An Active Christian Faith is present when one lives in submission to the Authority of Jesus Christ and under the Power of His Blood!

When we are living our life with an active faith IN the One True God, Jesus Christ, He protects us, guides us and gives us spiritual power.

When we don’t, we become powerless and open to the attacks and leading’s of the enemy.

Is your faith Passive and thus oppressing you?

Or worse, Passive and thus allowing the enemy to work within you?

This is an in-depth study on the symptoms and remedies to one having a Faith that is Passive.

Most of the followers of The Joseph Plan understand that when a born again, spirit filled believer is living IN JESUS and walking in the fullness of the faith that only He provides, we can overcome ALL Evil and realize the fruits that He has so liberally given us.

Spirit filled Christians can be as open to oppression and/or direct influence by evil spirits as other men.

How? By living with a faith that is Passive, instead of alive and Active!

Always remember, the evil ones goal is for our faith to be powerless and ineffective.

Christians can become oppressed and influenced because they have, in most cases, unwittingly fulfilled the conditions upon which evil spirits work. Apart from the cause of willful sin, given ground to deceiving spirits, through (1) accepting their counterfeits of the Divine workings, and (2) cultivating passivity, and non-use of the faculties; and this through misconception of the spiritual laws which govern Christian life.

It is this matter of ground given, which is the crucial point of all. All believers acknowledge known sin to be ground given to the enemy, and even unknown sin in ones life. However some do not realize that every thought suggested to the mind by wicked spirits, and accepted, is ground given to them; and every faculty unused invites their attempted use of it.

The primary cause of deception and oppression/possession in a surrendered believer may be condensed into one word, passivity.

(A spirit filled, born again Christian cannot be possessed as the world understands possession)

Passivity is a ceasing of the active exercise of the will in control over spirit, soul and body. It is, practically, a counterfeit of “surrender to God.” The believer who “surrenders” his “members”–or faculties–to God, and ceases to use them himself, by the use their free will, thereby falls into “passivity”, which enables evil spirits to deceive, and possess any part of his being which has become passive.

Let us look at an example of the deception over passive surrender. Let us say a believer surrenders his “arm” to God. He permits it to hang passive, waiting for “God to use it.” He is asked, “why do you not use your arm?” and he replies “I have surrendered it to God. I must not use it now; God must use it.” But will God lift the arm for the man? No, the man himself must lift it, and use it, seeking to understand intelligently God’s mind in doing so.

THE WORD “PASSIVITY” DESCRIBES AN OPPOSITE CONDITION TO ACTIVITY OR MOTION

The word “passivity” simply describes the opposite condition to activity or faith in motion; and in the experience of the believer it means, briefly,

(1) loss of self-control–in the sense of the person himself controlling each, or all of the departments of his personal being; and

(2) loss of freewill–in the sense of the person himself exercising his will as the guiding principle of personal control, in harmony with the will of God.

All the danger of “passivity” in the surrendered believer, lies in the advantage taken of the passive condition by the powers of darkness. Apart from these evil forces, and their workings through the passive person, “passivity” is merely inactivity, or idleness. In normal inactivity, that is, when the evil spirits have not taken hold, the inactive person is always holding himself ready for activity. However in “passivity” which has given place to the powers of darkness, the passive person is unable to act by his own volition.

The chief condition, therefore, for the working of evil spirits in a human being, apart from sin, is passivity. Passivity is in exact opposition to the condition which God requires from His children for His working in them. Granted the surrender of the will to God, with active choice to do His will as it may be revealed to him, God requires co-operation with His Spirit, and the full use of every faculty of the whole man. The powers of darkness aim at obtaining a passive slave, or captive to their will. God desires a regenerated man, intelligently and actively willing, and choosing, and doing His will in liberation of spirit, soul and body from slavery.

The powers of darkness would make a man a machine, a tool, an automaton. The God of holiness and love desires to make him a free, intelligent sovereign in his own realm–a thinking, rational, renewed creation, created after His own image (Eph. 4: 24). Therefore God never says to any faculty of man, “Be thou idle.”

God does not need, nor demand non-activity in the believer, for His working in, and through him. But evil spirits demand the utmost non-activity and passivity.

