Introduction
Welcome to My Thoughts and the third of eight segments of our Faith for the Believer series. In this segment, The Aggressive Nature of Faith, I will discuss how you need to be aggressive in your faith. We already talked about the measure of uncommon faith, now let us get aggressive with our faith.
Grab your Bible and our foundational passage will be 1 John 5:1-5, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Faith for Victory
Let us clear up some words the apostle John wrote in this passage. Whoever (pas) means everyone or everything, not a specific group or thing. Begotten (genna) means to bring forth. Another word used in place of burdensome (barus) is grievous, which means heavy or weighty.
Let us examine verse four of this passage in the Classic Edition of the Amplified Version, “This is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.” So, when you start getting aggressive with your faith, you will be victorious over anything the world throws at you. Remember, through Jesus and all He accomplished on the cross, you are a complete overcomer, and victory is yours!
Let us again take a look at the word Faith. In the dictionary, faith means “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” In Greek, faith has two words, depending on how you are using it. The primary word is peitho, which is a verb, meaning to persuade or to have confidence or trust. The most common Greek word for faith used is pistis, meaning faith, faithfulness, or proof.
Now, we know your faith needs to be forward-directive and aggressive. Do not let it go, never let the enemy persuade you away from it, and make it your final authority. Remember aggressive faith always reaches forward and towards its goal, and it boldly takes what rightfully belongs to it.
Living by Aggressive Faith
When you start to use your faith aggressively, you also must live by it. Take your Bible and open it to Hebrews 10:38-39, “Now the just shall live by faith: But if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of our soul.”
Let us look at the first part of this passage, “the just shall live by faith.” It was first mentioned in Habakkuk 2:4 and again in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. When you read this phrase in the New Testament, Romans focuses on “the just,” Galatians on “shall live,” and Hebrews centers on “by faith.”
I know you’re asking, “Where does it tie into my faith being aggressive?” Because we as Christians have been justified by professing our faith in Jesus, we believe and receive these three concepts of aggressive faith:
- It is never passive, always active, moving forward, and never looking at the past.
- Never takes no for an answer. Stubborn as a mule. The word “no” is not in aggressive faith’s vocabulary.
- It will never back up, back down, or quit.
Faith Like a Bulldog
A few years ago, my wife and I were watching a two-week program on faith and how to grow it abundantly. They started to relate aggressive faith to a bulldog. It reminded me of when I was in the military stationed in Washington D.C.
A couple who lived near me had a British Bulldog. One night they invited me to dinner and I started to play with the bulldog. I took one of the ropes and the bulldog took the other end. I tried to get him to let it go and it was impossible. As I continued to listen to this teaching, the better I understood the aggressive faith with the example of a bulldog.
The following are some characteristics of a bulldog in relation to how our aggressive faith:
- A bulldog is stubbornly aggressive, persistent, and determined. Your faith needs to be the same. You do not let anyone change your mind or attempt to tell you differently. You live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
- Bulldogs are a breed of remarkable courage, tenacity, and ferocious grip. They do not give up and your faith needs to be the same. Ferocious, courageous even in persecution, and tenacity or determination knowing your aggressive faith will move any obstacle in your way of victory.
- A bulldog’s jaw protrudes and its nose is indented in order to bite down on something and keep breathing until that thing is completely theirs. Same as your faith. Bite down on what you are believing in, keep breathing, and do not let it go! We bite down on the Word of God and refuse to let it go. Your faith says, “God’s Word is mine now. Devil, you can’t take it from me. Be assured—when this fight is over, I win!”
Faith Bites Down and Won’t Let Go
Below, I have three Bible passages describing how your faith needs to bite down on whatever you are asking God for and never let it go until it comes to pass.
- Mark 11:22-24: “So Jesus answered and said to them, have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you whoever says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
When Jesus mentions the word “mountain” in this passage, He is talking about the problems in your life such as health, finances, relationships, or personal. The person who places their trust in God can completely move all mountains. When we pray, believe, and do not doubt. Be sure when you focus on trust in God, you will receive what is asked.
- Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
You start confessing to yourself, “I will not let go until I see the desired result.” Tell yourself also to keep on confession what is yours according to the Word of God. Mostly, remember to refuse to allow anything to discourage you from wavering from your faith. God’s Word is always true and never comes back void.
- Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
In this verse, believers were not warned or exhorted to hold on to their salvation, because it has already been secured in Jesus. They were told to hold fast to their profession or confession of their faith.
Make sure that you keep constant pressure on the situation by aggressively using your faith. Be relentless and unyielding in your attitude, words, thoughts and actions. Keeping your faith in Jesus and rely on God’s faithfulness, you will not waver. You will not be looking back, but looking forward.
Conclusion
The apostle John makes it clear the new birth, through which we receive life from God, comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. 1 John 5:1 says literally, “Everyone believing Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” John went on to point out that believing is a trust response and there can be no relationship with God except through Jesus.
Faith’s initial act of trust ushers us into a new world in which we love God and demonstrate that love by obedience. The presence of eternal life now means that we will be able to overcome problems that trouble us by aggressively using our faith. We will be strengthened by the eternal life that has taken root within our personalities. The things that are impossible will become possible through God, Amen!
I am Dale Van De Bogart and I fully agree on God’s Word!
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