Attending to know God on a extra private, deeper degree is actually THE FUNNEST factor you are able to do!
The extra I get to know Him, the extra I grow to be obsessive about understanding extra. It’s like giving a mouse a cookie. 😊
I get so obsessed that I can’t put my Bible down. I can’t cease listening to sermons. I can’t cease. I don’t wanna cease. I simply wish to know all the things I presumably can in regards to the God that I serve.
As this yr is about to shut, these are the most important takeaways for me in my quest of understanding God extra. I’m making this checklist for me, so I don’t neglect, and for you, so you may be taught and know Him extra too! ❤️
Figuring out God
Whereas a few of these issues I already knew about God, I had the chance to SEE them in motion, with my very own eyes. To expertise them first hand, and it’s been wonderful!
Figuring out ABOUT God will not be sufficient. We should expertise Him and His vastness to be taught and develop as believers.
1) He’s NOT quiet
Generally I believe as a result of WE can’t hear Him on a regular basis, we simply assume He’s quiet.
I’m within the Bible at the very least 10-20 occasions all through the day. I doubt there may be even an hour that passes (whereas I’m residence), that I don’t open His holy Phrase. He desires to be recognized. He’s not enjoying disguise and search. He’s telling us again and again.
He repeats Himself in Scripture SO a lot. Have you ever ever acknowledged that?
What number of occasions does He inform us even one factor all through the Bible? It’s vital. He desires us to get it.
It’s like He’s taking out a megaphone and we simply aren’t listening. We are able to’t hear as a result of OUR sin separates us from God. Due to this fact, be holy. The much less we sin, the extra we hear Him!!! The nearer we’re to Him. So make it your goal to sin much less and be holy.
Take simply that assertion to be holy. What number of occasions does He inform us to be holy in Scripture?
- Leviticus 19:2
- Leviticus 20:7
- Leviticus 20:26
- Leviticus 21:8
- Exodus 19:6
- 1 Peter 1:16
- 1 Thessalonians 4:7
- 2 Corinthians 7:1
- …
I’ll cease there, though I’m positive there’s extra!
In Hebrews 12:14, it tells us that if we’re not holy, we gained’t see God.
If God tells us to be holy at LEAST 9 occasions, do you suppose it’s vital? Do you suppose we should always take note of it and obey it?
The reality is that there are LOTS of these examples in Scripture. Scripture repeats itself a LOT. God is continually telling us the identical issues again and again.
If you start to deep dive into the Bible, you’ll begin to see patterns like this all over.
God will not be quiet. He’s taking the time to inform us one thing a number of occasions.
Why?
It’s not as a result of He’s not mentioned it clearly sufficient. It’s as a result of WE usually are not listening!
We MUST worth the Phrase of God greater than we do. In Bible occasions, they didn’t have the Bible like we do at present. Godly males would learn issues just like the Torah. Bits and items of the Bible (as a result of the Bible was nonetheless being written at the moment), based on what they’d.
What they did have, they shared it. One doc went round the entire metropolis.
Think about sharing one Bible. Your complete household solely getting it for just one week out of all the yr. That’s precisely what was taking place again then. Think about the way you’d treasure it, put all of your give attention to it and studying it throughout that week. The way you’d saturate your thoughts with it, the way you’d memorize it.
Now, as a result of we’ve Bibles so generally, we take them without any consideration. We don’t search God like we should always. We take Him and His Phrase without any consideration.
That’s not respecting God. That’s not reverencing Him, after we simply flippantly throw His phrases round, tossed apart and never taken significantly. Perhaps we open the Bible as soon as every week, what, throughout church?
We fail God by not loving Him sufficient, reverencing Him sufficient, by taking Him and His Phrase without any consideration, and but He loves us. He cares for us. He desires a relationship with us, He desires to be recognized. He’s not quiet.
What number of occasions do you learn the Bible every week? Actually give it some thought?
It’s not about hitting a set quantity to make your self really feel good, however take into consideration the guts perspective BEHIND why you’re not.
Is life choking out your time? Why do you permit it to?
All of us get the identical variety of hours in a day. All of us get 24 hours. But, many godly persons are spending plenty of hours a day immersed within the Phrase of God.
It’s about our priorities. Is God vital to you? Is He to me? Are we valuing the Bible like we should always?
“However”, you say, “I’m so drained and busy on a regular basis. I work two jobs, I come residence, the youngsters are at my ft, I’m doing all I can to make it via the day.”
How far more do you have to be within the Phrase of God then?!