God asks for intelligent action (Rom. 12: 1-2, “Your reasonable service,”) in co-operation with Him.

Satan demands passivity as a condition for his compulsory action, and in order to force, subject, and control men to his will and purpose.

God requires the rejection of the evil actions of believers, primarily because they are sinful, and secondly because they hinder co-operation with His Spirit.

Passivity must not be confused with quietness, or the meek and quiet spirit,” which, in the sight of God, is of great price.

Quietness of spirit, of heart, of mind, of manner, voice and expression, may be co-existent with the most effective activity in the will of God (1 Thess. 4: 11,

There is a CLASS or GROUP OF BELIEVERS WHO ARE OPEN TO PASSIVITY. Please examine yourself as you read and pray through this. It isn’t just about the other guy or gal.

The group of persons open to “passivity” of whom the evil spirits can take advantage of, as ground for their activity, are those who believe they have become fully surrendered to God and His ways.

They have been brought into direct contact with the supernatural world by surrender and receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. These people misunderstand the meaning of the word- surrender. There are some in this group who use the word “surrender,” and think they are surrendered fully to carry out the will of God. Actually they are only so in sentiment and purpose, for in actuality they are walking by the reason and judgment of their natural man. Although they submit all their plans to God, and because of this submittal, they sincerely believe they are carrying out His will. But those who are really “surrendered,” give themselves up to implicitly obey, and carry out at all costs, what is revealed to them supernaturally as from God, and not what they themselves plan and reason out to be the will of God.

Believers who surrender their wills, and all they have and are to God, yet who WALK BY THE USE OF THEIR NATURAL MINDS, are not the ones who are open to the “passivity” which gives ground to evil spirits, although they may, and do, give ground to them in other ways.

THREE CLASSES AMONG BELIEVERS

  1. Unsurrendered.
  2. Surrendered, Deceived, Possessed.
  3. Surrendered but Undeceived, Dispossessed and Victorious.

1) The Unsurrendered: These use the word “surrender,” but do not really know it, or act it out in practice.

2) The Surrendered, Deceived, Possessed: These seem more “foolish” than those in Class 1, but in reality are more advanced.

3) The Victorious: The mind is liberated, and all the faculties are operating IN THE SPIRIT.

1) Unsurrendered: Believers in this stage are more reasonable than those in No. 2, because their faculties have not been yielded into passivity.

2) The Surrendered, Deceived, Possessed: In order to understand what is motivating these people, it is needful to read them from their inner standpoint, for to them all that they do seems right.

3) The Victorious: These are open to THE LIGHT and all that is Divine, but they seek watchfully to close themselves to all that is Satanic.

1) The Unsurrendered: These believers call those in the next class “cranks,” “faddists,” extremists,” etc.

2) The Surrendered, Deceived, Possessed: These are open to both Divine and Satanic or Demonic power.

3) The Victorious: These can read Nos. 1 and 2 intelligently.

Class No. 1 are “surrendered” in will, but not surrendered in fact, in the sense of being ready to carry out “obedience to the Holy Ghost” at all costs. They consequently know little of conflict, and nothing of the devil, excepting as a tempter or accuser. They do not understand those who speak of the “onslaughts of Satan,” for, they say, they are not “attacked” in this way. But the devil does not always attack when he can. He reserves his attack until it suits him. If the devil does not attack a man, it does not prove that he could not.

Another class among believers–Class No. 2–are those who are surrendered in such a measure of abandonment that they are ready to obey the Spirit of God at all costs, with the result that they become open to a passivity which gives ground for the deception and possession of evil spirits.

These surrendered believers (Class No. 2) fall into passivity after the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, (1) because of their determination to carry out their “surrender” at all costs; (2) their relationship with the spiritual world, which opens to them supernatural communications, which they believe to be all of God; (3) their “surrender” leading them to submit, subdue and make all things subservient to this supernatural plane.

The origin of the evil passivity which gives the evil spirits opportunity to deceive, and then possess, is generally a wrong interpretation of Scripture, or wrong thoughts or beliefs about Divine things. Some of these interpretations of Scripture, are wrong conceptions, which cause the believer to give way to the passive condition.

