2 Peter 1:4 feels almost too good to be true. So, we just read over it, sigh, and think, "I wish that were true in my life." But it is true, and it can free you from temptation and sin. Today, I want to release the power of 2 Peter 1:4 in your life.
2 Peter 1:4 says:
"And because of His glory and excellence, He, God, has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires."
I'll give you three keys that will release the power of the promise of God in your life—the promises that will enable you to share in God's nature, to think, to desire, and to be like Jesus, and to break free from the moral decay brought on by ungodly desires and sin.
Key 1: How God's Promises Give Us His Divine Nature
God's promises contain the power to change us from the inside out. Think of God's promises as seeds that God plants in our hearts when we hear His Word and when we read it.
1 Peter 1:23 says:
"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God."
This amazing scripture reveals that we're given new life through God's Word. God changes our hearts—the very depth of our beings—through His Word. God's Word contains seeds of life, precious promises whose fruit is the life of God growing in us.
Key 2: How We Access the Power of God's Promises
Hebrews 4:2 explains:
"The message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not united with faith."
Hebrews 4:2 is talking about the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years. They died in the desert, never entering the promised land because they didn't believe God's promise that they could take the land.
Faith activates God's promise. It's a lot like plugging appliances into an electrical outlet—faith is the connection point. Faith plugs us into the powerful, life-changing promises in the Word of God.
Key 3: How God's Promises Help Us Overcome Temptations and Sin
When we're born again, we're given a new nature—a godly nature. We're made to be like Him. He gives us His nature. Our default response is no longer to have ungodly thoughts, attitudes, and desires. We no longer have a sin nature.
God's promises empower us to resist sin and live in victory.
Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us what to do:
a) Throw off your old sinful nature.
b) Let the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts and your attitudes—change the way you think.
c) Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.
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