I probably lied to you!

Matthew 5: ³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

============

Many times people would say “please pray for me” and I would say “I will” but I rarely followed through. It seems like the events of the day would bring something greater in my life that would distract me from following through with my promise.

“I’ll call you” or “I’ll come over” or “I’ll do it” have been empty words that have easily come out of my mouth but to make it worse I added the dreaded words “I promise.” Why did I go and do that?  I have even said to GOD, “I promise I’ll NEVER do that again if YOU would only…”

• A promise is a form of worship for GOD can never break HIS promises.
• A promise is a commitment that GOD expects me to keep.
• A promise is a way of changing the direction my life is going to do something special.

There is something quite special about GOD’s Bible that I have just recently noticed. HE has bound HIMSELF to HIS own words. Quite honestly, If I were GOD with all of HIS amazing power, I would try stuff and if it didn’t work out then I would tell everyone, “I changed my mind, we are going in a new direction.”

GOD never changes HIS mind like a leaf blowing in the wind, so HIS promises are ultra-dependable. HE expects me to behave the same way or recognize my limitations.

• When someone asks me for a favor I can say “Yes” or “No” if my limitations permit.
• When someone asks me for a deadline I can say “Yes” or “No” if all conditions are met.
• When someone asks me to pray for them I can say “Yes” and pray right away instead of failing my promise.

A double minded person can never be trusted. I have to keep my commitments knowing I am limited by GOD’s plans. My new statements should be “I will do this or that if GOD says the same.”

• Are you bound by your words or do you make empty promises?
• How many promises have you made recently that you have broken?
• Can you change some of your empty way of talking and keep your commitments?