Excerpt

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3, emphasis added)

On 4/5/03, I was thinking about the opportunity I have everyday to know God. I Believe, if I were to ask every Christian in the world if they knew God, most would say yes. However, that would be a big assumption for many of them. I believe that the reason so many Christians think they know God, is that they are going to church. The first thing we must realize is that, no one will ever know everything there is to know about God. Therefore, there will always be room to grow in our relationship with Him. This may change a lot when we get to heaven but that remains to be seen.

Secondly, we cannot confuse knowing God with working for or with God (2 Corinthians 6:1-3). The Bible tells us in (Romans 10:17, emphasis added), So then faith cometh by hearing [fully understanding], and hearing by the word of God. This is true; however, to grow in faith requires walking with God. We really know or learn God by walking through life [by faith], with Him. It is when we take the Word of God that weve heard & understood, and walked it out or applied it to our lives, with God that faith is solidified in our hearts.

For example, this entire book is based upon what I have experienced with God. These experiences helped me to know God beyond His written Word. You can read or hear information and forget it, but experiences stay with you forever. No one can take your experience from you. Your faith grows along with your confidence the more you experience / know God. Most of us have jobs where we work for a boss [employer], who signs our paychecks. However, do we really know them? Do we know their likes and dislikes? Do we know their birthday or favorite color? I dare to say, that the answer for most of us would be, no.

Therefore, based upon this example we cannot expect to know God just because we are working for or with Him, in ministry [the church]. This is something that God had to show me, in my own relationship with Him. Once I left my old church, God showed me that I was relating to Him through the church and my pastor. I was more focused on getting a prophetic word from my pastor, than hearing from God directly. I was more dependant on man than I was with God.

I use to pray and then get quiet to hear from God, but most of the time I couldnt hear Him. I didnt know what, if anything was wrong with me. I eventually gave up on trying to hear His voice. I said to myself, God will speak to me when He wants to. However, God tells us in His Word that if we seek Him with our whole hearts, then He will give us a heart to know Him (Jeremiah 24:7). There has to be an expectation within our hearts, if we are going to hear and receive from God. I am reminded of a Scripture that shows men who tried to do a spiritual work, through someone elses relationship with God. Check it out.



Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. (Acts19:13-16, emphasis added)



These men did not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. They thought that they could use the name of Jesus, because of the preaching they heard from Paul. Paul knew the Lord and did great works in His name, which caused him to be recognized by the devils. Our power and authority comes from knowing God through Jesus Christ. You can fool man with many Hallelujahs and praise the Lord, but you will not fool the devil, or God for that matter.

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for our sins, and opened the communication lines between God and us. The veil of the temple that separated Gods people from the holy of holies [His Presence] was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). That veil or curtain was several inches thick. The power of God tore it, symbolizing the open invitation to know Him (Hebrews 4:16). I, like many believers thought that knowing God was an automatic result of working in the church.

I thought that I would know more about God with the passing of time. I assumed that my strength and faith would grow as I continued to work and be faithful in the church. I was wrong. You can learn some things about God this way, but to really know Him is to experience Him by one-on-one interactions. Because my relationship with God lacked the depth I thought I had, my faith was much smaller than I realized. It was only in facing lifes challenges, that I realized how small [weak] my faith was.

The reality is this; we are children of God first, who serve Him in the work of the ministry. It is like when you had chores to do as a child. You were always their child and the chores were to teach responsibility, not to know your parents. You did not cease to be their beloved child to become a servant. The same is true with our relationship with God.