THE PROMISES OF GOD

God’s promises are meant to build up our expectations in Him. We are to claim His Word as the rock-solid promise of a loving, powerful Father to His children. Yet, often, when we don’t see His Word being fulfilled according to our schedule, the enemy floods our minds with questions about God’s faithfulness. Satan’s aim is simple: to rob us of all our confidence in the Lord.

I’m convinced the devil tried to raise all kinds of doubts in John the Baptist when he was in prison. I imagine him whispering into John’s ear: “Yes, this Jesus is a holy man. But He’s just another prophet performing miracles and doing good deeds. If He is the Messiah, then why are you still in such need? Why hasn’t He kept His word, as Isaiah and the prophets laid it out? And why hasn’t your own preaching worked for you?”

Satan uses these same lies and deceptions against us today. His goal is to plant seeds of doubt in us about God’s Word, His promises, His delight in us. The enemy whispers: “You say your heavenly Father is a God of miracles, of the impossible, that He hears your requests before you even ask. Then why all this suffering? Why all the silence from heaven? Why isn’t there a single shred of evidence that God has heard your cry?

“Look around you. Everyone is receiving answers to their prayers but you. You’re stuck in an unfulfilling marriage. You pray for your children to be saved, but nothing changes. For years, you’ve preached God’s faithfulness to others, so why hasn’t it worked for you? Why has He left you stuck in this awful condition?”

One sure evidence that unbelief has taken root in your soul is that you quit praying for what you once believed God could do. You no longer bring your burdens to Him. You don’t come to Him in faith anymore. In short, you’re no longer willing to let Him do things His way in your life.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).