“But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:9-12 NKJ
Growing up my parents always tried their best to fulfill their promises to me. In fact they went to great lengths to make good on their promises, because they were people of character and wanted their words to be trustworthy. But there were times when they had no control of situations that kept them from keeping certain promises. Even if I understood their reasons I still felt let down when a promise was broken. We all know what it feels like to experience the let down of a broken promise. In fact if we took the time we could each fill several notebooks of the many promises that have been broken throughout our lives.
As you know the devastation from a broken promise can last a long time. It also causes us to be skeptical the next time someone makes us a promise. We want to believe their words but history tells us that at anytime and for any reason that promise can be broken. Other people confirm our skepticism when they relate their own experiences with broken promises. This combination can hinder us in believing God’s promises if we relate it to our personal experiences with man. While man is incapable of fulfilling every promise he makes, God is not! But in order to stand in faith and believe for the things God promises we have to disconnect from these past experiences with man.
This can only happen by the power of the Holy Spirit because in our humanness our minds are filled with memories of broken promises. But if we will allow the Holy Spirit to speak louder than our own inner voice of doubt, we will find the strength to stand strong in the measure of faith given to us, while we wait for God to fulfill His promises. In Romans 4 Paul speaks to this truth very clearly in his account of Abraham receiving the promise of God, to be the father of many nations. In reality it wouldn’t seem that this promise could have come true since the Bible says that Abraham was nearly 100 years old at the time of the promise. But it did!
My favorite passage in that chapter is verses 17 and 18. It says, “in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Only God can call things that do not exist as though they did. His ability to fulfill His promises to us supersedes our human comprehension! This is why it is so important to fill our minds with the promises of God’s Word and to daily remind ourselves of the many times God fulfilled His promises to His people. This is also the reason it is important for us to believe God’s Words of promise over our own reality or the reality of others.
For example in times of lack it is important to remind ourselves that God promises to supply all our need, Philippians 4:19. During times when it doesn’t look like anything good can come out of a situation, God promises to work it for our good and His glory, Romans 8:28. When we struggle with trusting God and try to figure things out on our own, God promises to make our paths straight when we put our trust fully in Him and refuse lean on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 &6. When your life doesn’t seem to have purpose God promises that He has a plan to give you a hope and a future, Jeremiah 29:11. These are only a few examples of God’s promises. There are hundreds more within the pages of the Bible.
My encouragement to you today is to seek out and write down God’s promises. Then when times of trial come or times of doubting, you can use the weapon of God’s Word against the enemy when he tries to bombard your mind with the memories of broken promises in the past. The Word of God is an offensive weapon as Ephesians 6:17 reminds us. Remember that the battlefield is in the mind and we must fight to believe the voice of the Holy Spirit over our own inner voice or the enemy’s voice. Stand strong on the promises of God in faith, believing that He is the one true promise keeper in your life. He is faithful to His Word and He will perform it in your life as you wait patiently on Him.
Prayer: I believe by faith as Abraham did that You are the God who fulfills Your promises for my life. I choose to battle the temptation to believe my voice, the voice of others, or the enemy’s voice. In doing this I will be open to hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit remind me that You are the one true promise keeper. Then I will stand in the measure of faith You have given me and wait patiently to see Your promises manifest in my life. Amen
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