TL;DR

God says yes. The devil says no. Who will you agree with?

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KEY VERSE

“For God says yes to all His promises God in Christ, and in now being in Him we agree to the glory of God through us.” —2 Corinthians 1:20

GOD HAS ALREADY SAID YES

This, I believe, is the single greatest issue afflicting modern believers—a root cause of confusion, frustration, and quiet disillusionment in the Church today. We read the promises of God again and again, yet their manifestation in our daily lives seems elusive. And so the questions begin to rise within us like a tide:

Am I good enough? Should I try harder? Why does it feel as though God is holding out on me?

In our desperation, we start to bargain with Heaven—trying to twist the divine arm through effort, emotion, or ritual. But all of this striving is unnecessary. The real issue lies not with God’s willingness, but with our understanding of who we are. We have been approaching our Father with a beggar’s mentality instead of an heir’s confidence. We interpret delay as abandonment, when in truth we are being invited into empowerment.

At its core, this dilemma is one of ignorance—not wilful, but inherited. Many of us have been raised on poor theology, passed down from pulpits that themselves were shaped by shallow or confused teaching. Even many pastors and teachers today are wrestling in the dark, sincerely doing their best but trapped in systems of interpretation that have never truly understood the heart of God or the practical outworking of His promises.

In short, even pastors and theologians neither really understand the problem nor the heavens solution.

I recently listened to a sermon by a lecturer from a respected theological institution—one who teaches systematic and historical theology, preaching, and spiritual formation. His message, though well-meaning, was riddled with contradictions and theological error. And sadly, he is no exception. Time and again, I have found myself in congregations led or attended by seminary lecturers, and I have seen this same pattern repeat itself: few truly question what they were taught; fewer still wrestle with Scripture in the Spirit until revelation breaks through.

I do not say this with contempt, but with compassion. They, too, are victims of bad theology—handed down through generations of academic reasoning detached from living revelation. Yet, though we have all been exposed to worldly theology masquerading as truth, we each bear a sacred duty: to search the Scriptures for ourselves.

When I have spoken with theologians about this issue, I am often met with eloquence but not clarity, erudition but not illumination. Very few can provide a simple, scriptural explanation for why there is such a vast gap between the promises written in God’s Word and the realities we experience. Answers usually boil down to the usual parroted excuses that make no sense and leave the believer still powerless and unhelped.

What follows, then, is an attempt to bridge that gap—to lay out, plainly and prayerfully, why so many believers live beneath what God has already given, and how we can begin to walk in the fullness of His immutable “Yes.”

Every promise of God has already been given a divine Yes. Heaven has already voted in your favour.

The issue is no longer whether God will answer, but whether you will agree with His legal judgement in your favour.

It really is that simple. When Paul declares that “all the promises of God are Yes and we say Amen” (2 Cor 1:20), he is revealing a legal and covenantal reality: that in the Person of Christ, every divine intention toward humanity has been affirmed, ratified, and sealed. God’s performance on our behalf has never been based on our goodness since none of us would qualify. God’s intervention is always based on Christs goodness. Any attempt to add to the work Christ has completed is a denial of faith. When entering a covenant, those who enter must agree to the stipulations of the covenant for them to become active. This takes the benefits and obligation from being a nice idea to being experience. Matthew Henry notes,

“Christ is the end and substance of all the promises. They are all made good to us through Him.”

You can not and never will be good enough to deserve God’s promises, and that is OK since Christ was good enough. That is why the promises are only available to those who are in Christ, and become effective when we agree that that is in fact the case. Yet many believers still live as though waiting for permission, for a sign, for a feeling, for some sort of arbitrary confirmation. They wander the wilderness of indecision while the Promised Land waits unclaimed. All very unnecessary. This is why many children of God know about the promises but fail to experience them. Ignorance of how covenants works is one reason why Hosea 4:6 states:

“my people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge.”

Notice that God’s people are not destroyed because of God’s unwillingness, the enemies power or any other arbitrary reason. God’s people are destroyed because of their own ignorance of God’s word, frameworks, processes and promises.

Joshua 18:3 conforms who’s move is next in the game of life:

“How long will you wait [neglect] before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?”

