Cheri Fuller - The One Year Praying the Promises of God

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The One Year Praying the Promises of God

Copyright 2012 by Cheri Fuller and Jennifer Kennedy Dean. All rights reserved.

Cover and interior illustrations copyright 2012 by Stephanie Ryan. Courtesy of MHS Licensing. All rights reserved.

Authors' photograph copyright 2012 by Carl Cramer. All rights reserved.

Designed by Julie Chen

Edited by Susan Taylor

Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., 10152 S. Knoll Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO, 80130.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, second edition, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. (Some quotations may be from the NLT, first edition, copyright 1996.) Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked NIrV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Readers Version,NIrV. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-4143-4105-7

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Welcome to a devotional book written specifically to encourage your spiritual journey by praying Gods promises. Those precious promises, of which there are hundreds throughout the Bible, are provided to stir us and inspire us to pray. Yet sometimes we fail to notice, believe, and pray these promises. British pastor F. B. Meyer said, Though the Bible be crowded with golden promises from board to board, yet they will be inoperative until we turn them into prayer.

As you read this One Year devotional book, you have the opportunity to turn Gods golden promises into prayer each day and experience the blessings of a praying life. As we pray Gods promises, the starting point is the nature of God. The essence of Gods character is, in itself, a promise: [God] keeps every promise forever (Psalm 146:6). Throughout the Scriptures, each time God reveals something of his nature, he is promising us that he will be true to that nature in any circumstance.

God has always dealt with his people by communicating promises to them. By promising first and then performing what he has promised, he awakens in us the faith, desire, and expectation that point us toward him and find their outlets in the prayer of faith.

We might illustrate that process like this. Recently, I (Jennifer) saw an ad in a magazine for noise-canceling headphones. Until I saw that ad, I had no desire for noise-cancelling headphones. But once I knew they were available, I began to notice how loud the world was and to imagine how much better it might be if only I had noise-canceling headphones too. Knowing they were available awakened in me the desire to possess them. And knowing where to find them motivated me to seek them out. God makes promises to us for much the same reason. He is letting us know what he has available if only we will ask.

Sometimes people have been disappointed when they prayed Gods promises and didnt get the answer they hoped for. If you have experienced that, youre not alone. Let us suggest some things for you to consider and warn you about some misunderstandings to avoid.

First, remember that there is a difference between believing in a certain outcome and having faith in God. Sometimes we decide what God should do, then construe a promise so that it matches what we want. We might pray that promise with the subtext being our definition of the impact that promise should have on our situation. Over all the years that the Lord has had the two of us in his school of prayer, a lesson we continue to learn at deeper levels is how to let the Word of God speak without imposing our own interpretations and preconceived expectations on it.

Second, avoid thinking of the promises as tools to use to get your way with God. Some people pray as if God occasionally forgets his promises or tries to renege on them and is depending on us to remind him of them. The truth is, God made promises and bound himself to us in a blood-sealed covenant so that we would know exactly what we could expect from him. The purpose of his promises is to give us confidence and peace. Instead, sometimes we pray as if we are responsible for finding the scriptural promise so we can guarantee the outcome we want, and then taking that promise to God to hold him to his Word.

This kind of prayer treats Gods Word as if its a catalog. We decide what God should do, look through the Bible to find a verse that will match our plans, and order it. As we do in catalog shopping, we then skim over everything that holds no appeal for us. We pick and choose.

Remember, Scripture is not Gods words; it is Gods Word. Scripture is a whole and cant be cut apart and pasted together to match our agendas. Rather, the golden promises are for God to use to inspire faith and confidence within our hearts and to shape our prayers as we look to his Spirit to guide us.

We encourage you to use this book as a personal devotional or to read it with prayer partners or your family. It is also an ideal small-group resource. The One Year Praying the Promises of God is meant to be a companion book to The One Year Bible, so youll find the readings move chronologically throughout the year. Each day is a devotional thought from either the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, or Proverbs. As you read the pages ahead, we pray youll be drawn closer to the Father through Christ, that youll sense him speaking to your heart, and that youll experience his love more and more.

If you are using this book with otherseither in a small group, with your girlfriend, or with your spouse, you might want to underline thoughts that speak to you in specific ways. You can use the questions below as you think about, process, and discuss what youve learned.