Key scripture – “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds,“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” (Hebrews 10:16-18).

Have you ever felt disappointed and discouraged while you waited for God to fulfill His promises in your life?

When God gives a promise in His Word, He is always good for it, however, He does not tell you when or how He is going to deliver on it. During the delay God is not only preparing His promise for you but He is also developing your character. We may feel that we need God to come and rescue us today, ASAP, right this minute, and if He doesn’t do it when we want it done then we feel abandoned by God.

The Bible is full of men and women who became discouraged while they waited for God’s promises to come through, for example; Abraham, Job, Jonah, Moses, David, and Paul. Even if you are not discouraged right now, you either know of someone who is, or you just came out of it, or you’re about to experience it.

But for everyone who is discouraged, God has got a new covenant for you. God wants to tell you how to make it until your change comes, AND IT WILL COME. We do not know when our change will come, but it will come. And God has told us how we can make it while we wait for the change to come.

The book of Hebrews was written for Christians who were ready to give up. These were Jewish Christians who were basically to the point of saying: “I can’t take it anymore. Following Christ is too hard. We’re losing family members, friends, property, and some of us have been put in jail. So let me just go back to where I came from because I’m not seeing the pay off by following Jesus.”

The Book of Hebrews is not written for the person who doesn’t care, it is written to the Christian who is thinking about dumping Christianity because they’re not seeing the pay off that they should get with Jesus. The author of Hebrews is basically telling them, “Don’t give up. Christianity is better, because there is a whole new covenant and you will see God’s promises come true, if you do not give up.”

In the key scripture today, Hebrews 10:6, is saying, there is a new agreement that God has made with his people. He has made an agreement to cover you, which is a covenant, and what you are covered by, is Jesus, the Son of God, if you are operating under the Rule of God.

In Verse 19 he goes on to say, instead of going backward and turning away from God because you are discouraged and disappointed, go forward by boldly going into the presence of God. “Christian brothers, now we know we can go into the Holiest Place of All because the blood of Jesus was given.” (Hebrews 10:19). He is basically saying, He wants you and me, even when we feel like shrinking back and regressing, to boldly go into the presence of God. Not casually show up before the throne, but come with confidence and strut on in there like you know you have the right to be there, because you do.

You are probably thinking, “Why would I do that?” The answer is in Verse 23. “Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful to His word.” (Hebrews 10:23).

Verse 23 is telling us: God’s Word is Good even if it doesn’t look like it right now in your situation; God’s Word is Good even when it doesn’t feel like it; God’s Word is Good even if it doesn’t taste like it; God’s Word is Good even if it looks like God has totally forgotten about you; God’s Word is Good even if you feel that God has let you down; God’s Word is Good even if God has disappointed you. When it looks like God has backtracked on you, His Word is still Good. His Word is always Good because He who promised is Faithful. God never lies and He never changes.

The problem is this. There is a gap between God’s promises and God’s fulfillment of His promises and we do not know how long that gap is. When God promises something based on His Word, He is good for it, however, He doesn’t tell you when it is going to come to pass.

Therefore, if you draw away from God instead of drawing near to God then you have increased the time between the promise and the fulfillment of God’s promise in your life. Some of us have not seen God come through for us because we are moving in the wrong direction. We are shrinking back, turning away from God.

In every Christian life, you are either moving forward or you’re moving backwards, there is no neutral position. You are fooling yourself if you think you’re in neutral and you are just standing still. The Christian life is like being in an ocean, there is an undercurrent that is moving you along even though you don’t feel like you’re moving at all.

God wants you to move forward because He is not only developing the promise He has for you but He is also changing and improving and developing your character. But we always want God to take care of our problems right now, without developing our character, and He is not going to do that.

Look at it like this, when you have children there are things you plan on doing for your children such as: one day getting a credit card for them and letting them drive the car but you don’t do it until they are old enough, until they are responsible, and when their character has developed to the point that they can handle that responsibility. You don’t give a 10-year-old a credit card and a car because they are not responsible and their character has not developed enough. That is exactly how God looks on us.

God knows that He can’t give us the answer to some of His promises right now because we are not where we need to be, our character has not been developed enough. God knows that if He gave us His promises now that He would be wasting it because our character is not there yet. That is why it took Abraham 25 years to pass his test before he got his son Isaac. God made that promise to Abraham 25 years before Abraham was ready for it. But when he was ready, the promise was fulfilled.

When you have been trying to honor God, be obedient to God, praise God and to do exactly what He says in His Word, and nothing is happening you need to be honest with God and say to Him, “I am disheartened right now and disappointed.” But you also need to remember that God is always faithful, that He loves you, and His plans for you are for good not evil.

“God is faithful [He is reliable, trustworthy and ever true to His promise—He can be depended on], and through Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9 AMP).

Don’t let your discouragement stop you from moving forward, because that will block the promises of God. If you shrink back, then God cannot develop your character, which means, He cannot fulfill His promise through you and for you if you’re not ready to receive it.

In order to keep going forward, you need to keep saying to yourself: “God is faithful. He does not, can not, and will not lie. He always comes through on His promises. I don’t know what His timeframe is nor do I know how He is going to do it, but He is going to do it.”

So if you are discouraged, remember what the author of Hebrews is saying to you, “Don’t go back, don’t quit. I know you’re having a rough time right now and even though you want to throw in the towel, don’t do it.”

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, You know better than anyone that we are all subject to discouragement in life because there is evil in the world and in our personal lives. I know when I am discouraged the best thing that I can do, so that I do not shrink back, is to praise You, like David did in Psalm 103. I will do this when I am discouraged and even if I do not feel like doing it. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!” (Psalm 103:1-22). I will Praise The Lord! In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.