The promise that is made in this title is much more elusive and difficult to obtain than would be thought by the casual observer. But at the same time the gold that is discovered is much richer than the same observer could ever imagine.
Faith: it is much more than positive thinking. It is receiving an independent word from the Lord that is confirmed out of the mouth of two or three witnesses. It becomes established in your Spirit that it is going to happen as promised by God Himself! God is so careful about the quality of this faith that He tests even the thoughts and intents of your heart to make sure that what you’re thinking is pure and aligned with your faith.
The test that God gives you is so soul-searching that nobody, not even the closest member of your family (or even more shocking, your mate) will know you’re in the test. Moses gave us this warning about this test: “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them’; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Listen to what the Scripture is saying. God is testing you, not the prophet, to see if you hear God’s voice. What happens here, is that after you receive the word of faith from God that the miracle is going to happen in your life, then God allows somebody that looks like they’re from the Lord (or maybe were from the Lord at one time) to test you and see if you’ll waiver concerning God’s promise.
For many of you this may be hard to believe, but this is where maturity in your Christian life must be established. When I was a child I spake as a child, Paul said, then I became a man. This is your time to grow up and stay firm on your thoughts and intents that God spoke to you ~ and never waiver.
Patience: Now that we’ve got the word of God that established our faith, and we are sure it is a word from God, we must wrap that word in patience. Hebrews, the third and fourth chapters, gives us the key to understanding the importance of patience. It is resting in God, literally relaxing, that He is going to provide the miracle that is going to cause the project, event, or promise to come to pass. When Jesus was prophesying about the end times, He literally said this phrase: “In patience possess ye your soul.” This may be a small little phrase that was given to us who are living at the end of days, but it is so important.
Its importance shows you why the enemy is constantly pounding us with the spirit of anxiousness: “It’s gotta be done now!” Anyone who tells you to hurry up you’ve got to do it now ~ you had better stop and question. Patience is literally the covering and protection of your very soul. As a pastor I have dealt with literally hundreds of people who have missed their perfect miracle because they got anxious and had to have whatever it was they were believing God for now, instead of waiting for the Lord to let them rest and receive it.
The gold: This is the best part! After years of experiences with many people making major decisions, I can honestly say I am pastoring a church that is full of people who have patiently waited for the gold. This is the year that your promises are going to start coming to pass! By 2017 the American economy will begin to explode and all of you will ride this massive tidal wave of prosperity into your success. The inventions you have envisioned are going to become business realities, the mate you dreamed about will become your long-awaited satisfying love. God has not forgotton one detail of His promises to you. Let me close by telling you a true story.
Years ago it was prophesied to me by a prophet that I would put words into the mouths of kings. I thought this word was actually funny because it seemed so impossible for it to happen. But I did not forget it, even though it seemed a little ridiculous at the time. Then last week I was meeting with a friend of mine, who asked me to draft a letter that he was sending to a friend of his in a small country. I prayed about it and God gave me a clever thing to write in his letter, and we sent it to his friend.
The next day we received pictures from his friend and we saw that the letter had been given to the president of the country, and he had presented it to the pope in the Vatican! I started laughing as I realized it was exactly the prophecy that was given to me years ago. God doesn’t forget one small jot or tittle of anything He has promised you. He will keep His side of the bargain. It’s only up to you and I to rest and relax until He does so.
Pastor Richard Gazowsky
A Place To Meet Jesus 