BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO
God is faithful. 1 Peter 4:19 calls Him the faithful Creator. âTherefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creatorâ (1 Peter 4:19 NKJV). Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines faithfulness as âDependability, loyalty, and stability particularly as it describes God in His relationship to human believers.â
Beyond Godâs faithfulness as a faithful Creator or Maker, God is also dependable, loyal, and stable in His relationship with those who believe in Him. Faithfulness is God’s major character. âO LORD God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, LORD? Faithfulness is your very characterâ (Psalm 89:8 NLT). Â The New King James Version says, âYour faithfulness also surrounds Youâ (Psalm 89:8b). The psalm was written by Ethan the Ezrahite, a man renowned for his wisdom in Solomonâs time (1 Kings 4:31). God is faithful.
Verse 2 of Psalm 89 says, âFor I have said, âMercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavensââ (NKJV). And verse 5 says, âAnd the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saintsâ (NKJV). You also should praise God for His wonders and faithfulness because you are a beneficiary. Great is His faithfulness (Lamentation 3:23b).
The Bible tells us many times about the faithfulness of God. As a child of God, you should know what the Bible says about the faithfulness of God to help you to understand what we mean by God is faithful. This will enable you to appreciate and enjoy maximally Godâs faithfulness. Hebrews 10:23 says, âLet us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithfulâ (NKJV). Â God is faithful in keeping His promises.
For example, Abraham and Sarah were able to enjoy the fulfilment of Godâs promise because they knew God was faithful â He would keep His promise. âBy faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promisedâ (Hebrews 11:11 NKJV). The subject of the faithfulness of God is very important.
David had a deep understanding of the faithfulness of God and enjoyed its benefits. He said, âYour mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the cloudsâ (Psalm 36:5 NKJV). David said again, âI have not kept this good news hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. LORD, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. My only hope is in your unfailing love and faithfulnessâ (Psalm 40:10-11 NLT).
When David fled from Saul and went into the cave, he sang Psalm 57. In verse 3b, he said, âMy God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulnessâ (NLT). He was depending on the unfailing love of God and His faithfulness to deliver him from fierce lions who greedily devoured human prey, whose teeth pierced like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords (verse 4).
David, many times, talked about both the unfailing love of God and the faithfulness of God to him. The two are inseparable. In verses 9-10, he said, âI will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the cloudsâ (NLT).
You and I need to cultivate the same attitude of meditating on the faithfulness of God and telling others about it. In Psalm 30:9, David said, âWhat will you gain if I die, if I sink down into the grave? Can my dust praise you from the grave? Can it tell the world of your faithfulness?â (NLT).  Also, Isaiah 38:19b says, âEach generation can make known your faithfulness to the nextâ (NLT).
How often do you thank God for His faithfulness? Suppose God doesnât keep His words or promises, where would you be? But glory be to God! He remains faithful from generation to generation. With Him, there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17).
The power of Godâs faithfulness
1. Godâs faithfulness helps us to put our trust in Him. This is because we know that it is impossible for God not to keep His promises. Hebrews 6:18 says it is impossible for God to lie. He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19a).
Understanding this makes you trust God because you can rest assured that His Word will not fail. He is the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9).
Why is it that the Word of God, the commands of God, the promises of God, will not fail? Psalm 138:2 tells us the reason: âI bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I will give thanks to your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, because your promises are backed by all the honor of your nameâ (NLT). Because His promises are backed by all the honour of His name; He has invested all the honour in His name in His Word. And because God cannot allow Himself to be dishonoured, He will ensure that there is no failure.
Psalm 119:86 says all His commands are faithful (trustworthy). Verses 90-91 say, âYour faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servantsâ (NKJV).
Time and eternity cannot change the faithfulness of God. He remains forever faithful. So, we can depend on His faithfulness. âYour testimonies, which You have commanded, are righteous and very faithfulâ (Psalm 119:138 NKJV). 2 Timothy 2:13 says, âIf we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himselfâ (NKJV).
Others may fail you, but God wonât. He wonât fail you, no matter what youâre going through. He says, âWhen you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch youâ (Isaiah 43:2Â NKJV). God is always faithful. At a time when people abandon you or run away from you, you can be sure that God wonât leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).
In 2 Timothy 4:16-18, Paul testified about how God stood with him when everyone forsook him at his first defence. God is ever faithful. But make sure you donât leave Him or forsake Him. Be faithful to Him.
2. Godâs faithfulness provides the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. It is the faithfulness of God and justice that forgive our sins and cleanse us of our unrighteousness. âIf we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnessâ (1John1:9 NKJV).
