the conditional nature of God’s promises as well.
Rom. 8: 9-11 – But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Rom. 8:16-17 – “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together.”
Lord Jesus Christ, in Revelations, spoke to the church at Laodicea: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).
I trust with just these few scriptures you can see the tremendous significance of the little BIG word - “if”. The realization of the conditional nature of God’s covenant promises as well as personal prophetic words you have received in the past which have not manifested in your life hinge around the “if’s” of your faith response. In most cases “if” you; “then” He! “If” becomes the real faith issue which has the power to determine destiny. If you heed the kingdom principles clearly laid out in the scriptures, then God’s covenant promises manifest in your life.
Many reading this right now are in financial straits and have been for some time. Yet, you refuse to obey God’s simple principle of reproduction (Gen.1:11) that every seed produces after its own kind; seedtime and harvest (Gen.8:22) that you must plant seed in order to have a harvest. If you want money; guess what you have to plant? You have withheld your tithe and are “cursed with a curse” (Mal.3:8-12). You have set yourself up for the enemy to steal, kill and destroy God’s covenant promises of prosperity and abundance in your life. Some are saying right now – “Well, that’s Old Testament and it doesn’t apply to me today!” My answer to you is “How is that working for you so far?” And by the way what do you say to Lk. 6:38 – “Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you”? Or, what do you have to say about 2 Cor. 9:6-11? I’m using finances as an example of one’s willingness and obedience because money is the best indicator of the heart! This principle works in every area of your life.
Others are hiding in their self-imposed cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22) where they have lived in distress, debt and discouragement for years. Fear of rejection has produced a rebellious attitude towards the church with the excuse that “they” are just a bunch of hypocrites and aren’t nearly spiritual enough to embrace your superior gift. Your only fellowship is with other spiritual cave dwellers communicating through an internet church where people can’t really get to know you and where there is no accountability. Don’t get me wrong – the internet is an awesome media platform to publish the gospel – it just isn’t a substitute for personal interaction and public worship in accountable relationships. Heb. 10:24-25 – “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” It’s time to come out of hiding and begin to use the gift God has given you for the purpose He intended – “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry” (Eph.4:11-16).
My ministry is to tell you the truth in love and stir up the gift of God in your life. Some have the ministry of comforting the afflicted; mine is to afflict the comfortable. I’m too old and have been to the woodshed too many times with Holy Spirit disciplining me in my own disobedience not to do and say what He tells me to. Anyway, if I don’t tell you the truth, who will?
Bottom line - “If” you’re not considering your “if’s”, maybe it’s time to take a closer examination of your life. Are you doing your part of complying with the conditional nature of God’s covenant promises? “If” not, then, why not? Amen.
Have you ever wondered why some receive and continually walk in God’s blessings while others seem to always come up short? The reason, in all likelihood, is all about the little BIG word “if”. I haven’t done any kind of exhaustive study on where the “if’s” are in scripture, but I do know that God’s covenant promises are ours IF we do our part of the covenant – that is, have faith in Jesus Christ and the word of God; and faith requires our action! Examine the legal document of the covenant God made with Abraham with the law of that covenant given to Moses - Deuteronomy, chapter 28, which lists the blessings for obeying (vs.1-14); and the curses for disobedience (vs.15-68). Notice Deut.28:1 – “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.” Moses goes on to lay out God’s blessings for obedience through verse 14. Then, he lists the curses starting in verse 15 – “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” Moses goes on with a fearful list of curses until verse 68! “IF” is the determining factor whether you will walk in God’s blessings or curses in life.
Jesus spoke several “if’s” as well. Here are just a few:
Jn. 7:37-39 – “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of His heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because us was not yet glorified.”
Jn.8:31-32 – “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Jn.10:37-38 – “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” I love these verses and believe that every believer should use them as their ministry goal. After all, didn’t Jesus say – “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (Jn.14:12)? Again, this is totally dependent upon our response to “if” we truly believe in Jesus Christ!
Jn. 12:32 – “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Jn. 14:14-18 - “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me. Keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him not knows Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will; come to you.”
Jn. 15:7 – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Jn. 15:18-19 – “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Jn. 20:23 – “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Paul understood the conditional nature of God’s promises as well.
Rom. 8: 9-11 – But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Rom. 8:16-17 – “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together.”
Lord Jesus Christ, in Revelations, spoke to the church at Laodicea: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).
I trust with just these few scriptures you can see the tremendous significance of the little BIG word - “if”. The realization of the conditional nature of God’s covenant promises as well as personal prophetic words you have received in the past which have not manifested in your life hinge around the “if’s” of your faith response. In most cases “if” you; “then” He! “If” becomes the real faith issue which has the power to determine destiny. If you heed the kingdom principles clearly laid out in the scriptures, then God’s covenant promises manifest in your life.
Many reading this right now are in financial straits and have been for some time. Yet, you refuse to obey God’s simple principle of reproduction (Gen.1:11) that every seed produces after its own kind; seedtime and harvest (Gen.8:22) that you must plant seed in order to have a harvest. If you want money; guess what you have to plant? You have withheld your tithe and are “cursed with a curse” (Mal.3:8-12). You have set yourself up for the enemy to steal, kill and destroy God’s covenant promises of prosperity and abundance in your life. Some are saying right now – “Well, that’s Old Testament and it doesn’t apply to me today!” My answer to you is “How is that working for you so far?” And by the way what do you say to Lk. 6:38 – “Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you”? Or, what do you have to say about 2 Cor. 9:6-11? I’m using finances as an example of one’s willingness and obedience because money is the best indicator of the heart! This principle works in every area of your life.
Others are hiding in their self-imposed cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22) where they have lived in distress, debt and discouragement for years. Fear of rejection has produced a rebellious attitude towards the church with the excuse that “they” are just a bunch of hypocrites and aren’t nearly spiritual enough to embrace your superior gift. Your only fellowship is with other spiritual cave dwellers communicating through an internet church where people can’t really get to know you and where there is no accountability. Don’t get me wrong – the internet is an awesome media platform to publish the gospel – it just isn’t a substitute for personal interaction and public worship in accountable relationships. Heb. 10:24-25 – “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” It’s time to come out of hiding and begin to use the gift God has given you for the purpose He intended – “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry” (Eph.4:11-16).
My ministry is to tell you the truth in love and stir up the gift of God in your life. Some have the ministry of comforting the afflicted; mine is to afflict the comfortable. I’m too old and have been to the woodshed too many times with Holy Spirit disciplining me in my own disobedience not to do and say what He tells me to. Anyway, if I don’t tell you the truth, who will?
Bottom line - “If” you’re not considering your “if’s”, maybe it’s time to take a closer examination of your life. Are you doing your part of complying with the conditional nature of God’s covenant promises? “If” not, then, why not? Amen.