I am fully persuaded

One of the main ingredients for growing in strong faith is to be “fully persuaded.” Being fully persuaded will enormously affect our walk of faith. Such confidence in having heard God’s Word to us about any issue, gives us the perfect aptitude to rest calmly in that promise, even as we are working to develop and grow in His will and instructions.

Standing up strong in faith comes only by having applied what we have heard and advanced in. Strong faith comes by being fully persuaded, and in turn, being fully persuaded comes by believing that what the Lord has said to us, He will bring to pass (cause to happen). This “persuaded-ness” (we know that’s not a standard English word, but just roll with it) comes by personally knowing the One who is perfectly trustworthy. While this knowledge of God comes by reading His Word (the Scriptures), establishing a relationship with Him is achieved by being willing and obedient to what we have read.

The institution of marriage—the covenant relationship between a man and a woman who choose to live by the statues governed by God—is so vitally important. The Bible records that when God has joined us in marriage, we are to let no one cause separation of that divine union. When we, as covenant couples, walk in the will of the Lord, we must do what is necessary to maintain a strong, firmly planted faith that nothing can break.

One might ask, “How do we do that?” Well, that’s where the “fully persuaded” comes in. To be persuaded is to be convinced and to know without doubt. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 8:38-39 (AMP) says, “For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In just reading the passage alone, the sense of unwavering faith is felt. The King James Version of the same Scripture begins with, “For I am persuaded…” It matters not which way it’s broken down, there is absolutely no reservation heard, seen or detected in the apostle’s words. That’s how sure Paul was of God’s love for us. It is so solid and reinforced that nothing and no one can separate God’s love from us.

Week after week, when we come by way of this column, we often remind the readers of it how, in the Bible, Christ uses His deep abiding love for us—the same love that prompted Him to give His very life for us—as a guide and a model for how a husband and wife should love one another. If we ever come to realize how ginormous that is, we’ll understand that the love that a husband and wife should have for each other cannot be overstated. Among humans, according to Scripture, it is the deepest love there is.

Imagine if all the world approached marriage with that same “fully persuaded” mindset. Before we ever said, “I do.” Before we ever walked down a church aisle. Before we ever purchased a boutonniere or a bouquet. Before we ever presented or accepted a marriage proposal. Just imagine that before we ever did any of those things, we had already prayed and sought God so fiercely and fervently that there was absolutely no doubt that we were marrying the right person—the one God had prepared just for us. And by doing so, what we could spend the rest of our lives knowing is that come what may, no one anywhere had the wherewithal to separate us from our God-ordained spouse. That’s the mindboggling strength of being fully persuaded!

So, then, if one can be fully persuaded, it would imply that it is possible to be partially persuaded as well. Let’s take a look at partial persuasion for a moment and see how it differs. One who is partially persuaded acknowledges the truth and has a good understanding of truth, but is not committed to living according to that truth. Comparatively speaking, it’s a person who reads the Bible and maybe even goes to church—either regularly or irregularly—and hears the Word of God being preached. They are aware of what Scripture says, and they have knowledge of right and wrong. But because they care more about doing what makes them happy than doing what pleases God, they choose not to obey what they know to be right and righteous.

A person of that mindset will likely approach marriage in the same manner. They know what God says about it. They know the vows they’ve spoken to love, honor, cherish, keep themselves to their spouse and to their spouse only, etc. They know all of that, but once again, because they care more about fulfilling the lusts of their flesh than fulfilling the Word of God in the way that they love their spouse, they choose to be unfaithful, unloving and unholy in their marriage.

YES… it’s a choice. We are fully persuaded that being fully persuaded is a decision and a determination that each of us must make. Is it an easy choice? For most, the answer is no. Even Scripture tells us that our flesh is at war with our spirit. Our flesh is the enemy of God (Romans 8:7), but we must choose to bring our flesh under subjection. We must decide to obey God’s Word above all else. It is the only way to stand firm in a fallen society. Therefore, that man or woman who chooses to enter the covenant of marriage is accountable to God, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He who is faithful (faith full/full of faith) is more than capable of fueling and refueling us to sustain us ‘til death do us part.

For years, the same Fortune 100 corporation employed the two of us. At the start of each year, executives would alert employees companywide of the theme for the next 12 months, and we were expected to conduct business likewise. There was one year wherein the theme was “I’m All In.” Throughout that year, we were consistently reminded through emails, announcements, company paraphernalia… even our computer wallpaper was changed so that we would see the words, “I’m All In” first thing upon signing on to our network to begin our workload.

That’s a perfect example of what it means to be fully persuaded. Whether it is about our love for Christ or our love for our spouses, we must be intentional and unyielding; reminding ourselves of God’s Word every chance we get. The enemy will never let up on his efforts to destroy our covenants with Jesus Christ or our covenants with our spouses, so we must have an even greater determination not to allow him to be successful. With the Lord on our side, we cannot be defeated. God promised to be with us always, and as Romans 4:21 states, “I am FULLY PERSUADED that what God has promised, He is able to also perform.”

Drs. Michael & Kendra Holmes are the senior pastors of Deliverance Revival Church in Warner Robins, the founders of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC, the authors of the 31-day devotional, “Cross-Fire: Igniting Passionate, Purposeful, and Powerful Relationships,” and the hosts of the new forthcoming television talk show, “The Marriage Circle.” W.A.R. is an acronym for “We Are Royalty,” the official slogan of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC. Visit the website at www.RoyaltyRelationshipCoaching.com.

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