IF

                                                                          IF

A small word with a very powerful use.  Many times it is used with regret, “If I had not done ____, then ______ would not have occurred.”  “If this happens, then I will do _____.”  “What if _____ doesn’t work?”

Perry Stone, who is an evangelist, tells about the true story of a woman who was in dire straits because her husband was dying of tuberculosis in a hospital and their only cow lay dying.  She was pleading for the Lord to help her.  All of a sudden, she noticed a whirlwind coming towards her and in that whirlwind appeared an angel that told her that her husband would be healed and that they would have another daughter and as a sign of this happening, the cow that was dying would be healed.

She responded that if this happened, then she would sell the cow and give money to missions.  The angel answered “There are no ifs in God’s plan.”  What the angel said was exactly what happened.  The cow was healed and her husband, two weeks later, was released from the hospital and they did have another daughter.

When God says if, it is conditional.  

 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.  II Chronicles 7:14 NIV

Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—if you would only listen to me, Israel!

He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:31

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. Luke 17:6 NIV

 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NIV

When man says if, it is questioning the promise.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”  Judges 6:12-14

When Satan says if, it is unbelief.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.” Luke 4:3-4 NIV

Satan wanted Jesus to doubt His own Divinity, “If You are the Son of God…..” (Manna-fest, Perry Stone) 

The devil whispers in our ears, “If God really loved you ……”  He also questions the Word of God.  Just one seed of unbelief can change our faith in God.  We must stand on God’s Word and any promises that He has given us.  Yes, sometimes we may question something that God tells us that does seem impossible, like Gideon but in the end, he put his faith in God.  So must we.  There are times that I have a hard time believing promises that I know the Lord has given my husband and I that have not yet come to pass but I still continue to speak these promises and speak the promises of God just as Jesus spoke the Word of God to Satan.  The Word of God is a weapon against the enemy!

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.  He received the promise of a son when he was seventy-five years old.  He believed God. 

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.  And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.  All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. Hebrews 11:11-13

Summary of God's promises to Abraham

• All nations will be blessed in Abraham and his seed.
• Abraham and his seed are to possess the land for ever.
• Abraham is to be the father of an innumerable seed.
• Abraham is to be the father of a singular seed who will conquer all enemies.
• Abraham's name is to be great.  NOTE. These promises were not fulfilled by Jewish occupation of the Holy Land in Old Testament times.  (“God’s Promises to Abraham” Bible Education)

Yes, Abraham did not see every single promise in his lifetime, but it was his faith in God that made him righteous in the eyes of God.

 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21:45 NIV

Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. I Kings 8:56 NIV

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4 NIV

The “ifs” in our lives should not direct our lives but the promises of God and the promises that He has made to us.

Prayer to the Great “I AM”
Almighty Son of God, You are the great “I AM.” You are faithful to Your promises and will defeat my enemies, though numerous and powerful. I will not be discouraged because I walk in Your divine presence. I will live in Your strength and courage, for You are my God. I have faith in You and Your word because I know that Your word never fails. I thank You for the many promises You have spoken over my life, and I place my trust in You. Amen. (“9 Powerful Prayers for Faith and Trust in God” Editor in Chief ConnectUS November 2, 2018)

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