Staying faithful is hard! It’s harder than sticking to a diet that we planned out, it’s harder than staying within a budget, it’s harder than not getting angry in traffic (because who doesn’t) and it’s harder than mostly anything we could think of. But doesn’t seem easier to be faithless? It takes no effort to stop being faithful. Once we stop praying, reading our bible and believing the best is yet to come, we easily start to lose that mountain top faith.
Recently I had a job during the summer where I got to do real, raw hands on ministry work for God. I got the chance to speak to hundreds of youth, to baptize someone! and serve God’s people everyday. It’s easier to have faith while doing a job like that right? Of course it was! I was so faithful throughout the summer because I was so immersed in God’s work and what he was doing through me.
When the summer ended I traveled back home and went from doing that job almost 24 hours a day to basically doing nothing. It struck me that if I was going to remain faithful I have got to stay connected to God even when I don’t feel like it.
If we are going to remain faithful we have to stay connected to God even we don’t feel like it.
To stay faithful is hard and there is not a single person that would say it’s always easy. Maybe it’s similar to me and you went from having an amazing job to the job ending, or maybe it’s depression for you, maybe it’s the marriage or that you can’t possibly seem how God is going to connect the pieces of the scattered puzzle.
God sees the puzzle already put together and it’s a beautiful picture. If we let our emotions control us they will take us for a ride because our emotions say, “It won’t work out.” or “I will never get that job.” and “I’ll never overcome this struggle.” but our emotions do not get to decide whether or not God has plans for us. He wants to do immeasurably more through us even when we can’t quite seem how or when.
We cannot allow our emotions to dictate our behavior.
No matter what it is that’s tempting us to be unfaithful, we can have hope and assurance that God is faithful when we are faithless. God doesn’t stop working just because we become less faithful. He is still working through us, preparing the future for us and laying everything out just as he has planned.
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
Aren’t you thankful that we have a God who is always faithful? Our doubt toward and unfaithfulness toward God does not hinder God’s love and God’s plan for us.
I took some steps in my life to remain faithful to God even when I didn’t feel like it. I want you to take these same steps because when we persevere through a time of unfaithfulness is grows us and we become stronger.
4 Steps To Remain Faithful
1. Pray
Constantly praying will strengthen our faith. Even if we are praying and it seems God isn’t there remember just because he is silent doesn’t mean he is absent. God is always with us and when we pray that helps us to hold on. Pray for the future, pray for current circumstances and pray for God to open your eyes to see what he is doing through you. Every season of life has a purpose and sometimes it takes looking everywhere and praying to find that purpose. Pray pray pray!
2. Read the bible
Reading the bible is crucial when trying to remain faithful. Reading the bible is reading God’s word and understanding just how great he is. Everytime I read the bible I always leave with more faith than I sat down with. It’s God’s voice for us literally just on paper. God speaks to us through reading his word. I strongly encourage you to pick up your bible and sit down and ask God to show himself to you and you will be amazed.
3. Believe the Best Is Yet To Come
We have got to believe the best is yet to come. Because the moment we stop saying that and stop believing it, we begin heading down a path of being faithless. God has HUGE things planned out for us and he wants to do great things through us. He is using us every single day so let’s always remember that the best is yet to come.
4. Think Back To A Time When God Was Faithful
For me this was when God first called me into the ministry. I didn’t know what to do or how to do it. I was trusting that God had something planned for me and he did! It was NewSpring Leadership College that God put me in and he changed my life through that school. I have no idea where I would be without Jesus. For me when I am in a time of wondering “how will this work?” I think back to when God was faithful in the past. I repeat this phrase in my head over and over:
“If God could do it then he’ll do it again”
That’s so true! God is always the same and he will never change. I love that about our God and he just wants the best for our lives. A verse that goes right along with that is Hebrews 13:8 which says:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
In Jesus the best is yet to come and we can have this hope that if he was faithful then, he’ll do it again!
I hope this article was helpful to you. Let me know how I can be praying for you by leaving a comment or by emailing me. Know that the best is yet to come and that God has a plan for your life. A plan that includes hope and a future. God loves you and has the best for you.
Bryant Westbrook 