For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. – 2 Corinthians 1:19-20a
There is something you and I need to understand about ourselves. No matter how little or much we are aware of it, how little or much attention we give to it, how little or much we acknowledge it, its steady and sturdy influence upon our lives is unmistakably clear: We are believers. And all of life’s desires, decisions, and deeds flow from one of two basic beliefs: we believe that we need God, or we believe that we do not need Him. There is also something you and I need to understand about our God: He can be believed. This should give sound to what we say, sight to what we see, rationale to what we think, and reason to what we do. God always keeps His promises, and His promises for His children are always good. The way to overcome every sin and struggle of the heart is to believe His promises. Why believe God’s promises? Because God’s promises are kept, lasting, joy-producing, full, better, precious, true, timeless, situation-proof, purchased already, all-encompassing, impossible-to-fail, unbreakable, edifying, powerful, freeing, loving, gracious and are all “yes” for us in Jesus. There is such joyful victory, sweet freedom, complete rest and incredible strength when we believe the promises of God in the moments they are needed. Listen: You will believe something today. When that temptation is offered, that relationship blows up, that meeting goes wrong, that diagnosis is grim, that pleasure is available, that problem shows up, that plan falls through, that sin is appealing, and that thing happens … you will believe something to be true. Instead of believing sin’s promises that you have been abandoned by God, and you should accept a substitute for God, believe the promises of God. Place your full weight on God’s Word, for this is the only solid ground in a world full of cleverly-disguised sinking sand. If He says it, you can believe it. And if you can believe it, you can experience its life-giving assurances.