God is not withholding your inheritance; He is waiting for you to move into it. Lester Sumrall once said,

“Faith is not waiting for God to act—it is acting because God has spoken.”

Heaven’s verdict has been rendered. The covenant is sealed. The question now is not whether God has said Yes, but whether we will stop saying No using all manner of ignorant and arbitrary justifications.

The problem therefor not in trying to get God to “say,” as if He is holding out on us, the real problem is that we keep on saying “no” in spite of His “yes.”

THE PROMISED LAND AND THE PROMISES OF GOD

The Book of Joshua is not merely historical; it is prophetic and instructional—a divine manual for how to possess the promises of God in your own life. We must stop looking at the bIble as a historical record and begin looking at it as a field manual; instructions on how to participate in what Christ has already paid for. Joshua’s conquest was not only geographical but spiritual. Each tribe’s portion corresponds to the believer’s inheritance in Christ.

The Hebrew name Yehoshua (Joshua) literally means “Yahweh is salvation.” In Greek, it is rendered Iēsous—this is where we get Jesus from. Thus, Joshua is a type of Christ—the Captain who leads His people into the inheritance already given to us through the legal mechanism of covenant relationship. This is based on marriage. What is legally His becomes legally ours, not because of who we are, but because of “who’s” we are. The Church is in essence “Mrs. Jesus” and that is why we are called Christians; we bear His name.

As Derek Prince taught,

“Joshua is the Old Testament counterpart of Jesus. Both lead the people of God into rest—but rest comes only through warfare and obedience.”

TABLE: THE PROMISED LAND VS. THE PROMISES OF GOD

PROMISED LAND IN JOSHUA	PROMISES OF GOD IN CHRIST	SPIRITUAL PARALLEL
Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey	Abundant life in Christ (John 10:10)	Prosperity of soul and provision
Giants and fortified cities	Spiritual strongholds (2 Cor 10:4)	Overcoming fear, addiction, doubt and resistance.
Divinely appointed boundaries	Scriptural promises and principles	Walking in defined inheritance
Joshua leads the tribes	Christ leads His Church	Obedience to the Spirit’s leading
Division of the land by lot	Individual calling and gifting	Each believer’s portion
Battles to conquer	Faith-tests and trials	Spiritual warfare through faith
Rest from enemies (Josh 21:44)	Rest in finished work (Heb 4:9–10)	Living from grace, not striving

GOD IS NOT WAITING ON YOU TO BE STRONG

You are not called to take possession in your own power.

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” —Zechariah 4:6

Possessing the promises of God is not a work of the flesh but a cooperation with the Spirit. Kenneth Hagin wrote,

“Faith begins where the will of God is known. When you meditate on the Word until it becomes part of you, faith rises effortlessly.”

Faith is not effort; it is alignment. The Hebrew word for righteousness, צדקה (tsedaqah), carries the idea of being in right alignment. To be righteous is to be rightly positioned with God’s will. And we position ourselves by agreeing with what He has said about us. We say, “Yes, praise God, I am healed,” not “I will be healed,” or worse, “God please heal me.”

As Amos 3:3 asks,

“Can two walk together unless they be agreed?”

Righteousness, then, is divine agreement—your inner world aligned with His Word. Instead of trying to get God to agree with us about how bad we think the situation may be, we should be proclaiming how well we are doing because we are in Christ. Confusing? No, this is what faith does! It agrees with God not circumstances and this is how circumstances are transformed to reflect the will of God. Listen to Isaiah 53:1,

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD [the eternal One] revealed?”

This Hebrew expression equates believing the report with seeing the arm of the Lord revealed. In other words, those who choose to trust God’s testimony rather than the devil’s narrative are the very ones who will witness His power—His arm—at work in their circumstances.

Yet far too often, we lend our ears to the wrong report.

The psalmist captures this struggle vividly:

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? I say to God my Rock, ‘Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?’ Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” —Psalm 42:5, 9–10

See what happens? When we internalise the enemy’s voice, we begin to accuse God of abandonment. The adversary’s whispers—“Look how bad things are. God has forsaken you. If He cared, He would act”—are ancient lies designed to separate us from faith. Thus our eyes keep looking down, when they should be looking up.

