Page 101 - Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2010

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THE POSITIVE POTENTIAL What turns the positive potential THE NEGATIVE REALITY
CONTAINED WITHIN THE contained within God’s promises into CONTAINED WITHIN THE

the negative reality found within OF GOD…

God’s prophecies?

Is it the sovereign will of God at work or

OF GOD… is it the sovereign will of man
that is the determining factor in which

the outcome is lesser than

what is initially promised by God?

Perhaps the answer lies in this little

jingle:

“EVERY PROMISE IN THE BOOK IS MINE,
EVERY JOT, EVERY TITTLE, EVERY LINE”

I mentioned the above spiritual jingle in my January 2010 newsletter about the
many if’s” that are contained in the Bible. It is an old popular jingle we sang back
in my early days in the Assemblies of God. Its theme was centered upon the
believer’s right to inherit every applicable promise in the Bible. Many years have
passed since I learned that little jingle about the importance of God’s promises.
I would now view every jot, every tittle to specifically include the multitude of if’s
that contain the stipulations and conditions that are attached to God’s promises.

IF:“A STIPULATION, Another thing that was really popular back then
A CONDITION, were these little quick access boxes containing
the promises of God. Every day you could draw
A SUPPOSITION” out a card as a daily reminder of one of God’s
Webster exceedingly great and precious promises He has
THERE written specifically for the believer. The only thing
wrong with these little boxes of promises is that
ARE 1,522 “IF’S” the back side of the cards were left blank.
IN THE BIBLE… What a wonderful thing it would be if you could turn over the card containing the
THEY APPEAR promise and have the stipulations and conditions spelled out that are necessary
IN EVERY BOOK to inherit the promise. I suspect many of them would begin with the word “if”.
OF THE BIBLE… I also suspect that my suggested revised version of those promise cards with the
conditions printed on the back would not sell. In this age of what Leonard
Ravenhill called, “paperback theology”, I suspect that any book emphasizing the
if’s of the Bible will never end up on the best seller’s list.

Indeed, the Bible is filled with what the apostle Peter called, “…exceedingly great and precious
promises” (2 Pet.1:4). It has been estimated that there are over 5,000 such promises recorded in God’s
Word that express His will for His covenant people, both Israel and the Church. However, there are also
1,522 if’s recorded in God’s Word, many of which spell out the stipulations and conditions that are
attached to those precious promises. An unconditional promise is an oxymoron. Often it is the “if’s” of
the Bible that spell out for us what are the conditions attached to those exceedingly great and precious
promises. It is the conviction of this teacher of God’s Word that it is the lack of obedience to the
conditions attached to the promises of God that turns God’s wonderful positive potential expressions of
His will contained in the promises into manifestations of negative realities found in the prophetic Word.
Multitudes of God’s people love the promises, but just won’t pay the price of obedience to the conditions
attached. The diminished outcome of prophecy vs. the contents of the promises proves this to be a sad
commentary of the sovereign will of man being exalted over the expressed will of God.

Pastor Randy Shupe