Promises of God Session 6: Promises for Family, Health, and Provision

We are blessed because of Jesus in our families, our health, and our finances!

Description: In Session 6 of the “Promises of God” series, Tricia Gunn brings this series to a conclusion with scripture after scripture about God’s promises for our families, health, and finances. She contrasts the curse of the law and the blessing of the New Covenant. We are blessed because of Jesus! God’s will is to pour His grace on us! If we pray anything according to His will, He hears us, and we know that we have the requests we have made of Him.

Notes/ Transcript of the teaching:

Review: 

If we can just get a bird’s eye view of God and simply look at His desire – what does He want for His people? What does He want for the world? It is stated clearly throughout the scriptures. The parts about the nature, will, plans, purposes, desires, and Person of God do not change. 

God cannot be contextualized. The covenants may have changed, but God never did. He is and always has been the God of grace and mercy.

If we can relieve our minds of the clutter of deductive reasoning and legalism and sin-consciousness and satan-consciousness and fleshly offenses – and simply take God at His word, we’re going to see what His will is. And then we’re going to know what we can and should pray for. 

If there is anything I would want you to take away from this series, it’s that you can know God, His will, and His promises for your life through the His word and through the Holy Spirit who was given to you in the new birth. God says in the New Covenant –

Hebrews 8:11-13 – “None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

New Covenant reality says that we can hear the voice of God for ourselves. Every single day He will speak to us and guide us with Wisdom. 

I have learned to live by the daily manna that comes from the mouth of God.

I want to share with you a part of a recent word that I received one morning:

From October 22, 2022 – Priceless gems of promise

The Lord brought me back to those years when I was first learning about His grace. I was so raw, so touched, so loved, so Jesus-conscious. I began to cry last night and passionately pray for our children to experience the same thing that I did. God knows my heart – that all of the successes they could experience in the natural mean nothing to me compared to them believing and receiving and experiencing that electrifying, liquid love that will touch and transform their whole body, mind, and spirit as it washes over and through them. Nothing matters more to me than for their hearts to melt and be so in love with Jesus. Nothing. How could I as a mom want anything less?

As I was praying for them, I walked out of the kitchen. Continuing to pray all of these things, the word “miracle” came to mind. It is a miracle I am praying for. The same miracle that happened to me on the beach in 2010. I can see it. I can feel it. When I pray, I am brought to a place in the Spirit where I am a witness to the miracle. Then I thought of the song “God of Miracles,” by Chris McClarney – almost subconsciously. When the daily manna is a song, I don’t just think of the words – the tune and beat are also in my mind. Very faintly the words “God of miracles come, we need Your supernatural love to break through. Nothing’s impossible. You’re the God of miracles” were echoing in my mind. Then I thought, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m praying for. A miracle for my children. An encounter with Jesus that surpasses anything I have experienced.” The miracle of wisdom from God. The miracle of spiritual eyes opening to see far beyond anything I have seen, and God’s life and love flowing through them. Grace pouring over them. A few seconds later I walked in the kitchen, and out of the over 800 songs on my playlist, that very song began to play. That, in and of itself, was a miracle. 

With that song, the Lord spoke to me: “Yes, Tricia. I’m going to give them what I gave you – a profound awakening and experience for your children. I am going to give you what you are asking for. All of it.”

Another miracle on the speaker. What do I call these daily miracles? Lord, help me find a word for it. What do these everyday miracles do? They strengthen my faith. They confirm my hope. They let me know that God hears my prayers. They tell me that God loves me, and He is intimately involved and very personally in touch with me and all that I am praying for. They tell me that God sees my children and is taking care of them. They tell me that God is working, even though I can’t see it. They keep me on the path of peace. They tell me that I am on the right path. They tell me to keep going and never give up. They tell me that I will see the miracle I am praying for.

Sometimes the word “bread crumbs” comes to mind as a way to describe it, but that brings up images of the Syro-Phoenician woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter of an unclean spirit. She said “even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” (Mark 7:28) She wasn’t Jewish, so she was asking for something she wasn’t yet entitled to. That’s not me. I haven’t inherited bread crumbs from under the table. These daily miracles can’t adequately be described as “bread crumbs.” Bread crumbs also aren’t satisfying. They don’t fill you. You’re still hungry after you eat bread crumbs. 

