Remember God's Faithfulness

By Alexandra Copeland

Numbers 23:19 (NLT) tells us, “19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” This verse reveals a very important comparison for us to make. It is an uneven contrast to say the least. On one side is our Great Big Wonderful God, and on the other side is a human being. The difference in the hearts of both is immeasurable. The human heart can vacillate from exceedingly evil to extraordinary kindness. We can help a stranded stranger to safety or look this same person in the eye and lie straight to their faces without provocation. Our Heavenly Father will never lie. Lying is not a part of His nature. Truth is who He is. He does not change His mind or vacillate in any way. We can have unwavering faith in His promises because He is faithful to back up His Word without fail. 

God has told us throughout His Word to count on His faithfulness. It is more than a comfort to us, especially during those times when the challenges of life are the most difficult. Romans 8:17 says, “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” Suffering came on the scene when sin reared its ugly head. Jesus Christ took our suffering to the cross when he gave his life on Calvary. We know this, and live our lives in the victory that he won, but some of us still have some issues in our lives that we haven’t yet overcome. We’re works in progress, and the more of Christ that we put on through God’s Word, the stronger we are against the temptations of sin. We’re going to face obstacles and adversity in life, but 2Corinthians 4:17 calls it light affliction. It cannot compare to the eternal weight of glory that we’re destined to receive. 

 

My niece witnessed to a young man a few months ago, and he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. He said that before she told him about salvation, he had never known about it. His family members were not born-again and he didn’t know that God actually wanted a relationship with him through Christ. He told my niece that his life feels so much lighter, and that he understands more about life and purpose now. He’s a very bright young man and seems to have a thirst for knowledge and righteousness. It is an absolute requirement that we do all that we can to wrap our arms of love around him constantly. The devourer seeks an opportunity to steal the Word from his heart, and it is our privilege to cover him in prayer, so that he will be rooted and grounded in God’s Word, love, and power. 

Ephesians 3:17 and Colossians 2:7 tells us a bit about God’s goal for us as His sons and daughters. He desires that our hearts are filled with faith so that we are rooted and grounded in His love. This tells us that being rooted and grounded in His love is not automatic. We must be committed to grow spiritually in Christ. This commitment is expressed through our discipline to study God’s Word and practice the example of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The enemy will attack Christians where they are most vulnerable to try to prevent their roots from growing deep in Christ. In Mark 4:16-17 (NLT)  Jesus Christ uses a parable of a farmer scattering seeds to describe this. He said, “16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”  

The many distractions in the world today are a direct result of the enemy’s tactic to capture the believer’s mind and heart, and try to ensnare them through fear. If we become undone through fear and disharmony, we will be fragmented individually, so that unity as a body is prevented. 2Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” A person endowed through Christ with a spirit of power, love, and sound mind. He or she is empowered to move God’s agenda forward in the earth. This is our purpose for being here, to impact humanity by moving in God’s power, love, and intelligence. 

Heavenly Father has given us our marching orders, and He knows what we’re up against. This is why He wants us to know and depend on His faithfulness. He wants us to have unshakeable confidence that He backs our steps, and that He will never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 10:23 (NLT) encourages us, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Again, our conviction regarding God’s faithfulness isn’t a causal thing. It must be solid in our make-up, a result of us holding tightly under pressure. It comes from having dealt with a few things in life, and not forgetting that it was God that gave us the victory time after time. 

Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” We can’t afford to catch a case of amnesia when it comes to the faithfulness of God, and many of us do when we face adversity. We run back to that same anxiety and worry we clinched the last time we went through one of life’s storms. As our lives progress, our faith should become more established. God’s desire is that we are excited about the ministry of reconciliation that He has placed in our hands through Christ. Remember that He’s a God who will do exceedingly abundant above anything we can ask or think. He will thrill our hearts as we become anchored in the good news that we share with others, because His Word is true, and He is faithful to bring it to pass.■ 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.