Do you Know the Lord?

I’ve come to know that there are many people who know about Jesus, but don’t know Him. They are everywhere - in churches, workplaces, at the grocery store, etc. I’ve recently realized that those in churches may the hardest to reach. Much like the Sadducees, in the bible, many of them have grown up in the church and they’ve heard messages and they do work there and believe they know all there is to know, but their hearts are not changed (Matt 7:21-23). They haven’t really developed a relationship with the Lord. They haven’t actually accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Outside of the church environment, they don’t spend time with Him and their lives are not changed. The Holy Spirit is not present in their lives. They don’t know Him (1 John 2:4). 

How do I know? Because a tree is known by the fruit it bears (Luke 6:43-45). If we know Him, we will exhibit fruit that looks like Him. As my aunt and I were talking recently, if a tree doesn’t bear fruit its only for two reasons – it’s either a different kind of tree or it’s dead/barren. Jesus told a parable about a fig tree that was not producing that needed to be cut down (Luke 13:6-9). If we are not bearing Godly fruit (Gal 5:22-23), which is evidence that we are in relationship with Him, we should reevaluate that relationship and ensure we have one (1 John 3:10). Not only will our relationship determine where we spend eternity, but it will also impact the life we have here on earth. God expects us to be fruitful, if we are His (Col 1:10).

Jesus came that we might have life and it more abundantly (John 10:10)! But, it requires that we know Him intimately and we follow His leading and His ways. If we don’t, we can’t expect to have His promises. To know Him, we have to spend time with Him – in prayer and studying His word. Knowing God allows us to understand His nature and who He is. Knowing Him leads us to love Him and others, because He first loved us (1 John 4:8). While we were His enemies, He sacrificed His Son for us so that we could know Him (John 3:16). 

Yesterday, Cece Winans gave a message (during the Generations Live Conference) – Faith is in the Knowing. It moved me so much. One of the things she said was that Knowing God is the principle thing (Prov 9:0). She discussed how the Word of God is the ultimate authority on who God is, what’s He’s done and how much He loves us. She mentioned how we have to take time with Him to know Him. One thing she said that stuck with me is that even if we never get what we want, God is still GOOD. Our answers can’t be tied to God’s goodness – He is Good no matter what the answer is and even if I totally dislike it. That’s the assurance we have when we know Him. 

God is Good. It’s a trait of His. The more we Know God, the stronger our faith in Him grows. If we know Him, we know He will never leave nor forsake us. I realized I need to spend more time with Him – in prayer and study and quiet. I’ve mentioned before how easily I’m distracted – I don’t know that I spend enough quiet time with Him. I want to hear His voice clearly, but He doesn’t operate at my speed. God is in control and He moves when He’s ready to move. I want Him to move through me because He has purpose and plans for me and I want everything He has for me. But I have to understand there are things I have to do in order to get everything He has for me – I have to know Him (Phil 3:10), I have to obey Him (1 John 2:3), I have to pray to Him (Luke 18:1), I have to praise Him (Rom 14:11). 

Once we know God, we know what He likes and how He sounds - we know His attributes and we learn what He expects of us. Do you know Him? If not, I hope you get to know Him. While I’m continually learning new things about Him, I know His Holy Spirit lives on the inside of me. I’m by no means perfect, but I see the fruit in my life. The more I know Him, the more the fruit grows and flourishes. I pray God’s blessing over you that you would get to know Him and the power of His might and that your life would be transformed in ways you can only imagine - full of peace, joy and love.