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b'Claiming God\\u2019s Promises:\\xa0Hebrews 10:23\\n\\n\\u201cLet us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful\\u201d (Hebrews 10:23).\\n\\nIntroduction:\\nGod has issued more than 40 thousand promises in the Bible. That\\u2019s a lot of promises that we can \\u201chold fast\\u201d to! Although, sometimes it can be difficult to determine how to properly respond to God\\u2019s awesome promises. Have you ever read a promise in the Bible that God clearly promises and you wonder how that promise applies to you in your life? I do this all the time. There are several things to keep in mind while determining the promises you claim and \\u201chold fast to\\u2026without wavering.\\u201d\\n\\nThe first thing to keep in mind is that the Bible contains two kinds of divine promises.\\n\\n- Limited promises\\n\\n- General Promises\\n\\n1. Limited Promises. \\nGod has made many promises to specific people living in particular circumstances for explicit purposes. These promises are definitely not for everybody or as Charles Stanley says, \\u201cOne size fits all\\u201d promises.\\n\\n- If you try to claim these promises for yourself then your headed for trouble. For example, the resurrected Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem \\u201cfor the promise of the Father\\u201d and that while they waited, they would \\u201cbe baptized by the Holy Spirit.\\u201d The text reads, \\u201cGathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, \\u201cWhich,\\u201d He said, \\u201cyou heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now\\u201d (Acts 1:4-5).\\n\\n- It would be foolish for you to travel to Jerusalem and wait there to receive this promise, since Jesus already fulfilled it that first Pentecost.\\n\\n- Today, the Holy Spirit baptizes every believer into the body of Christ and takes up residence within at the very moment that person trusts in Christ. Jesus gave this promise to a very specific group of people at a particular time for an explicit purpose. It isn\\u2019t for anyone else to claim.\\n\\n2. General Promises. \\nNow that we understand \\u201climited promises,\\u201d lets look at the many promises that are applicable to all His children throughout all of history. For example, He has promised to \\u201cnever leave us or forsake us.\\u201d Paul wrote under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit in\\xa0Hebrews 13:5, \\u201cMake sure that you character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, \\u201cI will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you.\\u201d\\n\\nHe also promised to return for us. Jesus spoke these words in the Gospel of\\xa0John 14:3, \\u201cIf I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.\\u201d\\n\\n- These promises pertain to all believers across all of time.\\n\\n3. Although general promises are for every believer across all of time, these \\u201cgeneral promises\\u201d can also be of two different types.\\n\\na. Conditional Promises. \\nFor example,\\xa0Philippians 4:19\\xa0says, \\u201cAnd my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Jesus Christ.\\u201d The condition here is that we be in Christ; the believer must be living for Him and in total submission to His will.\\n\\n- Another example is\\xa0Psalm 37:4. It says, \\u201cDelight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.\\u201d Clearly the condition is that a relationship comes before the request.\\n\\nb. Unconditional Promises. Unconditional promises require nothing of the believer. The promises mentioned above in Hebrew 13:5 and\\xa0John 14:3\\xa0are of this type. God will fulfill these promises because He has pledged to fulfill them. Nothing anyone does can alter the His commitment or change His plans. He will keep these promises, not because of anything we do, but because of His own faithfulness.\\n\\n\\n\\n--- \\n\\nSend in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-lucy-paynter/message\\nSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-lucy-paynter/support'