Focus On God's Faithfulness and Promises

Focus on God's Faithfulness and Promises

The enemy of our souls wants to entice us into wrong focal points like doubt, fear, or compromise. On the other hand, in these same battles, the Lord wants to test us (to exercise our faith). In any temptation or testing, we can be assured that our struggles are not unique. "No temptation [or, testing] has overtaken you except such as is common to man." Whatever our struggle, the Lord has dealt with it innumerable times before.

However, there is a far more significant factor here than the commonplace nature of our difficulties. That is the faithfulness of God: "but God is faithful." This is the pivotal issue in our impossibilities. Too often, we find ourselves fainting at the challenges that we face. We sense our own inability and unreliability. We are concerned that we may prove unfaithful. God wants us to concentrate on His faithfulness.

After reminding us of God's faithfulness, the Spirit brought forth two promises that bring hope to those in temptations and testings. First, God will not allow battles that are inappropriate for our stage of spiritual growth. He "will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able." Second, God will eventually provide a way out of the battle. He "will also make the way of escape." If our spiritual development can only properly respond in faith to the enemy's "mortar shells," the Lord will not allow him to drop spiritual "atomic bombs" on us. Also, whatever the difficulty involves, the Lord will see us through ("that you may be able to bear it"). Furthermore, He will eventually rescue us as well. We can count on God fulfilling these promises, because "God is faithful."

Thank God for exposing the lie of the enemy that your trials are unique. Thank God for promising to see you through and bring you out. Ask God to help you to rest your expectations on His faithfulness and on His great and precious promises in Jesus Christ our Lord. God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9. Set aside enough time to meditate, think, reflect, contemplate, ponder, study, and deliberate on the following faithful promises of God to every believer in Christ:

• There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)
• Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV)
• Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (KJV)
• But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (KJV)
• That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Hebrews 6:18 (KJV)
• Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Hebrews 10:23 (KJV)
• Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 1 Peter 4:19 (KJV)