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Knowing God
The knowledge of God is the most important knowledge we can possess. The knowledge of God goes beyond human reason and understanding. I am not just talking about understanding the principles and doctrines in the Bible, but about KNOWING God and having a personal relationship with Him.
Knowing God is greater than knowing about Him. Having a personal relationship with God is greater than knowing something about Him. Seeking to know God is better than seeking to know more about Him. When we KNOW Him, we possess eternal life through the finished works of Jesus Christ our Lord.
If we desire to know God personally, we must seek to be in His presence daily and spend quality time with Him daily. The more time you spend with someone, the better acquainted you become with them. We can read about someone and listen to what others may tell us about them, however, until we meet, spend time and commune with them, we do not really KNOW them. We may know some things about them, but we have not established a personal relationship with them.
If we are going to grow in Christ, we MUST have a desire to know what pleases God and how we can establish a closer relationship with Him. We can find these things by searching His Word and asking Him for clarity and understanding as we read and study. However, nothing can take the place of experiencing for ourselves the pleasure of being in the presence of God and understanding first-hand how much He loves and cares for us.
If we are going to experience a closer relationship with God, we must submit ourselves to Him and resist the devil. When we resist the devil in the name of Jesus, he will flee from us. We must take the initiative to draw nigh unto God. When we draw nigh to God--He will then draw nigh to us. God has done everything He needs to do in order for us to establish a relationship with Him. We must take every opportunity and do everything we can to insure our relationship with Christ grows and flourishes. We do this by daily spending quality time with Him and searching the scriptures for wisdom and understanding.
If our relationship with the Lord is going to prosper, we MUST first seek and find the knowledge of how our relationship with Him can and will grow and prosper. We must find out what God expects of us and how we can please Him as we daily walk alongside Him.
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Philippians, Chapter 1, Verses 10-11.
The Apostle Paul said he “desired to KNOW Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” We cannot really KNOW Christ if we have not experienced Christ through the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
I did not hang on the Cross with Christ and experience the horrible pain and suffering He endured. I was not present at the tomb on the day Christ rose from the dead. In my spirit, however, I have been crucified with Christ. In my spirit, I have experienced the fellowship of His sufferings because the same Jesus who died on the Cross and rose from the dead now dwells richly within me. I will never EXPERIENCE the horrible pain and suffering Christ experienced. However, I will carry the KNOWLEDGE of His agonizing death at the Cross, along with His burial and resurrection in my heart forever.
I KNOW and understand by faith that His pain and suffering was more than any human being could bear. By faith I believe God raised Christ from the dead because His resurrection power dwells within me. I first experienced that POWER when the Spirit of Christ entered into my heart. The moment I accepted and received Christ as my Lord and Savior, I began a new relationship with LIFE. I became a new creation in Christ when I said “Yes, I believe” to Him, and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.
Like Paul, I can say, “I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet it is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God, and I bear in my body the marks (puncture wounds) of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians, 2:20 and 6:17).
It is Christ who lives within me and gives me the strength to “deny myself,” pick up my cross, and follow Him daily. It is the power of His resurrection which enables me to live a life free from sin. I sit with Christ in heavenly places because His resurrection power dwells within me. It is the power of His resurrection which gives me the ability to tread upon serpents, scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Yes, I am crucified with Christ, and now by the power of His resurrection I KNOW Him intimately and gloriously. On a daily basis I now maintain a loving and secure relationship with Him.
We become united with Christ through the power of ‘revelation knowledge.” The Living Word (Jesus) brings “new life” to our spirit when we accept Him as Lord and Savior, and we become born-again. As we study God’s Word and seek His presence, we will be enlightened, renewed and refreshed by His Spirit.
The word “revelation” comes from the Greek word which means an “unveiling or uncovering.” The Book of Revelation is the revelation OF Christ and the messages He gave to each of the seven Churches in Asia Minor. It is also an unveiling of the events which will transpire here on Earth in the last days.
Many people have attempted to interpret the Book of Revelation. However, it is impossible without the knowledge given by God to interpret the Book of Revelation unless it is REVEALED (unveiled) to them by the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul prayed for the Church at Ephesus to receive the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the KNOWLEDGE of the Lord Jesus Christ. We receive and understand the KNOWLEDGE of God through the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.
If we fail to have a good understanding of God’s Word, it could be because many things in His Word have not yet been revealed to us. God reveals Himself and the KNOWLEDGE of His Word to us by His Spirit. This is called “revelation knowledge.”
Today God is revealing His Word to His people as never before. Just as natural knowledge increases, revelation knowledge is also increasing. God is opening the “books” of Heaven to pour out knowledge, wisdom and understanding to the Church which has been stored up and hidden for “such a time as this.” Without the knowledge and wisdom we need, we will be unable to stand against the continual deception and onslaught of the enemy as well as the greater deception which is coming.
