Developing Bulldog Faith

By: Donna J. Kazenske

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.

Do you have a dream or vision in your heart that you just can’t seem to let go of? It could be that God has placed this dream or vision in your heart for a purpose. If this is the case, the writer of Hebrews is telling you to hold fast the profession of your faith and not give up.

Have you ever watched a bulldog with a bone? Once that bulldog has his mouth watering jaws wrapped around that bone, there’s no way that anyone is going to get that bone out of his mouth. He’s laid hold of that which he so desired to possess. That bone now belongs to him. He’s written his signature on that bone with his sharp pointed teeth.

We need to be just like that ole bulldog when it comes to our faith. The bone represents the vision that God has placed deep within our hearts. Since the vision was placed inside of us by the Lord, we know that it’s His will for the vision to be fulfilled. How will it be fulfilled? How will the vision come to pass? Answer: By faith.

Bulldog faith never gives up. It lets the devil know whose boss. Bulldog faith sees by the Spirit, lays hold of what it sees by faith and causes that thing to be manifested in the natural realm.

Faith is more than just confessing something with our mouths. Many people have been led astray by the “name it, claim it” teaching. They thought they could just confess whatever they wanted (Cadillac, million dollars, diamond ring, etc.) and God would just drop their wishes right in their laps. This is not faith. We can confess all kinds of things with our mouths, but if the things we are confessing are not God’s will for our lives, we are wasting both our time and God’s time.

I like the phrase that says, “If you can see it, you can have it.”

If we can see what God has for us by the Spirit, we can then lay hold on whatever that might be, by confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts that what He has shown us He will certainly bring to pass.

Once we know what God’s will is in any given situation, it’s then and only then that we will be able to activate our faith. If we don’t have a clue what God’s will is, we won’t be able to put our faith into action.

Remember when Jesus walked on the water to get to His disciples who were in a raging storm at sea? When they first saw Jesus walking toward the boat, they thought He was a ghost. Then Jesus said, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Jesus and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. What happened here? Peter found out that it was God’s will for him to walk on the water with Jesus. After Jesus said, “Come,” Peter activated his faith and stepped out of the boat.

In Acts Chapter 3, a certain lame man was laying at the gate called Beautiful when Peter and John came passing by. The lame man asked Peter and John for money, but Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Peter spoke God’s will to this man. The lame man activated his faith on the words that Peter spoke, leaped up and began walking and praising God for the miracle. It was God’s will for this lame man to be healed. The lame man saw that this was true, and he laid hold of the spoken word with bulldog faith and received a miracle from God.

I would like to take a minute to inform those of you who are reading this article that it is God’s will to heal. Once we understand this, we can lay hold of this truth by believing in our hearts and receiving our miracle from the Lord. It’s not God’s will that people be sick with incurable diseases placed upon them by the devil. God is not the author of sickness and disease. Jesus came to give us life, not death. He came to save us and deliver us from our sins. He didn’t come into the world to condemn us. He came into the world to die for us and take our place on the Cross at Calvary.

Isaiah 53:4 – “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

Jesus has already paid the full price for our sin. All we need to do is accept what He has already done on the Cross as a finished work. By faith, we can be saved, healed and delivered. By faith, we can move a mighty mountain. By faith, we can overcome the wicked one. By faith, we can lay hold of the promises that God has given to us and see them fulfilled according to His word.

Dear friend, let me ask you this important question. Do you know what God’s will is for your life? If not, you need to spend some quality time in His presence. Ask Him questions and allow Him time to respond. Read God’s word and allow His word to take your faith to a new level. Once you know what God’s will is for your life, you will be able to activate your bulldog faith and lay hold of all that God has for you.