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Let’s start with Pastor Joe’s Sunday sermon preview for today:

“When loyalty to Jesus costs everything, the test won’t expose the weakness of your grip, but the strength of His love.”
#CovenantLoyalty #LifeofDavid #SundaySermonPreview

When I read this, my first thought was that Pastor Joe was about to preach some fire and ice. It made me pause and examine my own faith and loyalty to God. Was I doing enough? I felt a stirring of guilt. Am I loyal enough? Do I practice enough faith? Do I love Him enough? When I’m around people who don’t believe, am I dimming my light for their sake? Do I only practice faith, love, and trust when I need Him the most?

What I realized is this: loyalty is led by the Spirit, not by me. Covenant loyalty is God’s gift to the redeemed. It is rooted in steadfast, committed love and faithfulness—God’s unbreakable relationship with me.

God turned my character defects into character assets. He gave me a new heart. A changed heart. I will be loyal to Christ, not because of my strength, but because He chose me and gives me faith. My faith is not fragile or circumstantial. It reaches into every area of my life.

In all my worldly struggles, when I am tested, I will remain loyal. When I am weak, He gives me the strength to stay loyal; even when it risks relationships. I need to have faith in my faith. Jesus gave me my faith, why would He fail me with it? He won’t. He gave me my loyalty to Him. Not perfect loyalty, but preserved loyalty. Not maintained by me, but by Him.

This week, I worked Step 3 in my NA step work: “We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”  I am understanding Him more and more each day. After church today, I know Him even more than I did before. I will continue to go to church and learn God’s Word, and I will continue to work the steps in recovery, because I will always be in this world until the Father calls me home.

Going to church today reminded me that faith and trust are essential, and that I cannot do life without Jesus. I needed this sermon on Covenant Loyalty today. I also needed to complete Step 3 again after recent tests to my faith and feelings of shame and guilt. What a relief I feel now.

My call is simple: keep practicing faith and trust. Turn everything over to God’s will and care. When I stumble, He will give me strength. He is my rock and my salvation. No matter what, God carries my loyalty to Him and my faith in Him—and that helps me trust Him. What freedom that brings. I can rest in God’s promises. He didn’t save me to desert me.