The word coming to mind is “treasures.” I am on a treasure hunt, and He is leading me down the path of promise with priceless gems along the way. Each time one of these miracles happens, it’s the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation giving me a snapshot in my “dianoia” of what is to come.

He is calling me down the path of promise with these gems of wisdom and revelation.  So I’m going to call these daily miracles “priceless gems of promise.”

Lord, I hold tight to You, my Wisdom. You guide me down delightful paths. Your words of wisdom and revelation are more precious and valuable than anything of this earth. You guide me daily with priceless gems of promise. Every gem is a “yes” from You. My response is “Amen, You are faithful.” Thank You, Lord, for these miracle gifts from heaven each day. Thank You for intervening supernaturally. I love Your  naturally unexplainable “speaker miracles.” God of miracles come; We need Your supernatural love to break through; Nothing’s impossible; You’re the God of miracles! Thank You, Lord.

Filled with the Spirit

Last session I spoke about Wisdom, Jesus being our Wisdom, the Spirit of Wisdom. In this session, I want to cover a few more scriptures about Wisdom. Paul said –

Ephesians 5:15-18, NIV – Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. [The world’s ways don’t lead to wisdom. Medicating ourselves with stimulants and depressants may make us feel better, but they won’t make us wiser] Instead, be filled with the Spirit,..

Filled – plēroō – to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full; to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally; to complete; to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim.

“Be filled” with the Spirit is a passive command. We don’t fill ourselves. God fills us. How do we receive this infilling of the Spirit of God?

Ephesians 5:19-20 – …speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we speak the word of God, hymns and songs from the Spirit, and make music in our hearts, something supernatural happens, the Holy Spirit fills us. And when that happens, we will not be unwise. We will understand what the will of God is.

Thanksgiving

Verse 20 – 

Ephesians 5:20 – always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving is a normal response to receiving God’s grace. Sometimes we can see His grace with our natural eyes – we can make a list of all the things that God has given us and express our gratefulness to Him. 

But sometimes we can’t see His grace with our natural eyes. We have to see it in our understanding – the Greek word is “dianoia.” And we can receive His grace by promise and experience gratefulness even before it happens.

Ephesians 1:17 – …[God] may give to you the spirit of WISDOM and REVELATION in the knowledge of Him [Jesus], [and how does the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation work in us?] 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened…

The eyes of your understanding [dianoia] are being enlightened like a photo – a picture. When the Spirit of wisdom comes, our spiritual eyes open to see into spiritual things! It’s like the shutter of a lens opening and light comes in!

When the Spirit of wisdom and revelation comes, and you get understanding, wisdom from God, a word, a picture, a vision…an understanding of scripture that you never understood before.

You can see a bright future. You can see your body healed. You can see the provision. You can see that lost loved one coming home to Jesus.

By definition, a promise is something that will happen in the future.  It hasn’t happened yet, but it will! It’s something to look forward to and eagerly expect!

Of course, the heavenly perspective tells us that it is already done in heaven. So we rest in the finished work. Everything we have ever needed or will ever need has already been purchased through the blood of Jesus. Our faith is simply to receive what He has already provided through His grace.

Paul said –

2 Corinthians 4:15, NASB – For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

What causes the giving of thanks to abound? Grace spreading to more and more people. So grace comes first, then thanksgiving. What is “grace” when things aren’t yet as they should be in our lives?

“Grace” for something we can’t see yet is promise. It’s the assurance that God is true to His word. It’s the joyful confident expectation of good in our future because we know our Jesus.

Sometimes the most powerful thanksgiving is the kind we have when God gives us a glimpse of what He has planned.  

Mark 11:22-24 – “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

This is where I always hear Jesus say in my heart , “I will do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine.”

Proverbs 3

Back to Wisdom: If you read through Proverbs 2, 3, 4, and 8 and other places as well, you will see Wisdom personified. We know that 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Jesus has become our Wisdom, so we can insert His name where we see the word Wisdom in the Proverbs. 

