Hebrews 6:11-12 (TPT) – 11 But we long to see you passionately advance until the end and you find your hope fulfilled. 12 So don’t allow your hearts to grow dull or lose your enthusiasm, but follow the example of those who fully received what God has promised because of their strong faith and patient endurance.
Have you let disappointment or failure derail you in your pursuit of God and His promises? When life doesn’t go as planned, or our reality is far from our expectations, that is when the enemy will come in and steal our faith and trust in God, destroying our hope of His promises.
When a thief enters a home to plunder it, he doesn’t just steal from the moment, he leaves behind a wake of fear and darkness, driven by uncertainty, and paralyzing in its effect. If that fear is not confronted, and a light not shone in the darkness, the thief will not only have successfully stolen what was precious, but also leave his victim bound in a life void of joy, consumed with protecting what little they have left. Their hopes left sacrificed on the altar of indifference; afraid to believe again because their trust has been shattered.
The thief comes, and he has a goal, but we get to decide whether or not he succeeds in meeting that goal. His desire is to completely destroy us, but his authority stops where our faith begins.
Hebrews 12:12-13 (TPT) – So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship. And strengthen your weak knees, 13 for as you keep walking forward on God’s path all your stumbling ways will be divinely healed!
The word doesn’t tell us we will never stumble, and it doesn’t tell us that we will never face disappointment. But it does tell us that when we do stumble, when disappointment does come near, that we are to tighten our grip on the Lord and be determined to not let the thief have his way. We are to strengthen ourselves and be patient in our walk. God’s promises are received by faith, not through doubt and unbelief. God’s promises are subject to His timing, not ours.
Are you passionately advancing towards God’s promises and purpose over you, or has the enemy stolen your faith and hope leaving you stuck in the pit? Hebrews 6 says to not allow your heart to grow dull. Refuse to let the giants in the land, or the look of utter hopelessness, or the pain of loss dictate your future and steal the promise God has for you.
Are you broken, scared, tired, hurting, or maybe even angry? Read again Hebrews 12:13. As you strengthen yourself and push forward determined to walk with God despite your circumstances, He will heal every broken place.
God doesn’t just promise us His goodness; He heals our brokenness as he brings us to the promise. We must surrender our pain and fear, pick up our weapons and walk intentionally on the path He sets before us. Our faith is our life support, and our trust what keeps us moving forward and not sinking in the pit of despair.
Every victory requires a battle, and every victor was first willing to enter the battle. Maybe your battle looks fierce, but no battle is greater than your God! What promises are you pursuing, and what enemy stands in your way? You will never win or receive the promise without first looking up from the battlefield, focusing your eyes on the Lord, and allowing yourself to believe God.
Battles the enemy uses to scare you into complacency, dormancy, or to send you running back to where you were before you first let your heart believe, will actually strengthen you when surrender your fear to faith.
Strengthen yourself today. Turn your heart towards Him, ask Him to heal what has been broken, and determine in yourself to trust Him regardless of what you see before you. God is calling you out and lighting the path before you. Will you step towards Him today? And again tomorrow? One step at a time we learn to walk, but one day you just might look around and see that first you walked, then you ran, and now your faith has taken flight and you are able to soar on the winds of His Spirit.
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.