Having a Word Based Expectation for Your Life: 11 Blessings in Your Covenant with God
Pastor Jonathan Shuttlesworth
The bible contains 11 promises that are part of your covenant with God. Many Christians are clueless to what belongs to them as believers. When you become born again, you enter into a covenant with God that comes with rights and privileges. If God promised it, you should expect it in the same way you expect the sun to set in the west and rise in the east.
The Word says in Proverbs 23:18,
‘the expectation of the righteous shall not be cut off.’
But how do you know what to expect?
You have to know what the bible says belongs to you. God’s word not only tells you what to expect, it provides you with the knowledge and power to create change. When God’s word is released it creates what is spoken.
How? Through FAITH.
If you don’t know what the word of God says belongs to you, how can you have faith for it? Hebrews 11:1 says,
‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’
You can’t have confidence and assurance about what you don’t know exists. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
If you’re reading this right now, you’re seeking the Lord.
When you wake up on Sunday morning and spend the first day of your week in God’s house, you’re seeking the Lord.
When you seek the Lord, it separates you from the world. There are things that belong to you that don’t belong to everyone in the world.
God knows that humans are motivated by rewards. That’s why everything God asks you to do has a reward attached to it. In Romans 4, we see the reward Abraham received for his faith,
‘Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring - not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed-the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old-and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. ‘
Abraham believed what God spoke to him and refused to let physical circumstances deter him from his belief in God’s word. That’s what faith does. Faith believes what God says and refuses to consider any outside circumstances that contradict the Word of God. Use your faith today to grab hold of the 11 blessings that rightfully belong to you.
Promise #1: Power over sin and power over the devil
First and foremost, what you speak matters. Don’t let religious cliches cause you to speak against your blessing.
‘How many know we’re all sinners?’
No.
‘We all sin every day, but thank God for grace.’
NO.
You are not a sinner. We do not all sin every day. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the bible says you are dead to sin. You are no longer a sinner.
‘What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We are therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.’
Romans 6:1-4
‘…Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’
John 8:11
Sin does not have dominion over you. God gave you the power to live a holy life. You can see God’s expectation for the believer in the old testament and the new testament. It doesn’t change.
‘…You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’
Leviticus 19:2
‘Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.’
Matthew 5:48
If you’re feeling like these commands given by God are a bit lofty, you may need clarification on the difference between sin and temptation. Being tempted is not a sin. Yielding to temptation is a sin. Temptation is inevitable. Jesus was tempted and He never sinned. He was perfect. God gave you the power to resist temptation.
What you say matters. Start saying what God said. You can never be wrong when you quote God. Don’t say you’re a sinner.
Say this instead: I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)
When you speak correctly, your attitude changes. Don’t allow yourself to think God is grumpy or ticked off with you. God loves you. He looks down at you with love from heaven.
Say this: Thank you Lord, that I please you.
Recalibrate your expectations to align with God’s expectations. Expect to live a righteous life because it belongs to you. Don’t make allowances for sin. Have an expectation to live a holy life.
Promise #2: Supernatural Intelligence
The bible tells us that we have the mind of Christ.
For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?
But we have the mind
of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16
If you read through all four gospels, you will never find any place where Jesus didn’t have an answer for a question He was asked.
When He finished preaching to 5,000 people and it was time for them to eat, He knew exactly what to do and how to feed them. Jesus wasn’t unsure and He did not hesitate.
At 12 years old, Jesus was in the temple astounding the rabbi with what He knew.
When religious leaders sent top legal experts of the day to trap Jesus with questions, He didn’t just answer their questions. He responded in such a way that brought shame to His enemies. They may have thought they were asking something smart, but by the time Jesus finished answering, they were embarrassed for asking such stupid questions.
The Bible says when you get saved the mind of Christ is in you. Whether you own a business or work for one, God will give you supernatural intelligence in the area that pertains to you and your family.
All you need is intelligence in the area God called you to. Shift your focus from what you’re not good at and focus on what God’s gifted you to do. You are created in His image and His greatness is on the inside of you.
Learn to trust the mind of Christ in you. Learn to be led by the spirit. Walk in the mind of Christ, and reject carnal wisdom.
Promise #3 - Joy
Joy is your portion as a believer, not sorrow.
‘Many sorrows belong to the wicked, but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall comfort him roundabout.’
Psalm 32:10
Say this: I am not wicked, so I refuse to be in sorrow.
‘You make known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. In thy presence is fullness of joy. ‘
Psalm 16:11
‘Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Nehemiah 8:10
Isn’t it interesting that chemical imbalance - the believed basis for depression and subsequent prescribed medication has been found to be a fallacy? The United States uses more antidepressants than the rest of the world combined, based on a unfounded theory. Regardless of the root cause, as a child of God, depression will never come upon you in the name of Jesus.
People go through things. It’s healthy to grieve, but when you finish, you will receive joy from the Lord and that joy will strengthen you.