But God has acted. He has already provided the solution in Christ. What He now requires is our cooperation—our amen to His promise—so that what is accomplished in heaven may be manifested on earth. The arm of the Lord is not short; it is simply awaiting our belief. Yes there is a solution, but what you havn’t been told is that you have a duty to implement that solution (Psalm 149:6-9).

YOU ARE ARMED AND DANGEROUS

Yes, there are enemies. But they are defeated foes.

Colossians 2:15 declares that Christ,

“disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them.”

You do not fight for victory; you fight from it. The decree has already been issued in your favour.
Psalm 149:6–9 says:

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands… to execute [enforce] the written judgment—this honour have all His saints.”

Leonard Ravenhill thundered,

“The Church has lost her power because she has forgotten her sword. We are called to enforce Calvary’s victory.”

This is your role: not to beg for deliverance but to enforce the written judgment. Heaven’s court has ruled in Christ’s favour—and you are in Christ. That is, and will always be enough for you to have the legal backing to enforce the promises of God in your life.

THE LEGALITY OF FAITH

In the spiritual courtroom, the verdict has been rendered:

“Not guilty. Justified. Redeemed. Healed. Restored. etc”

Yet verdicts must be enforced. A legal decree unexecuted benefits no one. As David Wilkerson once wrote,

“It is not enough to know the promises of God; you must stand on them…”

Faith is a form of execution—it enacts divine law in the natural realm. That is why the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The word “violent” here (Greek biazō) means “to press in, to seize eagerly.” The promises of God are not for the passive; they are for the persuaded. You have to press into what is yours by force. That is, you must refuse to wait for some speculative time in the future, and refuse to accept “no” to your legally valid demand for what belongs to you in Christ.

“For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ look closely, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation [healing, deliverance, provision, help, rescue etc].” –2 Corinthians 6:2

So what are you waiting for? “I’ve tried,” you say, “but nothing changed.”

Do you imagine the Promised Land was handed to Israel on a silver platter? Certainly not. The land was filled with adversaries—giants, fortified cities, and nations entrenched in their strongholds—each unwilling to surrender their territory. Every inch of that inheritance had to be contended for, not because God was reluctant to give it, but because His people needed to grow into the strength required to keep it. The promise was theirs by divine decree, yet possession demanded courage, faith, and steadfast obedience.

Beloved, you are not called to try. Trying only means you already anticipated failure before you began. Trying is a posture of uncertainty—of testing whether God might keep His Word. But faith is not a test; it’s a trust. Scripture doesn’t call us to try the Word, but to do the Word—to align our thoughts, our words, and our actions with what God has already declared. You must do what is necessary, not convenient.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” —James 4:7

Notice the divine order: submission first, resistance second. Submission means agreeing with God, this is where the power comes from. We cannot resist the enemy effectively until we have come under the authority of the Word. Submission to God is not weakness; it is the alignment of our hearts with His covenant truth. When you agree with Heaven, the enemy loses all legal standing.

But agreement takes perseverance. Faith is not passive; it contends. And so, we are reminded of Daniel—the prophet who prayed, fasted, and sought God for understanding. The moment Daniel prayed, Heaven heard him. The answer was dispatched immediately, but for twenty-one days the prince of Persia—a demonic principality—resisted the messenger of God.

“Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me…” — Daniel 10:12–13

Do you see it? The delay was not denial. From the first day Daniel prayed, God said yes. The opposition was not from Heaven but from the realm of resistance. Daniel’s persistence was the bridge between the promise and its manifestation. He did not waver, complain, or accuse God. He stood firm until breakthrough came.

And perhaps you say, “But twenty-one days is so long. I don’t want to wait that long.”

Fine then—don’t. But understand this: by refusing the short season of perseverance, you choose a lifetime of stagnation. You trade twenty-one days of pressing in for fourty years of going in circles. The wilderness always welcomes those who tire too soon. Choose the spiritual path over what is convenient to your flesh.

And that’s precisely where many believers falter—they stop short of the twenty-first day. They grow weary in well-doing, retreating just before the answer breaks through.

Beloved, you are not waiting for God. God is waiting for you. His “Yes” is already settled in Christ. The promises are written, sealed, and ratified by the blood of Jesus. What remains is for you to enforce that written decree through agreement, perseverance, and praise. Scripture symbolises this process for us.

