“He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.“ Romans 4:20-21 NKJV
Think back to your childhood where your aunt or uncle would often promise a special gift every time they visited for celebrations. Yet, somehow, these much-anticipated presents never showed up.
As the years passed, your initial excitement slowly faded into a kind of resigned disbelief. Eventually, you didn’t take the promises seriously again and they no longer stirred the eager anticipation you once felt.
Sadly, this has been the disposition of some believers towards prophecy and the promises of God. Know this for a fact – God is not a man who is unable to keep to his promises (Numbers 23:19). He is both faithful and true to His word and He is committed to bringing it to pass. This is seen in the fulfilment of His promise to Abraham.
From our opening text, we can also see Abraham’s unwavering faith and conviction in the word of the Lord to him. This is instructive for you as a believer because as you go through life, you may have experienced situations where you or someone around you trusted God for something and it did not materialize, leading to disappointments.
Due to such experiences, your trust in God’s Word waned. But you must bring yourself back to total dependence on God’s Word. This is important because God has not designed our lives to be dictated by our feelings or experiences but His Word.
In Mark 5:25-34, we are introduced to the woman with the issue of blood who kept repeating the words of healing to herself until it became her conviction and eventually, her reality. This should be your disposition as you go through life.
Furthermore, it is also important to express this unwavering faith to God’s written word outside of the specific words He has given to you. You must therefore know God’s word in Scriptures as it has the power to build your conviction in God’s ability (Proverbs 4:20-22, Ephesians 1:16-21).
Do not be that believer who puts aside God’s word and says, “let’s face reality”. Your reality is God’s Word. If there is anything around you contrary to God’s word, stand by the scriptures and enforce its truth.
You must also be careful what people say around you about the word of God. You are more impressionable than you can ever imagine. You must therefore guard your heart against negativity and expression of doubt that comes from people around you (Proverbs 4:23).
Surround yourself with people of faith. Don’t join the bandwagon of people who speak down on the power of God or speak down on miracles. Such conversations affect your faith (1 Corinthians 15:33).
So, dear believer, what does God’s Word say? Know it and decide today to place your life, convictions and decisions on His word and not your experiences.
Bible Reading Plan: Luke 3: 22-38