Make up your mind today to never give the devil the satisfaction to see you down and sorrowful. If Satan can take your joy he takes your access to God. If he takes your joy, he takes your strength.
Say this: I have joy unspeakable and full of glory!
Jesus didn’t come so that you could endure life, He came so that you could ENJOY life.
Promise #4 - Healing
Healing is the children’s bread and it is a daily blessing. The word says,
‘No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.’
Psalm 91: 10
God’s word doesn’t just say He’ll heal you, it says you won’t need healing because it won’t come near your home in the first place!
‘He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver
him and honor him.’
Psalm 91:15
God will be with you in trouble. God actually likes trouble. He desires for you to come to Him whenever you find yourself in trouble. Your covenant with God carries power to rescue you from ANY situation.
In Exodus 15, Moses and the Israelites went without water for 3 days. As they came to Marah, they finally found water, but it wasn’t good to drink. When the Israelites complained to Moses, he took it to God and the Lord instructed Moses to put the wood from a specific tree into the water and it made it good to drink. Then the Lord said,
‘If you diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God and will do what is right in His sight, and will listen to and obey His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.’
Exodus 15:26
Take this literally. Egypt is a type of the world. God promised you that none of the diseases that come on the world will come near you. Rejoice and expect to be healed and in good health all the days of your life!
Again, in Exodus 23, God ensured the healing of His people.
‘So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.’
Exodus 23:25
When you make a decision to serve God, He will take every sickness and disease out of your midst. The same way He cleared the water in Marah, He will remove sickness from your life. You are the healed of God.
From this day forward, the only time you step foot in a hospital is to pray someone out, in Jesus name!
Promise #5 - Strength in Old Age
Strength and vitality in old age is not the same as healing and it’s not the same as long life. Many people are alive and healed, but they’re not strong. The bible says that you will remain vital even in old age.
‘But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.’
Psalm 92:12-14
You will flourish and bear fruit in old age, if that’s what you expect.
‘For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.’
Proverbs 23:18
Whatever you expect, you’ll experience. If you allow the world’s norms to dictate how you see yourself, you’ll get the world’s results. If you visualize yourself weaker at sixty, or seventy, or eighty, that’s what you’ll experience.
Remove every temptation to think of old age the way the world thinks of old age. Toss your AARP magazines in the trash. Mute the prescription drug commercials. You don’t need what they’re selling. You will be strong in old age. Refuse to familiarize yourself with what people your age are suffering from. You have zero use for that information. You have the ability to grow stronger with age.
There’s many examples of strength in old age throughout the bible.
Sarah couldn’t have a child at 25, but she gave birth at ninety AND nursed her child. Imagine how absolutely hysterical it would be to see a ninety year old woman nursing an infant in today’s world. It would be funny now and it was funny then. The bible says, ‘Sarah said, God has made me to laugh; and all who hear will laugh with me.’
At 85 years old, Caleb was able to travel and fight.
‘And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years since the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and now, Behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. Yet I am as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so is my strength now for war and to go out and come in.’
Joshua 14:10-11
The bible should shape your identity. If you base your identity on who the bible says you are, you’ll produce what God says you’ll produce. You don’t have to concede a single bodily function for as long as you live on earth. You are not a money making asset for the FDA or any pharmaceutical company.
Say this: I am (will be) strong and vital even in old age.
Promise #6: - Long life
God promised you a long life. There are several ways humans find themselves out of time on this earth and God ensured you protection from them all in His word. Read Psalm 91 in its entirety and see if you can come up with a single scheme of the devil that can break through God’s promise to protect you. You won't. Here’s an excerpt of your protections as a child of God. I encourage you to read Psalm 91 in its entirety, daily.
‘a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you…
There shall no evil befall you, not any plague or calamity come near your tent…
For He will give His angels charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways…
He shall call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.’
Say this: Long life belongs to me.
All of your covenant forefathers lived to be over one hundred years old. They were all under the old covenant. How much more will God protect you and give you a long life? You have a better covenant through the blood of Jesus. Expect God to give you what He said belongs to you.
Promise #7: Material wealth and prosperity
God’s children attract blessings wherever they go. It’s in His word, therefore He has to do it. What doesn’t work for other people will work for you because you are in covenant with the almighty God.
God promised you property.
‘…And He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.’
Deuteronomy 28:8
The Lord promised you prosperity.
‘And the Lord shall make you have a surplus of prosperity, through the fruit of your
body, of your livestock, and of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore your fathers
to give you.’
Deuteronomy 28:11
Some people have a problem with the preaching of prosperity, but it’s in the bible. Rip the page out if you don’t like it, but God’s word remains.
‘The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.’
Deuteronomy 28:12
The Lord guarantees a blessing on everything you do. Not only that, you will lend to many, but you will not borrow. Debt is not biblical for the believer. You are to be the head and not the tail because it’s your covenant right to lend and not borrow.
Manifestation of these promises requires faith. Faith is not simply agreeing with the bible. You have to speak it! The bible says both at home and on the road. When you speak the word of God it manifests.
