POWER-PACKED PROMISES

The Bible is full of promises that God has made—promises laden with spiritual power that He wants us to apply practically. Some of His promises are universal, like: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Others were originally made to certain individuals or groups, like “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14)—a promise that Jesus first made to His 12 disciples.

But God’s promises were not given solely for the sake of the original hearers. They are for anyone who has faith enough to believe that God will be true to His word—including you! God means exactly what He has promised, and He will fulfill His promises to the very letter if you will reach out with the hand of faith and claim them in a definite manner.

As you become more familiar with God’s Word, you will learn to recognize His promises and claim them as your own. When you do that, it shows you have faith. It’s a positive declaration of your faith and knowledge of the Word, which pleases God and sets His power in motion to answer your prayers.

POWER KEYS

As social and international problems worsen year by year, many people are losing faith in their leaders and even in God to ever bring about real and lasting solutions, and cynicism and egocentricity are becoming the norm. This is happening just as Jesus said it would in the time preceding His return: “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

A time of greater darkness needs greater light; a time of greater testing needs greater strength. God promises, “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25). As our need for spiritual power becomes greater, so God provides that power.

Jesus gave us some extraordinary promises regarding that, which we can claim specifically for the situations we face today: “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 16:19). “Whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 18:18). “According to your faith let it be to you” (Matthew 9:29).

What exactly are those “keys of the Kingdom”? A key unlocks a door; it gains us entrance to or possession of something otherwise unattainable. The keys Jesus spoke of represent the spiritual power that can be ours through faith—power that has always been available to believers who claimed the many promises in God’s Word in their times of need, but which is now even greater to meet today’s greater challenges.

Believers around the world are discovering the power of these keys.

E.N., Venezuela

Clara’s mother was in bed, immobilized by severe back pains, and she was planning to have surgery to try to correct the underlying problem. We prayed for her complete healing without her having to undergo the operation, claiming the promise Jesus gave about the keys of the Kingdom for her.

Within a week she started to be able to move more easily and without as much pain. Day by day she got so much better that she cancelled her scheduled operation.

One week after we had prayed, we happened to meet her on the street. She seemed like a completely different woman from the bedridden one we had prayed for. We walked and chatted, and she kept pace with us, not feeling a bit of pain in her back. This is the power of the keys of the Kingdom in action!

A.M., India

Some time ago, one of our friends told us about the many problems and pressures that she and her husband faced as he battled both cancer and serious heart problems. They had strong faith in God, but this was still a lot for them to cope with at one time.

When we asked if we could pray with her for her husband’s healing, she jumped at the chance. We asked Jesus for a complete healing for this man through the power He promised would be ours through the keys of the Kingdom, and we claimed some other Scripture promises as well. We also prayed specifically for him to receive that healing within the month, and we continued to pray for him daily.

About a month later his wife phoned us. She excitedly explained that she had taken her husband for a checkup, and the doctor said that there were no traces of cancer and no indications of heart problems. “I can’t explain it,” the doctor said, “but I know that I didn’t heal him!”

What a wonderful answer to prayer—not only healed, but within the month, exactly as we had asked!

D.L., Canada

My friend had been struggling for years to stop smoking. In desperation he asked God to help him, through the power of Jesus’ Matthew 16:19 “keys” promise, and he has not smoked since!

J.R., Thailand

For six years or so, I had been getting migraine headaches regularly, and each one would completely incapacitate me for about 24 hours. It got to the point that I was having these about once every 12 days. In prayer, I claimed deliverance through the promises associated with the keys of the Kingdom, and for over a year and a half now I haven’t had one migraine! I wasn’t delivered right away, but as I continued to hang on to the Lord’s promises, He did it!

J.M., Guam

A super typhoon with sustained winds of over 150 mph (240 kph) and gusts of up to 200 mph (320 kph) was bearing down on Guam, where we live. Knowing from experience that a direct hit from a storm that strong would probably mean weeks without power and water, we prayed desperately and claimed the power promised us in the verse about the keys of the Kingdom. The very next day the storm turned away from Guam. Even the gusty winds and torrential rains that usually accompany typhoons did not affect us. I was reminded of the disciples’ astonishment when Jesus calmed the Sea of Galilee after their small boat was about to sink. “What manner of man is this,” they marveled, “that even the winds and sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:26–27 KJV). 