I have a promise ...

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT

How does the enemy come against us and seek to devour us? The following are three possible narratives that could have taken place in the lives of those who received God’s promises and had to overcome great testing before they saw those promises fulfilled.

The voice of doubt came to Abraham and said, “Abraham, what do you have? You are a stranger in a strange land. You don’t have any land you can call your own, or a permanent home to live in. There aren’t many of you in your family. You don’t have a son and you don’t have an heir.” And Abraham answered the voice of doubt with this reply. “I have a promise. It was given to me by the God who cannot lie. Things will not always be as they are at this moment.”

The voice of disappointment came to Joseph and said, “Joseph, what do you have? Your dream has turned to a nightmare. You are far away from home, your brothers have forsaken you, and you are bound to a strange land as a slave.” And Joseph answered the voice of disappointment with this reply, “I have a promise. It was given to me by God, the One who will not fail to fulfill everything He has revealed to me. The way things now appear are not the way things will always be.”

The voice of fear came to David and said, “David, what do you have? You aren’t big. You’re young. You don’t have authority over men. You’re not a skilled military leader or a solider. You don’t have battle tested armor, you don’t have a sword, and you are untrained. You will never make it. You will be slaughtered.” And David answered the voice of fear with this reply, “I have a promise. It was given to me by God, the mighty warrior. He is the Lord, my deliverer, and no one who taunts the living God can stand against Him! Things are about to change.”

Is there a promise from God that your heart is trusting to be fulfilled? If this is so, then do not be surprised if the enemy’s voice of doubt, disappointment, or fear has been speaking in your ear. How should you respond? Resist him. Stand firm in the faith. Remember, you have a promise! Things will not always be as they are now.