The greatest weapon that Satan is using today to make the Word ineffectual, is the weapon of Mental Assent.   This weapon is utterly dangerous because it is so subtle.   

Mental Assent is hard to recognize, because it comes clothed in the term "Faith." Before we can understand the difference between Mental Assent and Faith, we must understand the meaning of each.   

Mental Assent versus Faith

Faith is action upon the Word.   believing is fearlessly acting upon the Word.   
Mental Assent is agreement to the fact that the Bible is true, but it is void of action.   

Perhaps a few illustrations will make it clearer.   A man seeking to become a Christian, who really believes, says the following: "I believe that Christ was raised from the dead.   I take Him as my Saviour and confess Him as my Lord.   Therefore, I am saved, because His Word in Rom 10:9-10 declares so".   

He confesses that he is saved before he receives the witness within himself.   He believes the Word to be God's.   Therefore, he acts fearlessly upon it, regardless of his feelings, because he knows it cannot be broken.   He boldly makes the Word his confession.   

There is no Believing that does not result in confession.   

A mental assenter, who is seeking to become a Christian, will speak similarly the following: "I believe the Bible is God's Word.   I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.   I have been trying to be saved for a long time.   I've asked Him in, but I am not saved." This one would be insulted if he were told that he did not believe, yet his attitude is one of Mental Assent.   

He professes to believe, yet he has no conception of acting upon God's Word.   If he had believed, he would have said, "God's Word is true.   I believe, therefore I have EternalLife." (John 5:24).   

Mental Assent produces no action; it has no confession.   Mental Assent has robbed many of receiving healing.   

A believer says this, "By His stripes I am healed." The disease may be manifest in his body, yet he is acting upon the Word which declares that by His stripes he is healed.   It may be that after he has been prayed for, he has witnessed no healing; yet he says, "I am healed, because the Word declares that in Christ's name they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover".   

A Christian who is a mental assenter has the following attitude: "I believe the Bible is true.   I have believed these scriptures all my life.   I have had so many pray for me, I can't understand why I am not healed."

How many of God's children have suffered years with a disease, not realizing their difficulty, thinking that their Mental Assent was Faith.   

Many Christians who are living in the realm of Mental Assent today are living barren and fruitless spiritual lives.   
→ They, all their lives, have been seeking power with God in their lives and prayer.   
→ They have never learned to live by the Word.   
→ They live in weakness and failure and want, because they have no conception of the real meaning of believing God's Word, of really acting upon the Word.   

The Word declares that they have been made New Creations in Christ (2Cor 5:17;) that they have been made the very righteousness of God (2Cor 5:21;) that they are joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17;) that the authority of His Name is theirs in prayer (John 16:23-24;) and that God shall supply every need of theirs (Phi 4:19) .   

Yet they have no consciousness of righteousness, authority in the name of Jesus, or strength.   This is due to the fact that their attitude has been one of Mental Assent, and Satan has robbed them of their inheritance in Christ.