Heavenly Wisdom is not an instruction manual. Heavenly Wisdom is a Person who literally gives us everything. Wisdom is a Living Spirit. Wisdom speaks, and we can hear Him. And He can hear us. Wisdom is a heart issue, not a brain issue.

Proverbs 3:13-18 – Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; 14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

When wisdom is personified as female, subjective truth is being relayed. Subjective truth is application, experiential knowledge. Subjectivity has to do with feelings and experience. Synonyms would be personal; personalized, individual, intuitive

Jesus (YHVH) is 2nd Person of the Trinity, and He is our personal relationship with God. Jesus came in the flesh to be our Brother and to experience everything we experience.

He is our High Priest who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He cried and laughed. He had sorrow and joy as a human. He became in all ways like us so that we could be as He is.

He came to reveal who God is, what He is like, and what His desires are. Romans 1:20 says we can look at creation and tell that there is a God, but our relationship with God is through Jesus. He brings the objectivity of God into our subjective experience.

Miriam-Webster defintion:

• of, relating to, or constituting a subject – Jesus is the substance of God

• of or relating to the essential being of that which has substance, qualities, 

• attributes, or relations – Jesus shows us what God is like

• characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind – Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. 

• relating to or being experience or knowledge as conditioned by personal mental characteristics or states – In the New Covenant all will know Him from the least to the greatest because God will no longer be on the outside. He dwells now on the inside. Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant.

Back to Proverbs 3 – 

Proverbs 3:16 – Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor, In her left hand riches and honor.

Wisdom has two hands. In her right hand is length of days. In the Jewish mind, the right hand is the place of righteousness, authority, favor, and prosperity. When God raised Jesus from the dead, God set Him at His right hand.

The right hand comes first. Then the left. There’s no reason to have riches and honor if you don’t live long!

Proverbs 4:7-9 – Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace.

God wants us to cherish Wisdom and embrace her. When you are in an embrace with someone, you can’t see their hands because they are behind you. Your focus the person’s hands behind your back. Your focus is the person. 

Jesus has become for us Wisdom. When you embrace Wisdom, His hands are supporting you. In other words, “length of days” [health] and “riches and honor” [wealth] are supporting you. 

There’s our health and wealth gospel! But you aren’t looking at the hands. You’re just in an embrace with Jesus. Out of that relationship will come provision, respect, health, and everything we need. 

Matthew 11:28-30 – Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

Back to Proverbs 3:

Proverbs 3:17-18 –  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, [Jesus is our Tree of Life!] And happy are all who retain her.

Wisdom leads us by the presence OR the absence of peace. All her ways are pleasantness.

Peace is the litmus test to know if we’re on the path of wisdom. And as we know from experience, Wisdom will almost never be the path of least resistance. Sometimes it’s the path of most resistance because God’s ways are not the ways of man. But there will be peace in following His voice. There’s nothing like living in that sweet spot of trust.

Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8:27-30 – [Jesus – who is Wisdom says- ] When He [God] prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29 when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside Him as a master craftsman [NLT says, “I was the architect at his side.”]; and I was daily His delight, 

The Father’s delight is in His Son. I just imagine the Father looking lovingly at His Son and delighting in Him as He masterfully designed the creation for His bride – for you and me.

Proverbs 8:30-31 – [Jesus, said, “I was] Rejoicing always before Him, [literally “always facing Him”] 31 rejoicing in His inhabited world, and My delight was with the sons of men. [So God’s delight is with His Son. His Son’s delight is with you and me.]

A few verse later in TPT, it says – 

Proverbs 8:34-35, TPT – If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say. 35 For the fountain of life pours into you every time that you find me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord.

Absolutely beautiful!

One more from Proverbs 8 – from the KJV:

Proverbs 8:12, KJV –  I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

You know, there really is no money problem. There’s only a wisdom problem. Jesus is the One who is the Master Architect of the universe. He knows where our money needs to go, what investments we need to make, whether we need to save or spend. He doesn’t want us holding back generosity out of fear. Wisdom will guide us on the path of peace.

