Well hello to ya today, so glad you’re listening to this episode of the podcast. Let’s jump right in and look at a few verses from the New Testament that hold tremendous promises for us. Luke chapter one, verse 37 from the NLT and then Hebrews 13, verses 5 and 6. God’s promises are true. Whether or not you believe those promises, well, that’s kind of up to you.

A Christmas Blessing from Mary's Song Episode Link

You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, playing now via the Edifi app. Today’s episode is sponsored by the Christmas book for families titled A Merry and Bright ADVENTure - A Christmas Devotional for Family, Faith, Food and Fun by Katie J. Trent. Sure, my children are all grown adults…but my grandbabies are the ones I will be using this book with. It’s divided into sections, by topic, by theme, and the advent readings consist of like a family devotional, a prayer, family discussion questions, some specific advent activities and of course, a recipe which is very family friendly. There are 25 of these really well thought out daily sections, which is of course perfect for advent. And there is a list of grocery items and craft items already compiled for you, to make it as easy as possible to implement the recipes and activities. Link is right here in the show notes, and a big thank you to Katie Trent for creating this Christmas season resource. I absolutely love it. And now, on with the show. This is episode number 199.

Right there nestled among the first few verses in the book of Luke, almost too easy to read and go right on past, is the promise of verse 37. In the NLT it says, “For the word of God will never fail.”

And after that absolutely mind-blowingly huge promise, this chapter continues into Mary’s Song, the Magnificat. Which, by the way, is really a beautiful passage of Scripture to read aloud as a family during the Thanksgiving or Christmas season. Amazing, that’s what Mary’s Song is. Worship - you might call it that. Beautiful worship.

For the word of God WILL NEVER FAIL.

Hang your hat on this verse today. I mean that, seriously. Bank on it. Depend on it. Lean the full weight of all your troubles and concerns onto it. It will hold up, no matter how heavy the load is that you’ve been carrying around. This verse can handle it. All of it. Perhaps this promise is one of the most powerful promises in the entire Bible. I don’t want you to take my word for it. I want you to take God at His word. Then do it again tomorrow. And never stop taking Him at His word, every single day of your life.

Hebrews 13, 5-6 - also from the NLT -

5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”[a

6 So we can say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”[b]

What could possibly be missing from your life when God has said this?

Combine these words from Hebrews with the words from Luke and I am thinking you have something unstoppable, ya know?

Your God, whom you love and whom you serve, the One who secured your eternal salvation, He will never fail you or abandon you. What matters more than that?

And what are we to say in response to these great and precious promises?

With confidence, we say, The Lord is my helper and I will have no fear. Because what can mere people, human beings, those who are created by the One making me these promises, what can they do to me?

The hope you have in knowing, believing, and living in the reality of these promises…well, I’m not really sure it gets much better than that.

God won’t leave you. God won’t abandon you. God won’t fail you. He will help you. You can live with no fear. And people? What can they really do to you? For the word of God will never fail.

The word of will never fail for Jan, or for Sara, or for Rachel, or for Mike, or for Betty, or for Stuart, or for Terry, or for Gail, or for Linda or for Jon or for any of His people.

What promises in the Bible do you most need to know won’t fail right now?

Is it something from Psalm 91? Psalm 103? Psalm 1?

Something God promised in the book of Genesis?

Acts or Joel?

Isaiah?

Hebrews or Matthew or Revelation?

What promises have you wanted to believe were for you, God’s to you, but maybe are afraid to go all in with that belief? About what Bible promises can you say, “Lord, I believe…help me with my unbelief?”

I want to issue this challenge to you today: write down that promise, or promises if there are multiple, and on that page where you write them down, get a pen in a different color, maybe bright red, and over the top right Luke 1:37 - For the word of God will never fail.

I don’t want you to think about this, and say eh maybe I’ll do that some day. No.

Please do it this day.

For the word of God will never fail. Those promises from the word of God? They will never fail. So says Luke 1:37.

This is a big deal, isn’t it?

Because when we begin to really know the word of God will never fail, we start praying that way, we start thinking that way, we gain victory in areas that we once thought would end up taking us out. This is important because God wants us to know that His word will never fail…and the enemy wants us to believe his lie that the word of God will always fail.

Which will ya have today?

Five pounds of Jesus in a brown paper sack, or more than that?

Maybe God isn’t going to be controllable if you go all in and believe.

Maybe you will have to do battle with your fears and doubts.

Maybe some of your Christian friends will try and talk you out of such radical belief, because let’s just be honest, so many of our female small groups turn into gripe and gossip sessions, or stay so superficial that things like clothes and make up dominate the conversation…like, maybe that could change. And you might be the odd man (odd woman) out. Spoiler alert: if you are longing for those kinds of conversations to never be part of a women’s small group or Bible study ever again, then you already are the odd woman out…you just don’t want to rock the boat by mentioning it or by leaving…cuz we all know that when you leave, everybody wants to know why (like, more gossip, perhaps?) when they ought to know why just by reading the room, right?

What’s the hardest place to leave gracefully, graciously, and without gossiping? A Christian community that isn’t truly honoring the Lord. You are already the odd one out perhaps. That’s okay. I’m thinking Moses, David, Elijah, Abraham, the entire early Church in the first century…odd man out over and over again. It’s hard, but it’s not the end of the world.

What will you need to face honestly if you choose to trust the entire weight of your life, and all those things and people you’ve been praying about, all of it on the promise that the word of God will never fail?

A whole lot could change, starting with your heart and mind.

Maybe we can’t really, fully love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as yourself until we really believe that the word of God will never fail.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the moment the Lord has been waiting for. The moment when you no longer let fear, worry, other people’s opinions, doubts, all that kind of stuff, no longer let that hold you back, tie you up in knots inside and outside, and keep you from believing all God’s promises. Maybe today is a big deal for you.

Maybe tomorrow hinges on today.

Maybe, just maybe, this is your time.

What will you do now?

I hope you choose to believe.

Because you will never regret it, and God will never abandon you.

Until next time, keep on believing. Bye bye.