“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Eccles. 4:9-12 KJV)

Many applications

This is another flexible promise that you can use in many applications. It will work in a family (working together as a team), in a business (partnerships), and all kinds of positive relationships (friendships). 

It especially works well in marriage relationships!

Couples who see themselves as totally committed partners (the Bible calls it “one flesh”) are empowered to accomplish amazing things together. They become stronger working together than what was ever possible going it alone! They are able to take advantage of each other’s strengths to overcome challenges and succeed.

A threefold cord

The last part of this promise says, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken”. In a marriage relationship that third cord must be God! When a couple puts God into their relationship, something wonderful happens. As they pray together to get closer to God, they get closer to each other in the process! And, another wonderful thing happens! The promise of Matthew 18:19 becomes active for them: “If two of you will agree together on anything, then God will do it”.

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“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1 KJV)

God is your personal Shepherd!

You never have to worry about anything! Ever! Not only does he take care of your “need” he also takes care of your “wants”!

There is a good reason that God compares himself to a “good shepherd”

• A good shepherd takes care of every single one of his sheep. (Is. 40:11)

• He lays down his life for his sheep (Jesus did that for you! – John 10:11)

• The sheep are led to “green pastures and still waters” where they get all their wants met in complete safety. (Rev. 7:17)

Therefore…

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

“And, my God shall supply your every need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7 ESV)

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

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“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13 KJV)

This is a wonderful and very powerful promise!

First, it says, “For Whosoever”! Wow! That means ANYONE who calls upon the Lord SHALL be saved! And, this promise is MUCH BIGGER than it looks when you define the last word in this promise “saved” in the original Greek language. That word for “saved” is “sozo” (σῴζω – sózó).

Here is the Greek translation: (you can look it up yourself in Strong’s Concordance):

• Saved from destruction,

• Healed from disease,

• Rescued from the penalty of sin, and

• Protected from danger.

Therefore!

So, what does this familiar promise say now that you know the Greek definition of the word “saved” (sozo) that is used in this promise? Let’s look.

“For whosoever shall call upon of the name of the Lord shall be saved, healed, rescued, and protected!

And, on top of this, the Greek word sozo (saved) is found 108 times in the New Testament! Now that’s something to get really excited about!

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“Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11 NASB)

I love this promise/command combination verse, that says that if we serve or speak, we should do so “as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies”.

You are God’s instrument!

Wow, this is clearly telling you to be an instrument of God! This means when you are speaking, you should expect God to speak through you; you let Him use your voice! And when you serve, you should expect God to serve through you; you allow Him to use your hands to serve!

How do you do this?

You fill your mind with God’s Words, so that they will roll off your tongue instantly, in positive and helpful ways (Out of the abundance of a man’s heart, so he speaks – Luke 6:34), and so that His Words will transform the way you behave, and will make you useful, kind, and helpful (Be transformed by the renewing of your mind – Rom. 12:2).

Here is the litmus test 

You know you are doing it correctly when it brings glory to Jesus Christ. 

Hansi, the girl who loved the swastika 

Many years ago I had the privilege of meeting Maria Anne Hirschmann (you can read her story in her book, “Hansi, the girl who loved the swastika - Tyndale House Publishers), who, as a young peasant girl, had been intrenched in Adolf Hitler’s youth brigade. She had also been held in a Russian prison camp and forced into slave labor as part of the many horrors of WWII! But, through an amazing set of circumstances, she was able to escape Nazi Germany and flee to an American prison camp. She hoped that she would be treated better by the American soldiers than she had been by the Russian soldiers. And, she was! Many of the American soldiers were Christians. At their camp she found both kindness as well as a genuine life-changing faith in Jesus Christ.

Hansi’s prayer “A nail upon the wall”

After the war concluded she traveled everywhere telling about her amazing journey from hopeless desperation to joyful redemption. Wherever she spoke, she always started every talk exactly the same way, with the same simple “Hansi’s prayer”: “Lord, make me a nail upon the wall. And upon this thing, so insignificant and small; hang a great big picture of thy wonderful, smiling, face!”

Hansi expected God to use her and speak through her, and He always did! And, according to 1 Peter 4:11, He will certainly do the same with you!

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 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  (Romans 12:1-2 KJV)

Constantly make adjustments

The problem with “living sacrifices” is they keep crawling off the altar! In other words, to be a living sacrifice you must continually work at getting back into the “living sacrifice” position, which is to constantly make adjustments to your attitude and your own way of thinking about things, by continually putting yourself back where you are allowing yourself to be used by God; By giving him “your reasonable service”, always adjusting your thinking to His thinking, and always bringing your life and will into alignment with what His Word says!

Necessary course corrections 

I remember hearing a story a few years ago describing the first astronaut’s trip to the moon. Apparently, they were just shot upwards towards the moon’s general direction, and then they had to continually make necessary course adjustments along the way to make it possible for them to finally arrive there. They said the trip was very zig-zaggy. In the same way, we must continually make necessary adjustments in our faith journey, and, we will eventually arrive where we need to be!

The great news is that it will change your life when you do!

When you take His Word, what God says about anything, then apply your faith to it, and adjust your own thinking to conform instead to His thinking, you are able to then transform your mind! Your thinking will become like His, and through your new way of thinking, you will come to realize, understand, and even prove, God’s good and perfect will for your life! This is why it’s so very important to work hard at changing the way you think! Again, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” It will transform your life!

