God Is Faithful

Is there anything God cannot do?

Before you answer, consider the following verse found in 2 Timothy 2:13 – If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

The faithfulness of God is perhaps one of the most comforting of His attributes.  Standing firm in believing that my God is faithful sustains us through all hardship, whether trials and tribulations that come at us from the external, or temptations and failures that attack us from within. 

Just what does it mean that God is faithful?  And how does that impact my day to day life?

Faithfulness is translated from the word Greek word pistos.  It is the same root word for believe.  Throughout scripture, the verb (to be) “faithful” is used in two senses, passive and active. When used in the passive sense, it means “to be trusted, reliable, true, and sure.”  In the active sense, it signifies “believing, trusting, relying.”

For humans, faithfulness and faith are inextricably linked.  We cannot be faithful to God without faith.  We cannot maintain our commitment to God without actively believing in Him, trusting in and relying on Him.

God’s faithfulness, however, is that perfect quality of being true to Himself – who He is.  He cannot be other than Himself.  Hence, if we are faithless [we fall away or fail], He remains faithful [committed to what He has promised] for He cannot deny Himself.  God does not need to believe in us to be faithful to us.  He is faithful to us because His character prevents Him from being unfaithful.  He believes in us, only because He knows He is able to accomplish what He has committed to do in us!

What a relief, to know that God cannot break His promise to me!  Let’s face it – there are times when I am going to let God down.  I will fail Him.  I will do things that break His heart.  I will give in to temptation.  I will choose what I want instead of what He wants.  I will desire to do good, but my flesh will win.

God remains faithful.  He cannot deny Himself.

For this to mean anything, we must know what promises God has made to us.  If I do not know what He has promised to do for me, in me, and through me, then His faithfulness is vague and meaningless.  Or, if I believe that God has promised me something He has NOT, then I will conclude that He is unfaithful because He has not done what I expected!

To truly know that God is faithful, we must know who He has revealed Himself to be according to scripture, and to what He has committed Himself to be faithful!

What has He promised?  Here are just six amazing promises God will be faithful to keep.

#1 - He promised salvation, if we repent and believe, receiving by faith His grace-gift, accepting Him as Lord of our life.

John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

Romans 10:9-10 – That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead; you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Acts 2:37-39 – Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”  Peter said to them, “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

#2 - He promised to complete what He began in us, conforming us to the image of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 – …so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Philippians 1:6 – For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

# 3 - He promised to provide a way out of temptation – ALWAYS.

1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

# 4 - He promised to protect me from the evil one (Satan). 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 – But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

Note:  This verse does not say that we will not suffer persecution!  We know that God has allowed Satan to rule this earthly world, and we see every day that believers die horrible deaths at the hands of evil men.  It’s here, already, on our own soil – in our own cities, and will only grow worse as we draw nearer to the end.  Scripture is clear about that.  But God does promise to strengthen us in the face of the evil one.  And He has already protected us by securing our eternal home in heaven with Him. The worst thing our enemy can do to us is usher us into the presence of our Savior, to the joy and beauty and magnificence of eternity in the presence of God.

#5 - He promised to forgive me when I sin.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

#6 - He promised to meet every need.

Philippians 4:19 – And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

How do these promises (and others) affect our daily life?

We have HOPE.

The reality is, life is hard.  People get sick and die.  Marriages fail.  Children disappoint.  Evil men seem to win.  The political condition of our own country is fragile.  We live in an immoral, wicked, faithless, and harsh culture.

My hope is not that things around here will get better.

My reality is that things around here will get worse.

My hope is in God’s faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-24 – This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope.  The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I have hope in Him.”

When Jeremiah wrote these words, his nation had been taken into captivity.  Everything he held dear, everything that was familiar, everything physical that could bring him comfort had been stripped away.  Yet in the midst of it, he held tightly to the character of God.  He planted his hope in the Lord Himself.

This I recall to mind…We must REMEMBER who God is and what He has promised in order to have hope!

(Side note:  If you read the context of Lamentations 3, Jeremiah had been thinking about all the horrible things that were happening and how grim the outlook was.  It was only when he stopped thinking about the circumstances and began to fill his mind with the thoughts of God, that his perspective changed!)

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses [mercies] never cease…Lovingkindness is another word for mercy.  God never runs out of mercy!

His compassions never fail…God always knows exactly how we feel and what we are experiencing, and His heart is always and continually moved with compassion for us!

They are new every morning…As the sun comes up, God is still thinking about us!  God never runs out of compassion for us.

Great is Your faithfulness…Whatever we face, God’s faithfulness is greater!

The Lord is my portion…God Himself, not what God gives me or does for me…God Himself is enough.

Therefore I have hope in Him…Not hope that the circumstances will change, but hope in Him, despite the circumstances.

I’ve experienced the faithfulness of God in so many ways – both big and small.  As Todd and I walk out this journey of faith in establishing a new ministry which God has called us to, I’ve had moments of doubt. 

What if we heard Him wrong?

What if we don’t make it financially?  What’s Plan B?

What if no one “gets” what we are doing?

What if …

What if…

The “what if” questions can seriously test your faith!  But God has been so faithful to confirm what He is doing in us in big and little ways. 

·         An unexpected financial commitment to the ministry at just the right moment. 

·         A personal gift from a friend (completely unexpected) that just happens to be the exact amount we needed to replace the microwave that quit this week (along with the coffee pot…what, do appliances talk to each other?)

·         An impromptu by chance (not) meeting with a friend we’ve been praying for the opportunity to share with. 

·         A blog post shared by another friend that confirms our thoughts on ministry are exactly what God’s Spirit is speaking to the church at large. 

·         A conversation over a meal during which we see a friend’s eyes light up with understanding.

·         A dinner with new believing friends, sharing about the goodness of God together.

Whatever you are facing today, I pray that you remember:  God is faithful.  He will accomplish what He promised.  He will sustain you in ways you don’t expect and couldn’t plan.  He will not deny Himself.

Don’t look at the circumstance.  Look at Him.