The Bible is the holy book that contains God's divine promises for obedient children.
According to some calculations, God has pronounced more than forty thousand promises in the Bible. That is many promises! However, it can sometimes be difficult for us to determine what our appropriate response to each of the Lord's commitments should be.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the Bible contains two types of divine promises.
Limited promises.
God has made many promises to specific people who lived in particular circumstances, with specific purposes. These promises are definitely "not the ones that apply equally to everyone." If you try to "claim" these promises, you can end up with many problems.
For example, Jesus, after resurrection, told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for "the promise of the Father," and that while they did they would be "baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1: 4-5). It would be foolish to travel to Jerusalem and wait there until receiving this promise, because Jesus already fulfilled it on the first Pentecost. Today, the Spirit baptizes each believer to incorporate him into the body of Christ and establishes his residence within us from the moment we trust in Christ. Jesus gave this promise to a specific group of people at a particular time and with an explicit purpose, and no one else should claim it.
General promises.
God has made many universal promises that have been applied to all his children throughout history. For example, he has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13: 5). He also promised many times that he would return for us (Jn 14, 3). These promises belong to all believers of all ages. However, general promises can also be of two types:
1. Conditional promises.
Texts like Psalm 37: 4, Philippians 4:19 and others contain conditional promises; To receive the benefit offered, you must meet a certain condition. These promises require something of the believer.
In Filipenss 4:19, the condition is that we are "in Christ Jesus"; The believer must be living for Him and in total submission to his will. The same applies to "delight" in the Lord, as set forth in Psalm 37: 4. Clearly, personal relationship is the prerequisite of any request of ours.
2. Unconditional promises.
These promises do not require anything from the believer. The promises mentioned above, from Hebrews 13: 5 and Jn 14: 3, are of this type. God will keep these promises because he has promised to keep them in our lives. Nothing anyone does can alter their commitment or change their plans. He will keep these promises, not because we do something but by virtue of his own faithfulness.