God is Faithful!

I was preparing what to share this week, and I wanted to have a catchy title for this Christmas season, such as “All I want for Christmas is You”! But as I sought the Lord for the topic, He wanted me to remind you that God is faithful. He is reintroducing us into His faithfulness.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

I love how the Holy Spirit confirms the Word He gives. A teacher recently asked me to journal one thing to tell the Lord what I love about Him. I decided on His faithfulness. There are so many things I love about Him, but faithfulness includes everything about Him. Faithfulness is an attribute of God. There are many attributes of God. In March 2020, we explored some of them. He is faithful because of who He is, i. e., merciful, just, good, love, righteous, truth, Holy, etc.(Psalm 86:5, 15; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 145:8-9; 1 John 4:16-18; Psalm 119:137; John 14:6-7; Revelation 15:4). The Lord also brought me to a YouTube video by Lana Vawser titled “Feasting on His Faithfulness.”

God has committed Himself to us in the Old Testament and through Jesus Christ in the New Testament. It is His faithfulness and love that sent the promised Messiah and Savior of the world to us (Genesis 3:15; 12:3; Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:26-38; 2:10-11; John 3:16). God took His love and wrapped it in flesh and blood through His Son, who took the form of a man. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us (Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1, 14). We see His faithfulness in His grace, healing, power, and love.

Jesus is the reason for this Christmas season. Jesus means “Savior, Salvation.” When we receive Jesus as Savior, we get Him and everything He is and came to provide for us. He is Salvation (Acts 4:12; Isaiah 12:2). Jesus came to save us from our sins and bring salvation (Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:30).

The word salvation comes from the Greek word transliterated Soteria (See Strong’s Concordance 4991). It means deliverance, preservation, and safety, as well as salvation. The Greek root is Sozo: to deliver, protect, heal, preserve, do well, be whole and make whole (see Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Greek dictionary 4982). Sozo means salvation, i.e., everything Jesus accomplished on the cross: rescue, safety, preservation, freedom, liberty, peace, righteousness, victory, deliverance, forgiveness, protection, health, prosperity. We are pardoned, re-created, healed, restored, and made strong, whole, and sound: mentally, physically, materially, and spiritually.

Who wouldn’t want Jesus as Savior and Salvation? Jesus is incredible, and there is no one like Him. He is the only true, living God, and He loves us unconditionally with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). If you would like to experience the love of God and to have peace with Him through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can receive Him right now by praying this suggested prayer out loud right now. You can also pray in your own words.

Remember, it is not words or prayer alone that will save you. Prayer is a way to reach out to the Lord and must be done in faith (completely trusting in Him alone to save you). He even gives us His faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 12:3). Christ will save you when you ask Him, believing that He will. Faith is not a feeling but believing God by taking Him at His Word, which allows you to receive His gift of Salvation:

Heavenly Father,

Your Word says that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved. I ask You to forgive me for my sins. I repent and turn from them and turn to You. I am calling on You and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, and He is alive today. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me the Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and Your healing power in my life. I now belong to You. Help me to live for You and obey You all the days of my life.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

If you just received Jesus as your Savior, then I welcome you into the Family of God! For more about how to grow in Christ, see: https://alexiscarucci.com/welcome-to-gods-family/

God is faithful to His covenant (Psalm 89:34) and what Jesus did on the cross through His shed blood and resurrection (John 3:16; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6-8, 13; 9:15; 13:20). He wants to show us once again who He is as our covenant-keeping God during this time, just like He revealed Himself to the children of Israel as they came out of Egypt. He is Jehovah Jireh (the LORD will provide; Genesis 22:14); Jehovah Rapha – the LORD who heals you; Exodus 15:26); and Jehovah Nissi – (the LORD is my banner; victory; Exodus 17:15). The Holy Spirit breathed on Isaiah 33:6 in July 2020. He gave us this Word to stand on for the trials now and those that would come.

Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times and the strength of salvation; the fear of the LORD is His treasure. Isaiah 33:6

We have faith in Him because He is faithful. He is faithful because He is good. He has a loyal love that never ceases or fails (Jeremiah 31:3; 1 Corinthians 13:8). God is faithful to His Word and promises, both the written Word (Logos) and spoken Word (Rhema). Faithfulness is relational. We must fix our hearts on Him to encounter Him and not just His promises. God’s faithfulness carries the promise, and we need to let go and let Him carry it! Meditate and reflect on these verses that declare His faithfulness. He is drawing us into an encounter with Him.

“So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19
“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.” Deuteronomy 7:9
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38 – 39
For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 2 Corinthians 1:20

God knows all things. He knows our past, present, and future. God has been with us in the past, and He has been faithful and Blessed us in the past. Thinking back and remembering those times of His faithfulness help to encourage us for the present and future. To be blessed in the future, we cannot look to the past. We must look forward to the days to come.