The passivity may affect the whole man, in spirit, soul and body, when it has become very deep, and is of many years’ standing. The progress of this passivity is generally very gradual, and insidious in growth, and consequently the release from it is gradual and slow.

PASSIVITY OF THE WILL

There is a passivity of the will; the “will” being the helm, so to speak, of the ship. This originates from a wrong conception of what full surrender to God means. Thinking that a “surrendered will” to God means no use of the will at all, the believer ceases to (1) choose, (2) determine, and (3) act of his own volition. The serious effect of this, he is not allowed by the powers of darkness to discover, for at first the consequences are trivial, and scarcely noticeable. In fact, at first it appears to be most glorifying to God. The “strong-willed” person suddenly becomes passively yielding. He thinks that God is “will”-ing for him in circumstances, and through people, and so he becomes passively helpless in action.

After a time no “choice” can be gotten from him in matters of daily life; no “decision,” or initiative in matters demanding action; he is afraid to express a wish, much less a decision. Others must choose, act, lead, decide, while this one drifts as a cork upon the waters. Later on the powers of darkness begin to make capital out of this “surrendered” believer, and to work around him evil of various kinds, which entangle him through his passivity of will. He has now no power of will to protest, or resist. Obvious wrong in his environment, which this believer alone has a right to deal with, flourishes, and grows strong and blatant. The powers of darkness have slowly gained, both personally and in circumstances, upon the ground of passivity of the will, which at first was merely passive submission to environment, under the idea that God was “will”-ing for him in all things around him.

The text that such believers misinterpret is Phil. 2:13, “It is God which worketh in you, both to will, and to do of his good pleasure.” The “passive” person reads it, “….God which worketh in me the willing, and the doing.” This wrong thinking reckons, God working in the soul up to the point of the action of the will. The passive person would also interpret Phil. 2:13 to read That God “willeth instead of me,” assumes God actually “will”-ing instead of, and “working” instead of the believer. This wrong interpretation gives ground for not using the will, because of the conclusion “God wills instead of me”; thus bringing about passivity of will.

GOD DOES NOT WILL INSTEAD OF MAN, He gave us FREE CHOICE!

The truth to be emphasized is that God never “wills” instead of man. Whatever a man does, he is himself responsible for his actions.

The believer whose “will” has become passive, finds, after a time, the greatest difficulty in making decisions of any kind, and he looks outside, and all around him for something to help him to decide the smallest matters. When he has become conscious of his passive condition, he has a painful sense of being unable to meet some of the situations of ordinary life. If spoken to, he knows he cannot will to listen till a sentence is completed. If asked to judge a matter, he knows he cannot do it. If he is required to “remember” or use his imagination, he knows he is unable to. He becomes terrified at any proposed course of action where these demands may come upon him. The tactics of the enemy now may be to drive him into situations where these demands may be made, and thus torture or embarrass him before others.

Little does the believer know that in this condition he may, unknowingly, rely upon the assistance of evil spirits, who have brought about the passivity for this very purpose. The will, unused, lies dormant and dead in their grip. If used it is an occasion for them to manifest themselves through it. They are too ready to “will” instead of the man, and they will put within his reach many “supernatural” props to help him in “decision.” They will especially use “texts” used apart from their context, and supernaturally given. The believer, seeking so longingly to do the will of God, seizes upon, and firmly grasps as a drowning man a rope. He is blinded, by the apparently Divine given help, to the principle that God only works through the active will of a man. God does not work for him in matters requiring his action.

PASSIVITY OF THE MIND

Passivity of the mind is caused by a wrong conception of the place of the mind in the life of surrender to God, and obedience to Him in the Holy Spirit. Yeshua’s call of fishermen is used as an excuse for passivity of brain. Some believers say, God has no need for the use of the brain, and can do without it! But the choice of Paul who had the greatest intellect of his age, shows that when God sought for a man through whom He could lay the foundations of the Church, He chose one with a mind capable of vast and intelligent thinking. The greater the brain power, the greater the use God can make of it, provided it is submissive to truth. The cause of passivity of mind, sometimes lies in the thought that the working of the brain is a hindrance to the development of the Divine life in the believer. But the truth is, that (1) the non-working of the brain hinders, (2) the evil working of the brain hinders, (3) but the normal and pure working of the brain is essential, and helpful for co-operation with God.