It satisfies your soul, nourishes you, feeds you, provides you peace, understanding, knowledge. You wouldn’t really feel so stressed should you WERE within the Phrase of God extra and I work two full-time jobs proper now too and don’t have any assist as a single lady. If *I* can do it, certainly there isn’t a excuse for anybody else.
As a tradition, I believe we fail God usually and we have to acknowledge that, repent, and alter our conduct every day so that we please God and grow to be extra Christ-like.
2) He loves us, however…
He loves us a lot. He died for us. He IS love, that’s how sturdy it’s that He loves us, that His very essence, His character, His attribute IS love, however…He has limits.
He hates sin. Gained’t look on sin. He’ll actual vengeance, particularly to those that hurt His kids.
- He’s made a large fish swallow his prophet when He wasn’t listening and obeying (Jonah)
- He allowed Jesus, His personal son, go to the cross to tackle OUR punishment (Luke 23:1-46)
- He opened the entire floor and swallowed males up complete once they sinned (Numbers 16:32)
- He’s struck individuals lifeless on the spot, immediately for mendacity (Acts 5:1-10)
- He allowed nearly all of the Israelites to die, due to their sin of disobedience within the wilderness and it was the following era who entered the promised land (Numbers 32:13)
He loves us, however there are limits. Sin remains to be sin. He won’t excuse sin simply because He loves us. It’s BECAUSE He loves us He DOESN’T excuse sin. It’s the loving Father that chastises and corrects His son to not disobey. As mother and father, we get that. We perceive that whereas not nice on the time, the rod of punishment was for our good, to maintain us from doing fallacious.
For a very long time, I by no means understood that. It wasn’t till I noticed children develop up with out the rod. As adults, the issues they do, the vile and depraved and unlawful behaviors they commit are proof that the rod of punishment IS for our good. It makes us higher individuals than those that don’t have it.
3) He hates delight
Satisfaction is such a bitterness to Him and He warns us that He’ll care for delight in our hearts (Proverbs 16:18).
He provides us an opportunity to repent and switch from our depraved methods. Once we don’t, He punishes and roots it out of us.
He’s near the common-or-garden, near those that are mourning, near those that are bereaved and grieved, and much from those that are prideful (Psalms 34:18, James 4:6).
4) He works laborious
He’s not simply “upstairs”, indifferent and watching us all via a telescope. God is sort of a playwright, writing the play. I’ve watched His will unfold step-by-step. He is aware of the ending solutions, the tip of the story and but, He brings us via the play, scene by scene, act by act.
Generally, I ponder why He doesn’t simply quick ahead us, but it surely’s THROUGH these scenes, the every day residing of life, that we be taught the teachings.
It’s via the play because it had been, that we develop, are conformed extra to His picture, and are sanctified. We fail, and He permits us to fail, as a result of we be taught, we develop, we don’t make the identical mistake once more. We get higher. It’s not sufficient simply handy us the prize, we should earn it. Now we have to do the work. It will be like Him giving us solutions to a math take a look at. Now we have to work out the issues and options ourselves so we be taught math, in any other case, we don’t be taught it.
Similar factor right here with life. It’s all about rising us, refining us.
At every step of the play, the author is there on the sidelines, watching, teaching, serving to us to say our traces proper, to do what we’re purported to do. He helps us, shapes us, molds us, helps us. He encourages us after we do effectively and trains us after we don’t do effectively.
It’s actually a lovely image of who God is. He’s not afar off someplace. He’s there, watching, serving to, interacting, sovereignly controlling all the things (He wrote the play, after all), whereas, on the similar time, letting human will happen. It really works in excellent and exquisite concord.
Human will and God’s sovereignty work hand in hand, facet by facet, in unity with each other. They aren’t separate from each other. They work collectively.
5) Angels are a really current assist to us
They work on His behalf. He’s the chief, the boss, He reveals them what to do, provides them instruction and cost over a mission after which, they full it and once they do, they return to Him. If they’ve questions, they speak to Him and ask Him and He provides the ruling.
Consider it like a CEO of an organization. He delegates sure duties to individuals.
You see this all all through Scripture, God utilizing angels to do work on His behalf.
Listed below are some examples…
God has given them cost to assist us (Daniel 6:22), defend us, (Psalm 91:11), minister to believers (Hebrews 1:14), and lead us (Acts 8:26-40; Acts 10:3-8), and sure, even have the ability to kill enemies (Acts 12:21–23).
6) Generally He doesn’t care like we wish Him to
The issues which are vital to us, regardless of how small and insignificant they’re, God cares about. However after some time, particularly if He’s instructed you to not fear about one thing, He tries to get our focus to STOP being on these smaller points.
