In Genesis 15:13-14, the Lord made a covenant promise to Abram concerning his descendants. When God was making this promise, he had no descendants.
11 years into his walk with God, Abram still didn't have any descendants.
The promise the Lord made him concerning descendants seemingly 'hang in the air'. It seemed fictitious at this point. Abram even asked the Lord if one of his servants would be his descendants (Genesis 15:3)
Due to frustration at what seemed like a delay, Abram gave into Sarai's idea of trying to hasten the manifestation of God's promise. He begot a son who was not the promised child. Abraham, who the Lord counted as righteous because of his faith (Genesis 15: 6-8) had a moment of unbelief.
The Lord did keep His promise to Abraham and Sarah gave birth to the promised son (Genesis 21: 1-7). Abraham did go on to have many descendants, the children of Israel, who were enslaved and oppressed in Egypt.
They left Egypt on the last day of the 430th year (Exodus 12:40).
Yahweh Sabaoth parted the Red Sea and fought the Egyptians on Israel's behalf (Exodus 14:15-31). Jehovah Jireh provided food and water for the Israelites in the wilderness, guided and protected them on the way to the promised land.
The Israelites' became frustrated in the wilderness; they cried all night and rebelled against God out of fear. They feared the people in the promised land, they did not believe that the Lord was with them and that He would give them the land; this inspite of the signs and wonders they had seen (Numbers 14: 1-11)
Despite Abraham's unbelief and mistake, the Lord never changed His mind about what He had said to and promised him (Numbers 23:19). In fact,13 years after Ishmael was born, the Lord spoke to Abraham and gave more clarity concerning the timeline within which the promised son would be born. He further reassured Abraham He'd confirm the covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17 & 18)
On the other hand, the Israelites' unbelief birthed a rebellion against God and they refused to listen to the Lord's voice- provoking the Lord's anger greatly. He punished a whole generation, allowing them to wander for 40 years in the wilderness. None except Joshua and Caleb entered the promised land.
The root of unbelief is fear.
Unbelief is like cancer when it comes to stewardship of God's promises.
God's promises to you are contained in His Word from the Bible and are also made known to you through prophecy. If you don't steward these promises well, you won't see the manifestation of God's will on earth for your life as it is in heaven.
Here are 5 practical things you can do to better steward God's promises over your life:
Hand over your fears to Jesus:The simplest way to face your fears is provided for in 1 Peter 5:7 (AMP) - casting all your cares (All your anxieties worries, all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares about you (with deepest affection and watches over you very carefully). Sincerely ask the Lord to help your unbelief.
Believe the Lord. Do not complain especially when things appear to be chaotic and make no sense. The Lord will work out all things for your good, as long as you love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) After all, it's His promise to keep and He knows how and not vice versa. For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our Amen (which means "Yes") ascends to God for His glory (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Ask Jesus the high priest and chief intercessor to fortify your faith. Pray in the Spirit.
Read God's promises out loud. Remind yourself of what God has said in the Bible and even through prophecy. There is power in the decree.
Praise and worship Jesus like your life depends on it. Open your mouth and offer a sacrifice of intercessory praise and worship. When you praise the Lord, you invite His presence and in His presence not only is there fullness of joy but He also moves.
Don't let unbelief be the reason you're deemed a poor steward of God's promises - as a result of which you don't see their manifestation or you don't enjoy the fullness of living kingdom life here on earth.