“Now He who established me in Christ, and anointed me, is God;
who also sealed me, and gave me the down payment of the
Spirit in my heart.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, myBible: Standing
On the Promises, page 74.

I’ve been studying to acquire my commercial driver’s license.
Our community has a shortage of bus drivers and it really works
well with my schedule to drive a bus for a few hours a day. So,
I’ve been riding along as part of my preliminary training.

A few days ago, a cute little girl boarded the bus. She had big,
beautiful green eyes and her curly hair bounced on her shoulders.
She was a well-mannered and timid little creature.

As she sat down in her seat, the bus driver complimented her new
dress and shoes, “You look very pretty.” A smile crept across
her face as she took the words to heart.

Another little girl across the aisle heard her. She ducked down
behind the seat so the driver couldn’t hear her and said, “You
look like a bad girl.” When she saw I was looking, she quickly
turned away.

Now what she meant by that, I don’t know. But it wasn’t nice.
And as I observed the interaction, I realized that’s what the
devil does to a lot of people.

God comes to us in His Word and says, “this is who I say you
are . . . ” and when we read it, we’re excited. But the devil
comes along (through thoughts or other people) and whispers
something to the contrary, maybe even something believable,
and we sink down in our hearts.

Or maybe, you’ve heard or read about the promises that are yours
through Jesus Christ. You take them to heart, but a whisper, a
doubt,  a nay-sayer, or nincompoop comes to steal the promise.

If you don’t fight that doubt, if you don’t evict the whisper
from your heart and mind, you will abandon the promise.
You will lose out, surrender, and forfeit what God has already
given you, what Jesus purchased with His own blood.

I don’t know how those words affected that little girl. The kind
words were true. She did look very nice. However, would she allow
the poison words from another to suffocate and silence the truth?

Right now, someone or something is trying to persuade you subtly
or by force, that God’s Word, His promises, or even His love is
not enough. Maybe the voice says, “you’re not deserving,” or “you
can’t do it,” or “you’re bad.”

But let this resound in your heart, the Giver of Breath and
Source of all life has something to say to YOU:

“Now He who established me in Christ, and anointed me, is God;
who also sealed me, and gave me the down payment of the Spirit
in my heart.”

God Himself has established YOU in Christ.
The All-Powerful God has anointed YOU.
The Almighty God has sealed YOU, marked YOU for Himself, His
very own.
Our Loving Father gave you a down payment, a portion of what He
has in store for YOU right now.

He has already put a healthy serving of His own Spirit, a piece
of Himself, in YOUR heart, to live in YOU all the days of YOUR
life. To help YOU and to guide YOU. How personal is that?

Don’t let anyone or anything steal the promises of God from you.