The right instance of that is cash.
I say to Him, “However Lord, I’m homeless. I don’t come up with the money for to discover a good, protected place to reside.” He says to me, “However do you not know who I’m? Have I not educated you? Must you not belief me extra by now? Figuring out that I take care of you. Figuring out all the guarantees within the Bible that speak about Me not letting my kids fall. How I take care of the birds of the air, how far more so that you, my baby (Matthew 6:26-27). Why is that this nonetheless in your thoughts? Why do you continue to even take into consideration cash? Why is it nonetheless a priority for you?”
Or Paul. He’s praying 3 times that the thorn in his facet be faraway from him and God’s response is, My grace is adequate (2 Corinthians 12:9). It’s not the reply we wish, but it surely’s the reply He provides.
As we go, He’s coaching us, GROWING US to be extra Christ-like, to not fear in regards to the issues of this world, to not be involved with the smaller issues, to be taught to belief Him extra.
He’s shifting our perspective, altering it, serving to us see previous the littler issues and serving to us preserve our give attention to the larger issues, the issues He cares about. The issues He says are vital.
Over time, He’ll prepare you to suppose this fashion, to give attention to the issues which are vital and to cease worrying in regards to the earthly issues that all of us get so caught up in once in a while.
7) The quickest option to see His wrath is…
The quickest option to see His wrath is to mess with His kids. Wanna see it even sooner? Mess with an orphan or a widow, somebody who has no safety. I occur to be each a widow and orphan. Mess with me and also you’re positive to see punishment REAL fast.
I’ve personally seen soooo many individuals assault me this yr due to my religion and good works, after which a month later I search for them and see they had been completely destroyed! 😮
- One girl gossiped about me and bought me kicked out of a Fb group. Her son ended up in jail, having no earlier report or unhealthy marks in any respect with the legislation and he or she misplaced her residence because of her son’s motion.
- One other girl gossiped about me, mentioned unfaithful issues, she misplaced her residence and needed to transfer to a different metropolis.
- One girl was spreading rumors about me, all issues unfaithful and twisting phrases purposely even after being confronted on it, in a really public manner, and he or she has been underneath the wrath of God a lot she publicly says Devil is out to get her and crying the sufferer card. In her unbelief of the gospel, she doesn’t notice, it’s truly GOD who’s punishing her for making an attempt to destroy my good works, the works that God has despatched me to do. She has misplaced so much due to her unhealthy conduct in opposition to me, together with prestigious awards that had been going to be hers however had been taken away.
- Some individuals weren’t appreciating me. God noticed it, made me conscious of it (I didn’t notice), and He protected me. He kicked all these individuals out of my life, 150 individuals! Not would He permit me to serve them. Their “meals” was lower off by the hand of the Lord, now not to be blessed in abundance.
Whether or not large issues or small issues that they’ve carried out in opposition to a baby of God, I’ve seen God’s hand defend me and punish the evil round me in main methods, constantly, all yr lengthy!
If you’re a real believer, that very same safety is upon you! God cares about you. He loves you. He protects His kids!
👉 All of the extra cause to be type to others. You by no means know that stranger who’s a Christian that you simply misaligned and so they pray in opposition to you after which God punishes you since you harmed them! Be type anyway, however that is further incentive. 😊
8) One of the simplest ways to get God’s consideration…
Be pure. 💯
You’ve heard it mentioned within the Bible that God is near the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).
Ze ‘Akah, which is my favourite phrase of all time. It implies that time whenever you cry out in utter despair and anguish.
Jesus, when He was asking God to take the cup away from Him earlier than going to the cross, cried a Ze ‘Akah prayer. It’s whenever you lose management over your tears and you may’t cease crying. You are feeling your life is over otherwise you simply can’t get previous one thing. It’s deep, deep ache and harm. God is INSTANTLY there for you in these occasions of ache, 100% of the time!
Properly I say to you, you may have God ALWAYS close to you, if you’re pure, which is best than getting Him nearer to you whenever you’re in deep despair!!!
The purer and extra holy we’re, the nearer He walks with us on a continuous foundation. Need His presence all the time? Be pure. Be holy. Stroll every day in an upright manner.
9) He loves us all the identical
God will not be on the market enjoying favorites. “Oh, I believe I’ll be good to Sarah at present. Nope, it’s Susie’s flip.” He loves us all the identical. He cares for every considered one of His kids the identical. There ARE no favorites, subsequently, we want not compete with one another over our dad’s consideration!
He’ll spend ample time with all of us, loving us all the identical, not scary us to compete with one another.
