Bible Question: Is there something that I can do to be a Man who is aggressive and on fire for God?

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Bible Question:My personality is very emotional, and very straightforward. Even though I know I need to deny myself daily I still struggle to be who I need to be for God. Is there something that I can read in the Bible that helps me to be a man who is aggressive and on fire for God most of the time?

Bible Answer: The answer is found in 1 John 2:12-14 and Ephesians 5:18. The first passage is about spiritual growth. This passage tells us how to grow spiritually,

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (NASB) 1 John 2:12-14

The Holy Spirit describes a Christian as starting out like a baby, growing into a young man and then becoming a spiritual father . . .


	Maturity Level	Comment
	Little Children	"sins are forgiven" - that is all!
	Young Men	"overcome the evil one, strong, Word of God abides"
	Fathers	"knows God the Father"

There are three very important keys in spiritual growth.

First Key. The first is to know the Word of God! The Word of God makes you stable (Ephesians 4:11-16) and the joy of it all is to know God the Father. There is only one way to know the Bible and God. We must read it and study it as much as we can. We would encourage you to read through the Bible using "The Logos In Chronological Order."

Second Key. I believe overcoming the evil one is putting on the armor of God. This is found in Ephesians 6:10-18.


	Piece of Armor	Meaning and Reference
	Girdle of truth	Be truthful Prov. 12:19; John 14:6; 2 Cor. 6:7;
	Breastplate of righteousness	Be righteous Isaiah 11:4-5; Isaiah 59:17
	Feet Shod with gospel of peace	You are saved - Peace with God Rom. 5:1
	Shield of faith	Have faith in God Psalms 91:4; Rom. 1:17; 1 Cor. 16:13; 2 Cor. 1:24
	Helmet of salvation	Assurance that you are saved 1 Thess. 5:8
	Sword of the Spirit	The Word of God Eph. 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Rev. 1:16; 19:21
	Prayer	Attitude of prayer 1 Thess. 5:17

When Paul wrote about the armor of God, he knew the readers would search the scriptures and find these key passages.

And He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. (NASB) Isaiah 59:17

These are pictures of a warrior in battle. The breastplate of righteousness means that the person is seeking to live a holy life. The helmet of salvation means one's life is secure. The girdle of truth is truthfulness and the feet are secure or at peace with God. The sword of the Spirit or the Word of God and prayer are the only defensive weapons. We need to know the Word of God.

Third Key. The third key to a dynamic Christian life is to be filled with the Spirit of God. Ephesians 5:18 is a command. As a person is Spirit filled, he/she will have increasing victory over sin in his/her life (Galatians 5:16) and is filled with peace and joy (Eph. 5:19-20). This is wonderful! How can a person become Spirit filled? Confess your sins to God and just ask the Holy Spirit to take control of your life. The Greek word for "to be filled" has the idea of complete surrender to the Holy Spirit. This is surrendering ourselves to His leading.

Conclusion:These are the keys to the Christian life: 1) bathing myself in the Word of God so that I can know the Father of lights, 2) putting on the armor of God, 3) confessing my sins and 4) being filled with the Holy Spirit.