Promise 38 from Deuteronomy 10:17

Deut. 10:17 - "' For the lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the Mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.'"

It is all about Him! Sometimes we unintentionally fall into this trap of thinking that we can earn extra favour from God. If we pray more, if we pray longer or on our knees instead of sitting, if we sing certain songs during worship, if we worship longer, if we dance, if we lie still and soak, if we tell more people about Jesus, if we go on a missions trip or if we throw bread or money toward the beggar on the street, we will direct God's eyes on us, He will be happy with us, He will show more favour to us. There is nothing that we can do to make Him love us more or less, to add favour or take it away, because it is all bout Him, not us. Seriously He isn't bothered with how many stars we've earned by our names, when He looks at us, He just sees a full chart anyway. It is NOT about us, it is ALL about Him. That is what Moses was trying to get through the heads of the Israelites, "He is the God of gods, Lord of lords, the Great, the Mighty, the Awesome God!" Does this mean we don't do all those things? No! It means we do those things, not for personal, spiritual gain, but because we acknowledge His greatness and awesomeness as the God of gods and the Lord of lords and we express our love to Him for it.

Promise 37 from Deuteronomy - 10:14-15

Deut. 10:14-15 - '"Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.'"

This thought truly amazes me; How the Lord our God who belongs to the heaven's Highest Heaven and the whole earth "set" His affection on the Israelites. He sets His affection on rebellious, stubborn, disrespectful people, He set His affection on Me, who at this very moment (written May 2013) have been thinking about the names I want to call my neighbour who has been bullying me. Why does God even bother with us? He can choose to pour His affection out on nature or on the animals or on other planetary beings hidden away up there in the universe. For some strange reason, He continues to be determined to love us, to love fallen man. The only way we could even remotely understand this is when we do as verse 12 says, "to love Him and to walk in all His ways." Only then will we get a glimpse of compassion that God has for such unlovely people. Praise God He never gives up on us!

Promise 36 from Deuteronomy - 10:10

Deut. 10:10 - "'I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the 1st time, and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you.'"

It just amazes me all that Moses went through to save his people. Not only was he praying and fasting 40 days and 40 nights on the mountain with God, but after he came down and saw the rebelliousness of his people, for whom had built an idol to be their god, which then provoked Moses to break the commandment tablets of stone, he went back up the mountain to contend for them before God for another 40 days and nights. Moses' action prompted God to change His mind and wasn't willing to destroy them. I'm really challenged by this. How far am I willing to go to contend for the people God sent me to, so that they can have a lavish relationship with God? God was not "willing" to  destroy the Israelites, even though they totally deserved it. I don't believe God is willing to destroy this nation either, even though Godless corruption is rampant. He is not willing to destroy the western states either, for that matter, even though Godless immorality is rampant where babies are killed and people just plain make themselves gods rather than turn to the One and only God. God is merciful, but sometimes I think we need to contend on our knees for that mercy on behalf of others so that God's will will be bent and His mind changed to compassion. The promise is here is that God allows us to change His mind on behalf of others.

Promise 35 from Deuteronomy 10:8-9

Deut. 10:8-9 - "'At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. Therefore Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.'"

I just love this! In the last passage it spoke of how we are God's inheritance and this one talks about God being the inheritance. An inheritance doesn't have to be a future object. This verse doesn't say "God will be Levi's inheritance; but God IS his inheritance. We can live in our inheritance today. We can live in abundance today. I just read an article/blog called "No more waiting." It was about a single gal who decided to stop living in wait for her husband, as though she was always missing something. She decided to start living in fullness just as she is. Often times people look at kingdom inheritance as something for the future, but not now. The kingdom of God opened up to us the moment Jesus set foot on the ground. We don't have to live in wait for something we are missing, Jesus brought our inheritance to us. We have the fullness of God available to us now. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is at hand." So wrap your fingers around it and grasp ahold of it!

Promise 34 from Deuteronomy 9:26 & 29

Deut. 9:26,29 - "'I prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord God, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand... Yet they are Your people, even Your inheritance, whom you have brought out by Your great power and Your outstretched arm.'"

What a thought! He redeemed His inheritance with His mighty outstretched hand, because He is a great God. That just wows me to think, I am God's inheritance that He will go to great measures to make sure I continue to be His. He displays His power and passion in saving His people. That is what He did on the cross for you and for me. He stretched out His mighty hands to show His compassion to us so that we may be saved. In all His greatness, He chose to shed all that He is, so that we could be all that He intended us to be; His children, His inheritance, His beloved. Thank You, Jesus!

Promise 33 from Deuteronomy 9:19

Deut. 9:19 - "'For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the Lord was wrathful against you in order to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me that time also.'"

