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THE PROMISES THAT ENABLE YOU TO SHARE HIS DIVINE NATURE AND ESCAPE THE WORLD'S CORRUPTION CAUSED BY HUMAN DESIRES. The first thing I want you to see is in the very first verse: 1 SIMON PETER, A SERVANT AND AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST, TO THEM THAT HAVE OBTAINED LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH WITH US THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST: Think about that. You have the same precious faith as the Apostle Peter. How could that be? The answer is found in Hebrews 12:2: 2 LOOKING UNTO JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH; WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, DESPISING THE SHAME, AND IS SET DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD. Now let's look at that verse in the NLT: 2 WE DO THIS BY KEEPING OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE CHAMPION WHO INITIATES AND PERFECTS OUR FAITH. BECAUSE OF THE JOY AWAITING HIM, HE ENDURED THE CROSS, DISREGARDING ITS SHAME. NOW HE IS SEATED IN THE PLACE OF HONOR BESIDE GOD'S THRONE. Jesus, THE CHAMPION, initiates and perfects our faith. Is this for every believer? Well, yes and no. It belongs to everyone who has made Jesus The LORD of his or her life. But it only works for those of us who keep our eyes on Him in His WORD. Back up now to verse 1: 1 WHEREFORE SEEING WE ALSO ARE COMPASSED ABOUT WITH SO GREAT A CLOUD OF WITNESSES, LET US LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT, AND THE SIN WHICH DOTH SO EASILY BESET US, AND LET US RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US. The huge crowd of witnesses is listed in Hebrews 11, joined together with all the great men and women of faith who have gone before us. I'm thinking right now of Oral Roberts and Kenneth E. Hagin. Then there's T.L. Osborn, Reinhard Bonnke and Aimee Semple McPherson. Through Jesus, all these received "like faith" with Peter, James and John, because Jesus said in Mark 11:22, "Have faith in GOD." In the King James Version, the cross-reference says, "HAVE THE FAITH OF GOD"! Now we can see why it's called "precious faith." Anything that comes from God is precious. Now let's go back to 2 Peter 1:3-4, and talk about divine power and divine nature. HIS divine power has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. But don't stop there. It is "through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and excellence" (see Amplified Bible, Classic Edition). You, dear Partner, have BEEN CALLED to and by His glory to an EXCELLENT LIFE! How? Through the exceeding great and precious promises. Remember now, where these promises are found. Where did we just read what the Holy Spirit of God through the Apostle Peter just promised us? THE NEW COVENANT! Every precious word recorded there was BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY THE PRECIOUS BLOOD of JESUS of NAZARETH, SON of THE LIVING GOD! Now I'll close by going back to where it all started. That same living God, the God who is more than enough, appeared to Abram. Genesis 17:1-2 says: 1 AND WHEN ABRAM WAS NINETY YEARS OLD AND NINE, THE LORD APPEARED TO ABRAM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, I AM THE ALMIGHTY GOD; WALK BEFORE ME, AND BE THOU PERFECT. 2 AND I WILL MAKE MY COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND THEE, AND WILL MULTIPLY THEE EXCEEDINGLY.

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