A need to appropriate the promises
The Lord has won the victory, he has triumphed over the enemy. We are recipients of the promises of God that accompany that victory. The manifestation of these promises are not automatic. We have to appropriate the victory of the Lord over our lives so that we can experience these benefits. For instance, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to every believer. The bible says bad as you are, you know how to give good gifts. What more will your Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask (Luke 11:13). So for those who did not receive, they have to ask.The same goes for generational curses. It is said we cannot be cursed in Christ because cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree(Gal 3:13). The Lord indeed hung on a tree, (the cross) to liberate us from curses however, that is our spiritual standing. While the legal curse was broken at Calvary, believers continue to witness the persistence of ancestral patterns, necessitating a deliberate application of Christ’s victory to sever these lingering ties.
Joshua 18:3
So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long are you going to wait before you go in and take the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
The seven tribes had to take the land given to them by the Lord and that is akin to us taking hold of everything the Lord has given us through Christ as His heirs. With that said, we have to know which scripture is relevant and complimentary to our circumstance. We may find that certain circumstances are relatively easy to surmount on the other hand, some are seemingly impregnable. We are required to seek the Holy Spirit to reveal which scripture to apply.
God protects His own but he told Joseph and Mary to flee when Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus(Matt 2:13). Paul had to learn how to be content though the scriptures tell us that the Lord supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory(Phil 4:19).
We may find ourselves in a certain season and the promise relevant for us may be to “endure” and not necessarily to obtain the breakthrough in that moment. We may find that we do all we know to do but the answer only comes later or at the end.
We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy (James 5:11)
When Paul had the thorn in his side he prayed three times for the Lord to remove it but He said his grace is sufficient for him(2 Cor 12:7-9). Had Paul not heard that he would have proceeded to pray in vain, feeling forsaken by the Lord as the thorn persisted in his life .The answer was to lean on the Lord’s grace and not to press into prayer for relief.
Fulfilling righteousness
There are other times when we are not experiencing the promise because we have not fulfilled righteousness. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, that is not what I am alluding to. In Matt 6:33 we are admonished by the Lord to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things shall be added. The righteousness we are to seek is to be in right standing with the Word of God.
When John the Baptist was hesitant to baptise the Lord, Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized( Matt 3:15). Only after fulfilling all righteousness did the Holy Spirit descend on Him and the report of “this is my Son with whom I am well pleased come. Those two acts were not arbitrary.
Furthermore, when the Holy Spirit has led you to a given promise in the Word of God, study and fulfill the conditions. We often confess scriptures over our lives and we should however, we should not confess it if we don’t meet the requirements. We cannot put a bandaid of the scriptures over our disobedience or lack of righteousness. Consider the following scripture; You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You(Isa 26:3). The caveat to experiencing peace here is for our mind to be stayed on Him and to trust in Him. When our mind is on the problem, we cannot claim this scripture. Second scripture, Psalm 23:1 the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Well, we shall not want if we meet the requirement of making the Lord our shepherd. Consequently, the benefits of that psalm will be ours.
Redefining “good”
The Lord is a sun and a shield. He gives grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly(Psa 84:11) This does not mean we will never find ourselves lacking something. “Good things” are not always tangible. Peace, hope, joy, wisdom …these are not tangible, however, they are good things. The Lord will not leave us empty and barren. While Paul was in prison and was in need, he did not immediately have the provision however, he had something good- contentment.
Bend to the revealed will of the Lord
There are times where we are applying the scripture of ask and you shall receive, however, it is not necessarily what the Lord wants to give us and as it is written; we cant ask for fish and be given a serpent by Our Father. The Lord will then have to change our desires, give us His desire, prepare us for it and then fulfill it. Many are the plans in a man’s heart but the will of the Lord prevails(Prov 19:21)
The Lord was feeding the Israelites manna in the desert but they demanded to have meat. We must be cautious not to overide the revealed will of the Lord in a season. We are to trust and partner with the Lord’s leading when we are cognizant of it instead of persistenting in our own desires.
Faith working with patience
Through faith and patience we obtain the promise( Heb 6:12). We need both and not only faith.
His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue(2 Pet 1:3). It is through knowledge of Him and not knowing things about Him. This knowledge is a deep intimate knowledge and not head knowledge. This type of knowledge is attained through spending trysting time with the Lord studying His Word, worship, remaining faithful to the Lord in every season, fasting, obedience etc. These are some of the avenues we use that permit the Lord to reveal Himself to us.