God Is Faithful To His Word by Joel Osteen

Have you ever faced a situation where nothing seems to be changing? During those times, it's easy to be tempted to give up on God's promises and quit believing. But understand, just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean God isn't working behind the scenes. You see, whenever you find yourself in those situations, it's "now more than ever " that you should be standing and confessing God's Word over your situation. I remember a time when I was younger and my entire family faced such a strong storm that we were tempted to think, "Is God going to bring this to pass? " But it was through persevering and believing and releasing our faith that we saw God's promises come to pass.

In 1981, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Every voice said, "It's over. She'll never make it. Start planning her funeral. " But my family and I found another voice, a promise from God's Word in Psalm 118:17. It says, "I will live and not die and declare the works of the Lord. " We had to decide, "Are we going to believe what God says about her and let His promise give us direction and hope and faith? Or are we going to go in the direction that we feel? " Discouraged, depressed, and despaired? My mother had been in the hospital for 21 days, and the doctors finally released her because there was nothing else they could do. We gathered early that next morning in the den as a family. We made a decision that we were going to stand on God's promises knowing that He is our helper, and He will never fail us or let us down. Day after day, we just kept moving in that direction, acting like God told us the truth.

In the natural, it didn't look like it was working. The first several months, my mother never got any better. There were times we thought that if healing was going to happen, it would have already happened by now. But we had to ignore those voices and keep pressing forward. God is faithful. One day, we began to see the shore come into sight. Though she didn't get well overnight, little by little, month after month, she got better and better; and that was 29 years ago. Today, she's perfectly healthy and strong as can be.

I like the way the Amplified Bible puts Hebrews 13:5. It says, "I will not, I will not, I will not ever fail you or release my hold on you. " That's the only place in the scripture that I can find where God repeats something three times in a row. The reason God says it three times is because He knew how easy it would be for us to give up on His promises. He knew when it was taking a long time and nothing was going our way that many people would think, "Well, I don't guess I'm supposed to be blessed. I know God promised that I would lend and not borrow, but I can barely pay my own bills. " Or, "I know God said He would do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond. But I don't see how I could have an Ephesians 3:20 decade. I never get any good breaks. " God knew we would have every opportunity to talk ourselves out of believing His Word and give up on His promises. That's why He said it three times. "I will not, I will not, I will not ever fail you or let you down. " Now, if God went to the trouble of saying it three times, this tells me we need to make sure we get it. We need to develop an unshakeable confidence that says, "God, I know what you say is true. And I'm not going to be moved by what I see. I'm not going to be discouraged by what I don't see. I'm not going to give up because it's taking a long time. God I trust You. I know You will never fail. You will never let me down.

And understand, God is not obligated to bring to pass what we say. But He is obligated to bring to pass what He says. This is why it's so important to find the promises that apply to your situation and remind God about what He says. In other words, "God, You said You are my helper, and You will never fail me or let me down. " God is obligated to bring that promise to pass. That's His Word that is forever true. "God, I'm in this big problem. People are coming against me. But God, You said in Psalms the strength of the wicked is being cut off and the power of the godly is being increased. " "God you said the trap that the enemy set for me, they would fall in themselves. " God is obligated to bring that promise to pass.

See, instead of complaining about the situation or begging God, "God, please help me. God, get me out of this trouble, " realize that God acts and responds to His own Word. Take those promises and remind God about what He said. "God, You said You're close to the broken-hearted. And I'm hurting. I've been through this disappointment. But God, You promised You would give me beauty for ashes. You said weeping endures for a night, but joy is coming. " "God, You said I would lend and not borrow. I may not see how. But that's the direction that I'm headed. " "God, You said my children will be mighty in the land. That's what I'm believing for. " "God, You said what You started in me You would bring to completion. So I am headed in the direction, God, of what You have promised. " Those are promises that God is obligated to bring to pass. And when I say "obligated, " I'm not saying that we're bossing God around, telling Him what to do. No, the principle is that God is faithful to His Word. He cannot lie. It goes against His very nature. He could never break a promise. And so when we bring His promises back to Him and remind Him of what He said, that's what causes Him to respond.

I am glad my family took a stand and believed for my mother's healing. I encourage you, whatever you may be facing today, take courage and know that God is for you. Get into His Word and discover the life and power of His Word and the fruit of confessing His promises. As you stand and declare His promises and hope in Him, you will not be disappointed!