Are we ‘entitled’ to the fulfillment of the promises of God we have claimed? The idea of faith vs entitlement was presented at a conference I attended a while back. The speaker presented the idea that the enemy tries to deceive us into believing that we are “entitled” to what God has promised us. It is a fine line, I think, and hard to define where faith – trusting God to fulfill His promises, and thus expecting the fulfillment to be made manifest – and an attitude of entitlement wherein we are expecting the fulfillment because it is our “right”, or we “deserve” it, simply because of His promise and His love for us. It is easy to start to wonder if perhaps He doesn’t love us after all if we don’t see the fulfillment of those promises coming to pass. He “owes” us, because He promised, right?
As the speaker rightly pointed out, the only thing we are ‘entitled to’ or ‘deserve’ is hell! Anything else is a gift God bestows upon us because He loves us and/or because we have called upon Him in the name of His beloved son, Jesus. Further, the only reason we can even do that is because of our faith in the redeeming power of His blood on the cross and acceptance of Him as our Savior. It is an error on our part, and an accepting of the lies of the enemy, to think we are ‘entitled’ to anything else. It is God’s grace, and His grace alone, that offers and gives us the fulfillment of the promises He has made.
For myself, I know I have sometimes fallen into this ‘entitlement’ trap by feeling disgruntled, or even betrayed, when a promise I have claimed is slow in coming, or seems to have been denied. How about you?
Father forgive me for ever forgetting that all of Your promises are gifts of grace alone, not something I am ‘entitled to’ because I have chosen to serve You. Truly, it is Your pleasure to give Your children good things, and You have indeed made many promises to us in Your Word. However, help us to remember that trusting in faith for You to fulfill Your promises is not the same thing as demanding that You fulfill them because we are ‘entitled’ to them. I repent of any attitude of entitlement that I have cherished. Help me to keep a proper attitude of faith and humility when I claim those promises and am waiting for their fulfillment. It is by Your grace and in Your timing that You will bring them to pass,. Thank You, Lord, for the incredible patience and tolerance You show us when we fall for the deceptions of the enemy! I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Trusting in faith,
Kathy
