Often times, not immediately seeing what He has promised causes us to conclude that scripture doesn't mean what it clearly says, and this conclusion becomes easier to justify when we surround ourselves with people who have had similar experiences and teachers who cleverly and diligently work to convince us that these promises do not apply to us today. But Christ declared that these signs shall follow them that believe, and take note - He did not limit this to the apostles. The sad truth is that if we do not believe, then these signs truly will not follow us. Saying "I tried that, it didn't work, so I no longer believe" may simply be proof that our belief was dependent on a result and not on faith that comes by hearing the Word of the Lord. Christ, however, confronts the natural inclination of the carnal mind and says it's the other way around - i.e. our results are dependent upon belief (faith/trust). According to Heb 6:12, inheriting His promises is also dependent upon our patience.
So there is a choice for our hearts - stand firm on what He has declared or oppose it. Many of us who claim Christianity unwittingly oppose the Word of the Lord because of what our leaders have taught us, denominational or fellowship pressure, fear of failure/rejection, past experiences, lack of immediate results, and/or a whole host of other things that were never meant to be the source of our faith. What He has already said and what proceeds from His mouth even now is to be the source of our faith, and His words are so much more real than what we see. Despite this glorious truth, we continue to stumble along, guided by our soul and our senses, and this while claiming 2 Cor 5:7 to be true in our lives.
Let's step out of our comfort zone and seek to make that verse more of a reality - reminding our hearts that he is not a liar, He is faithful, and He sees what we often cannot!
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