I just had a conversation with some friends yesterday (written Apr. 22) about prayer. The question was, "Does prayer move the hand of God?" The answer is "Yes, it does!" Moses prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights on behalf of the sinful people. He knew that death for them was on the threshold, God had His hand raised and ready to snuff them out. But Moses contended! And Moses won! God heard his cries. Moses said, "And once again, God listened to me." Not only did God listen, He changed His mind, thereby sparing the lives of the Israelites. God listens to His people who put themselves at His mercy on behalf of those who need Him. He listens to us when we cry out for the salvation of loved ones, nations and others. He listens to us when we align ourselves with His heart and pray for the sick, injured and lonely. He moves His hand and heart over the lost, the broken, those who need healing. He brings restoration, salvation and healing. He hears the cries of His children and responds. Thank you Jesus!

Promise 32 from Deuteronomy 9:5

Deut. 9:5 - "'It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'"

As much as we like to think that God is only thinking about blessing us, God has another agenda too. He hates unrighteousness especially when that unrighteousness risks getting in the way of others being, or becoming righteous. Yes, He did promise to bless Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as He promises to bless us, but He also knows the heart of man, He knows man's tendency to take credit for the things God does. Moses is warning the people already of this and is making it clear that His clearing out the enemy has nothing to do with what man will do but everything to do with what He will do. God reserves the right to claim what is His, He does this by wiping out the enemy. The promise is: He will do it, and it will be ALL Him!

Promise 31 from Deuteronomy 9:1,3

Deut. 9:1,3 - "'Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven.... know therefore today that it is the Lord your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you.'"

How big is your God? Do you see Him as a "consuming fire" that rushes down on your enemies, that consumes and destroys the strongholds in your life? Here is our promise: Today God crosses over from your camp to your enemies camp and He will capture them, He will destroy their strength bases so that you may go in easily to drive them away so that you can quickly clean house and move in. There is NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING that is too big, too mighty, too difficult, too lofty that the Lord your God can't wipe away today. This is who He is, this is what He does!

Promise 30 from Deuteronomy 8:19-20

Deut. 8:19-20 - "' It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God.'"

This is such a sobering promise which, as a nation, we are already seeing it take place. The acceptance of immorality in our nation, so much so, that immorality and sin is protected by law, is a plain indication of a dying nation, a nation that is perishing. We cannot manipulate God in our favour, He wont stand for it. Yes, He is a loving God but not where we allow other gods and idols take His place. I have even fallen into a pattern of turning the laptop on first thing when I get up instead of reaching for my Bible. No more! Idolatry can so easily creep into to our lives, the moment we take our eyes off of Him. We must defend our nation before it perishes beyond repair. We must turn our eyes and ears back to focus on Him, if we are to expect any more blessings from Him for our nation.

Promise 29 from Deuteronomy 8:18

"'But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.'"

It is God's character to give. He gives us the power to make wealth., He gives us the wisdom, ingenuity, creativity, and as Moses said, "power" to make wealth. I'm sure this is a tough concept to grasp and many people would prefer to say, "Well that was ONY for the Israelites because God is keeping His promise to them." But think of it, God is the One where wealth comes from, He is the multiplier of wealth (see v. 13). He is the source of power, He is the One who gives power, we are the one's He loves; and it was He who said, "Ask anything in my name and it shall be granted unto you." But his is not a genie in a bottle concept. The first part of the verse says, "But you shall remember the Lord your God." It is in relationship that we have access. When we have no doubt what so ever that God can move mountains in our lives and He can make our bread and fish multiply, when we expect to see multiplication as if it is the norm, not the exception to the rule, THEN in that belief and trust and rest we find power, the power that makes wealth.

Promise 28 from Deuteronomy 8:7-10

Deut. 8:7-10 - "'For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of what and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.'"

Moses is giving the details of what abundant land looks like. He is revving the Israelites to be excited for where they are going and to receive their inheritance. God has great things for us. His word gives us a glimpse of what God has for us in the person of Jesus. Jesus gets us excited about our inheritance, He tries to plant a longing and yearning for those things of the Kingdom into our hearts. But just like the Israelites, many people walk around in circles  outside the door of their destiny in Jesus. The Israelites had their feet right at the border and kept going. Many people have their hands on the door handle, they even have their hands in Jesus' hand but they don't step into the lavishness of their Kingdom, their inheritance, their destiny. They reason it away by saying they are content in just holding the hand of Jesus. God provided for the Israelites all they needed and even more, all they needed was to step over the border line. They always had God with them in the desert, just like we always have Jesus with us, but God has even MORE for us. His love is extravagant and He delights to pour it out over us. Just tell God you are ready to set into the MORE of Him and watch what He does. Then you too will "bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you."

Promise 27 from Deuteronomy 8:5

Deut. 8:5 - "'Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.'"

