“If you want to serve God, you need to be faithful,” said Brother Barnett in our first conversation about being a minister. I have never forgotten that conversation and what he shared with me. Over the next forty-plus years, I learned the five traits of faithfulness to God.
I have learned if all five traits are in the life of a Christian, that is a person you can count on. They are also a servant in the church. Notice I didn’t say “leader”, I said “servant”. Why? Because the greatest leader is the biggest servant.
Through the rest of this article, I am going to share the five traits of faithfulness to God and why it matters to you.
God Is Faithful
This is the reason we are to be faithful to God. He is faithful to us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us, regardless of what we do or how we treat Him. God is always faithful.
Your faithfulness is for all generations; you established the earth, and it stands firm. (Psalm 119:90 CSB)
God has proved His faithfulness to all generations. In the beginning, He established the earth. It still stands. So is God’s faithfulness to us. We may not be able to count on any person, but we can always count on God.
God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19 CSB)
When God says something, He does it. If He gives a promise, He fulfills that promise. You can take what God says and promises in His Word and know it is Truth. It is unchanging and will happen.
What Is Faithfulness to God?
What is faithfulness to God? Faithfulness to God means we are loyal to our Lord and His righteousness, His way of doing and being right. It also means we are full of faith and put our complete confidence, trust, and reliance upon Him and His Word.
We can hear and see faithfulness. A person who is faithful to God will speak of His trust and confidence in God. Their words will be in harmony with what God says in His Word. And their actions will match the words they say.
This is a person everyone can count on to stand in faith. They know how to pray and how to move in the spirit. They serve their church because they serve their God.
(Another aspect of this is the Fear of the Lord. You can read about it in my article HERE.)
The 5 Traits of Faithfulness to God
- The Word of God is the final authority in their life
- Lives by faith
- Prays
- Loves
- Is a giver
These are the five traits you will find in every person that is faithful to God. Study the biographies of the heroes of faith that have lived before, and you will find these five traits.
Please don’t get the idea these are perfect people because they are not. They have their imperfections and faults, just like the heroes listed in Hebrews chapter eleven.
Yet, overall, you will see these traits manifest in the faithful.
Make the Word Final Authority in Your Life
This is the first trait you will see in those that are faithful to God. Why? Because without this trait, none of the other traits can happen. The Word of God is the foundation we build our life upon. If the foundation is not solid, our whole life will crash down.
What does it mean to make the Word of God the final authority in your life? It means to put the Word above every other influence in your life. No matter what, the Word of God is to determine our actions. As Christians, we are to base every decision upon one question: “What does God say about this?”
How do you make the Word of God the final authority in your life? By making a quality decision. What is a quality decision? A quality decision is one you will never back away from regardless of the circumstances.
Draw an imaginary line on the ground in front of you. Step over that line. Now say, “Lord, from this moment forward, I will put your Word first place in my life. What it says and what it commands, I will do. I will never make your Word fit my lifestyle. From now on I will make my lifestyle fit what your Word says.”
If you meant that from the heart, you just made a quality decision. I can’t stress the importance of the Word of God being the final authority in your life. It is a critical part of our faith walk.
When someone has made the Word first place in their life, there are two unmistakable signs.
One: they are avid students of the Bible. They study God’s Word to learn everything they can about their covenant with God.
Two: They attend church practically every time the doors are open. They know the value of the teaching of the Word and the importance it has in their spiritual growth. They also realize their own value to the Body of Christ.
Here are some other articles that may help you:
How to Release the Power of God in Your Life
Lives by Faith
This is the second trait of one who is faithful to God. They live by faith because they have made the Word of God final authority in their life. They live by faith because God said four times in His Word, “But the righteous one will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38)
Those who are faithful to God already know they are a “righteous one”. They know God made them righteous at the moment of the new birth.
“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
God commands us four times in the Word to live by our faith. This is what those who are faithful to God do. They live by their faith.
If you want to learn more about living by your faith, you can read my articles:
Faith As a Way of Life-Daily Living in God’s Grace
How to Live the Lifestyle of Faith: With 5 Benefits for You
Live By Faith: Your Bold Call to Live A Wild And Courageous Life
Prays
The third trait of faithfulness to God is prayer time. Not only all the time (That is another lesson) but also daily prayer closet time. Understanding the importance of this intimacy with the Father, they carve time out of each day to spend it alone with their Heavenly Father.
You will find many of those who are faithful to God start their day with prayer. Why at the beginning of the day? This is when they get their marching orders from God for that day.
When you start your day with prayer and the Word (see: Matthew 6:33), your day will go smoother. You find yourself prepared and ready for your God-given assignments.
Loves
The fourth trait of faithfulness to God is love. God is love and our spiritual DNA is God’s love. At the new birth, God deposited His love into our spiritual DNA. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God…” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18a CSB)
Therefore, we love. First, we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. They are of primary importance. Next, we love our neighbor, and then our enemies. Finally, we love the unlovely.
We love because God loves. We love because we are of God.
Is a Giver
The fifth trait of faithfulness to God is they are givers. They give their tithe faithfully, they sow seed faithfully, and they give to the poor faithfully. Yes, I repeated the word “faithfully” for emphasis.
Because they are faithful to God, they are faithful in everything they do. Giving is one of the things they do.
Why Faithfulness Matters to You
Why does faithfulness matter? When we are faithful to God, He knows He can put His trust and confidence in us. When He knows this, the Lord will give us bigger, better, and more important assignments for the Kingdom of God.
In the end, when we come before Jesus, we will hear:
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.” Matthew 25:21 CSB)
I can’t speak for you, but my greatest desire is to hear those words.
You Will Be Trusted
Not only will God trust you when you are faithful to Him, other believers will also trust you. They will know you are a person of integrity that walks honestly before the Lord, their God.
Faithfulness to God allows Him to increase the power flowing through your life. You will be a more effective worker in the Kingdom of God. This means you will make a bigger difference in the world around you.
Look at the world around you. This is the time for the faithful to rise. The world needs them desperately.
The Challenge
I challenge you to look at your life with fresh eyes. Locate the areas in your life where you are faithful to God. Then look at the areas where your faithfulness is not so great. Decide today to become faithful to God in all areas of your life.
Allow the Holy Spirit to help you achieve this goal. How will you know you are faithful to God in a particular area of your life? Because you will have complete trust, confidence, and reliance upon God in that area.
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