God is also the God of the now, the present. No matter what we are going through today, God is with us. He said He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). He has given us bold faith this year for the trials, disappointments, and hardships we have endured!

He is also the God of our future and is with us now, preparing us for our future. Prophets can tell us what God has for our future, but believers also have the Holy Spirit, and we can hear what new things He declares for our lives (John 10:27).

Earlier this month, we spoke about God wanting to do new things in our lives this season and the coming year (Isaiah 42:9; 43:19). He can speak to us concerning our future, and He is faithful to bring these things to pass. Even if we haven’t seen what He says manifest yet, His promises will come to pass because He is faithful. We must use our faith to believe God for the new things He has for us now and in the new year, 2021. Our God gives us hope to encourage us to have faith for the coming days (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 15:13).

God wants us to ask for new things. He will even give us new faith for the days to come. He tells us to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7-8). What new thing do you want to ask God for in your life? He wants you to believe for something new that has never happened before. Things you haven’t even dreamed of. Don’t limit God. He will give you new victories where you weren’t able to overcome before. Start thanking Him, decreeing His Word, and expect these new things to happen. God will send His angels to assist you (Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 103:20).

As I was recently struggling with some problems that I have not seen a breakthrough yet, the Lord gave me this verse. I pray that it will be an encouragement to you as well. You can take this for yourself as a believer, whether a man or a woman. I believe it’s a prophetic Word for our present time leading into 2021.

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45

God is speaking into this year, 2020, and He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is always faithful. Perhaps with everything that has gone on in 2020, you have experienced some doubt or lost hope in God’s faithfulness. We have heard promises of breakthroughs coming and wonder where it is? Perhaps you are waiting for a manifestation of a breakthrough in a particular area of your life that has lasted longer than expected, and discouragement has set in.

The Lord gave me a dream on June 15, 2020, that I shared in an earlier blog. Https://alexiscarucci.com/2020/07/01/calling-all-dreamers/

It spoke to heading for the breakthrough following the path God was pointing out using His wisdom and strategy to overcome the enemy. I spent time with the Lord to ask Him about the breakthroughs needed in my life and for His wisdom. We must always do our part to partner with God. Then He will do the impossible, which is His part. Breakthroughs won’t come if you have not been obedient to do your part!

Is your past blocking your path to breakthrough? We are told in Isaiah 43:18 – 19 not to remember the former things nor consider the things of old because the Lord is doing a new thing. He is turning things around. Living in our past prevents us from going forward into our future. We must allow the Lord to bring healing and deliverance where needed. Next week we’re going to discuss how we must let go and let God build our lives.

Perhaps the Lord has told you to forgive, walk in love, separate from a relationship that harms you, give up your idols and repent of looking to other people, places, or things instead of to Him, or something else. He is faithful and will do what He has said He would do. As we discussed before, a Word of prophecy may have a condition we must do before it comes to pass (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must wage the good warfare (1 Timothy 1:18-20).

The Lord will show us our part when we ask Him. It may be fasting and praying (Isaiah 58:6-12), persevering, and standing our ground. Keeping hope alive and staying in faith, decreeing and declaring God’s Word over our lives and situations, etc. The Lord has given us so many tools and weapons for victory! We are overcomers (1 John 5:4). Don’t let fear take hold. We are told not to fear but be bold and courageous (Joshua 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:7).

Throughout the Scriptures, we see that God fights for us, and we must come to Him to find out what the battle plans are (Joshua 5:13-6:20; Judges 7:1-25; 2 Samuel 5:17-25; 2 Chronicles 20:15-30). In other words, we need to know our part of the plan. God is with us and for us. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are in us (Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:11; 1 John 4:4). His faithfulness is seen in us because Christ is in us.

At the beginning of this month we talked about discerning times and seasons.

My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me for Your mercy’s sake. Psalm 31:15 – 16

Now is not the time to give up or give in. God is our strength and hope (Nehemiah 8:10; Isaiah 40:29; 41:10). He gives us grace for each new day. When we pray according to His will, He hears us. When we decree according to His will, it is established (Job 22:28).

Now, this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14 – 15
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Praise the Lord for His love and faithfulness. Praise brings breakthroughs!

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night. Psalm 92:1 – 2
“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” Isaiah 61:3
This, I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies, we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,” Therefore I have hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:21 – 26

My prayer for you:

For this reason, we also since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Colossians 1:9 – 12

No matter what is going on in the world, we have reason to be joyful. Christ has come! He is our Savior, Redeemer, Healer, Deliverer, Provider, and Protector.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:8 – 14

Christmas Blessings!