Judah entered Tamar’s tent and she conceived and gave birth to Perez.

Judah means praise. Tamar, whose name in Hebrew (תָּמָר) means palm tree, symbolises the righteous believer—“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree” (Psalm 92:12). Her story is not one of shame, but of spiritual persistence. She refused to remain barren; she refused to accept delay as her destiny. Though denied justice by men, she positioned herself—by faith—for divine intervention.

When Judah (praise) entered Tamar (the believer), Pérez was born—whose name means breaking forth.
This is no accident. The Spirit is showing us a mystery: when praise unites with our perseverance, breakthrough is conceived.

Tamar represents the soul that refuses to die in disappointment. She stands for the believer who won’t surrender to despair, who clothes herself with faith even when misunderstood, and who brings forth life where barrenness once reigned.

It is in that hidden moment—where praise meets faith, where worship persists through tears—that Pérez, the spirit of breakthrough, is born. For the Kingdom of God advances not by resignation, but by the force of those who believe His report when every other voice says, “It’s over.”

When you stand your ground in submission to His Word, you are not begging for victory—you are enforcing the victory already won. The devil cannot withstand a believer who knows their covenant rights and refuses to back down.

So stand. Worship. Declare. Agree. The promise has not been delayed—it is being delivered.

HOW TO INTERNALISE THE WORD

So how do we do it? The opening chapter of the book of Joshua gives us the strategy:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night… for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” —Joshua 1:8

The Hebrew word for meditate is הָגָה (hagah)—to mutter, to utter, to chew like a lion growling over its prey.
To meditate biblically is to chew on the Word until it becomes apart of you.

1. READ THE WORD
   • Take the written promise and read it slowly. See the face of Christ within it, for every Word carries His breath.
2. SPEAK THE WORD
   • Let it dwell in your mouth. Declare it aloud, for faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17).
3. IMAGINE THE WORD
   • As Kenneth Hagin and Derek Prince both taught, imagination sanctified by Scripture becomes faith’s womb. See yourself healed, whole, victorious—see the Word alive within you.
4. PERSONALISE THE WORD
   • Insert your name into the promise. Let “The LORD is my shepherd” become “The LORD is Peter’s shepherd.”
5. OBEY THE WORD
   • Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Acting on the Word seals it in reality.

Rashi, commenting on Joshua 1:8, notes that,

“meditation leads to performance, for the Word is not merely to be studied but fulfilled.”

Unless the promises of God dwell richly within you, you cannot dwell within them. The measure to which His Word abides in you will be the measure to which you abide in its reality.

JOSHUA: THE BOOK OF HOW

Joshua is the manual of “how to.” How to take possession. How to overcome giants. How to establish the kingdom in tangible reality.

2 Timothy 2:16–18 reminds us not to treat Scripture as myth or mere story but as revelation leading to transformation. The Book of Joshua is the template for victorious living. Derek Prince said,

“Every promise of God is a land to be possessed. Every act of obedience (agreement) is a step into that territory.”

When you read Joshua, see Christ leading you. You cross the Jordan when you leave behind unbelief. You march around Jericho when you act in obedience that makes no sense to reason.

You possess your portion when you refuse to settle for delay. Do you want the promise? Then demand it now!

YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THE BATTLE

You are going to need a friend—but if you want a friend, you must be one.

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” —Proverbs 18:24

Biblically, friendship is not mere affection—it is covenant partnership. It is a sacred, bi-directional bond of mutual loyalty and shared purpose, never a one-sided sentiment. Jonathan and David’s friendship was not sentiment; it was sacred oath to look out for each others interests. Likewise, Christ calls you friend (John 15:15) because you share His covenant and do what He says (Romans 12:1).

To walk in victory is to walk in agreement. The enemy thrives in your isolation. But agreement brings the power of our Friend Jesus to bear on each and every situation.

KEEPING COVENANT

“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” —Romans 12:1

To keep covenant is to maintain alignment. As Ecclesiastes 8:3–4 reminds,

“Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.”

And what is His command?

