To Know Him- Continued

“Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight and understanding.  Search for them as you would lost money and hidden treasure.  Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.  For God grants wisdom!  From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly.  He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.  He guards the paths of justice and protects those who are faithful to him.  Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair and you will know how to find the right course of action every time.  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.” Proverbs 2:2-10

From knowing to knowing.

We can all “know” the mechanics on how to do something through how-to-books, tutorials, YouTube videos and so on but if we do not apply the knowledge in experience- the knowledge just sits there in our heads.

We can listen to someone tell us how to ride a bike but unless we actually try riding a bike we won’t “know” how to ride a bike.

I find that true with the knowledge God gives us.    God doesn’t want us to just “intellectually” know about him and his wisdom and store it some mental grain elevator never to be used or eaten but he wants us to take that wisdom and apply it to our life through the situations and circumstances and trials in our life.   

Have you ever thought about as God’s people asked God why, what, who, when, where and so on...  was God’s faithfulness not also being tried and tested as well in the human soul?

What is being poured into the human soul? What is being cast inside the human soul in the furnace of life? Who’s likeness are we being formed into as we trust in God?

“… And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more…” Note: 2 Corinthians 3:18

Quick note:

We must live our lives in a manner that won’t bring sorrow or quench His Holy Spirit for we receive God’s wisdom and power through the Holy Spirit. 

Scriptures: Ephesians 4:30, John 16:13-15, 1 Thessalonians 1:5 & 5:19

Look how beautifully the Lord has dressed them.  They live in the Lord and the Lord lives in them.  Look and see how the Lord takes care of them.  Look and see how the Lord takes cares of them as they trust in him.  The Lord will not let evil overtake them. Look at the simple soul who trusts and holds tight to God – they glorify Him in their life.  Look how God clothes them.  And how they glorify Him in ways they didn’t even imagine.

Look at the peace that adorns their humble sincere façade.  They are intimately acquainted with God knowing he is constantly watching over them and involved in every detail.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit

This reminds me of Jeremiah 17:7-8, Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 8:11-14, Isaiah 11:2-5, Psalm 121:1-8, Psalm 23:1-6, Psalm 46:1-11, Matthew 5:3, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 22:1-14, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:6-7,

Peter writes: “As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life.  He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!”  2 Peter 1:3

His divine power at work in our heart

Paul’s writes,  “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”  Ephesians 3:17-19

His divine power is the intimacy we have living in our heart….  And in the heart the things of hope, faith and love grow.  And there they season and flavor the thoughts of the mind which produce godly words and actions.

Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

Quick note:

Experience:  (I won’t belabor this point.)  Definitely we know experience brings credibility of God in our life.  Experiences with God build intimacy between us the creation and our creator.  

The experiences we have are not just for us but also for others. 

For Romans 10:14-15 says: ^“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? ¹⁵ And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Quickened by the Holy Spirit.

As we mature and grow in God we find instances of “quickening”.   Quickening as I have come to know it is a godly spirit driven thought or urging that doesn’t come off the top of our head or our intelligence.  It is a word or truth or unveiled truth/revelation either heard in the ear or mind or seen in a vision of the believer.  It is used to warn, educate, direct, remind, encourage, correct, heal and empower.   You didn’t come up with it on your own.  It didn’t come from our “immediate intelligence.” It just showed up.  And when we think about it we know we can’t take credit for this because of how it came but it is just another reminder that God deserves all the credit and He is alive and working in us.

Quickening: Is for you or the one God wants you to minister to.

I am reminded of Peter in Acts 2 where is quotes Joel 2:28-32.  The Holy Spirit has been poured upon the believers of Jesus Christ.  The believers started speaking in languages they didn’t know -about the wonderful things God had done.  Some people wondered how this was possible for these people to speak their specific language when they weren’t even from the same region they came from.  Others started to mock the speakers saying these people were just drunk.  It just sounded like their language.  But Peter stepped forward and corrected them and the Holy Spirit dropped in his mind the scripture from Joel.  Think about it, out of all the Old Testament Peter picks that one scripture.

Often when we quietly and humbly seek God for help, He quickens our soul with a word just for that moment and season.

 David wrote, “I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD according unto they word.” Psalm 119:107

I remember feeling overwhelmed recently and God whispered, “Don’t worry, just pray.” Instantly a peace came over my soul.

So what does the concordance say about the word “quicken”?  

“Quicken” means: “to make alive”.  When I think of that phrase I think of the word “manifest.”  We a believers in Christ are to manifest God.  

1 Corinthians 12:7 says “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:”  

To quicken means

1.           spiritual power to arouse and invigorate

2.          to restore to life

3.          to give increase life: thus the physical life

4.        to endued with new and greater powers of life 

We know this is only made possible because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

 “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11

God quickens us to share a word with others and because it came from Him, the hearers have assurance that what we have said is true.   “…. It was not only with words but also with power for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true…” Note: 1 Thessalonians 1:5

Sometimes God quickens us to action or to do something.   

I remember a pastor told us a story of him and his family driving on a mountain road.  A man directing traffic told him to stop in this specific place but then God told the pastor to move the car to another place.   It was only a few moments later a big truck lost its brakes and came roaring down the hill and through the very place him and his family were told to park a few moments before.   If they had not moved, they would have been plowed over by the truck.

Even right now as I write this blog God is giving me instruction and insight.  He is stirring up and invigorating me and inspiring me with his word.  I have never gone to bible school or college.  It is He, the Holy Spirit, at work in me that is teaching.

Spirit and truth

How can you worship someone if don’t know them.  Have you ever wondered about that? 

I am reminded of Romans 1:21 “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks.  And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.  The result was that their minds became dark and confused.” 

Jesus said “But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.  The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.  For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth,”  John 4:23-24

When we think of  “worship” we tend to think of it as “praise and worship”.  I remember going to church before I was saved and getting nothing out of praise and worship – and the reason I didn’t get anything out of it was because I didn’t know God.  I didn’t know the truth of God and God’s Spirit was not living in me.  So how could I have worshipped God in spirit and truth?

I have been finding in life that “worship” is more the “praise and worship” - it is a way of life.    Worshipping God is realizing and growing in whom God is… He is to be feared, respected, loved and we are to abide/live/and trust in His Spirit.  And in knowing Him we gain peace beyond our understanding, vitality in our being, strength of heart, comfort, and joy. 

One last thought:  Worshipping God in spirit and truth is to love God.  God gives us this commandment to love him but the commandment is not so much for him as it is for us.

If we know God who is love… and his love sustains and empowers us then to know Him has great power does it not?

Love is partnership between you and God:  His love helps us bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things. His love never fails.  Note: 1 Corinthians 13:7