Jesus Christ has the answer to every need and to every question. He is our wisdom. He created everything in this earth, so He knows how to take care of us.

Deuteronomy 28

Next I want to do a little contrast so that we can see what it is that Jesus has purchased for us, and why we should receive nothing less.

Romans 7:6 – [Paul said – ] But now WE HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE LAW, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Now, why would we need to be delivered from the law? Because the law demands perfect righteousness in the flesh to be acceptable, and that’s an impossible standard! 

The law cannot bend. If you make the law bend to where you can keep it, you dishonor it. For the law to be the law, it must remain in its total inflexible perfection.

For those want to mix principles of the law with grace: they are dishonoring both. they are robbing the law of its perfection, and they’re robbing grace of its beauty and purity. A mixture of grace and law robs each of its power.

We are FOR the law for the purpose that God gave it. It was to bring people to the end of themselves so they would reach out to the God of grace and mercy.

Galatians 3:13-14 – Christ has redeemed us [set us free] from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) 14 that the blessing of Abraham [righteousness of faith, not by merit] might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. [the Spirit that testifies that we are children of God and heirs of God]

Before Jesus came, under the law the sinner was liable for every sin. But after Jesus came, He became liable for every sin that has ever been committed or will ever be committed when He took our sin upon Him on the cross.

So now as we read the blessing of Deuteronomy 28, we can read it New Covenant style: 

Deuteronomy 28:1-13, New Covenant Style – Now it shall came to pass, because JESUS diligently obeyed the voice of the LORD our God and observed carefully all His commandments and the LORD our God set Him high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and you, because JESUS obeyed the voice of the LORD our God: 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, [all of your children will be blessed because of Jesus] the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. [Your occupation is blessed because of Jesus] 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. [Because of Jesus, no weapon formed against you will prevail. Every weapon formed against you will be used to destroy your enemies. Every demon and evil spirit who has deceived or tormented any of us must bow to the name of Jesus.] 8 The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set their hand, [Everything you touch will be blessed!] and He will bless them in the land which the LORD our God is giving them. [Whatever city they are in, they are blessed. Whatever house or apartment they are in, they are blessed. Wherever they put their foot, they will take for the kingdom of God] 9 The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to us because JESUS kept the commandments of the LORD our God and walked in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. [The enemy will be afraid of you because you are bold in Jesus! You will not cower to lies and intimidation because you know who Jesus is and your know who you are in Him! You will stand up for Truth and for Righteousness. And for Jesus] 11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. [Through Jesus Christ, the Abrahamic Covenant was never annulled! Livestock silver and gold. Every family of the earth is blessed because of Jesus!] 12 The LORD has opened up to them His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. [Jesus opened up the windows of heaven for us in the Great Exchange. He became sin so that our children could be the righteousness of God in Jesus] You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. [Through Jesus, God’s plan is that we will be in such a solid place financially that we will not have to borrow. We will be free to be generous.] 13 And the LORD makes you the head and not the tail; you are above only, and not be beneath because JESUS heeded the commandments of the LORD our God, and carefully observed them. Amen!

Now I want to belabor this a little bit more to show the contrast between the blessing and the curse of the law that is laid out in the last 2/3 of Deuteronomy 28.  Here’s a taste:

Deuteronomy 28:15-19 – “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and Cursed shall you be in the country. 17 Cursed shall you be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and Cursed shall you be when you go out.”

Why? Because of falling short of God’s perfect standard of righteousness. Read Deuteronomy 28, verses 15-68, and you’ll see that breadth and detail of the curse of the law.

Stroke by stroke the full force of the entire curse of the law fell on Jesus. 

That’s why we are redeemed from the curse and should never receive any of the affects of it.

Blessing vs Curse

Let’s look at Galatians 3:13-14 again:

Galatians 3:13-14 –  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon [us] the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The word “redeemed” [exagorazō] means that Christ has paid the ransom fee (His blood) to release you from the curse of the law. 

“Curse” is the Greek word “katara” which means to “speak down to in anger in order to bring condemnation and destruction.”