We accept Christ as our Lord and Savior when the Spirit of God reveals to us that Jesus IS the Son of God and the Redeemer of souls. We did not see Jesus die on the cross, nor did we see the Holy Spirit raise Him from the dead. However, we KNOW this is true because the Spirit of Revelation has personally revealed it to us.
Now that we know who Christ Jesus is and understand that He died on the cross for our sins, Christ needs to be revealed to and within us in a greater, more personal way. If the character of Christ is to be REVEALED within us, we MUST be willing to allow the Spirit of God to change us into HIS image.
To KNOW Jesus is to love Him. As we become closer to Christ and follow in His footsteps, we will become more like Him. When we become more like Him, we will love Him even more. When we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him in all His mercy, grace and glory. As we seek to KNOW Christ more intimately, the Spirit of Revelation will give us greater spiritual insight, wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the things of God. When we have been enlightened by the truth we have a responsibility to share with others what God has revealed to us.
When we desire to know Christ more intimately, many people will try to convince us we have “gone off the deep end.” Others will declare that we can become “one” with Christ by learning more about Him as we read and study His Word. However, we MUST NOT accept any substitutes. We are not just seeking information about Christ, but we are desiring to KNOW Christ personally so we can serve Him through and in the power of His resurrection.
Head knowledge will not get us an audience with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Head knowledge will not get us into the Throne Room of Grace where we can find help in the time of need. Head knowledge cannot and will not assure us we have victory over the schemes and power of the enemy. The Spirit of “Wisdom and Revelation” is the key to godly knowledge and intimacy with Christ. (Ephesians, 1:17)
Revelation Knowledge is more than just facts or information. It is Holy Spirit breathed and spirit (of man) received. Revelation Knowledge is a tangible force which comes in and occupies the fortress of our renewed spirit, mind and soul. Revealed knowledge will help us fight the “good fight of faith” when the enemy comes in like a flood seeking whom he may devour.
Because knowledge alone “puffs up,” we must have more than information. We must have wisdom as well so we can properly use the KNOWLEDGE we possess. Together knowledge and wisdom admonishes us to prefer and seek a personal relationship with Christ over precepts and doctrines which only introduces us to the “historical and rhetorical” Christ. We must have “revelation knowledge” from the Holy Spirit because His wisdom and understanding are the only things which will produce and create spiritual stability, faith and NEW LIFE within us.
Many people in churches today prefer earthly wisdom over godly wisdom, as well as riches and position rather than intimacy with God. They continue to reject spiritual knowledge and understanding because their hearts are filled with pride and materialistic desires. Paul spoke of people like these in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11. The scripture says, “They are dull of hearing and lack godly wisdom and restraint.” Dullness of hearing will always prevent people from understanding the things of God, and is unproductive in assimilating godly precepts and doctrines which promote and govern the Kingdom of God.
Many men and women reject revelation knowledge to their own peril. In doing so they will never find themselves advancing and growing spiritually in grace, understanding and wisdom. Many people attend Church for years, and yet they never make a commitment or attempt to seek a more intimate relationship with Christ. They keep the pews warm, however, there is no FIRE within their hearts.
Without revelation knowledge, our perception of God and His Word can, and will be, somewhat obscured and diluted. Information and facts in the Bible do us no good if they are not “rightly divided” by the Spirit of Truth. Earthly wisdom and riches will choke the Word of God and cause our relationship with Christ to be unfruitful, and life can become unbearable.
God delights in us when we seek to understand and KNOW Him more intimately. When we walk in His ways and seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him and obtain His grace and mercy. God’s grace and mercy will always help us through the tests and trials which all of us go through and experience while we are here on this Earth.
The “joy of the Lord” and His lovingkindness are imparted to us as we delight ourselves in Him. He promised to give us the “desires of our heart” when we delight ourselves in Him. (Psalm, 34:7). When we delight in the Lord we will not be seeking earthly gain, but we will be seeking to be FILLED with the fullness of Christ. When we are delighting ourselves in Christ, the desire of our heart will be to secure and maintain a closer relationship with Him. When we have done all He has told us to do, God will do all He has promised us He would do for us.
The Knowledge of God is revealed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of the knowledge and wisdom of God. All the treasures of knowledge, wisdom and understanding are hidden in Christ. When we are FILLED with the fullness of Christ as we walk with Him, we will be FILLED with all the treasures of Heaven. (Colossians, 2:2-3).
THE EARTH WILL BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEA. Habakkuk, Chapter 2, Verse 14.