Fully Persuaded

Several weeks ago we studied the subject of "Tearing Down Strongholds." In that study we learned that most of our struggles are fought on the battleground of our mind. Our fears, our doubts, our desires, our emotions, our concerns–these are things we often cradle in the depths of our mind–a place in which we are the only ones who have the key to unlock them. We store them away, trying to keep them safe from anyone who might find opportunity to use them against us. Often times, satan will use these as weapons to try and steal our faith and destroy our hope. He will try to convince us that our shortcomings will ultimately lead to our demise. This is why we must realize that our strength is in Jesus Christ, not in ourselves. Something we must do is to arm ourselves with a sound mind. We must cast off our former ways of thinking and trust in God’s word. We must be fully persuaded that God is true and the final authority over every thought, every conviction, and every philosophy. Through the teachings of the apostle Paul, we will look at 3 areas where we can strengthen ourselves in Christ if we will allow ourselves to be "fully persuaded".

We must be persuaded of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promise. (Romans 4:18-22)
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Even though hope had abandoned Abraham, he still believed the promise of God. He was "strong in faith" and was fully persuaded that God was going to perform what He had promised. Because he believed God, Abraham was accounted as righteous.

We must be persuaded that nothing can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:33-39)
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When the enemy tries to bring charges against us, we can be sure that God is a righteous judge and He is the only authority we should be concerned with. Through Jesus, we can overcome any thought, any fear, any doubt, or any false accusation that is contrary to God’s promises. We are justified with God through the blood of Jesus, not because we did anything to deserve it, but because He loves us. God testified to His love by giving His only Son for our sins, even though we were undeserving of it (Rom 5:5-9). We should be fully persuaded that, if Jesus loved us that much, there is nothing that can separate us from Him.

We must be persuaded that God is able to keep us. (2 Timothy 1:9-12)
1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

God called us, we did not just decide to serve Him one day. If He called us, I’m quite confident that He has a plan for us and that He will take us to the completion of that plan. We should stand as boldly as Paul and proclaim, "I am not ashamed of who I am, for I know whom I have believed, and I am fully persuaded that He is able to keep me, no matter what may happen to me or where I may find myself. I know God is the One who called me and that He is able to take me to the fulfillment of His purpose."

Conclusion
The word persuaded is defined in different ways in the Strong’s Concordance. One of the ways it is defined is to mean: to rely (by inward certainty). I believe this best describes the concept of this message. If we will learn to truly rely on God with an inward certainty and believe that He is faithful to fulfill His promises, that He loves us and nothing can ever take us from His hand, and that He is able to keep us until we have ran the course He has planned for us, then we will walk more confidently as His children. The enemy will no longer have any influence over us, because we will find our strength in Christ and know that His grace is sufficient for us.
--John Burkett