Actually, He doesn’t prefer it when Christians combat. He is aware of it’ll occur, is aware of we’re human however doesn’t prefer it.
He doesn’t prefer it when believers are attacking, belittling, disregarding, or in any other case impairing His like to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
He calls us to reside in unity with one another, to reside in peace (Romans 12:18).
10) He desires ALL of us
He doesn’t simply desire a portion of our day, a chunk of our life, or a small providing of our week. He desires us to abide in him (John 15:4), reside with Him, speak to Him all day (1 Thessalonians 5:17), day-after-day.
He desires to be our compass, the particular person we treasure probably the most (Matthew 6:33), our all the things. He’s a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). Any idols we’ve in our life, in the end, He’s going to eliminate them, the simple manner, or via nice trial, loss, and grief. Higher to eliminate all idols in your life by yourself and be totally dedicated to God, then to have His hand take them away via ache and struggling.
11) He expects us to obey
For the Christian, obeying God will not be elective (John 14:15). That’s what we signed up for after we gave our life to Him: whole devotion and allegiance.
Whereas He totally understands our place on some extent, He listens to our emotions, and takes nice take care of them, He in the end is aware of what’s greatest for us as He can see the WHOLE image and our imaginative and prescient is marred.
Due to this fact, we undergo Him and His will, understanding and understanding that it’s HIS will that’s greatest, regardless of how we might really feel about one thing.
On the finish of the day, whether or not we perceive His will or not, we’re accountable to comply with it. That’s His expectation of us.
12) If we make a promise and don’t preserve it, we’re in serious trouble
If we make a covenant to God and don’t obey it, it’s like issuing our personal loss of life warrant. God will completely maintain us accountable to any covenants we make with Him.
He’ll orchestrate our life for us to make good on these covenants, but when we fully reject that covenant, we can’t anticipate to maintain our bodily life. Covenants are SERIOUS enterprise.
Will He for SURE take our life? No. However He takes it very significantly and it’s not one thing to fiddle with. I’ve seen males who will die a bodily loss of life as a result of they made a covenant and refuse to maintain it.
By no means promise God one thing you can’t, for positive, preserve.
13) We’re so fast to neglect Him
The very first thing we’re tempted to do after He saves us from a trial is to neglect Him. “Properly, I don’t want Him anymore” or “Lord, I bought it from right here. I can deal with it now.” However we are able to’t.
Take a look at what occurred to the Israelites. They stroll within the wilderness 40 years, everybody dies (Hebrews 3:17), the following era enters into the promised land and what occurs? They neglect God, even after they’re warned to not (Deuteronomy 8:1-18).
The temptation for the Christian will not be whenever you’re struggling. For if you end up struggling, are you not crying out to the Lord your God day and night time, near Him like a weaning child?
The temptation for the Christian is when all the things goes GOOD. We neglect Him. We are saying, “I’ve carried out this in my very own energy”, and He has to take all of it away as a way to present us that it WASN’T in our energy that all the things was going good, however His and His alone. Whereas sure, we play our human half in issues, we can’t even play our human half with out Him.
I keep in mind years in the past, talking to a Pastor. I used to be doing extremely effectively on the time on this web site, tremendous profitable, a number of visitors, and doing extremely effectively financially and he mentioned to me how superior it was that I used to be doing so effectively. “You’ve labored so laborious, you’ve carried out effectively”, he mentioned. Appears harmless sufficient. Nevertheless it’s not. It’s the phrases of Devil creeping via probably the most unlikely of locations, via the mouth of a real believer, a Pastor no much less.
I replied, “All the pieces I’ve comes from God.”
Rejecting my phrases, he went on to answer, “However you probably did it too”.
In our humanness, we’ll all the time attempt to shortchange God of the glory HE so rightly deserves. This should not be the case within the lifetime of a believer. All the pieces we’ve, whether or not information, success, cash, fame, laborious work, or the like, ALL comes from the Lord.
I can’t have information within the Lord, if I should not have a mind, which He created. If I all of a sudden get amnesia. If in previous age, we all of a sudden neglect issues. Even information is a piece of the Lord and all the things comes from Him (James 1:17). We should do effectively to always remember that, lest we grow to be prideful.
14) He’s very beneficiant
Whether or not He’s giving us knowledge (James 1:5), lavishing His love on us, or offering us with a peaceable life (that so many occasions we take without any consideration), He’s the final word gift-giver. You’ll be able to by no means outgive God! Luke 6:38.
All the pieces He does is stuffed with generosity and love for us. It’s wonderful to see that in motion.
