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AM I FULLY PERSUADED?

by ROBIN BOSCH  
7/29/2016 / Devotionals

Paul the Apostle said,".....I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
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.

Paul was able to announce this with utter conviction, being persuaded, having gone through real life experiences in the form of afflictions, necessities, distresses,stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labors. Being shipwrecked, falsely accused, left for dead after being cruelty beaten.

Despite going through so much, Paul positively proclaimed with much assurance, that nothing could separate him from Gods love - Nothing meaning, NOT ONE THING.

Do we believe that? If we're honest, not always. We go by our feelings and If we stumble, Well!! that does it. We feel unworthy, condemned and rejected; believing the Lord will not touch us with a barge pole.

This is so wrong. We need to be persuaded that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.

The devil would have us believe otherwise and approaches us in the same way he approached Eve in the Garden, posing the question, "Hath God said?"

To this very day there is a constant war going on within us. A battle, that, to be honest, is of our own making. The reason I say this, is that we're afraid to relinquish control and submit to Christ's relentless love:
- relying on that which is temporary and transient;
- forgetting that He "......is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us "
(Ep 3:30HCSB)

So, the question remains - Why is it that we persist in unbelief, distrusting the overwhelming evidence of Gods goodness and provision?

It's the eternal battle, which ultimately centers around two questions and two decisions -
Am I going to rely on the Arm of the Lord, or am I going to rely on the arm of the flesh?

King Hezekiah chose the former when the people of Judah faced the daunting might of Sennacherib, King of Assyria.

Hezekiah being persuaded that "With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles." (Ch 32:8)

The devil plants seeds of suspicion, casting doubt on Gods ability to come through for us in difficult and adverse times.

We see this when Sennacherib the King of Assyria tried to persuade Judah to give up and distrust Gods ability to deliver them.

Sennacherib used words just like the devil uses on us.

He said, "..........let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?
(2Ch 32:15)

In Verse 17 he continued to rant, lie and "......revile the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand."

Isn't that typical? The devil constantly belittles and downgrades our Saviors love, motive and intent. He whispers words, denigrating, defaming the true and good character of a good God.

In verse 18 the Assyrian Kings servants"......called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city."

The servants of the devil, use the same tactic to this very day.

The sad thing is, we fall for it, believing the lie.

But let's see what the truth is as we read verse 20 to 22,
"Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven.

Then the LORD sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land.

And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there.

Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side."

The very essence of God's nature is love, goodness, mercy and grace - His nature will never change."Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
(He 13:8)

This being true can we still doubt His Divine good intent? Christ having demonstrated His love towards us to the extreme.(1Jn 4:9)

Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said,".....that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us."(He 6:18 HNV)

I think most of us walk around in fear because we have not been fully persuaded as to the invincibility, infallibility and integrity of the promises of God. We don't really believe that He is loving and kind.(Tit 3:4)
We think there must be a catch somewhere, a hidden agenda.

We don't trust Christ's immutability, which means Him not being subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature.

In order for us to be convinced of the Lords boundless love, we shouldn't only see His Light and fear, but hear His Voice who speaks peace, peace (Act 22:9)
(Isa 57:19)

This will result in us being like Abraham who "...staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform."

As we absorb these Gospel truths and believe them unreservedly (Ep1:13) we will be persuaded that the immovable Rock Of Ages is irrevocably and assuredly on our side.

Knowing this, we should adopt an immovable stance - I almost want to say, a rebellious stance, in terms of relentlessly, ruthlessly believing the Good News of a Good God who's Grace is boundless.

Having a total dependance on His good track record, being fully:
- Persuaded (2Ti 1:12)
- Convinced.(Act 18:28)
- Assured. (Col 2:2)
- Steadfast. (He 6:19)
- Knowing: (Ro 6:9)
Without reservation or suspicion.

Repeating the words of Paul who said,".....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......"
(2 Ti 1:12KJV)
Amen.

I have been a believer in Christ for many years. It has only been in the last three or four years that I have received greater insight into the Grace of God. This has injected me with energy to tell others about the blessed "rest" we have in Christ. Grace is not a theology but is a Person-- Jesus.

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