Reading biographies of industry titans, I couldn’t help but appreciate their outcome, while many times recoiling at their amoral conduct. “Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain” (Psalm 76:10 KJV). The godly may perhaps not compete for the titan’s market, but shouldn’t they outperform the titan’s moral conduct? “And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8 KJV).
Promises
A Reasonable God
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18 KJV). We are relieved to hear God announce His willingness to reason with us. If He was more harshly inclined, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy this opportunity to seek His better side. Just as gravity pulls our bodies down, our selfish actions push us away from God. Thank God, Jesus invited us, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 KJV).
Diagnosing the Promises
“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26 KJV). A promise like this means, surely the problem is with you, when it doesn’t work. When we view our circumstances solely from our perspective and not supernaturally, then we rob God of the opportunity to change us into His solution. The answer has always been staring us in the face. We simply have not given God the opportunity to be God. God has long been patient. “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10 KJV).
Prayer and Fasting
Diogenes looked for an honest man, but can one be found without the baggage of past sins? Jesus diagnosed His disciples’ failure to cast out a demon. “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29 KJV). Forgotten wrongs by family members, church members, community members, or members of a nation, must be acknowledged, confessed, repented of, forgiveness given (if being withheld), and restitution made (where possible), before God can bless. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6 KJV).
Sins of the Parents
Does God punish us for our parents’ sins? Yes, if we do as they did. “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7 KJV). Why? Wickedness teaches wickedness to succeeding generations, and God judges each accordingly. Though we may not be legally responsible for the sins of our descendants, they will morally pay the price for our irresponsibility of not teaching them proper character.
When Faith Fails
The disciples failed to cast out a demon from an apparently epileptic boy. Jesus intervened. “All things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23 KJV). The distraught father cried out, “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief” (9:24). The faith of both the father and the disciples failed them. After healing the boy, Jesus diagnosed the solution. “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (9:29). The sins of the parents are visited upon the “children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7 KJV). Deliverance is possible only through Spirit directed searching, confession, repentance, and forgiveness of sins by means of prayer and fasting.
Goodness and Mercy Follow Me
If I adopted two puppies from a litter, and named them Goodness and Mercy, they would always follow me. Even better, because we have been adopted by the LORD, we should always follow our Lord. And, looking behind us, we notice Goodness and Mercy following us. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6 KJV). Thank you, LORD!
Devil Doesn’t Care
The devil doesn’t care if we start, so long as we don’t finish. Of course, he’d prefer we never started. Nonetheless, only “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13 KJV). Not only does God care that we start, but He has an intimate interest in our finishing. “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 KJV). No one gets to Heaven or Hell against their will.
Looking for the Promise
A promise from God guarantees its outcome. In Scripture, we are always looking for God’s promised outcome. For example, with the end of this age, we are “looking for and hastening [we are making come quicker] the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:12-13 NASB).
More Blessed to Give Than Receive
“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 KJV). The Father gave His One and Only Son. The Son laid down His life for a world of angry rebels. If Jesus said giving is more blessed than receiving, then God is well pleased with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Now, we need to be as convinced as He is about our giving. Faith believes we aren’t being defrauded by the world, but we are in heart sympathy with our LORD.
We Need A Miracle 
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