Question 1

In what ways is God assertive with me?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 89:33“But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him.”God is assertive with his persistent, ceaseless love for us. He aggressively and constantly pursues us with his love.Deuteronomy 1:31“And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.”God is assertive in caring for us.Psalm 73:24You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.God is assertive in guiding us. He will never leave or abandon us. He is always with us to show us the way to go.Psalm 106:43Again and again he rescued them, but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin.God is assertive in his efforts to deliver us from the harmful effects of sin and ultimately, from eternal separation from him.Jeremiah 25:4“Again and again the Lord has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention.”Jeremiah 44:4“Again and again I sent my servants, the prophets, to plead with them, ‘Don’t do these horrible things that I hate so much.’”God is assertive with his message of redemption and salvation. He has not only provided his Word in the Bible to us, but he also provides us spiritual leaders and teachers to show us how to live the right way.Isaiah 45:19“I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.”God is assertive with his promises to us. The Bible is filled with hundreds of promises to his followers, and he persists in keeping every promise.Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.God is assertive and persistent with his work in us and through us. He will continue to work within us to help us become all we were meant to be.John 15:9-13“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. . . . This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”Ephesians 5:2Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.God is assertive in wanting to save us from sin and provide an eternal home where we can live with him forever.

Question 2

When should we be assertive with God?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 105:4Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.Matthew 7:7“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”We should be assertive in our search for God, telling him about all our questions, troubles, doubts, and fears. We should commit to loving him and following his Word, trusting his promise that what he says is true and that he always has our best interests in mind.Hebrews 4:16So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.Hebrews 10:19So, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.1 John 3:21Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.We should be assertive in our approach to God through his Son, Jesus. For sinners to come into the presence of a holy God may seem bold, even brazen, but he has given us permission to do so.2 Samuel 7:2-28“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’ For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant.”Psalm 88:13O Lord, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day.Matthew 6:7“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.”2 Thessalonians 1:11So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.We should be assertive in our prayers, pleading sincerely and claiming his promises for us and others. We can never pray too much, too often, or too fervently.Psalm 71:8That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.We should be assertive in our praise to our heavenly Father. God is worthy of our assertive, endless, and thankful praise. The more we offer our praise, the more we will discover about God to praise.Psalm 71:14I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more.We should be assertive in our hope. God will not fail us. So we can be bold and assertive in what we hope for.

Question 3

What basis does a leader have for being assertive?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 23:23-24“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!”Jesus was often assertive in his relationship with the Pharisees and other religious leaders. Assertiveness means standing up for right or making known our concerns. So we can be assertive on the basis of the authority of God’s Word and our commitment to his righteousness. We will be tempted, at times, to be quiet or look the other way when others are making unethical choices or speaking or behaving in offensive, inappropriate ways. But we must stand up for what we believe and lovingly confront others when necessary. Assertiveness, however, must be as courageous in love as it is bold in confrontation.

Question 4

When should we be assertive with others?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 6:7“Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.”Acts 2:40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!”1 Timothy 4:11Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.Titus 3:8These things I have told you are all true. I want you to insist on them so that everyone who trusts in God will be careful to do good deeds all the time. These things are good and beneficial for everyone.We should be assertive in our efforts to teach others from God’s Word. When we truly believe God’s message, we will be fervent in sharing it with others.Acts 11:23When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.We should be assertive in encouraging one another.Philemon 1:8That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do.We should be assertive in doing right and encouraging others do what is right.2 Corinthians 10:2Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won’t have to be bold with those who think we act from human motives.Galatians 2:11When Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.We should be assertive in correcting wrong thinking and wrong actions.Ruth 1:14Again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi.John 13:34-35“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”We should be assertive in our love for one another, which should be consistent, determined, and unfailing.

Question 5

What can make us appropriately assertive?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 28:1The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.Acts 4:13, 29, 31The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. . . . “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. . . .” After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.Acts 9:27-28Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.2 Corinthians 3:12Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.Our relationship with God makes us assertive in our convictions and our desire to follow him. We belong to God who is holy, eternal, all-powerful, all-wise, and ever-present, and who loves us without limit, so we have reason and strength to do what is right and to assertively tell the world about him.Acts 14:3The apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. The Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.Acts 19:8Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.1 Thessalonians 2:2You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, even though we were surrounded by many who opposed us.God gives us the courage, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to be assertive in the delivery of his message.2 Corinthians 4:13We continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”Our faith causes us to be assertive in the way we speak about our God.Ephesians 6:19-20Pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.Prayers help us be assertive in our faith, as we boldly live for Christ.

Question 6

How should we be assertive with others?

Accepted Answer

1 Corinthians 4:14-16I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me.Paul was assertive in addressing a number of problems in Corinth. His assertiveness was rooted in his love and relationship with the people as well as his sense of accountability before the Lord.2 Corinthians 10:1Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ—though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from far away.1 Peter 3:15-16Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.We should be assertive in living what we believe and speaking about our faith, but we should do it as Christ did, with gentleness and kindness. Christlike assertiveness is winsome, magnetic, attractive, sweet, and compelling.Romans 14:5In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.Colossians 1:23You must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.We should be assertive about our convictions. A personal conviction based on biblical truth will help us be assertive with others. Conviction is really believing with all our hearts. When we truly believe in the Lord, we will be convicted to speak about him.

Question 7

What are the consequences for failing to be assertive?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel 3:16-21“Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible. . . . But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”We may not have the level of spiritual responsibility God assigned to Ezekiel, but we are still called to uphold biblical standards and to help others do so too. We must have the courage to tell people the bad news so that they can respond to the good news of God’s grace.