Activate the Promise!

Don’t let fear win! This blog will show you how to “Activate the Promise” God gave you years ago. He is a God who watches over His word so He can perform it. We have a huge role to play in activating the promises of God in our lives. The only way the promise gets derailed is if fear dominates in the mind of the one who holds the promise. What promise did God give you that you have been holding on to for years?

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 NLT

Fear is the voice of the enemy designed to steal your joy, kill your dreams, and destroy the life Jesus died for you to have both in this present age and the one to come. Jesus died to give you hope of a life full of abundance. God has great things in store for us but we must activate the promise.

We will take a glimpse into the life of Caleb who waited 45 years to see the promise God gave him come to fruition. Now understand they lived longer in ancient times and this is not to suggest that you have to wait 45 years. However, if you have been waiting on a promise God gave you then Caleb’s story can help you.

5 Steps to Activate the Promise God Gave You!

God gives believers lots of promises in the bible and we have a part to play in each of them. However, this blog is about a specific promise whispered to your heart from the Holy Spirit. Oftentimes, God will confirm His specific promise to you through others. Many times the enemy will challenge God’s word, just like he did in Matthew 4 with Jesus on the mountain. Our faith, mindset, and actions will determine if and when those promises will come to pass in our life. Let’s dissect Joshua 14:6-15.

Step #1: Remember what God says about YOU!

Caleb said to Joshua, “You remember what the LORD said at Kadesh Barnea when he was speaking to the prophet Moses about you and me.”

Joshua 14:6b NCV

Joshua is now the leader of Israel and he is dividing up the promised land to give to the tribes of Israel. Caleb, at just the right time, reminded Joshua of what God said about him, specifically. God promised to give Caleb the mountain land of Hebron. God didn’t give that promise to all the children of Israel, He only gave that promise to Caleb. It was not a UNIVERSAL PROMISE but a SPECIFIC PROMISE. Remembering the specific promise God gave him activated the promise in Caleb’s life.

As believers the enemy wants us to focus on everything but what God says about us. You must be tenacious to remember what the LORD says about you. Don’t get distracted by the naysayers, dream killers, and haters. Certainly don’t give any credence to the accuser of the brethren. The devil identifies you by the wrong deeds you have done. God the Father of heaven and earth, identifies you by what Jesus did for you and your belief in Him. You are justified by your faith, which will align your conduct with the Cross of Calvary! Colossians 2:9-15

Remember what God says about the righteous. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Don’t forget what He says about you. Always remember the promises He has made to you over the years. Remember all that He has brought you through so far.

Step #2: Focus on Positive Outcomes

Then Caleb told the people near Moses to be quiet, and he said, “We should certainly go up and take the land for ourselves. We can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

Numbers 13:30-31 NCV

Twelve spies went into the land of Canaan. Ten of those spies died in the wilderness between Egypt and the promised land. Why? Doubt KILLS! Two spies had a laser focus on the positive outcome of defeating the giants so they can occupy the promise. They lived to see the promise fulfilled because 45 years ago their focus was on victory not defeat. Joshua and Caleb did not follow the popular consensus. They did not play “WHAT IF SCENARIOS” until fear and doubt created confusion in their minds. They believed they would win the battle because God said so!

The ten spies focused on what they could do and killed the promise. The other two spies focused on what God could do and activated the promise. Whatever you focus on develops. Focus on that which is good, pure, and praiseworthy. Your focus can activate the promise of God in your life or kill it. What is your focus producing?

Step #3: Fully Believe

So that day Moses promised me, ‘The land where you went will become your land, and your children will own it forever. I will give you that land because you fully believed in the LORD, my God.’

Joshua 14:9 NCV

Caleb fully believed in the LORD and it activated a generational promise of provision and legacy. Caleb’s children will no longer wander in the wilderness. They will always have a permanent place of residency because Caleb didn’t let fear win. He was strong and courageous in what God said. He believed the LORD and went against popular opinion.

Yes, there were obstacles, barriers, and giants to overcome. This is the thing, the God Factor can never be measured by human strength. You plus Jesus is the majority! If only you will BELIEVE that is true.

Step #4: Praise Activates the Promise

“Now then, the LORD has kept his promise. He has kept me alive for forty-five years from the time he said this to Moses during the time we all wandered in the desert. Now here I am, eighty-five years old.

Joshua 14:10 NCV

Caleb takes no glory for himself. He praises God for keeping him alive when all the others died in the desert. Caleb recognizes that his physical and mental strength comes from the Lord. In this acknowledgment of the Lord’s power, Caleb reminds Joshua (who has the authority to say no) what the Lord said 45 years ago.

Caleb held on to the promise and praises God along the way. Imagine watching parents, friends, relatives, and leaders all die, BUT GOD SPARED CALEB! Why? Because it is impossible to please God without FAITH! Faith in Jesus and the promises that are given to us through His work on the cross is the activating agent for abundance.

Step #5: Ask for Possession of the Promise

“So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago. Back then you heard that the Anakite people lived there and the cities were large and well protected. But now with the LORD helping me, I will force them out, just as the LORD said.”

Joshua 14:12 NCV

Caleb didn’t just remember the promise and praise God for giving it. He did not just acknowledge the specific promise given to him. He asked for the promise to be activated in his life. Knowledge is only power when it is applied. God works in concert with our beliefs and activity to bring His word to pass in our lives. God blesses the steps we take, not the ones we contemplate. Take the faith steps required to activate the promise.

Coach Brenda Underwood, The Breakthrough Strategist, breakthroughforlife.com