PARTAKERS OF DIVINE NATURE - PART 5

MONDAY 15 MAY 2023

The great and precious promises serve as a solid ground and foundation that bring about our spiritual well-being, peace, joy and all-round prosperity. They are part of God's eternal plan for us in Christ, and particularly the evidence of His everlasting and unchangeable love, as well as the source, spring or the fountain of all the blessings of His grace.

Reference: 2 Peter 1:4 New Living Translation (NLT) "And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires."

By considering all the great and precious promises of God, we can fully understand that God wants us to succeed in life, and it shows that He has qualified us to partake of His Kingdom inheritance. Colossians 1:12 says, "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light" (NKJV). So by growing in grace and exercising our faith in His promises, we can be strengthened to possess all our possessions by faith and keep fulfilling His will for our lives, which is true success. Therefore, the few promises I shared in part 4 are a collection of versified truths in the Bible that helps us to gain a better understanding of how God defines success, how to share in the inheritance of the saints in light, and how we can truly succeed in life, as we apply them to ourselves. But we need enlightenment on how to do so.

Since these promises are truths that enable us to share His divine nature, it equally means that we've been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, because the Bible says, "The Spirit is God's guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him" (Ephesians 1:14 NLT). How do we possess the promises? By confessing them over our lives and acknowledging our Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. Hebrews 3:1 (NKJV) says, "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus." We are encouraged to focus on Jesus, the High Priest of our confession as we proclaim the promises of God.

Did you notice that the author of the book of Hebrews addressed Christ as the Apostle and High Priest of our confession? Why? This is because all the promises of God find their yes in Christ, meaning that He always fulfils His priestly responsibility of ensuring that we obtain every inheritance that we steadfastly confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts. To instantiate this truth, 2 Corinthians 1:20 reads, "For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory (NLT). Got it?

Now that we understand that the name of Jesus can be trusted to deliver what God has promised in our lives, what should be our response? Hold fast the profession of your faith with fear and trembling for God is faithful that promised. Keep confessing the promises over your life because God has fulfilled them in Jesus Christ, and so, by your hearty and verbal agreement, the promises will come to fruition in your own life. To that effect, Hebrews 10:23 reads, "Let us hold strong to the confession of our hope, never wavering, since the One who promised it to us is faithful" (The Voice).

How long are we meant to continue the confession of God's promises? Till the end of time (no matter the results of the confession we've already seen or witnessed in our lives). In other words, it is considered as our continued and progressive practice, as long as the earth remains (see Genesis 8:22 NLT), bearing in mind that Hebrews 3:14 (NLT) says, "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." Stay tuned for part 6. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Job 22:28; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 4:11; 2 Peter 1:3-4.

Exuberant Declaration: My mouth is full of God's promises which bring the goodness of God and His glorious riches to bear in my life. For this reason, my life has continued to be entranced and enraptured by the latest news and version of God's grace and favour. I therefore, acknowledge that the real power of God is demonstrated in my world through my constant practice of exuberant declaration of faith, which empowers me to participate in divine nature, by the virtue of every revelation from the Scriptures. Praise God!