Not One Promise...
To say the past couple of years have been difficult is an understatement. Many of us have felt the weight of unexpected trials—exactly what Jesus spoke of in John 16 when He said, “In this world you will have trouble.” I believe there’s a reason He ties that trouble simply to being in this world. We often expect trouble from certain places—but many of us have experienced it from where we least expected. Jesus then follows that statement with the encouragement, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The “take heart” statement serves as an encouragement—but an encouragement for what? “Take heart” isn’t just general—it redirects our confidence. Not in our ability to endure, but in His finished victory. The phrase is often used when it’s easy to become discouraged, to lose hope, or to lack faith. This is typically what happens to our hearts when we encounter what the world throws our way. Even in times when it feels like anything that can go wrong does. It is meant to pull us out of that place and set us in a place of hope—hope not in our overcoming, but in His, which we benefit from.
This serves as a promise for us, and there are many promises in Scripture. In the same way, promises were made to the Hebrew people throughout the Old Testament, from Abraham through Joshua. The path from promise to fulfillment was not a straight line. That’s not the case for us either. We get sidetracked, distracted, discouraged. Our faith fluctuates. We serve idols. We complain. We even think about the life we left behind when we chose to follow Jesus. The issue wasn’t God’s faithfulness—it was their consistency. And if we’re honest, ours isn’t much different. Yet despite all of this, God remained faithful.
Toward the end of Joshua, there is a statement recorded that is not only an encouragement but also a foreshadowing of things to come. Joshua 21:45 says, “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made… had failed; all came to pass.”
Not one. That’s the testimony.
With all that the Hebrew people had done—all the ways they had fallen short—God still fulfilled what He promised. Some did not see those promises take place. Because of rebellion, a generation passed before those promises continued to be fulfilled. But that does not take away from His faithfulness. It didn’t cancel the promise. The declaration still stands: every promise came to pass. And I believe that same truth is on offer for us.
There are promises we hold fast to—promises we build our lives on—that we sometimes feel disqualified from because of our missteps. But God does not change His mind. God makes promises fully knowing our weaknesses—and His ability to overcome them. As Numbers 23:19 reminds us, He does not lie. When God promises something, He will see it done. As we pursue Him, we can trust that every promise He has truly spoken will be fulfilled—whether in our lifetime or beyond it. And just as was recorded in Joshua 21, it will be so for us at the end of this age and in the age to come.
So take heart—He has overcome the world. He is faithful.
Not one promise has failed.
Why would yours be the first?
-Pastor John
The “take heart” statement serves as an encouragement—but an encouragement for what? “Take heart” isn’t just general—it redirects our confidence. Not in our ability to endure, but in His finished victory. The phrase is often used when it’s easy to become discouraged, to lose hope, or to lack faith. This is typically what happens to our hearts when we encounter what the world throws our way. Even in times when it feels like anything that can go wrong does. It is meant to pull us out of that place and set us in a place of hope—hope not in our overcoming, but in His, which we benefit from.
This serves as a promise for us, and there are many promises in Scripture. In the same way, promises were made to the Hebrew people throughout the Old Testament, from Abraham through Joshua. The path from promise to fulfillment was not a straight line. That’s not the case for us either. We get sidetracked, distracted, discouraged. Our faith fluctuates. We serve idols. We complain. We even think about the life we left behind when we chose to follow Jesus. The issue wasn’t God’s faithfulness—it was their consistency. And if we’re honest, ours isn’t much different. Yet despite all of this, God remained faithful.
Toward the end of Joshua, there is a statement recorded that is not only an encouragement but also a foreshadowing of things to come. Joshua 21:45 says, “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made… had failed; all came to pass.”
Not one. That’s the testimony.
With all that the Hebrew people had done—all the ways they had fallen short—God still fulfilled what He promised. Some did not see those promises take place. Because of rebellion, a generation passed before those promises continued to be fulfilled. But that does not take away from His faithfulness. It didn’t cancel the promise. The declaration still stands: every promise came to pass. And I believe that same truth is on offer for us.
There are promises we hold fast to—promises we build our lives on—that we sometimes feel disqualified from because of our missteps. But God does not change His mind. God makes promises fully knowing our weaknesses—and His ability to overcome them. As Numbers 23:19 reminds us, He does not lie. When God promises something, He will see it done. As we pursue Him, we can trust that every promise He has truly spoken will be fulfilled—whether in our lifetime or beyond it. And just as was recorded in Joshua 21, it will be so for us at the end of this age and in the age to come.
So take heart—He has overcome the world. He is faithful.
Not one promise has failed.
Why would yours be the first?
-Pastor John