Usually when we think of the loving heart of the Father, we think of Him through the person of Jesus, but here in the old testament, God the Creator is described as a Father who disciplines His children just as an earthly father would his son. God loves us too much to leave us just as we are, tl leave us in our folly. God does not discipline us out of the jealousy for Himself, nor out of the wrath and anger, but out of a spirit of love for His children. God wants us to get this, to understand this fully in our hearts. Moses didn't say 'Get this into your thick heads.', no, he said 'you are to know in your heart.' When information we receive stays in our brains, we can choose to draw from it or not, but when it is in our hearts, the knowledge forms who we are, it becomes a part of us, which naturally guides our actions and character. Therefore, know in your heart that God loves you enough to discipline you, for your safety and to build godly character in you.

Promise 26 from Deuteronomy 8:3

Deut. 8:3 - "'He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.'"

Bread, with the exception of manna, is something that man can produce, make, fashion. Man usually knows how to get it, has control of when to get it (if they are rich enough) and relies on it to sustain life. Bread can be substituted for rice or sweet potatoes for cultures who have a different staple. God gave the Israelites a very difficult lesson, a 40 year one, that taught them that bread alone is not sufficient, what they themselves can produce is not sufficient but they can live on what comes from God alone. His words are provision! His words gave them direction, instruction, encouragement, structure, equipping, foresight and preparation. His words gave them everything that they didn't have within their own strength. Within their own strength they were slaves, bound, hopeless and a dying race. On their own, they were lost, hungry and wandering endlessly in circles. They were powerless against the elements and the enemies. Through God's word they found identity, direction, power, promise and victory with abundance. Why would we even consider trying to live our lives in our own strength?

Promise 25 from Deuteronomy 7:24

Deut. 7:24 - "'He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them.'"

Not only will God give us all we need to defeat our enemies, but He will take care of the authority of our enemies. He will defeat the power and authority of those who oppose Him and cause others to turn away from Him. Any leader who discourages their people from turning to God or from seeking Him will ultimately be removed from that power and destroyed. God is a jealous God. I think we should pray for that jealousy to manifest itself in greater measure over the nations of the this world. Then maybe the world will see more peace and righteousness.

Promise 24 from Deuteronomy 7:22-23

Deut. 7:22-23 - "'The Lord you God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. But the Lord your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.'"

The enemy always appears to be so much bigger, ferocious and threatening than we are, regarding personal enemies that is. An enemy can be a person or a difficult situation. For the Israelites, the wilderness beasts are mentioned as their enemy. Anything that causes us to feel fearful and powerless against it. Often times when we feel afraid it is because we feel like we are vulnerable and defenceless against it. God tells us the truth, through Moses, "We are not defenceless!" God is not only our Shield and Armour but He is our offensive weapon against the enemy. He will bring our enemies to destruction through His methods either by making us wiser or stronger, or causing them (it) to be confused, thereby disarming its power and strength or threat over us. We have a mighty Heavenly army on our side. That is our promise from our Heavenly Daddy!

Promise 23 from Deuteronomy 7:21

Need to go back to this verse, too good to pass up!

Deut. 7:21 - "'You shall not dread them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.'"

Have you ever stood right in the midst of God? It is the most amazing experience! Your body just goes numb as a peace washes over you. Yesterday (written in Nov 21) during worship in a BSSM class at Bethel, Redding, I saw myself worshipping at Jesus' feet surrounded by a cloud of glory, it made me dance like a ballerina all around Him, He was laughing and enjoying the moment with me. There is so much freedom in the presence of God. No one else matters when it is just me and Jesus. God is telling the Israelites that He will be in their midst, they will have no need to worry about a thing. God promises that for us too! "Christ in you" allows you to carry His presence, to feel His touch and hear His laughter over you. Why don't you step into His presence today?

Promise 22 from Deuteronomy 7:18-19

Deut. 7:18-19 - "'You shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all peoples of whom you are afraid.'"

Fear is something that we can so easily entangle ourselves with. Fear of people or anything that comes against us; a sickness or a challenge. Moses tells his people, "Remember what you've seen God do. Remember who your God is." This is why testimony is so important. When we write down what we see God do in our lives, we can draw from the strength of the testimony of who He is and what we've already seen Him do, in either our lives or others. When we know that God can save us one time, we know He can do it again, therefore we can rest in that promise of His character. This passage says God WILL deliver them again from their enemies. And so He shall do for us.

Promise 21 from Deuteronomy 7:14-15

Deut. 7:14-15 - "'You shall be blessed above all people; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. The Lord will remove you from all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt with you have known but He will lay them on all who hate you.'"

