When you Google “extreme faith,” you get 185,000,000 results. Yes, that is 185 MILLION different search results. Wow. To be honest, although I did expect to see a plethora of hits for my search, that really exceeded my expectations! A search for “extreme faith” produces churches, production companies, bibles, youth programs, camps and retreats, book titles, and more. It’s an energy charged phrase that is used to push believers–young and old, from various denominations–to a stronger and greater faith in God. It’s not a bad thing at all.

In fact, having extreme faith in God is a good thing, but today I want to come to it from a different angle. Our faith should not be something we generate from within ourselves and “pump up” to please God. Our faith in God should be a response to Who He is, not who we are. When we see and begin to grasp how awesome God is, then faith in Him will naturally flow. So it is not “extreme faith” we should be seeking; instead, we should be seeking to know His “extreme faithfulness.”

That might sound like an odd phrase to describe this attribute of God, but there is really no other way to see it. In fact, everything about God is extreme. He loves in an extreme way. He forgives in an extreme way. He provides in an extreme way. He IS extreme in Who He is because He is God, and so it follows that His faithfulness is extreme as well…and it is!

GOD IS FAITHFUL. Period. Take a moment to really think and meditate on that statement. Don’t just pass it by with a “yeah, yeah, I know” response–really digest it and think about what it means. Even if you have heard it, read it, sung it and said it a thousand times in your lifetime, receive it in new today. Meditate on each word, one at a time. God…is…faithful. Each word holds incredible truth on its own, and then together they communicate an immutable truth that is a foundation of our faith.

To be faithful means to be loyal, steadfast, and true. One who is faithful keeps their promises; they are reliable and can be trusted and believed. A faithful person is firm and sure. All of these descriptions define the character of God. His faithfulness is both proclaimed and demonstrated throughout His Word. Deuteronomy 7:9 declares God’s faithfulness–“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…” Psalm 36:5 describes His faithfulness as “reaching to the skies.” Lamentations 3:22 tells us of the greatness of God’s faithfulness.

The same truths are echoed in the New Testament as well. In I Corinthians 1:9, we are told, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Over and over, it is proclaimed in the Word. I love 2 Timothy 2:13 because I am reminded that even when I am not faithful, He is…because “he cannot deny himself.” What an incredible promise and truth. I am thankful for the promise because I know I am not faithful. I want to be, oh how I want to be, but I fail. But He does not. And I love the truth that seals it because it makes it so clear that faithfulness is not just what God does, it is Who He is! When it says that “he cannot deny himself,” it is saying that He can’t not be faithful. That is extreme faithfulness–He will ALWAYS be faithful, praise God!

We are not only told of God’s faithfulness in the Bible, but we are shown it throughout the Word too. Every story from Genesis to Revelation is a story that shows God remaining true to Who He is and what He has said. If He said it will happen, it does. If He said He would do it, He did. Floods came, cities burned, seas parted, walls fell, kings rose, kingdoms fell, and most importantly, a King was born, died, and rose again…and that King will return, just like God said He would. Because He is faithful!

It is this truth that has carried me through this life and continues to carry me every day. My whole life is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. He has never failed me and never will. That, my friend, is EXTREME faithfulness, and it is because of His faithfulness that I have EXTREME faith in Him. I hope you will too!