Fully Persuaded!!
Heb: open, enlarged of God, assurance, entice, stir- up
Gk: to convince, rely, have confidence, trust, yield, most surely believe,
Fully know, incite
Believe – to place one’s trust in God’s truth, one who takes God at His word and trusts in
Him for salvation. A belief that saves is one that rests in the finished work of Christ; it
trusts God alone for salvation (John 3:16). Believers are those who have trusted God with
their will as well as their mind (Rom 1:16, 3:22; I Thess 1:2-7). Mere assent to God’s truth
is not (full persuasion), saving faith according to the Bible (John 8:31-32, Acts 8:13-24)
Assurance – the state of being assured; freedom from doubt and uncertainty. Assurance
is the richest doctrine of the Bible. It refers to the believers’ full confidence and conviction
that the penalty of their sins has been paid and that heaven has been secured as their
eternal destiny by Christ’s death and resurrection. The basis of assurance must never be
our own subjective experience, which can waver with fear, doubt and uncertainty. True
assurance is founded on the Word of God alone. The Holy Spirit bearing witness to our
spirits that the Word of God is true and reliable. When believers, by faith, stand upon the
Word of God (such passages as John 10:27-29 and Romans 8:35-39 speaks clearly of
the assurance of our faith), they gain a joyous freedom to live by God in Christ and are
now free to forgive others, to love as they have first been loved by God. Assurance, then,
is a practical matter. As long as people are uncertain about their own standing before
God, they are defensive and self-centered. But fully assured of God’s salvation, the
believer can begin to walk in the footsteps of Christ (I John 4:17-19).
We don’t start out being fully persuaded, remember faith comes by hearing, and hearing
the Word of God. The Bible tells us to be careful what we hear, because what we hear
goes into our heart. Ex: someone tells us that healing is not for today, that will stop you
from being fully persuaded until you come to grips that it is not true. The Bible tells us to
guard our heart, for out of it (your heart) are the issues of life. (Prov 4:23).
Abraham slipped many times before, (when he lied about Sarah being his sister, when he
went into Hagar, but when he was tested of God (Gen. 22:1-10, the Bible tells us in Heb
11:17-19 he became fully persuaded.
Jairus had to be strengthened by Jesus in Luke 8:40-50. Jesus still had to put the
unbelief out (vs 51-56) to achieve His goal.
Jesus called it great faith (remember the Centurion in Luke 7:1-10). In Mark 11:22-24
shows us the power of full persuasion.
Confidence as shown in I John 5:11-15 is what we are to strive for. Remember our
persuasion is not in our own ability, but that God is able to work it in us. (Heb. 13::20-21).
We must be empty, so God can fill us. (Eph 5:18). Paul says “being confidence in this
very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ”.
How to get to be fully persuaded?
Meditate on the Word as God told Joshua (Joshua 1:8)
Prov 3:5-7, 4:20-25
The Bible has to become the final authority in our lives.
When you submit yourself to God, you submit to the Word of God. Remember God exalts
the humble.
Jesus did the legal side, we must do the vital side by belief and confession. Remember all
things are possible to them that believe. (II Cor 4:13).