Moses is describing what it means to be blessed by God. The Israelites experienced what it looks like to live outside the blessings of God while they were slaves in Egypt. They experienced bareness, illness, poverty and persecution. They are not in that land any longer. Could it be possible that the society and culture we live in can keep us from receiving the blessings God has for us? When a nation, especially its leaders, do not humble themselves before God, how is it then that God can bless that nation? It is those who hate Him who will experience disease, bareness and poverty. It is clear that many of our nation's leaders are compromising God's law because they are bowing to the demands of sinful man instead of standing in obedience to God. It is no wonder that God's chosen people are also subject to the curses of the nation. What is the promise here? God can and will redeem His people. He will draw them out of slavery and into kingdom health. He will pour out His abundance onto His people. AMEN!

Promise 20 from Deuteronomy 7:13

Deut. 7:13 - "'He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you.'"

This is the promise of God to His people, Israel. All of this had one condition; that they remain faithful in keeping the law. God is revealing to us His heart's desire for His people. He wants to see us multiply, He wants to see us successful in our work, He wants to see all whom we care for thrive, be healthy and prosperous. That is His desire for those He loves. He promises His love and blessings to be poured out on His people. This is His character and desire for His loved ones. All He asks from us is faithfulness to Him.

Promise 19 from Deuteronomy 7:9

Deut. 7:9 - "'Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.'"

Moses is giving the Israelites a pep-talk by speaking truth over them. Vs. 6, "For you are a holy people," "You are chosen by God to be His own possession," vs. 7. "The Lord loves you not because you are greater in number, but fewer," vs. 8. "Because of His love for you, He kept His promise and saved you with His mighty hand and redeemed you." So now the people know they are loved, chosen, Holy, His own possession, saved, and redeemed. Then He reminds them of who God is. vs. 9, "Your Lord is God." "He is faithful" "He keeps HIs promises," "His loving kindness never runs out for those who love Him."

In my growing up in conservative evangelical churches, I didn't experience the custom of speaking truth over people, especially in church. Maybe that is why so many people have identity issues. Because the truth that they are loved, chosen, saved, redeemed, beloved children of God wasn't spoken over them, they always either doubted these truths or simply didn't believe them. So because of not having a firm acceptance of identity as precious children of God, people live out of an orphan heart. Striving to earn favour in the eyes of man, possessive of their role and territory, jealous for things (even gifts) that others have. They lack confidence, get defensive and many live in a "whoa is me" mentality. Moses knew that in order for Israelites to step into their identity with, and grasp the authority given to them to defeat the armies of the promised land, they needed to have confidence in their own identity in God and who they are. When God's people begin to accept who they are and to step into their destiny as adopted children of the Almighty God, it frees them to turn their focus off themselves, their needs and wants, and onto what they can do for the Kingdom, motivated not by performance, but out of their own love for their Heavenly Father.

Promise 18 from Deuteronomy 6:4-13

Deut. 6:4-13 - '"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (v. 5). These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart (v.6). You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up (v. 7). You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates.. Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name (v. 13).'"

How could we have missed vss. 5&6 so easily? People say, "I'm a good person, I've never broke any of the 10 commandments." But the reality is, we have all broken the very 1st commandment. Who can say that throughout their whole Christian walk they have truly loved the Lord with all of their heart, soul and might? I would safely say that most people claiming to be christian would have a desire to love Him, or they are grateful for the what He has done for them, but what about truly loving Him? Moses shows us what that looks like in vs. 7, 'You shall teach the words diligently.....' Most people interpret this as teaching the 10 commandments. I believe that Moses is talking about vs. 5; God's love. Talking about God's love is supposed to be just as natural and normal as putting on clothes and brushing our teeth. Talking about God Himself, should be an all day event anywhere we go. But what do we let get in the way? "Fear!" What did Moses say about that? "You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name." Moses leaves no room for any "buts". It is simple, you have no excuse whatsoever for not talking about the God you love anywhere you go. It should ooze from the fibre of our beings.... if.... we truly love Him.

Promise 17 Deuteronomy 5:30-31

Deut. 5:30-31 - "'Go, say to them, 'Return to your tents.' But as for you stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgements which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I will give them to possess.'"

This is the God Almighty, the Creator of the Heavens and the earth telling Moses to send the others away but "You, come and stand by Me." If someone were to tell you to go and stand by God, where would you go? Where would you stand? I love this whole passage in Deuteronomy because the God of the old testament, that so many people are afraid of, intimidated by, or simply don't understand is making Himself so personal and so touchable. In v. 28, He says, 'I have heard your voice', 'He showed His glory', 'His greatness, you have seen Him'. (v.24). And now He is telling Moses, "Come stand by Me." He has made Himself in a physical form so that Moses knows right where to stand, God wants Moses close so that He can speak to him. Where is your God Almighty? Do you know where to stand if He were to say, 'Come, stand next to Me'? God promises us a closeness with Him. He desires to speak to us, not from afar, but right face to face with us. This is our God, our Saviour, our Friend.