If the evil spirits can get the mind passive, the person will be incapable of action to discern their ways. The effects of passivity of the mind may be seen in inactivity, when there should be action. Passivity of the mind can also be over activity beyond control, as if a suddenly released instrument broke forth into unmanageable action. Passivity of mind can manifest in hesitation, or rashness, indecision, lack of concentration and lack of judgment.

Passivity does not change the nature of your mind, but it hinders its normal, God given operation. In the case of passivity hindering the memory, the person will be found looking outside himself for every possible “aid to memory,” until he becomes a veritable slave to note book, and helps, which fail at a critical moment. With this is also passivity of the imagination, which places the imagination outside personal control, and at the mercy of evil spirits who flash to it what they please. One danger is to take these visions, and call them “imaginations.” The passive state can be produced without crystal gazing if a person gazes at any object for a prolonged period the natural vision is dulled, and the deceiving spirits can then present anything to the mind.

In pure inactivity of the mind, the mind can be used at the will of the person, but in evil passivity of the mind, the person is helpless, and he “can’t think!” He feels as if his mind were bound, and held by an iron band, or by a weight or pressure on his head.

PASSIVITY OF JUDGMENT AND REASON

Passivity of judgment and reason means that the man in this condition has closed the mind to all arguments, and statements upon which he has come to settled conclusions, and all effort to give him further truth and light is regarded as interference. The person attempting to give truth is received as ignorant, or intrusive. The believer in this stage of passivity lapses into a state of evil positiveness, and infallibility; from which nothing can release the “judgment,” but the rude shock of seeing that he has been deceived, and possessed by evil spirits. To undermine the deception of a believer in this condition, almost means the re-laying of the very foundations of his spiritual life. That is why the few who have been saved out of this degree of the deception of the enemy, are called “fanatics” and “cranks” by the world.

PASSIVITY OF THE CONSCIENCE

When such believers have been taken into the passivity of the reasoning powers, take words spoken to them supernaturally, as God’s expressed will, they become law to them. Then they cannot be induced to reason over them. If they receive a “commandment” (supernaturally) about anything, they will not examine it, or reason or think upon that point. Instead they steadfastly determine to close themselves absolutely to any further light in this particular direction. This brings about, what may be described as, passivity of the conscience. The conscience becomes passive through non-use. When believers think that they are being guided by a higher law of being told to do this, or that, directly from God; that is, by direct guidance through voices, and texts, they have a passive conscience.

When believers sink into passivity of conscience, there is a manifestation of moral degradation in some, and in others stagnation, or backsliding in life or service. Instead of using their mind, or conscience in deciding what is good and evil, and right and wrong, they walk, as they believe, according to the “voice of God,” which they make the deciding factor in all their decisions. When this takes place, they will not listen to their reason, or conscience, or the words of others. Having come to decision through the supposed direction of God, their minds become as a closed and sealed book on the matter in question.

Ceasing to use their true reasoning powers, they become open to all kinds of suggestions from evil spirits, and false “reasoning’s.” For example, in regard to the coming of Christ, some have falsely reasoned that because Christ is coming soon, they do not need to carry on their usual work, overlooking the words of the Lord on this very matter: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.”

Because of what he will gain through it, therefore, the devil will do anything to engender passivity in any form whatsoever, in spirit, or mind or body.

PASSIVITY OF THE SPIRIT

Passivity of the spirit is closely associated with passivity of mind, because there is a close relationship between mind and spirit. A wrong thought generally means a wrong spirit, and a wrong spirit a wrong thought.

The human “spirit” is often spoken of in the Scriptures as having activities, and is described as being in various conditions. It can be moved, or be inactive, it can be “loosed,” bound, depressed, faint, free. It can be moved from three sources: God, the devil, or the man himself. It can be pure, or “filthy” (2 Cor. 7: 1), or in a mixed condition, in the sense of being pure up to a degree, with other degrees of impurity to be dealt with.