You are redeemed from the law that declared every one of us unrighteous and unworthy before God and deserving of punishment.

verse 14 again – …[we’ve been redeemed so-] that the blessing of Abraham might come upon [you!] the Gentiles in Christ Jesus…

“Blessing” is the Greek word “eulogia” – it’s the opposite of cursing – and it means to “to praise, speak well of.”

God speaks well of us because of blood of His Son has cleansed us from all unrighteousness!

So I want to touch on 3 areas of the curse that we should not be embracing! We should be embracing Jesus who took these curses to the grave!

Curse of sickness

First, the curse of sickness:

Deuteronomy 28:59, 61 – …serious and prolonged sicknesses. … every sickness and every plague.

Let’s look at the New Testament account of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law and listen to His words – directly taken from Isaiah 53, a prophecy of the New Covenant:

Matthew 8:14-17, NASB – Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He [Jesus] touched her hand, [everything His hands touch is blessed!]  and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. 16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: [from Isaiah 53:5] “HE HIMSELF TOOK [lambano – which means to actively seize and take hold of and in this instance means “to take in order to carry away”] OUR INFIRMITIES [astheneia – weakness and frailty; sickness or feebleness of health] AND CARRIED AWAY [to take away or remove by curing them] OUR DISEASES.” [sickness]

Here is Jesus healing people to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 53, the passage describing what would happen when He would go the cross. Healing is in the atonement!

Isaiah 53:4-5, AMPC – Surely He[Jesus] has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him[Jesus] stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. 5 But He[Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions, He[Jesus] was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him[Jesus], and with the stripes [that wounded] Him[Jesus] we are healed and made whole.…

Curses of poverty

Now to the curse of poverty:

Deuteronomy 28:38 – You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it. 39 You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off.

But Jesus exchanged His immeasurable riches for our poverty at the cross:

2 Corinthians 8:9 – For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. [that’s talking about finances right there if you look at it in context]

Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of poverty. It has always been His desire for us to be prosperous and be able to leave an inheritance for our children. 

Proverbs 13:22, NASB – A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Psalm 112:2-3, NASB – His descendants [of the righteous] will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.

Proverbs 21:5, TLB – Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13, NASB – Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

Locusts

Before I get to the curses/ blessings on family, I want to pause and mention restoration – of everything – of time, of money, of reputation, of health, of anything lost or stolen, of emotions, of our relationships.

In Joel 1, the prophet describes a scorched earth – see if this describes any part of your life:

Joel 1:4 – What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.

This describes utter devastation and calamity over years. One commentator wrote: 

“What had escaped the ravages of one swarm, had been speedily devoured by a succeeding one, till the crops were completely ruined, and every chance both of harvest and vintage had been utterly destroyed.”

But there was good news on the horizon. In Joel 2 – a wonderful prophetic passage about the coming New Covenant – God said –

Joel 2:24, 28-29 – “So I will restore [shalam – to be at peace, to make peace with, to cause to be at peace, to live in peace, to be complete, be sound, be finished, be ended, be uninjured, to make safe, to make whole or good, restore, make compensation, to make good, pay, recompense, reward, to be repaid, be requited, to complete, perform, to make an end of] to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust,…“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

By the Spirit we are joined to the Lord. We become heavenly citizens whose children are blessed as well. It is God’s will to pour out His Spirit on our children! 

By the Spirit, God will transcend time for us. He can go into our past and heal the hurt that is the root of our fears today. He can go into the future and preserve good things for you. 

How? By His Spirit!! He will transcend time and space and manifest in the present time to restore what has been lost or stolen.

God is able to REturn, REgenerate, REstore, REnew, REfresh, REconcile, REscue, REvive, REpair, REbuild, RE-create, and REward

Romans 8:32, TPT – For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give.

In God’s economy there is no such thing as lost time. Time can be redeemed – 

Ephesians 5:15-17 – See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Colossians 4:5-6 – Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Redeeming – the same word used in Galatians 3:13 –  “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.”

The Greek word is exagorazō – payment to recover. What is the payment to recover the time that has been lost or stolen? Wisdom. Who is our Wisdom? Jesus. 

