BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Fully Persuaded, Completely at Rest by Keith Moore Have you ever noticed when a child has something he or she doesn’t want you to have, they will hold it tightly and say something like, “No, it’s MINE!” They won’t let go of it, or let you pry it out of their hands without a fight! They have what they want, and they’re not afraid to say it’s theirs—that it belongs to them! If only Christians had the same tenacity when it comes to their fight against the devil! It’s a fight all right! In fact, in a letter he wrote to encourage Timothy, Paul called it “the good fight of faith.” He said, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12). How do we fight this good fight of faith? That verse we just read tells us. It says to “lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession.” Profession is a King James word for confession. So, we can see that laying hold is a part of fighting the good fight, and so is confession. Like that child, we have to lay hold of what we want, confess that it’s ours, and not give up without a fight! What do we use to fight? Our faith! Second Corinthians 4:13 says, “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.” Here, Paul refers to the spirit of faith. The Bible also says we’ve not been given the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). The spirit of faith is not knowledge of faith, and the spirit of fear is not just feelings of fear. Faith is not knowledge, and faith is not understanding. Understanding is not required for faith. You don’t have to understand in order to believe or trust. That’s because faith is a choice. Believing is a choice, and trusting is a choice. You hear people say, “I just can’t believe that! That’s not true!” But that’s an untrue statement because faith is not based on any kind of understanding or any kind of knowledge. It’s a choice. Brother Kenneth E. Hagin once said that, as a little boy, he could not understand how a brown cow could eat green grass and give white milk, and then that milk would be churned to make yellow butter. Yet all the while he’s trying to figure it out, he’s enjoying milk and butter. He’s enjoying ice cream. You don’t have to understand in order to believe. You don’t have to understand to enjoy. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” So faith and understanding are not the same thing. He’s drawing a contrast. What part of your being do you trust with? Not your head. In fact, Brother Hagin used to say, “Faith will work in your heart with doubt in your head.” The enemy will try to make you believe a fleeting thought is the same as wavering and you won’t receive a thing (James 1:6-7). Just because a feeling or thought crossed your mind doesn’t mean you changed your decision to believe in your heart. Walking in Faith Doesn’t Mean You Won’t Have Challenges Why does He tell you not to lean to your own understanding? Because you’ll be tempted to. He’s telling you upfront not to lean to your own understanding—your own head, your own reasonings, thoughts or feelings. If the enemy can get you in the reasoning realm, he’ll defeat you. But if you’ll stay in the faith realm, he can’t do anything with you. No matter how many negative thoughts he brings to you, no matter how many bad feelings, you won’t yield. You’ll push them aside and say, “No. I’ve decided what I believe.” You’re settled in your heart. * * * * article continues on p. 22 * * * * * * BVOV : 21

• Cover