Promise 16 from Deuteronomy 5:29

Deut. 5:29 - "'Oh that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all my commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!'"

Can you hear the longing in God's voice when He says this? "Oh, if only they had such a heart..." God reveals His passion to Moses and His people. He so longs for His people to be in right relation with Him, to live in their destiny as children of God, to be content in all they have and who they are, to be children who work out of a place of rest. Where there is rest, there is peace, joy contentment and love. This is His desire for His people. He set everything up for their lives to be this way. He made it all possible. They just needed to choose to step into all that He had prepared for them. That's all! The promise here is that God has it all set up for us too. We just need to decide, are we going to step into our destiny and grab ahold of all He has set up for us, or continue in a life of striving?

Promise 15 from Deuteronomy 5:3

Deut. 5:3 - "'The Lord did not make a covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today.'"

As the Israelites had often heard of the God's love for their fathers and the covenant He made with them, it would be discouraging and tempting to feel like they were living in the shadow of their fathers and receiving their left-overs. Moses puts that option to rest as He points out that God made a personal covenant with them. The next verse says, "He spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire." I love that, God doesn't leave us with someone else's left overs. It is tempting to look at someone else's favour or gifting and feel short handed by comparison. God speaks with us face to face giving all that He wants to pour on us uniquely. Moses pointed out to the Israelites the personalness of God and that has never changed. God is the same today as He was yesterday. The covenant has just changed through Jesus as He showed us even more of the Father's Heart of God.

Promise 14 from Deuteronomy 4:40

Deut. 4:40 - "' So you shall keep His statures and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.'"

This message comes up often from Moses. It is such a key to peaceful and fruitful living that Moses wants to make sure the Israelites get and hold onto. When I look at the states and the moral decline I see nothing but lack of peace, conflict, immoral people striving hard to make and keep their immorality and moral people fighting to keep morality legal and protected. As a nation we have totally neglected and many rejected the simple keys of peaceful and fruitful living; "1) You shall have no other gods before Me. 2) You shall not worship or serve any idols of other gods. 3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4) Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. 5) Honour your father and your mother. 6) You shall not murder. 7) You shall not commit adultery. 8) You shall not steal. 9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. 10) You shall not covet your neighbours house, family or things." It is so simple but as a nation we have made it so complicated. May the Lord restore our land so that we may once again claim His promise of living in wellness and a long and happy life in the land.

Promise 13 from Deuteronomy 4:36-37

Deut. 4:36-37 - "' Out of the Heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. Because He loved your fathers therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power.'"

I love the personalness and intimacy of God that Moses is trying to point out to the Israelites; Words like "He let you hear, He let you see, He loved your fathers, He chose, and He personally brought you." God intentionally revealed His heart to the Israelites. It is funny that Moses didn't say, because He loves "you", but "because He loved your fathers." God does not forget His promises to those He loves. Even when they are not around anymore. It shows how important and how impacting our love relationship with Him is today. We have no idea how that relationship will impact the generations that will follow. God is intentional with us, to show us His heart, He lets us hear Him, see Him, and He personally chooses us so that we can see His great power. What a great God we have!

Promise 12 from Deuteronomy 4:30-31

Deut. 4:30-31 - "'When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.'"

This promise spans the width of many seasons in people's lives. No matter if you are in distress, or you are just turning back to God or have walked with Him without parting for years, God is a compassionate God who will not destroy you, who will not fail you and who will keep His promises. God never changes His character when we change ours. The Israelites had a lot to be concerned about. A lot to be fearful of, they had experienced plenty of loss and destruction (much like today). But in the moment of transition God reaffirms His goodness to them through Moses. He will pour His compassion on them and speak to them. They will hear His voice. He is confirming that He will remain close to them, He will not be silent, He will be their fan. His promise is for us as well. He does not remain silent, He shows us His compassion and walks with us each moment of the day and cheers us on.

Promise 11 from Deuteronomy 4:29

Deut. 4:29 - "'But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him if you search for Him  with all your heart and all your soul.'"

Moses is speaking to the Israelites before they enter the promised land. He is warning them to be careful to not make any type of images in effort to depict God and to not look to the heavens and begin to worship the stars or things in the sky either. God will scatter them if they do that and they will become slaves to people groups that worship idol gods. He told them however that it is while they are in the midst of heathen lands, in the midst of those who do not fear God, in the midst of those who worship gods made by man, they will find the Lord their God, when they seek Him with all their heart and soul. This verse is an encouragement to me as I am currently living in a land where many of the people do not fear God. It is easy to get discouraged when you are surrounded by corruption, faithlessness, a total disregard for God and an ignorance to the need for Him. But God promises us in His word, that from this place, I can cry out to Him, and I will find Him when I seek for Him with all my heart. Myself and my team do see where He is working in this land when we step back and look for signs of His presence. You will too, no matter where you are, find Him when you look for Him.

