From Source Ministries Blog
Fri, Mar 18, 2011
There is a lot of talk these days about knowing God. Yet most Christians still don’t really know Him. So, let’s get to know Him!
Proverbs
9:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
the knowledge of the Holy is understanding. Knowing God begins with a
reverence for God. The starting point for becoming truly wise is to
recognize there’s a power greater than us. That power is God Almighty
through His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.
We, as
humans, think we understand things. But we only have a surface
awareness. No true understanding exists apart from the knowledge of The
Holy. There is only one who is holy, and that is God Almighty. In
knowing Him, we begin to understand what life is all about. Then, and
only then, can we truly live life. That is why you must know God! It is
time to seek the One Who is all wise.
THE NECESSITY OF KNOWING GOD
The Scripture doesn’t say
the knowledge “about” the Holy. It says, “the knowledge of the Holy.”
There is a vast difference between having information and having true
understanding. We live in an information age. There is a knowledge
explosion. Everything is geared to the philosophy that “the more we
know, the better we are.”
But that is not the case!
The reality is that information is not enough. A true spiritual
transformation must occur. Therefore, the knowledge of God is absolutely
essential.
Oh, the wonder of it all! Just think, He actually desires to give us the guided tour through life.
The Apostle Paul’s burning
passion was that I may know Him (Phil. 3:10). Yet he, of all men, knew
Him! Paul knew the Lord in great depth and intimacy. If it was essential
for Paul to know him more fully, then how much more do we need to know
Him.
Philippians was the first
book that really came alive to me. When I read Philippians 3:10 I said,
“That is my desire, my prayer. Yes, I want to know you, Lord!” Is it
your prayer? May your passion be, “Oh, that I may know Him!” Once I
began to know Him, my desire became two-fold. “Lord, I want not only to
know You myself, but I also want to help others get to know You.” A few
years later I came across a phrase by Dawson Trottman, founder of The
Navigators. He said our objective should be “To know Him and to make Him
known.” What an excellent summation of the Christian life!
That’s basically it. Once we
begin to know Him, we have the privilege of making Him known. We can
tell others about how Christ has radically transformed our lives. That
is making Him known.
Yet the focus must remain on
knowing God. So what does it mean to know Him? It is not learning about
Him. It is having a vibrant relationship with Him. This should be
ongoing, ever growing and maturing. Do you know Him like this? You can.
Let me explain how.
THE FIRST SECRET
I met Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior at age eleven. Ten years later, Lue and I were married. About
six months afterward, I discovered one of God’s fundamental secrets. I
was so challenged by Lue’s life, that it motivated me to seek the Lord. I
began to reassess my relationship to Him. I prayed, “Lord I want to get
to know You afresh and anew.” Lue and I began to search the scriptures
together. I kept trying to understand them. I wanted to get a handle on
this Book.
At age three, I remember my
mother, who was a Christian, frequently reading the Bible to me. Over
the years, she continued to tell me about the Lord. Most of all, I saw
her live out the Bible. So, I knew the Bible stories. I could even
debate Bible facts, but there was still something missing. Finally, it
dawned on me! What I saw in the Bible and what I saw happening in my
life weren’t the same. I concluded that since it happened in Bible
times, it could happen now! In fact, it should be happening in my life
today!!
“So, Lord, why isn’t it
happening? How can I begin to see in my life what those in the Bible
saw?” One evening I got my answer. As we were reading John 14:26, I saw
it! But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. This was my first
spiritual secret to knowing God.
I locked in on that one
verse. I said, “Now wait a minute. All this time I have believed the
Bible was true. I have gotten information from it. I have tried to
follow it. I have attempted to apply its principles.” Yes, I failed in
some areas, but I made progress in others. The bottom line—it wasn’t
working. “Dear Lord, what’s the problem?” God said, “It’s because the
Bible is a Spiritual Book and only My Spirit can make it real in your
life.” My problem was I had been reading the Bible like a textbook.
Since I had been a good student, I thought I could figure this out. I
was able to learn Bible facts and even analyze them, but it never
connected with my life. I could see it, but not fully experience it.
I got some further insight
from 2 Peter 1:21. It says, The prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit. What I realized was that this Book is truly God-breathed,
inspired by God’s Spirit. The Author of the Book is God Himself. The
Holy Spirit worked through human instrumentality. It was God speaking
through the uniqueness of distinct personalities with different
backgrounds and occupations, but it was always God bringing forth His
Word to mankind! The Bible originated with God who is Spirit. Therefore,
as a Spiritual Book, it can only be understood by the Holy Spirit.
Another glimmer of light
began to dawn on me from 1 Corinthians 2:9. It says, “As it is written
eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man what God has prepared for them that love Him.” It is not possible to
grasp what God has prepared for us.
There is only one way to
know God. Verse 14 says, “The natural man does not receive the things of
the Spirit of God.” It is humanly impossible to grasp the things of
God. The natural mind, which encompasses the physical human realm,
cannot possibly comprehend the things of God. They are foolishness unto
him, neither can he know them. They cannot be known on the human plane.
Why? Because they are spiritually discerned.
There it is again! The
things of God are known only by the Spirit of God. They are Spiritually
interpreted. The Spirit gives us understanding. He alone can make God’s
Word real to us. That’s the secret!
So I prayed again. “Now God,
I realize that You are saying this is a Spiritual Book, and the Holy
Spirit, who indwells me, is going to teach me. Therefore, Holy Spirit, I
trust you to cause me to understand the Bible.” I concluded that since
the Bible is a Spiritual Book, only the Holy Spirit can teach me.
Furthermore, only by God’s Spirit can I know and understand the things
of God. Therefore, every time I open this Book, my prayer is, “Holy
Spirit, show me what to read, and speak to me through Your Word. Make
this Book real and alive in me.”
LIVING EPISTLES
Yeah, what about this matter
of Scripture coming alive in us? It’s one thing to talk about it, but
quite another to live it. Numerous Christian seminars contain powerful
truths that we are admonished to go out and apply. Often we think, “Wow,
there is so much here, how can I ever apply it?” Good question!
One man, overwhelmed with
the volume of information he got at a seminar, said, “There’s so much, I
don’t know how I can possibly apply it, but I guess that’s what God
expects.” Or does He? No, He doesn’t! God realizes that we can’t apply
Spiritual truth. He knows that it is humanly impossible. Thus, enters
the Holy Spirit. He is the Divine applicator. The Holy Spirit is the
only one who can apply Spiritual truth.
A MULTIFACETED SECRET
Therefore, we must rely on
the Holy Spirit to enable us to live life. Not by might, nor by power,
but by my spirit (Zechariah 4:7). The Lord is telling us that we, as
humans, don’t have the ability to live life. It requires God’s Spirit to
enable us. It is God’s Spirit that brings forth the life of Christ in
our daily walk. Only by God’s Spirit can this happen!
God won’t overload us. He
has promised not to give us more than we are able to bear. He also gives
us the One Who will enable us to bear it. That, of course, is the
Spirit of God. He has come to indwell us in order to empower us.
Furthermore, He will guide us. Christ says in John16:13 that the Holy
Spirit will guide you into all truth. He is not an external guide to
show us the way; He is a Guide from within who lovingly directs our
lives. Just as the internal tracking device of a homing pigeon enables
it to maintain its bearings, so the Holy Spirit causes us to go in the
right direction. He keeps us on course.
The Holy Spirit guides us by
prompting our thoughts, stimulating our emotions and motivating our
desires. Words fail to adequately describe God’s marvelous provision
through the Holy Spirit. Oh, the wonder of it all! Just think, He
actually desires to give us the guided tour through life. Are you
letting Him!
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