Without the unfailing love of God and His faithfulness, no sinner will be saved. It was the unfailing love of God that made God send His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins (John 3:16). Jesus is the manifestation of Godâs love and faithfulness. John 1:14 says, âSo the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Fatherâ (NLT). The New King James Version renders the phrase âunfailing love and faithfulnessâ as âgrace and truth.â
Verse 17 goes further to say: âFor the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christâ (NLT). The phrase âunfailing love and faithfulnessâ is rendered âgrace and truthâ in the New King James Version.
Suppose God is not faithful! Then there is no guarantee that He will keep His word to forgive our sins. Unlike human beings, God cannot change His mind that He is no longer forgiving our sins that He has forgiven just because we have annoyed Him or for another reason. It is not in the character of God to do so. David, a man who enjoyed the forgiveness of God because of His faithfulness, said, âAs far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from usâ (Psalm 103:12 NKJV).
The distance between the West and the East cannot be measured. When you go East, you will never come to the West; you will always go East. The same thing is true of the West. East and West will never meet. God says, âFor I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no moreâ (Jeremiah 31:34b NKJV). Hebrews 8:12 also refers to this. Moreover, Hebrews 10:17 testifies to this promise of God.
God is so faithful that your unfaithfulness can never make Him unfaithful. âFor what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?â (Romans 3:3 NKJV). Without Godâs faithfulness, every sinner is doomed. Thank God for His faithfulness.
3. Godâs faithfulness makes possible wonderful fellowship with His Son. It is Godâs faithfulness that brought sinners into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus. âGod is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lordâ (1 Corinthians 1:9 NKJV). As sinners, we were alienated, far away from God, but through His Son, Jesus Christ, God brought us close to Himself (Colossians 1:19-21).
4. Godâs faithfulness delivers us from temptation. He provides a way of escape for us. âNo temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear itâ (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV).
How many times Godâs children who sincerely want to obey His Word have been delivered from temptation just because God made available a way of escape? They were nearly trapped but something just happened that saved them. That was Godâs faithfulness at work. While each child of God should keep himself in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 21), he must also know that God is able to keep him from falling and to present him faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24). Without Godâs faithfulness, our efforts will be in vain.
5. Godâs faithfulness guarantees our establishment and divine protection. âBut the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil oneâ (2 Thessalonians 3:3-4 NKJV). David prayed in Psalm 61:7, âMay he reign under God’s protection forever. Appoint your unfailing love and faithfulness to watch over himâ (NLT). The phrase âunfailing love and faithfulnessâ is rendered mercy and truth in the New King James Version. You can see Godâs unfailing love and faithfulness as a divine personality watching over your life! God appoints goodness and unfailing love (mercy) to follow you everywhere you go (Psalm 23:6 NLT). âUnfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through loveâ (Proverbs 20:28 NLT).
6. Godâs faithfulness enables us to live a life of integrity. Youâre a child of God, and, therefore, you should manifest the attributes of God. Godâs Yes is Yes; His No is no. He is not Yes and No. Paul told the Corinthians, âBut as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us â by me, Silvanus, and Timothy â was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yesâ (2 Corinthians 1:18-19 NKJV).
Understanding the faithfulness of God helps you to be a faithful person, too. Faithfulness is part of the fruit of the Spirit that should be evident in the life of a child of God (Galatians 5:22-23). According to Paul, it is required in stewards that he should be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Be faithful in both small and big matters. Be faithful in what belongs to others. Be faithful in monetary issues (Luke 16:10-12). In Matthew 25:20-23, the master of the three servants commended and rewarded, for being faithful, the two servants who invested and doubled the talents they were each given. But he collected from the unfaithful servant the talent he had given him and gave it to the servant who had ten talents. He then cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:26-30). That wonât be your portion in Jesusâ name. Be faithful. âOh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithfulâ (Psalm 31:23 NKJV).
Conclusion: Are you so faithful to God and to fellow human beings that God and people can describe you as faithful? What is your character? Paul talks of faithful men in 2 Timothy 2:2.
You can be faithful as Abraham was (Nehemiah 9:8). You can also be faithful as Daniel was (Daniel 6:4). Learn from the faithfulness of Moses (Hebrews 3:5). More importantly, emulate the faithfulness of Christ (Hebrews 3:6). Have a good testimony from God and men that youâre faithful.
Appreciate the faithfulness of God every day. Meditate on it. Sing about it. Talk about it. And youâll continue to enjoy more of His faithfulness. God is ever faithful.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org