He purchased back everything we deserved from falling short of the glory of God. He purchased it back with His very own life. Now we are co-heirs of everything He is worthy of. There is nothing we can bring before the throne of grace in and of ourselves. It’s all Jesus.

Family curses

Now to curses on the family:

Deuteronomy 28:30 – You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her.

Jesus knows the pain of a family falling apart. He knows the excruciating pain of divorce and betrayal because He took that pain and sorrow in His body on the tree and carried it so that you would not have to.

He will give you beauty for ashes. He will restore all that has been stolen because you have been redeemed from any marriage and family curses!

Deuteronomy 28:32, 41 – [under the law, the curse said -] Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand… 41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; [in other words, they will have a misplaced identity] for they shall go into captivity.

On the cross Jesus experienced:

• The pain of longing for lost children day and night 
• The paralyzing fear, lack of strength, desperation, and terror of parents whose children have been taken captive by another people and another culture and another identity
• He experienced the entire curse upon wayward children and their parents so that every member of our families might be saved and blessed.

Deuteronomy 28:4 – Blessed shall be the fruit of your body [because of Jesus!]

Promises for the family

Whether you are a parent or a grandparent, everything you desire for yourself, you desire for your children. God made it that way because that’s the way He feels about us. We are a chip off the old block. Every promise for the generations to come is already a promise for us.

Everything that we receive for ourselves, we are receiving for the generations of our family. This isn’t just about us.. This is about everybody that comes from us. A posterity. the whole rugged individualism of our present world is not God’s idea of family. To Him family is an identity that passes for generations. 

The promise to Abraham:

Genesis 12:3 – in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The apostle Paul wrote – 

Ephesians 3:14-15, NIV – I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

Our un-changing Father desires for MY family and for YOUR family the same thing He desires for HIS family! If we were to take a bird’s eye view of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, what would you see about God’s heart for family – ours and His? What is His design? What are His plans? What is His will?

Jeremiah 29:11, NIV – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

Acts 16:31, NLT – “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”

It is God’s will for every member of our families to be saved. We can pray for that and He will grant that request!

Psalm 37:25-26, NIV – I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

Isaiah 65:23-24, NASB – “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them. 24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”

And you know that if He hears us, whatever we ask, we wil l have the requests we have made of Him.

Psalm 127:3-5, NASB – Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

This passage says that children are a gift and a reward from the Lord. Wherever our children are, whatever they are doing, whomever they are with, they are still our children, and no one else’s. God gave them to us.

This passage also says that our children are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. Do you know what that means? They are like weapons against the enemy.

The children of our youth, whom we provide for and protect, will one day rise to protect and provide for us! They will have influence and honor and will stand WITH us and FOR us when the enemy attacks.

Psalm 22:9-10, 30-31, NLT – Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. 10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.…30 Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. 31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.

Isaiah 59:21, TLB – “As for me, this is my promise to them,” says the Lord: “My Holy Spirit shall not leave them, and they shall want the good and hate the wrong—they and their children and their children’s children forever.”

Proverbs 17:6, NLT – Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.

Did you hear that? It’s God’s heart that children are proud of their parents, not ashamed of them and not rebellious against them. It’s God’s heart that grandchildren bring dignity and honor to their grandparents, like a crown of glory placed on their heads. 

God’s desire for all the moms is for – 

Proverbs 31:28 – Her children rise up and call her blessed.

Psalm 102:27-28, NLT – But you [God] are always the same; you will live forever. 28 The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.

Isaiah 44:3-4, TLB – “For I will give you abundant water for your thirst and for your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children. 4 They shall thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.”

Acts 2:38-39 – “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children…”

• God’s heart is for our families to thrive in His presence and live in security.
• His desire is that our children be blessed and be a blessing. 
• His design is for parents to enjoy their children, for grandchildren to be the ultimate delight of their grandparents, and for children to be proud their parents and love their family.
• God’s will is for every generation to know Him.
• God’s plan is to pour out His Spirit on our families. 

Do any of these scriptures that describe God’s will for family not line up with what you are experiencing? Well, let’s pray God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven for our families.