“Do not hasten to leave his presence [abiding, tarrying, presenting your body], and do not persist in a bad cause [sin]”

When God speaks, His Word is law. When you agree, you become its executor, its enforcer. Lester Sumrall wrote,

“God works with covenant men and women. When you keep your part, He keeps His.”

ENFORCING THE WRITTEN JUDGMENT

Every promise in Scripture is a legal instrument. It is written, sealed, and witnessed by the blood of the Lamb.
But you must wield it. Hebrews 4:12 calls the Word “sharper than any two-edged sword.” That sword is forged by agreement and praise. It is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) we invoke by speaking it out loud.

When you speak His promises, you glorify His name (2 Cor 1:20), and you align heaven and earth. Praise is agreement vocalised.

Our task is simple: agree, advance, and enforce.

THREE PROMISES TO BELIEVE IN EACH AREA

AREA	PROMISES	SCRIPTURES
Health / Healing	1. By His stripes I am healed. 2. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 3. The same Spirit that raised Jesus dwells in me.	Isaiah 53:5, Psalm 103:3, Romans 8:11
Prosperity / Provision	1. My God shall supply all my need. 2. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 3. He gives me power to get wealth to establish His covenant.	Philippians 4:19, Psalm 23:1, Deuteronomy 8:18
Deliverance / Victory	1. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. 2. Greater is He that is in me. 3. Thanks be to God who always leads me in triumph.	Isaiah 54:17, 1 John 4:4, 2 Corinthians 2:14
Help / Guidance	1. The LORD will guide me continually. 2. He is my refuge and strength. 3. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, will teach me all things.	Isaiah 58:11, Psalm 46:1, John 14:26
Relationships / Marriage / Parenting	1. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. 2. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. 3. Great shall be the peace of your children.	Ecclesiastes 4:12, Galatians 5:22, Isaiah 54:13

TEN THINGS YOU CAN BELIEVE FOR (AGREE WITH) RIGHT NOW

1. Peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7)
2. Wisdom from above (James 1:5)
3. Strength renewed like the eagle’s (Isaiah 40:31)
4. Restoration of years lost (Joel 2:25)
5. Provision in famine (Psalm 37:19)
6. Victory over fear (2 Tim 1:7)
7. Favour with God and man (Luke 2:52)
8. Fruitfulness in every season (Psalm 1:3)
9. Household salvation (Acts 16:31)
10. The fullness of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)

REFLECTION: THE LAND IS YOURS

When Joshua stood before the tribes and said, “How long will you wait?” he was not rebuking their faithlessness but awakening their courage. Leonard Ravenhill said,

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man who will not delay his obedience. (=faith=agreement)”

Every time you hesitate to believe, you say No where God has already said Yes. Every time you agree with fear, you refuse the inheritance. Everytime we say, we are agreeing with the devil’s bad news instead of God’s good news.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is this; the power of God saves everyone who believes” —Romans 1:16

No one was ever ashamed of power. We are ashamed only when we feel powerless. So the question that remains is this: Who’s report will you believe?

When you align your heart with His Word—when you say Amen to His Yes—the earth responds, circumstances shift, and heaven’s reality begins to break forth in your world. This is the good news. If we believe, that is, agree with, the promises of God, His power can act to bring it to pass.

The Promised Land is not distant geography; it is present possibility. It goes from possibility to reality through our active participation. You are not waiting on God. He is waiting on you.

So what are you waiting for? The land is already yours. The decree is signed. The enemies are defeated. Now, do your part!

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Father,
Thank You for every promise that finds its Yes in Christ.
Teach me to say Amen with my life—to align my words, thoughts, and actions with Your covenant truth.
Help me to meditate on Your Word until it becomes flesh within me.
Let me take possession of every promise You have spoken—
not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit.
I refuse to wander in unbelief; I choose to advance in agreement.
Today, I rise to enforce the written judgment of Calvary.
Amen.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Where have I been waiting for God when He is waiting for me to believe?
2. Which promises of God do I need to meditate on until they become reality within me (3 john 1:2)?
3. How can I better align my words and actions with God’s Yes?
4. Who are my covenant friends that help me possess the land?
5. What territory—spiritual, emotional, or practical—do I need to claim this week by faith?