In these last days, the church will run circles around the world. The blessing is on you because you are a living stone in God’s house.
Promise #8: Favor
Favor can manifest in many ways and in any circumstance you face. Joseph is a prime example of God’s favor. When they threw him in prison, he became head prisoner. When he became a slave, he was the leader of all the slaves.
‘For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor you will surround him as with a
shield.’
Psalm 5:12
You can’t stay low when you’re blessed, you’ll always rise to the top. When you’re cursed you magnetize trouble. When you’re blessed, you magnetize the good things of God to your life. When you fully obey and believe the word of God, favor is the outcome.
‘If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.’
Isaiah 1:19
Favor will find you whether it makes sense or not. Regardless of your identity or the biases of others, God will send favor your way. People who don’t like you because of your race, religion, gender, etc.will choose you over others despite your identity.
Favor will find you whether it makes sense or not. Regardless of your identity or the biases of others, God will send favor your way. People who don’t like you because of your race, religion, gender, etc.will choose you over others despite your identity.
FAVOR. It belongs to you.
Promise #9: Answered Prayer
It is your right and expectation as a believer to have your prayers answered by God. There’s so many absolutely ridiculous religious sayings about why people don’t get their prayers answered.
‘Sometimes God says yes, but sometimes He says no.’
That’s not scriptural. Test every quote, opinion, or saying against the word of God.
‘…Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. ‘
Mark 11:22-24
I don’t know how anyone can read that and think, ‘Sometimes God says no.’ God is unchanging. If you didn’t get what you asked for from God, the problem isn’t God. That leaves you.
Notice the word 'say' outnumbers the word ‘believe’ in this scripture. Quite often the problem isn’t believing, it’s getting the right things to come out of your mouth.
‘When they call on me, I will answer them.’
You get what you ask for.
‘You have not because you ask not.’
Part of your covenant with God is the privilege to go straight to God and make your requests known. You don’t have to wait for a priest to speak to God on your behalf. That was the old covenant. The veil of the temple tore when Jesus died for you. Now, you can not only come to God, but come boldly.
Say this: Thank you Father, I receive what I ask for.
It doesn’t matter what the situation looks like. Don’t focus on your opposition. Narrow in on how great your God is and how great the power of prayer is for all those who believe.
Promise #10: Generational Blessing
God promised that your children would be mighty upon the earth.
Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His
commandments. His descendants will be mighty upon the earth; The generation
of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his
righteousness endures forever.’
Psalms 112:1-3
You create a future for your children when you make a decision to serve the Lord. You establish a generational blessing. Your children will live a totally different life than their peers because they’re blessed.
It doesn’t matter what the school board decides to do, it’s too late for man to alter their blessing. Your children’s blessing has already been established and what God has blessed no man can curse!
Promise #11: Success
What God said to Joshua is a powerful message to all believers. God is no respecter of persons. What He says to one, He says to all.
‘No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses
so shall I be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good
courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore
To their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe
to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from
It to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that You may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make Your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded You? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’
Joshua 1:3-9
God clearly knew we would face opposition. He instructs us to be strong and courageous three times in one chapter. Covid gave the body of Christ the opportunity to be strong and courageous and very few churches rose to the occasion. Only a handful of churches remained open. You have to stand against all attacks of the devil. Stand regardless of your feelings, regardless of circumstances and God will back you. Don’t allow the devil to dictate the terms of the fight.
Being Christ-like means walking in boldness. Jesus was bold. He hit people with whips and overturned tables in the temple. You are to walk in that same boldness. Overthrow all powers of darkness that seek to move in. You are a wrecking ball to the kingdom of hell.
‘Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses…’
God said, “Wherever the sole of your foot shall tread, that land belongs to you.” That means wherever you go, when you take a step you become the dominant principality in that place. Opposition be damned. You have Christ on the inside of you and you’re more than a conqueror through Him that loves you.
God said when you meditate on the word day and night and not let it depart from your mouth, that you would be prosperous wherever you go. Your confession will make you prosperous. When you speak the word of God, He will begin to work according to what you say. He’ll give you divine ideas.
Say this: Thank you God that You’re with me wherever I go. Thank you, that You said You’d be with me in trouble. Thank you, that you’ll never leave me or forsake me and you cannot fail.
There’s not a single situation that you will ever face that you cannot overcome based on the promises God made to His people. The catch: you have to actually be one of God’s people for these promises to apply to you. That only comes by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus died on the cross for you. If you’ve never publicly declared Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, nothing you’ve just read applies to you. The good news is, it can and it will the second you step out in faith and declare it.
I want to personally invite you to Revival Today Church. I want to be your pastor and minister to you. I want to meet you at the altar and lead you to the Lord. It’s the best decision you’ll ever make. If you are nowhere near the Pittsburgh area and you’re not quite ready to move here yet, I want you to tune in and subscribe to our broadcast or download the Revival Today App where we broadcast 24 hours a day. I’ll see you there.
