Promises that Activate Faith

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​"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) Scripture is clear that we must have faith in God in all circumstances.  Faith is the currency of heaven.  It helps us to have hope where a situation may seem hopeless.  God's promises are what empower our faith, and real faith unlocks the anointing for us to carry out our God-given assignments.
 
Let's look at Jacob's son, Joseph, who is written about in the book of Genesis.  Here is a man that was sustained by faith and successfully completed his assignment to provide for his family and speak to them about their future.  Joseph's assignment came about in a painful and unexpected way.  At the age of 17, he was having dreams that gave him clues to his future and also put him in the position of being hated by his brothers.  They hated Joseph so much that they sold him into slavery.  He landed in Egypt and prospered until the wife of the captain of the guard of Pharaoh had him unfairly thrown into prison where he remained until he was 30 years old.
 
The dreams that Joseph had may have been what sustained him all the years he was in prison.  We read that God's favor was with Joseph in every season of his life.  His release from prison came when he was able to interpret Pharaoh's dream and develop a plan to keep the people of Egypt fed while Pharaoh prospered.  During seven years of abundance, Joseph collected and stored grain so that during the seven years of famine the Egyptians would have food.  In addition, Egypt supplied grain to the surrounding nations.
 
Imagine Joseph's feelings when he saw his brothers, who sold him into slavery, come to purchase grain!  Joseph revealed himself to his family, and they all came to live in Egypt.  Though this foreign land became a haven for some time, Joseph knew that Egypt was not to be the permanent home of the children of Israel.  He remembered the promise that God gave to his ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and knew that God had a promised land for him and his descendants.  He recognized that God had ordained for him to be in Egypt during the famine so that he could save his family. (Genesis 50:20-21) His faith in the promises of God actually took him beyond his life on earth.  At the age of 110 he prepared to die.  Here is what he told his family:  "'I am about to die.  But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, 'God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.'"  (Genesis 50:24-25)
 
Unless God told him, Joseph had no way of knowing that his descendants would be in Egypt for 430 years under the cruel task master of slavery.  All he knew for sure was that God made a promise and that He kept His promises.  His faith was empowered by his belief in God's Word.  As the children of Israel were preparing to leave Egypt, they made good on their promise to Joseph.  "Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath.  He had said, 'God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.'" (Genesis 13:19)
 
We must do as Joseph did—meditate on God's promises.  As the Word says, All the promises of God are "Yes" and "Amen" in Christ Jesus.  (2 Corinthians 1:20) We must feed our faith by renewing our minds with the truth of God so that it roots in our hearts.  It is faith that brings provision from the heavenly realm.  It is time for us to march out of the bondages of Egypt into our promised lands.  If we do so by faith, we will see the fulfillment of the promises of God.