Over the years, ministers have rightly identified ways to position believers to receive the promises of God. There’s developing our faith by hearing the word of God. There’s finding the promise in God’s word and meditating on those scriptures. There’s using the power in our words to bring the promise to pass. There’s sowing a seed to reap a promised harvest. There’s fasting to get clarity to hear from God. The list continues.

If we’re not mindful, Satan can use these things to make us feel like we’re not doing enough to receive God’s promises. He’ll tell us we’re not fasting enough, we’re not giving enough, we’re not serving in the church enough, or we don’t have enough faith. This trick to make us think we’re not doing enough can lead to doubt. When we doubt, we can’t expect to receive anything from God (James 1:6-7).

Ultimately, Satan is using good principles to try to get us to earn a blessing through works, instead of receiving by faith what grace has made available through Jesus Christ.

Jesus has already made every promise of God available to every believer (2 Cor. 1:20). Instead of trying to do all these different things to earn a blessing, our initial response should be to rest (Heb. 4:11). In this context, resting is believing God has made every promise available to us. Resting is labor intensive because you feel like you should be doing something to bring that desire to pass. But, God’s word instructs us to rest.

All these principles are beneficial, but don’t apply them to earn a blessing. Apply them as the Spirit leads you, but always be at rest knowing God has already made these promises available through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 4:11 KJV Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.