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Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (NKJV)
(Previous devotionals can be found at www.seriousfaith.com)
It is my opinion, that God’s faithfulness is the single most important fact of Christianity. Why? If God were not faithful, then we have nothing to place our hope in. If God is not faithful, then we cannot trust what the Bible says about any subject, any person or any promise. We can’t trust in Jesus; we can’t hope for salvation; we can’t have peace; we can’t expect the promises to come true. If God is not faithful, we would have to live in constant fear of losing our salvation and being attacked by Satan. If God is not faithful, we would have constantly worry about what will happen the moment we die. If God is not faithful, then there truly is absolutely nothing to live for, nothing to hope in.
There is no middle ground. God is 100% faithful, or not at all. God can’t be “mostly” faithful. He cannot even be 99.9% faithful. If there is any unfaithfulness whatsoever in God, then He is a fraud by His own definition. God’s faithfulness is the foundation upon which everything about Christianity is built.
So far we have learned:
- Truth 1 – God is Faithful; the Bible declares it plainly; history proves it. We have found out that the meaning of “faithfulness” as applied to God can be summed up by saying: “God is a Person who we can absolutely depend on, find security in, and lean upon.” (Deut 7.9; 1Cor 1.9; 1Cor 10.13; 1Thess 5.24; 2Thess 3.3; 1John 1.9; Prov 14.5; Matt 24.45-46; 1Tim 1.15)
- Truth 2 – God’s faithfulness is not average; it is great and limitless; God’s faithfulness has no exceptions; whatever He promises or declares will happen. The universe would come and go a million times before one letter or breath from God was not fulfilled. You can count on God. He is faithful always, 100% of the time. (Deut 7.9; Lam 3.22-24)
- Truth 3: God’s faithfulness reaches to the heavens and skies; God’s faithfulness reaches farther and higher than any circumstance or trial we will ever face. If God’s faithfulness reaches to the heavens, it is certainly capable of reaching every area of our life. (Deut 7.9; Psa 36.5; Psa 89.2)
- Truth 4: Everything God does is done in faithfulness; God operates from faithfulness. There is no question about it, it is an assumed fact. Every word, every thought, every decision, every wish, every command, every declaration… all done in complete faithfulness. Whatever God purposes, WILL come to pass. (Deut 7.9; Psa 33.4)
- Truth 5: God’s faithfulness is manifested when He stands by His people and saves them even when they are unfaithful to Him. God’s faithfulness is undeterred by man’s actions; when God promises to complete something, or make something happen, it is not dependent on anything but His will. We can have hope because our security is in God’s faithfulness, not our own abilities. (2Tim 2.13; Heb 10.23; Deut 7.9; 1Kings 8.56; Psa 89.3; Psa 119.89-90; 1Sam 12.20-22)
Truth 6: God’s faithfulness is manifested in His not allowing His children to be tempted beyond what they are able to endure.
It is both a comforting and a sobering fact to realize that God has promised to never let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. It’s comforting knowing that we will never be forced to face temptation beyond our ability to resist. It’s sobering because it means that every time we sin, the reality is we have chosen to sin, and we have ignored God’s provision of escape.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No 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 it. (NKJV)
God has promised to protect us from Satan. Satan can never be a legitimate excuse for us to sin against God. It is another comforting thought knowing that God is personally shielding us from Satan. Satan is the most powerful of all God’s creatures (Ezek 28). He is cunning, deceptive, intelligent, powerful and the “father of lies” (2 Cor. 2:11; 11:3; Matt. 4:6; 2 Tim. 2:26; Luke 22:31; 1 Tim. 3:6; Rev. 12:12; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 2:9, 24). He appears as an angel of light (2Cor 11.14), but death and destruction are his sole purpose. Satan knows his time is short and he’s not happy about it.
In a large segment of Christianity, we hear preachers taunting Satan, and making light of Satan’s power. We hear great bravado and arrogance cast from the mouths of men towards the Great Dragon. Beware of this! The Bible commands us not to take Satan lightly, giving us warning after warning to be alert, be on guard and be prepared. If Satan were so puny and helpless, then God would not warn us so adamantly to be on guard against him. The very fact that God must protect us from Satan gives indication as to what Satan could do to us – if God were not on our side.
Yes, Satan has no power over us. Yes, we have won victory over death and hell. Yes, Satan cannot steal us from God. Yes, Satan cannot touch us without God’s permission. These facts are TRUE, but only because God’s faithful protection makes it true. Christians must never boast or arrogantly mouth off about Satan (Jude 9) but rather should hide themselves in the “cleft of the Rock” and take comfort in the protection that God has promised. WE are powerless against Satan apart from God. Our boasting should not be how WE have power over the Devil, but in GOD’s power over him – and that protection has been graciously extended over us.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. (NKJV)
God’s faithfulness is demonstrated in His promise to protect us from Satan, who would and could destroy us if God did not protect us. The fact that we are not suffering like Job every minute of every day is proof of God’s faithfulness. The fact that we never face a temptation that is truly unbearable, is proof of God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is manifested because He protects us from what would otherwise overwhelm or destroy us.
Lord, Help us see Your faithfulness when you protect us from Satan, and because you never fail to provide a way of escape from temptation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Contemplation: Have you ever sinned and thought you had no choice? If God says we will never be tempted beyond our ability to endure, who is wrong – us or God? Have you ever thanked God for protecting you each and every day from Satan?
Application: We never HAVE to sin. God faithfully provides a way of escape and NEVER allows us to be tempted beyond what we can endure. We sin because we choose to sin. Another sign of God’s faithfulness is that He daily protects us from Satan who would destroy us if given the chance.
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
(seriesid:37)