Promise 10 from Deuteronomy 4:7

Deut. 4:7 - "'For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?'"

It pains me when I think of all the people in the world who have no clue that God is so accessible to them. They either fear God so much that they try appeasing His "anger" through rituals, or they think they have to jump through many hoops to earn His attention, so many that they just don't bother and give up, or they just think their goodness is good enough to keep God's favour on them, so they have no need to approach them. There are others who, out of fear that they will have to give up their sin if they turn to God, choose to ignore He exists. What picture has our churches painted of God through history, that would cause so many people to misunderstand who He is? I know it is totally not the churches fault, but what have they done to remedy the situation? How difficult is it to say to someone in the work place, "Did you know that God will listen to you if you ring Him up? He'll pick up the phone, just dial His number, you'll see." Why are people so afraid to enter  a conversation about God, when they themselves know they can turn to Him at any time? I personally am so thankful to have such an intimate relationship with my Father God. I so long for others to know they can have that relationship too.

Promise 9 from Deuteronomy 3:22

Deut. 3:22 - "'Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.'"

Moses is recapping the Israelite journey. He is reminding them of the promise that was made to Joshua, to not fear the kingdoms of the lands he will be passing through because 'The Lord your God will be fighting for you.' This is a promise that we all need to be reminded of every once in a while. When fear creeps up and holds us back from being all that God has freed us to be. Why is it so difficult some times to just rest in this promise and let God be God in our lives? Every individual has their own reasons. We just need to be sure we don't reason away the truth of the promise that God will fight for us when fear arises.

Promise 8 from Deuteronomy 2:25

Deut. 2:25 - "'This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.'"

If only this were the case today. Not in a "I'm afraid you'll wipe us out " fear but a fear where everyone will see the power of God working through us, so much so that it draws people to their knees before God. Maybe the 70's evangelistic approach of 'Turn or burn' was not totally a bad thing. There is not a "fear" of God in most people's hearts anymore. Our societies reflect that in the way they compromise on so many things that are not of God. May the Lord restore the fear in people's hearts once again so that they'll be drawn to Him. God did that once and, He can do it again.

Promise 7 from Deuteronomy 2:7

Deut. 2:7 - "'For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness, These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.'"

The Israelites are approaching Mt. Seir, the land of the sons of Esau. Moses is instructing them to not provoke them by taking anything, but to purchase all that they need. I don't think the Israelites would consider their 40 years of wandering a time of blessing, but Moses saw the Lord's blessing in it. He reminds them that they lacked nothing. It is interesting that usually when one goes through a wilderness experience their main focus during that time is on all the things they think they are lacking. This is a good example of the fact that God sees the BIG picture of what is going on during those times while our focus is so narrow. God provided so much so during the wilderness years that the people had the means to purchase all that they needed. It is as Kris Vallotton (Bethel Church, Redding, CA) explained once, "When God created the world He spoke, but when He created man and animals He was silent as He formed and fashioned them into creation." During the wilderness experiences, when it seems that God is silent, God is forming and fashioning us so that we have the means to purchase what we need after we come out of the wilderness. He strengthens us, equips us and gives us the wisdom in to how to draw from His Kingdom riches in order to bring glory to Him. So you see? There is never any lack when God's hands are shaping and forming us in the wilderness.

Promise 6 from Deuteronomy 1:38

Deut. 1:38 - "'Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him for he will cause Israel to inherit it.'"

Imagine being Joshua at that moment when He hears God say that he will be the one who causes Israel to inherit the land. I wonder if Joshua believed this when he heard it? Or did he just settle into his destiny that God laid before him? I don't believe God sends pastors or missionaries and others in ministry into their areas of ministry with the anticipation that they will fail. God sets people up for success, no matter how difficult the task is before them. That success is still dependent however on their faithfulness and the encouragement of others., God promises a great inheritance for those who are brought into the Kingdom. He chooses the leaders to do that. It is up to the leaders to step into their destiny and bring the people into their inheritance. When others encourage those in ministry to stay in that place of destiny the Kingdom expands.

Promise 5 from Deuteronomy 1:35-36

Deut. 1:35-36 - "'Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the Lord fully.'"

Wow, what a tribute straight from God. Of all the thousands of Israelites from the tribes of Israel, God have special recognition to Caleb (and Joshua too). Caleb followed the Lord fully. It is quite sobering to think of the thousands who didn't, even though they saw myriads of miracles and the Lord's cloud and fire go before them day and night. Even though they heard His voice and was present in their camp. Even though they witnessed the power of God in His fullest. They still didn't follow Him fully. It is even more sobering when I think of the times I've not followed Him fully. God is a loving God, He will reward those who seek after Him and who will believe what He says is true and who abide in His presence without wavering. He is a gracious God and calls His children to himself. He delights to reward His faithful children.