By the cleansing power of the Blood of Christ (1 John 1: 9), and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the spirit is brought into union with Christ (1 Cor. 6: 17). Then the spirit should actively dominate the man in full co-operation with the Holy Spirit. But passivity of spirit can be brought about by so many causes, that believers may be scarcely conscious of having any “spirit” at all. Or else, through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which releases the human spirit into freedom and buoyancy, the man may become acutely conscious of the spirit life for a season, and afterwards sink into passivity of spirit, unknowingly. This, then, means absolute powerlessness in the warfare with the powers of darkness. Full liberty, and usage of the spirit in co-working with the indwelling Holy Spirit, is a supreme essential for personal victory, and wielding the authority of Christ over the powers of evil. (See example of Paul in Acts 13: 9, 10).

The shock is great when the believer first apprehends the truth of deception and possession as possible in himself, but as the ultimate issue is realized, the joy of the one who sets himself to understand, and fight through to full deliverance, is more than words can tell. Light pours in upon the unsolved problems of years. Both in the personal experience, and in the perplexities of environment; as well as on conditions in the Church and in the world.

As he seeks for light from God, the subtle inroads of the deceiving spirits into his life slowly become clear to the open minded believer. He begins to see their many devices to deceive him revealed. The searchlight of truth may go far back into the past, revealing the cause of unaccountable difficulties in experience and life. He begins to understand the many mysterious happenings which had been accepted as “the inscrutable will of God.”

Passivity! How many have fallen into it, little knowing their state! Through the passivity of their faculties much time is lost in dependence upon the help of outward circumstances, and environment. In the lives of so many there is much “doing,” with so little accomplished. There are many beginnings, and few endings. How familiar we are with the words “Yes, I can do that,” and the impulse is moved, but by the time the need for action has come, the passive man has lost his momentary interest. This is the key to much of the lamented “apathy,” and the dulled sympathy of Christians to really spiritual things, while they are keenly alive to the social, or worldly elements around them. The worldling can be stirred in acutest feeling for the sufferings of others, but many of the children of God have, unknowingly, opened themselves to a supernatural power which has dulled them in thought, and mind and sympathy. Ever craving for comfort and happiness and peace in spiritual things, they have sung themselves into a “passivity.” They have gone into a passive state of “rest,” “peace” and “joy”–which has given opportunity to the powers of darkness to lock them up in the prison of themselves. That can make them almost incapable of acutely understanding the needs of a suffering world.

Let us all pray that we are not simply a “Passive Believer”!

Always remember: Faith is an action word. It is our belief In Jesus, In-Motion! And sometimes our faith is best displayed by us simply praying with another Christian in need. “Where two or more are gathered”…!

An Active Faith is one of Love, Power and Peace!

We call on and put our trust In Him, for our next steps, thoughts and deeds.

I pray you have been blessed. My mentor and teacher for over fifteen years, Jim Searcy, provided much of the foundation for this writing. We miss you James. Be at peace.

Today you can live free. Free, to be all that God made you to be.

Thank Jesus for the Love that He provides you.

Are you confident where you are going to spend eternity when this all ends? There is an end for all of us some day. Some of us maybe today.

There is only one way to know and be assured– Ask our Father in heaven in Jesus Christs’ name in prayer today!

Are You Saved from damnation, the eternal fate of so many? Are you sure? Ask Him. Find out and be assured.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that  we are the children of God.

When we ask the Lord, in Jesus Christ’s name, He assures us with His peace and understanding. If for any reason you question your salvation, go to a quiet place, alone, and talk to Jesus. Repent of your sins and commit your life to Him. Then go to a bible believing church and get baptized.

He is faithful! He always listens and always responds!

The Salvation Prayer (click here) is in the Blog in the right column of this page. You can walk without fear. Start nurturing An Enduring Faith, today.

If you are being blessed by this ministry I invite you to bless us by becoming a supporter of The Joseph Plan. We need your help. Prayer and financial help. There is a safe donation portal here. We rely totally on donations to maintain and carry the Message and for our sustenance! 

Psalm 91

May God Bless and raise you up,

Pastor Thomas Holm