15) He’s the one one worthy of our adoration
There may be none like Him.
One among my favourite Christian songs is a Spanish music by Julissa. It’s known as El Gran Yo Soy, which translated actually means, “How nice you’re.” It’s an incredible music to depart on repeat and you understand you’re worshipping and glorifying God together with your coronary heart.
And should you be taught even only a few easy phrases of Spanish, you’ll perceive the music and it is without doubt one of the most lovely songs ever sung.
Right here’s just a few to get you began:
- Santo: holy
- Otro: different
- Digno: dignified
- Escuchar: pay attention
Right here’s the total translation of the music:
Did you discover there the place it says, “No hay outro”, which implies, “there isn’t a different”.
There’s no different God, no different deity to worship, there’s nobody else. We worship the ONE, the true and residing God.
No different is worthy to be praised, to be adored, to be worshipped and this songwriter will get it.
Nobody else deserves our consideration like He does. He alone is worthy of our adoration. He alone is the Lord Jesus Christ. Dignified, honored, revered, worthy of our respect.
16) We translate the Bible fallacious many, many occasions
“We should always deal with others like we wish to be handled, deal with others as we do ourselves”, somebody would possibly say.
I believe so usually we predict the verse is saying we’re to contemplate others the identical as ourselves. Look out for others. Serve them.
However that’s not what the Bible is saying. The Bible is saying we’re to contemplate others as BETTER than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).
That doesn’t imply that others desires come earlier than our wants, however we have to get good at differentiating the 2, in order that we are able to prioritize issues.
In case your baby desires to eat and you must repair it however you must go to the lavatory, what will get taken care of first?
Will they starve if they’ve to attend 2 minutes to eat?
No. Your have to go to the lavatory comes first and we perceive that.
Handle you and your loved ones’s wants first, for positive, then different’s wants, then your wishes, then different’s wishes. In that order. 😊
Now we have to actually, CAREFULLY, take the Phrase of God extra significantly and READ extra rigorously. As a result of even that one phrase in Philippians 2:3, the phrase “extra” is so important to the entire sentence.
I’ll provide you with one other instance…
A really outstanding (and godly) web site talks about how Jesus sweat drops of blood when He prayed within the Backyard of Gethsemane.
At first look, that’s what we predict after we are studying the verses.
Luke 22:44 – “And being in agony he prayed extra earnestly; and his sweat turned like nice drops of blood falling all the way down to the bottom.” (ESV)
In studying the article, they acknowledge that some think about the drops of blood could also be sweat that’s LIKE blood. However ultimately conclusion, they state, “Finally, then, we’re those accountable for the blood that dripped from our Savior as He prayed within the backyard.”
Their conclusion is evident. They’re educating those who Jesus sweat blood.
That is fallacy.
In our tradition, all the things is so fast-paced. Now we have to be taught to gradual issues down and actually READ!
It doesn’t say anyplace that Jesus sweat blood and if He did sweat blood, the author wouldn’t have mentioned “turned like”. He would have mentioned, and his sweat turned blood or his sweat was blood or he sweat blood.
The phrase in that sentence, “like” is so important. It adjustments the entire verse from which means one factor to a different.
Jesus didn’t sweat blood. It was LIKE blood. It wasn’t blood.
Whereas this isn’t one thing to argue about, you’re free to imagine no matter you want about what the verse means, the purpose is extra in order that we begin to take the Phrase of God extra significantly.
We, in our hurried and rushed tradition, are likely to run round and rush via issues, even when studying Scripture. We, oftentimes, don’t take the time to review it out. To meditate on one verse at a time. To consider what the writer is meaning to say.
I heard one particular person say, “I don’t care what the writer is saying, THIS is what the Bible means to me.”
It’s unbelievable! 🤯
Think about standing earlier than God and saying, “I don’t care what YOUR guidelines are, that is what the principles are to me.” Or for that matter, standing in entrance of a police officer. You rob a financial institution and it’s okay since you didn’t perceive what the legislation was? How’s that going to fly in court docket?
It’s ludacris and but, Christians, Bible-believing Christians around the globe have this philosophy that we are able to simply learn the Bible nevertheless we wish. So long as it speaks to me, who cares. I’m fed. I bought what I need.
That is blatant disregard of our Maker. It’s slapping God within the face. It’s a minimum of blasphemy.
We MUST take the Phrase of God extra significantly!!!!
In the event you take nothing else away from this text, it must be this. God (and God alone) is worthy of our reward, our time, our allegiance, and our respect. Something wanting that is sin, regardless of the way you slice the bread.