Promise 4 from Deuteronomy 1:31

Deut. 1:31 - "And in the wilderness where you saw how  the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you come to this place."

I love this picture of the Father God. Moses is saying to the Israelites, "Remember how He carried you all the way?" The Heavenly Father carries His beloved sons and daughters through life's trials. He doesn't stay at a distance and points toward the way out of our trials. He carries us through the wilderness taking every blow that we do. Do you remember how He carried you, all the way until now?

Promise 3 from Deuteronomy 1:30

Deut. 1:30 - "'The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.'"

Moses is recalling the events which happened at the edge of the promised land, to the Israelites. "This is what I said to you, remember?" We all need reminders of who God is and what we've seen Him do before in our lives. We need those reminders so that we know what God is capable of regarding our current situation. It is so easy to fall into despair when faced with challenging circumstances. It's easy to lose hope. It's easy to start questioning our own judgement and decisions on a manner.  A friend of mine is packing her house right now to move from the UK to the US to go to school (this was written July 2012) God has made it very clear that this is what He has set before her and her family. Her husband's job  is finished, all four plane tickets are purchased, they have a buyer for their home and they leave in a couple of weeks. Suddenly, boom! Two links down the buyer line, someone backed out of a deal to purchase a home, causing her buyer to not be able to purchase my friends' home. Ability to attend this school is dependent on the sale of the this house. My friend is in a ripe position to begin questioning whether or not she and her husband heard God's voice clearly. If we can only look at what He has done before, we can have that hope, she can have that hope that God will do it again. He brought one buyer He'll do it again and bring another. He promises to go before us, to be the estate agent, to fight for us. We've seen it before, we'll see Him do it again. (They did leave for school and three times the buyer fell through, they are still waiting for that buyer.)

Promise 2 from Deuteronomy 1:17

Deut. 1:17 - "'You shall not show partiality in judgement; you shall hear the small and great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgement is God's. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'"

Moses is speaking to the heads of the tribes. He is giving them instruction on how to be the judge during disputable cases. After he tells them that they should treat all men as equal,  he continues to encourage them to "not fear man because the judgement is God's." There is a lot of freedom in this statement, however most of us don't utilise the freedom God is offering us. We still choose to fear man. We fear what other people think, how they will react, how they will treat us. So, we strive to not make waves, to keep others comfortable around us. Jesus certainly didn't bother Himself with how others felt when He spoke out the truths of the Kingdom. If He is the perfect model for us, why don't we follow His lead? I must admit, for me, this is my greatest challenge and also the greatest hindrance to seeing the full power of God working in me and around me. The promise here is that we don't NEED to fear, because we are fearing things that are not our responsibility to take on. They belong to the Lord!

Promise 1 from Deuteronomy 1:8

Deut. 1:8 - "'See, I have placed the land before you; go in and posses the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.'"

A lot of people spend many years of their lives striving to achieve a place that would make them more prosperous or give them more status and authority. Some people strive for places that are just not theirs to be had. The Lord always gives direction to those who seek after it. Once He places a position or place on your heart, then it is yours to claim. He says, "See..... I have placed the land before you, now go get it!" We weren't meant to waste our lives striving for something that shouldn't be ours in the 1st place. We were meant to step into our inheritance and claim that which the Lord has laid before us. I'm not saying it wont take some work to get there, but I am saying that we have the assurance that we will arrive, because God has given it to us.

Promise 39 from Numbers 35:34

Numbers 35:34 - "'You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.'" -

This message can't get any clearer. Not only does God reside in the midst of His people, but He resides in their territory. This means He can shift the political structure of the land. He can place leaders and take them out. He can overcome corruption and wipe it out. He can bring prosperity to the land. He contends for the things that you contend for regarding His kingdom because He resides in you. He can break down the strongholds and gives you strength in the mean time to stand against them. He is with you, around you and in you!

Promise 38 from Numbers 35:10-11

Numbers 35:10-11 - "'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there.'" -

From the gitgo God establishes a place of refuge for those who have accidently killed someone. God's passion and understanding of the hearts of those who hurt is evident from the beginning of setting up the infrastructure of the cities. If it were man's design, nothing would be done until the first case came up, then they would, out of necessity find a place of refuge for that person, "maybe". But God, in His great design and love knew what was to come and already has in place a place where those who are hurting can be received in safety and restored in their hearts. What a compassionate God we have!

Promise 37 from Numbers 33:50-53

Numbers 33:50-53 - "Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places; and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.'"

