How Do We Obtain Knowledge of God?
Our Bible study is a never-ending adventure with God. We
need His Word in our souls more than our bodies need food.
Yet we do sometimes stray away from feeding on His abundant
harvest. This can bring us into soulish malnutrition.
We may wonder why anger flames up so quickly.
Where did the fear come from that gnaws at my mind?
The same thing happens in the soul when we mentally fast from the Word as happens when we physically fast from food. We get hungry. How we satisfy that hunger determines our result.
At the wilderness temptation, Jesus told satan, “Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
God.” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV) Jesus didn’t satisfy His hunger by feeding His flesh.
He depended upon the strength of Spirit.
This shows us God’s Word is the food we need the most for spiritual
survival.
How did Jesus resist the devil’s enticements?
The Son of God knew the Father intimately.
How do we obtain this kind of knowledge of God?
The same way Jesus did.
We build upon our relationship with God. Jesus started out His life as a baby who grew into a boy then a Man. He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52).
As a Man, He spent time alone in prayer, sometimes all
night. He withdrew from the distractions of the day and went upon the
mountainside. He was God in His Spirit, but in His physical limitations, He had
to grow in wisdom about His Father.
The pursuit of information is everywhere. New inventions
make our lives easier in some cases. In others, we may wonder what the inventor
was thinking, but that person still used their intellect to create a gadget.
Yet as expansive as man’s capacity for learning is, it still has an end.
But the knowledge of God is infinite. We will never get to
the end of who our Lord is.
This is a different kind of learning than we received in
school and college. Illumination of God means we draw deeper into His
character. We live through our spirits instead of our mental capacity.
As His divine power has given
to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of
Him who called us by glory and virtue.
(2 Peter 1:3)
When we accept Christ into our lives, everything Jesus has
is given to us in the spirit. We are infused with His divine power and
everything we need for life and godliness is deposited into our hearts. But we
draw out of our spirits and live the benefits of these gifts through knowing
the God who called us and saved us.
If we don’t pursue knowing Him, all these wonderful aspects
of Christ lie dormant in our hearts.
The knowledge of God changes us. As we absorb His Word our
minds are renewed, and we are transformed into the image of the Son.
We are all in different maturity levels in our pursuit of
the knowledge of God, but no matter how far we have gone, we will never arrive
at the place where we stop needing the Bread of Life. We all begin as babies
desiring the milk of the Word, we graduate to meat, but we should never stop
chewing.
For precept must be upon
precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little. (Isaiah 28:10)
Last week we looked at benefits of studying the Bible. You
can read the post, 8 Benefits of Bible Study here and receive the free download, "Scriptures and Prayers for Back to School" if you missed it.
Knowing God can change our perception of Him. We find out He
is loving, merciful, gracious, and not willing that anyone should perish. He
does not condemn, He provides a way to save.
He knew us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians
1:4). Now He wants us to know Him.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
How do we obtain the knowledge of God? (click to tweet)
What a great answer to a question I think every Christian should be asking my friend. I've often thought that like our children learn, we Christian children learn. Our greatest influence in learning comes from the environment we spend the majority of our time in. As youngsters, the majority of our time is spent with parents, so it's natural that what the children see and hear in their homes and in their presence is that influences their learning the most. In the same way, where Christians spend the majority of their time is where they're influenced worldviews and perspectives are derived from. The more time we spend in God's presence (His word, His presence, His people) the more He can influence our learning. What a great post, filled with wisdom and godly counsel. Thank you ma'am.
ReplyDeleteWe do need to realize that most influence on our kid's lives comes from home. If we want them to be godly and live strong lives we need to model the Christian life and know God ourselves. Thanks so much for sharing, J.D. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteIsaiah's message, line upon line..., is how we educate children and ourselves. It's not a one-time experience; it's a lifetime of application. Thanks, Barbara. God bless!
ReplyDeleteOur lifetime experience of learning never ends. Thanks for sharing, Nancy. Blessings!
Delete"Knowing God changes our lives." That is Truth, Barbara and I continued to pray that He will guide me to a closer relationship with Him--to Know Him. Your message is so encouraging to help me and others to know Him more and change into what He knows we can be.
ReplyDeleteI pray for that closer relationship with God as I study also, Katherine. I'm glad you were encouraged. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteBarbara, thank you for such an encouraging post. Your statement, “Our Bible study is a never-ending adventure with God. We need His Word in our souls more than our bodies need food” is very powerful and holds such truth. My prayer is to daily feed on His Word and to continue to seek His goodness.
ReplyDeleteDawn, daily feeding is our prescription for growth and knowledge. That is my prayer too. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteBarbara, I love Pauls's declaration, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" Rom. 11:33. There is something new to learn every day!
ReplyDeleteRomans is filled with so many powerful insights. Verse 33 is a wonderful prayer for us to pray. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteThank you so much for your sharing your insights, teachings and blog. It is very encouraging to me:-) God Bless You
ReplyDeleteI am thankful you were encouraged as I am also as I study more. Thank you so much for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteWhat a great analogy - physical hunger and spiritual hunger. Many good things can come through fasting, but never through fasting from God's word. This resonates with me in a big way. Sometimes I let myself get too busy and don't spend enough meaningful time in God's word. But He keeps teaching me how much time this actually costs me in the long run. Thankful for God's patience with me and for this message from you!
ReplyDeleteI can tell when I haven't been feeding on the Word enough. I feel myself falling into a deep hunger hole. He keeps teaching me too, Candyce. We can all be thankful for our Father's patience. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteI really appreciate these words. We are lifetime learners, much different than any school or college. Knowing Him is an ongoing process. I am so thankful for His wanting us to know Him. What mercy and grace! Thanks so much for this post.
ReplyDeleteI love your comment,"I am so thankful for His wanting us to know Him." What a great privilege we have. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteI loved your message Barbara. I do find myself worried or stressed more on days that I have not been in His word. We need to stay connected to stay on the right path with God.
ReplyDeleteThe world around us can be overwhelming and I, too, can find myself more stressed when I haven't been in the Word. God's food for our minds does keep us focused on Him instead of the problems that swirl and attack us. Thanks for sharing, Yvonne. Blessings!
DeleteBarbara, I like your statement about the knowledge of God being infinite. Walking with Him and reading His Word creates a new adventure each day. Excellent post.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your thoughts. He is so infinite that each day does bring a new adventure. Blessings!
Delete"He knew us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Now He wants us to know Him." Love this! I was just meditating on the many facets of God. Over the course of my life I've learned to know Him in many ways, but I'm amazed as I realize how much more there is. I don't think we'll be bored in eternity as we continue to know God in new ways.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, you are right, there is so much more to know that we will never get to the end of who He is. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteWhen reading this a little child's song about rain came to mind. "If all the raindrops
ReplyDeleteWere lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh what a rain that would be
I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide…" If we approached God's word with the same exuberance oh, what a world it would be. I love God's word. It always makes me longing for more. Thanks for posting. Patty Schell