Life's Daily Challenge Devotional

Persevering faith

"...Do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises," Hebrews 6:12 ( Read Hebrews 6:9-20).

To the one waiting for God’s promise,

I'm somewhat amused when I hear the banks proclaim that my deposits are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. I know what they mean, but the government itself is trillions of dollars in debt. Considering this makes me wonder whether the Uncle Sam could ever fully live up to its promises. I don’t lose any sleep over it though, and I’m not afraid to put my money in the bank. The deposits I make with my life are backed by God, Himself. When He made a promise to Abraham, the Lord could find nothing created that was stable enough to swear upon, so He swore by Himself... "Surely blessing, I will bless you and multiplying, I will multiply you."

There is nothing more stable to base a promise upon. There is no duplicity in God. He is three, and yet One! There is no division in Him. He is "I AM THAT I AM." There is no variation between what He is, what He says, and what He does. He and His Word are absolutely one. For God's promise to fail, God would have to fail, and that can never happen! That’s why His promises are yes and amen! (2Cor. 1:20).

There are two basic prerequisites for receiving these promises. They are faith and patience. Through your relationship with God, you will gain the ability to hear what He is saying, and the faith to act on His specific Word to you. These faithful works will always require you to lose control. The harvest that you are looking forward to cannot be born until seeds of faithful obedience have been sown. Every seed must be cast into the ground in order for it to bear fruit. You are not acting in faith until the seed leaves your hand. Once it has left your grasp, it must be covered up, and "die" before the harvest can come. After you have done all that God has commanded you to do, your faith must anchor your heart and mind in His presence. There is always a germination period when any seed is sown. Much happens under the surface of the soil before anything starts to show above the earth. Deep roots are forming in preparation for great growth in the future. Be patient while God prepares you for the promises that He seeks to give to you. Don't abandon, or uproot your seed because the results did not occur when you thought they should. Remember that it's through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God!