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites find themselves back at the border of the promised land. This time not only does God reiterate His promise to them 40 years prior, but gives more specific instruction as to what will take place; "After you cross the Jordan, you'll drive everyone away, you'll destroy all their idols and anything that has given them their identity, and then you will move in and live there." For many people trusting in God's simple promise "Go and I'll give you the land", just isn't enough. they have to see how it will play out. They need to see the strategy first, the details laid out. This is fine sometimes, but in the process of waiting for those details to be unified, time goes by or the promise passes for some, they miss out. God is trying to teach us that He is BIG enough to have all the details sorted. We don't NEED to see how it is going to play out. And actually if we do feel we need to see those details we risk usurping what God has already planned by thinking we can do it better, or we back out if we don't like the plan. God created us unique and with different personalities, some people are organizers, planners, schedulers, flow-chart people. That's great, however there is no personality type that is exempt from the desire of God for them to simply trust that He will do what He says He'll do, He'll be who He says He is, without more details than is necessary. God will give us instruction but He will also fulfil His promise without our help.

Promise 36 from Numbers 30:8

Numbers 30:8 - "But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow, which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself, and the Lord will forgive her."

This passage is dealing with the vows or promises that are made. In this particular verse it is talking about promises that a married woman makes. If she makes a promise but her husband doesn't agree with it, then the promise can be annulled and she is not held to the promise nor considered wrong by God. In our day and time, this rule would not fly very well with most couples. But, if you look at the divorce rate, especially in the US, something is not working very well. Most marriages can not stand for very long in our "It's all about ME society." Most marriages break up because one or the other isn't getting out of the marriage what they expected and are not willing to make sacrifices of their own desires to accommodate the desires of the other, so they split. This verse isn't as much about keeping a promise, but it is about communication and including the spouse in decisions or promises made. If both parties of a marriage would hold off on making promises that effect both of them until they talk about it and decide together, then God will bless the words and actions of those promises, if they are honouring, of course. The promise here is that God will forgive broken promises when they come in line with His desire of joint consideration within the marriage. A vow spoken to one person should not out weigh the agreement between man and wife.

Promise 35 from Numbers 27:18-21

Numbers 27:18-21 - "So the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; and have him stand before Eleazer the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey Him. Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgement of the Urim before the Lord. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation.'"

It's interesting that God, Himself says of Joshua, 'in whom is the Spirit', large "S". He doesn't say Joshua is "in the Spirit" but says the "Spirit is in him." Joshua has already been set up for great things when the Spirit came upon him (Num.11:25). Joshua has all it takes to command the multitudes because of the Spirit in him. He just needs the passing of the baton celebrating from Moses to him so the congregation knows who the boss is and he is set. When we become believers in the Jesus, God puts His Spirit on us. Jesus already passed the baton to us at the cross, He already gave us authority over man to do great things. I believe one of he reasons why we don't see more of the supernatural in our lives is because we don't recognise the authority that Jesus has already given us, nor the power we have because of God's Spirit in us, if only believers would rise up and step into their identity, Jesus would be absolutely famous everywhere.

Promise 34 from Numbers 27:6-7

Numbers 27:6-7 - "Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father's brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them.'"

This passage speaks more to the character of God rather than a promise, but if you look close enough, you might catch a promise in there as well. Zelophehad's daughters approached Moses with a request that is opposite the laws of inheritance. In a very male dominated culture, all inheritance goes to a male in the family. Where it comes to families with no direct male heir the inheritance goes to a distant male in the same bloodline. Those girls stepped up and said, "This simply isn't fair, it's not our fault that we have no brother. We should be made the heirs of our father's inheritance." Even though God is the one who gave instructions on the laws and put them into place, He heard their request and said to Moses, "You know, they're right!" God is not so unpenetrable that He can not be approached with our desires. God is not all that interested in the law as much as He is interested in relationship. If the law was more important to God than relationship then the 10 commandments would have been enough and Jesus wouldn't have had to come to earth to show us the Father. But God is very interested in what is on the hearts of His people. So look what God, the loving Heavenly Father says, "You shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them!" Did you catch it? The inheritance of the Father will be transferred to not only the sons but to the daughters as well! All that the Father has is ours with His full blessings. When Jesus died on the cross, He passed on His inheritance to us. All that was in Him, He gave to us. It would be senseless that this means we receive the inheritance after we die and are in heaven. He gave it and we received at the time we were adopted into His family. This is why He says in Jn. 14 "With the authority I've given to you, you can do what I do and even more because I go to the Father." Because Jesus rose again and is still alive, the inheritance continues to grow beyond what He revealed to us in scripture and He continues to pass onto us that which is from the Kingdom. There is always MORE that He wants to fill us with. It's a limitless inheritance. So.... He not only hears us, He cares about what we care about and He pours out His unlimited inheritance into our lives. He is such a great Daddy!