Promises

Promises build hope for something to come. They cultivate in us an expectation for change, a benefit to come, direction, purpose, compassion, care and beginnings. Sometimes promises focus on an end, a conclusion or resolution. Promises build confidence in us when we expect and hope for something to come. It cultivates a happy state of soul. Promises make us feel good. They do!

We like being happy. It makes life fun and enjoyable. In our happy state, it is easy to have joy and live a life expressing it.

Most of us consider a promise as something that someone has made to us. They’ve made a commitment and we wait in expectation for them to fulfil it. However, expectations are often more than waiting on others; they are wants and desires cultivated within us based on what we believe we are entitled to. Often, no one has promised us a thing, and yet we want something. We work towards it, dream about it, and plan for it.

When our expectations are not met – it becomes personal, and we evaluate life based on our unmet needs. When we are the ones who determine what an unmet need means – we are prone to lose our happiness. We down-spiral when we lose those things which give us joy and which allow for us to maintain trust in promises made – even when the promises are based on self-cultivated and self-motivated desires.

1. What are those things promised to you that you hope in, and have come to expect to be yours – that you are entitled to? What are they?

2. Are they true promises made by another to you, or are they expectations you have come to believe are true promises? Can you find happiness should they never be yours?

3. Are they promises made by God to you?

4. Do you know His promises? What has He promised you?

To live happy and fulfilled lives we need to reexamine our entitlements, and our focus. Yes, we can find complete and satisfactory happiness for all of life. This is true when we look to the Lord, and find our expectations met in the promises of God. He is faithful.

His promises are absolute truth. They are a sure thing.

When we have waited a long time for His response to a promise made, we often feel like God has failed us. Has He? No! No, we have not been failed. It is then we need to remind ourselves of Truth. We must discipline our thoughts. We must cultivate patience. He will fulfill His promise. He can’t not! Can you then not grow your patience, and trust even more.

• Wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me (Acts 1:4).

• The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

#promises