On our wedding day, I remember the promises that my husband Billy and I made during our marriage vows. We both shared the traditional vows that went something like …I, Taleen, take you, Billy, to be my lawfully wedded husband…to have and to hold…from this day forward…for better, for worse…for richer, for poorer…in sickness and in health…until death do us part.

Thousands of men and women make these promises to one another each year and unfortunately statistics have calculated that 50% of marriages end in divorce…and this is true among Christian marriages as well! Statistics that are certainly unfortunate and that truly sadden me!

Whether you are married or not today, we are all accustomed to promises. We are accustomed to not only seeing promises made but also seeing promises broken. If we were to reflect on our own lives, I am quite sure we have all made promises that we may have not kept.

There may be a number of reasons why this is true. We sometimes forget…we sometimes are negligent…we sometimes don’t take the promise seriously…sometimes it just may be due to circumstances beyond our control and the list can go on. We may have good intentions of keeping our promise when we made it, but for some reason or another we just end up not fulfilling it.

I have been around a number of brokenhearted women who had expectations of being married but their wedding was called off. And I have heard them say… “But he promised to marry me!” And the answer that usually comes back is “Yes, but he changed his mind”. Yes, people do change their minds….and unfortunately they do break their promises too.

Has someone broken a promise they made to you lately? Have you broken a promise you made to someone lately?

We may live in a world where unfortunately promises are broken…but as Christians we serve the God of promises…a God who not only promises but also fulfills His promises!…a God who never lies or changes his mind!

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19 NIV

Did you know that there are over 3,000 promises recorded in the bible? Wow! Promises for you…and promises for me! Promises that God wants to fulfill for us and through us in our lives!

Promises of love, joy, peace, hope, provision, guidance, healing, protection, power, eternal salvation, His presence…just to name a few!

The question I have for you today is not about the specific promises God has for us… Because really? There are thousands of them and they are awesome! But the question I have for you is…

Do you believe God? …or do you just believe in God? Do you believe God and His promises for you?…or do you just believe in God?

Catching the difference that one tiny little word like “in” can make, will make a tremendous difference in your relationship with God!

You see believing in God is believing He exists which of course is important…but many people believe in God…believe in His existence…even demons! …demons also believe in the existence of one God!

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. James2:19NIV

On the other hand, believing God is believing what He says in His word…believing His promises…and believing He is able and willing to fulfill them!

Many people believe in God….believe in his existence…but there are many…yes Christians… who don’t necessarily believe Him….believe what He says…believe His promises….and believe that He has the ability and willingness to fulfill His promises.

As Christians, if we want all that God has for us, it isn’t enough to just believe in God…we must believe Him!

Believing God and His promises for us can be difficult if we have experienced hurt, betrayal, and disappointment by broken promises in our lives. But first and most importantly we must look at the God who is making these promises…

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19 NIV

Man/woman will lie….God does not….Man will change his mind….God does not…Man will speak and not act….God speaks and acts….Man will promise and not fulfill….God promises and fulfills…God is faithful and trustworthy! We must believe Him and trust Him!

You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. Isaiah 43:10 NIV

One commentary states…“But God’s people know the power of his grace, the sweetness of his comforts, the kind care of his providence, and the truth of his promise.” Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Believing God is more than just believing in your mind …it is believing in your heart. Because when you believe in your heart, your behavior and actions change. When you believe something in your heart, you will speak and act according to that belief. When you believe God and what He says, you will speak and act according to His word and His promises for you!

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 NLT

As a child of God, we must speak and act in our lives like we believe Him. We must speak and act out our faith and trust in His promises. Our hearts determine our behavior and actions…the course of our lives.

Believing God requires us to believe 2 things in our hearts…

1)      God is able to fulfill his promises

2)      God is willing to fulfill his promises

Both of these points require faith and that faith means for us to see with our hearts.

God is able

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 NLT

We need to see with our hearts that God has the ability to do what He says beyond what we may think…He has the power, sovereignty, and might!

Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he promised…Romans 4:21NIV

Fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Romans 4:21 ESV

Abraham was fully persuaded …fully convinced…that God had enough power to fulfill his promise.

We need to trust …be fully persuaded…be fully convinced that God is able to fulfill His promises to us!

Are you fully persuaded or partially persuaded that God is able and has enough power to fulfill all his promises?

God is willing

Do you believe that God is able but struggle to believe that he is willing to fulfill His promises to you?

Many times we get stuck with this one…What I mean is that we can grasp the point that God is able but we struggle with the point that God is willing.

Believing that God is willing is sometimes harder for us to understand and accept. We may see God fulfilling his promises and answering prayers for others but don’t trust and believe that he will do the same for us too. The way I have learned to look at this is… “Wow God did that for you! That just shows me and encourages my faith that He will do it for me too!”

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. Hebrews 11:11 NIV

God is faithful! He will fulfill His promises to us…He is both able and willing!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

 This scripture is clearly showing us that trust comes from our hearts and not from our minds. It even encourages us to not lean on our understanding.

So where are you today? Do you believe God or just believe in God? Do you believe God is able and willing to fulfill His promises to you?

Don’t let the broken promises of this world discourage you from believing a God who loves and cares for you and wants to fulfill all His precious promises in your life! Believe Him today!

Reflection Points:

1)      Do you believe God today? Or do you just believe in Him? Why?

2)      Do you believe God is able and willing to fulfill His promises to you?

3)      Do you struggle with trying to understand in your mind so much that it holds you back from having faith and seeing with your heart that the Lord wants to bless you?

Action Points:

1)      Begin believing God today.  He will not disappoint you as the world may. He is not man…He is God!

2)      Read God’s word to learn the promises He has for you. The more you read the more you will trust and have faith that God is able and willing to fulfill His promises to you.

3)      Stop trying to figure it all out in your mind…see and trust with your heart. Speak and act like you believe God.