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“This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)

In my early years, I was a nightclub performer

My nights were filled with loud music, smoke filled rooms, alcohol and much of the negatives that went along with the lifestyle. Because I got so many free drinks while playing music, I drank too much and eventually developed a chemical dependency. I became an alcoholic! My life was a mess! It was only through the grace of God that I “accidentally” discovered the answer one evening. While partying and drinking with some friends I found a small gospel pamphlet in a glove compartment while looking for matches to light a cigarette. The words in the little booklet explained how Jesus had died for our sins and it explained how to pray a simple prayer of faith to receive Jesus. And I did. And it worked!

My life was instantly and dramatically changed!

I eventually went into full time ministry, began attending Bible college, married a Christian woman, and started a family.

Several years later we were on vacation in Los Angeles and I decided to stop and visit a former nightclub friend who was still in the business. I was hoping that I might get an opportunity to share Christ with them.

They were very happy to see me and invited us to go see them perform that evening, which happened to be the very nightclub where I had last performed!

I did not want to go! But, I didn’t want to sound rude

So, instead of turning them down flat when they invited us, I turned to my beautiful wife, Susan, and said “what do you want to do, honey?”, believing sincerely that she would say “no” because she had never been inside any place that served liquor.

To my complete shock, she said, “Okay, dear, whatever you want to do.”

I was flabbergasted but tried not to show it! They insisted that we ride with them because it “made sense to take just one car”. But, it also meant that we would be stuck in a nightclub for the entire evening!

My fears were realized! 

When we arrived at the club, it was exactly how I remembered and feared it would be! Loud music, “colorful” language, smoke-filled room, dancing and booze!

I was numb and didn’t know what to do 

As the evening went by, I sat there feeling completely defeated! Everything that I had left behind was once again all around me! And, I had brought my young, innocent, wife into it! I felt terrible!

 I wanted Susan to forgive me!

About halfway through the terrible evening, I leaned over and spoke softly into Susan’s ear. I said, “Honey, can you ever forgive me for bringing you to a place like this?” And, she replied just loud enough for only me to hear what she said, “Have you forgotten who we are in Jesus?”

Gentle words made a powerful difference!

I had forgotten! But now her gentle words had reminded me of God’s promise, “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT).”

Suddenly I felt different

I felt a renewed confidence. It didn’t matter where we found ourselves to be that evening, the promise of God’s presence, and “who we are in Jesus”, was true! And as soon as I realized that truth, everything changed for me for the rest of the evening! Even though everything around us remained exactly the same, it was no longer a problem.

I felt empowered!

In fact, I was now able to share freely with people around me about my changed life, how it had happened, about Jesus, and what I was now doing in ministry among youth! The rest of the evening turned into a wonderful, unexpected, sharing opportunity! And all because I was reminded of God’s wonderful promise, “The LORD your God is with you wherever you go”.

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“If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” (Prov. 2:4-5 NKJV)

Don’t make it too difficult!

People sometimes tell me that they can’t understand the Bible so they don’t read it. I tell them that they are making it too hard. They should just read it a little at a time and then think about what they have read. It helps, too, to ask God for wisdom and understanding as they read.

My brother, David, loved to search for hidden treasure. He had a great metal detector that he used to comb parks and beaches. His metal detector could detect certain kinds of metals buried at different depths of the ground. When he found something, (the detector would beep) he would dig to get it.

Search for hidden treasure!

In a similar way, the Bible says to search the scripture like searching for hidden treasure, then “you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God” (Wow, what a huge promise!) I look for some specific things when I read the Bible such as: sins to forsake, promises to claim, examples to follow, commands to obey, and stumbling blocks or errors to avoid. When reading a passage of Scripture I don’t find all of these things in every verse I read but I always find some of these things. It’s fun and rewarding to search for them, to find them, and then to apply them personally. 

Put on your “spiritual glasses”

I use a simple Bible study method that helps me “search for hidden treasure” while reading the Bible. In each verse or passage that I read I “put on my spiritual “specs” (glasses) and I then look for these specific things.

SPECS

• S – Sins to forsake.

• P – Promises to claim

• E – Examples to follow  

• C – Commands to obey

• S – Stumbling blocks or errors to avoid.

This is how I am able to find so many exciting promises in the Bible!

Therefore…

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” (Heb. 10:23)

“so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb. 6:12)

“For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,” (Rom. 4:16)

“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39)

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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 NIV)

You cannot please Him unless you believe this!

The wonderful promise here is that God rewards you for simply believing that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. God says this is a part of faith and that you cannot please him unless you believe this. It’s amazing how many people choke on this promise because they think of themselves negatively and don’t think that they deserve to be rewarded by God.

It’s about God’s unmerited favor!

But notice that grace is never about being deserving. It’s about God’s unmerited favor towards his children. And, just think about it for a moment from the standpoint of being a parent. We love to give to our children because we love them. Not because they are deserving.

Therefore…

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” (Prov. 3:1-4 ESV)

“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17 ESV)

“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12 ESV) 

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11 ESV)

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“A merry heart does good like medicine.” (Prov. 17:22 NKJV)

It does a body good! 

A medical report I heard about recently said that depression actually suppresses the immune system and makes a person sick! So depression is a dangerous thing to allow into your life! DON’T ALLOW IT! It’s destructive! It’s satanic. It’s not from God! But, the good news is that a “merry heart is like medicine” and does a body good!

Here’s what I do!

Whenever I feel any kind of “heaviness or depressiveness” trying to attack me, I use that feeling as a trigger (a reminder) to praise God! The Bible says that “God inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalm 22:3). When you praise him, He enters into your situation and that solves the depression problem! In another place in the Bible, Is. 61:3, we’re again told to put on a “garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.” And it absolutely works to destroy the enemy’s depression attack! It’s impossible to have any kind of depression and also to have God in the same place! It’s a powerful truth and a wonderful promise that works every time!

Therefore…

 “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1 KJV).

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