A few more scriptures:

It is God’s will for sons and daughters to listen to their fathers instruction and their mother’s teaching. We can pray for that!

Proverbs 23:22, NIV – Listen to your father, who gave you life…

Proverbs 1:8-10 – Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck.

Proverbs 22:6, AMPC – Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Not everyone did that. Are they doomed? Of course not! God will redeem the time and restore the years!

Isaiah 54:13-14 – All your children shall be taught by the Lord, And great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you. 

If our children are grown, they will be taught by the Lord. We may not be able to see them or touch them, but God’s arm is not too short to reach them! 

Before our children were even a figment of our imagination, they were in the heart and mind of God:

Isaiah 46:3-4, 9-10, NLT – “I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. 4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.… 9 Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. 10 Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”

In John 16:13, Jesus said that the holy Spirit woful tell us things to come! 

Isaiah 49:1, 15-16, NLT – The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name…. 15 Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! 16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands….

Galatians 1:15-16 – [Paul] But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me…

Jeremiah 1:5, NLT — “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart…”

Our children were planned by God! Before they were ours, they were His!

The lost are coming home!

If your child or grandchild has wandered off from you and from the faith, there are promises for the children of the righteous! 

Malachi 4:6, NASB – He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers

Luke 1:17, NIV – And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, [In truth with no compromise] to turn the hearts [epistrephō – transitively: to cause to return, to bring back] of the parents to their children and the disobedient [apeithēs – impersuasible, not compliant, contumacious] to the wisdom [phronēsis – knowledge and holy love of the will of God] of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

If your child is lost or deceived or you know someone who is praying for their child, I’ve made prodigal scripture cards for parents personalized with their son or daughter’s name – Here are a few of the cards with Psalm 139 on them: 

The Lord knows everything about My Beloved (the child’s name would go here). He even knows My Beloved’s thoughts from afar. He knows when My Beloved sits down and when he stands up. He knows when My Beloved comes and goes because He’s familiar with all of My Beloved’s ways. He knows what My Beloved is going to say before he even says it. If the Lord knows all of this, He knows how to care for My Beloved. The Lord goes before My Beloved and follows after him. The Lord’s hand is upon him. Where can My Beloved go from God’s Spirit? Where can My Beloved flee from God’s presence? If he goes to the heavens, God is there. If he makes his bed in the depths, God is there. If he rises on the wings of the dawn or travels to the far side of the sea, even there God’s hand will guide him, and His right hand will hold him fast.  Lord, You created My Beloved’s inmost being. You knit him together while he was in the womb. He is fearfully and wonderfully made. All of the days of his life were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious are Your thoughts toward My Beloved. How vast the sum of them! If we were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore. You even know the number of hairs on My Beloved’s head! I will not fear because My Beloved is in Your hands. (from Psalm 139:1-4; 6-10; 13-18; Luke 12:7)

Proverbs 11:21, TLB – you can also be very sure God will rescue the children of the godly.

Isaiah 43:5-6, NIV – Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth

Remember the prodigal –  he went away to a “distant land.” But he came home!

Isaiah 49:24-25, TLB – Who can snatch the prey from the hands of a mighty man? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives go? 25 But the Lord says, “Even the captives of the most mighty and most terrible shall all be freed; for I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.”

Isaiah 29:22-24, the Message – God’s Message for the family of Jacob, the same God who redeemed Abraham: “No longer will Jacob hang his head in shame, no longer grow gaunt and pale with waiting. For he’s going to see his children, my personal gift to him—lots of children. And these children will honor me by living holy lives. In holy worship they’ll honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in holy awe of the God of Israel. Those who got off-track will get back on-track, and complainers and whiners will learn gratitude.”

This is God’s will for our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren!

Isaiah 60:4-5, NLT – “Look and see, [Are we watching? Are we eagerly expecting??] for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. 5 Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy…”

Jeremiah 31:16-17, NLT – But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord. “Your children will come again to their own land.”

Can you see that over and over God says He will bring the sons and daughters home? That’s because it’s His will!

