The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to 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. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (Deuteronomy 28:12-14, ESV)

I’ve heard so many teachings instructing us that we are to claim the promises of God over our lives, never forgetting who we are to Him who created us… Never forgetting that He loves us.

Case in point, in this passage God declares that His people - the Israelites specifically - will “be the head and not the tail”, and that they’ll “only go up and not down.” What we often neglect to mention or emphasize are the prerequisites ascribed to each of the promises of God.

In this instance, God declared this promise, but qualified it saying that it would only come to pass if His people obeyed His commands. Other promises throughout the Scriptures also come in the form of “if-then” statements. We must remember that as we look to claim the promises of God; as we seek His face and earnestly pray for His glory to be fulfilled in our lives, we must be just as diligent in giving attention to the prerequisites that come along with the promises of God. Most often, we must simply be obedient. Easier said… Much harder to actually do…