Many times Christians attempt to trust for one of God’s promises to come to pass in their lives without meeting all the conditions that accompany the promise. For example, I’ve heard Christians quote from Psalm 37 and say: “The Bible says that God will give me the desires of my heart. That’s what I’m believing for.”
However, the Bible doesn’t only say that God will give us the desires of our hearts. Here’s what it actually says:
Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrong doers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, and fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it (Ps. 37:1-5).
Several conditions must be met if we are to believe that God will give us the desires of our heart. In fact, I counted at least eight conditions in the above promise. Unless we are meeting the conditions, we have no right to receive the blessing promised. Our faith has no foundation.
Christians also like to quote the promise found in Philippians 4:19: “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.” However, are there conditions to that promise? Decidedly, yes.
If you examine the context of the promise found in Philippians 4:19, you’ll discover that it is not a promise given to all Christians. Rather, it is a promise given to those Christians who are givers themselves. Paul knew God would supply all the Philippians’ needs because they had just sent him an offering. Because they were seeking first God’s kingdom as Jesus commanded, God would supply all their needs, as Jesus promised (see Matt 6:33). Many of the promises in the Bible that relate to God’s supplying our material needs carry the condition that we first be givers ourselves.
We really have no right to trust God for our needs to be met if we’re not obeying His commands concerning our money. Under the old covenant, God told His people that they were cursed because they were withholding their tithes, but He promised to bless them if they would obediently give their tithes and offerings (see Mal. 3:8-12).
Many of the blessings promised us in the Bible are contingent upon our obedience to God. Therefore, before we endeavor to believe God for something, we should first ask ourselves: “Am I meeting all the conditions accompanying that promise?”