Psalm 126:5-6 – Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He who continually goes forth weeping, searing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again [bô’ bô’ – DOUBLE bô’- come. COME COME!!!] with rejoicing [rinnâ – ringing cry], bringing his sheaves with him. 

Psalm 30:5 – Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

When you are praying, you are sowing seed. It’s much easier to eat seed than to sow it. Sowing seed is labor. And the seed must be watered for it to germinate and grow. Our tears water the seeds of God’s promises in our hearts. 

Ezekiel 34:12-13, 16, NLT – I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back home… 16  I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak.

Luke 15:4-5, 20 – “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’… 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck [epipipto] and kissed him.”

This word is for so many families!!

Romans 4 assignment 

One more passage – this one is going to involve an assignment for you.

Romans 4:3-5, 17-22 – For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness… 17 (as it is written, [speaking of the promise] “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, [in other words, it was an impossible situation – no hope] so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

I am going through an exercise myself of taking this passage and writing it with my own name in it and the promises that God has given me. I will give you an example of how I recently prayed for one of my children based on the specific words that God has given me. 

When our son Neil was four years old, he was eating lunch at the big table in our family room. He had on a Webster Christian School t-shirt. I remember it like it was yesterday. Neil was such a cute kid with curly red hair. And he was brilliant – he could read at age 3, and he talked like a grown up from early childhood. In so many ways, he was extraordinary – he still is! When he was a young child, we would marvel at his genius, his curiosity, his creativity, his talents, and his accomplishments. 

On that day, when he was four, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me very strongly with a word for Neil. I walked over to him and laid my hands on him and began to pray what I was hearing. “Tricia, you are in the presence of a very important and influential man. Neil is going help alot of people. Neil will be revered and honored.” 

Over the years there were other times that very strong and specific words came for Neil. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the enemy has tried on multiple occasions to kill, steal, and destroy Neil’s life.

He almost drowned once; he fell through a floor; he has totaled two cars, he’s been extremely sick, and has been attacked in so many other ways. But I always remember the promises of God for him and stand on them.

Not only have I seen Neil’s destiny in my heart, but God has also given me glimpses of his relationship with Jesus. God has told me that for the calling on his life, he will be on his knees alot, and become quite a worshiper. 

So recently I took Romans 4 and put my name in the place of Abraham’s name – the father of our faith; and where it gives the promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations, I wrote in the promises that God has given me for Neil:

Romans 4:3-5, 17-22 – For what does the Scripture say? “Tricia believed God, and it was accounted to her for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to Tricia who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, her faith is accounted for righteousness… 17 as it is written on Tricia’s heart, 

“I have made you a mother of a very important influential man who will help alot of people 

A man of great faith with eyes to see who God is and what God does

A man who loves to worship, jumping up and down with his eyes closed and his face turned towards heaven, hands raised, praising God

A man who believes in Jesus with all his heart and is filled with laughter and singing and inexpressible joy because he is experiencing the glory of God – the goodness of God which goes way beyond anything he could have imagined.

A man who is on his knees worshipping in humility and submission.

A man with the hand of Jesus on his shoulder anointing him, a hand of comfort, love, release of calling, sending, strength, protection

A man who wears the robe of righteousness, the new man, and is daily renewed in the knowledge of Jesus.

A man whose heart is ruled by peace and overflowing with thanksgiving.

A man who is flooded with God’s grace and love, and filled with the Spirit of God from head to toe.

A man who will be a leader of the coming revival of his generation.

Romans 4, cont – in the presence of Him whom Tricia believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope she believed, so that she became the mother of this wonderful man, named Neil Gunn, according to what was spoken, “So shall Neil be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, Tricia did not consider her own weaknesses and faults or the weakness and faults of her husband. 20 She did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, [always having a good opinion of God] 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to her for righteousness.”

Your assignment is to allow yourself to ask and imagine and receive the promises of God for yourself and your family. Write your name in Romans 4 and list all of the things you-know-that-you-know-that-you-know are promises of God for you. 

1 John 5:14-15 – Now this is the confidence [parresia] that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

---

Love this message? Check out these products by Tricia Gunn!