KNOW GOD FOR YOURSELF
Many people often precede important statements they make with, “My pastor says,” or “My bishop says.” That is wonderful! It is a privilege to learn significant truths from our spiritual leaders. However, that is not enough for us to live vibrant and triumphant Christian lives.
God is not an abstract entity that controls the universe. He is a Person, who though not human, has a character, feelings and emotions like we do and longs for not just the clergy but each of us to be close to Him (Revelation 3:20; John 14:23; Jeremiah 31:3).
This is why in Jeremiah 31:34, God states that a time will come among His people when “they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.” (New Living Translation)
This wish is also seen in the Bible passages which call God our Father, Friend, Shepherd, among other names, to illustrate the various dimensions of the relationship we can have with Him (Matthew 6:9; John 15:14; Psalm 23:1).
When our faith is tried and life becomes tough, it is the personal relationship we have with Him that enables us to hang in there and pull through. For example, when we experience a delay in having our expectations met, because we know God personally, we can tell Him our frustrations and receive encouragement from Him. When we suffer loss, we can pour our grief out to Him and receive comfort.
When we know God personally, we won’t be easily flustered by the threats of the enemy or the success of others because we know our God, who is mightier than the enemy, is always with us and He has our own timetable and path to success lined out.
How do we know God for ourselves? By accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and learning about God through His Word. As we read the Bible daily and commune with God in prayer, we learn His character as we do that of a new friend. We learn what He likes and dislikes and we experience first hand what He can do as we walk with Him from day to day.
While it is helpful to hear what other people who know God (like our pastors, Christian friends and relatives) say about Him, that is not sufficient because they may sometimes speak from their peculiar experience with Him which may not necessarily apply to us. For example, a pastor may not take medication because that is how God has led him, but God may not forbid us from taking them. When we follow God’s prescriptions for others, we may find them burdensome or even dangerous, but when we follow His particular prescriptions for us, His grace will be abundant to help us keep them (1 John 5:3).
Also, when people around us who know God experience tragedy or renounce God, that will not destroy our faith because we know God for ourselves and realise that those things do not mean He is wicked or unworthy of our continued allegiance.
So, if you haven’t done so, repent of your sins, welcome God into your life through His Son, Jesus, and embark on the exciting journey of being intimate with the Ruler of the universe.
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The raw truth ma. That’s what I preach. Prophecies will fail ,but your personal encounter with the Lord is what will keep you going in the flood of life. More grace ma. Shalom. ***I will forward it to some people.
Thank you very much and God bless you!
Having a personal relationship with God is very important. Everyone can develop a personal relationship with Abba,and that connection can provide comfort and strength in difficult times(we call him comforter for a reason). This relationship goes beyond relying solely on spiritual leaders, and it’s something that anyone can experience.
Thank you ma, I love this
Very true. God is available for everyone, not just for a select few.
Knowing God for yourself should be the goal of every Christian.
When we have a close relationship with God and don’t just rely on what our pastor or spiritual leaders say, we begin to experience growth all round and have a deeper understanding of him.
I’m blessed by this piece, ma! 🙇
Glory to God!
Thanks ma for this.
It is of great importance to know God for ourselves. Many Christians today know God based on what their pastor tells them. They don’t have any personal experience with him.
That won’t give them a deep root in Him.
Having a relationship or Intimacy with God is what will keep us going especially in times of difficulties. Many people know God based on what they read online and whatever their pastors says. After Moses had seen God, received the ten commandments, he still said Exod 33:13 “that I may know thee” it takes humility to seek and know God
Being in a good relationship with God should actually be the goal or desire of every human being, especially we the Christians, for when we have a good relationship with God, we go to places where others can’t and he blesses us just like he blessed Abraham.
Indeed, He does!
It is very important as Christians to have an intimate relationship with God, through prayer or by meditating on his word. We should not just rely on our spiritual leaders. Having that intimacy with God shows how unique one’s journey with God is.
Thanks for sharing ma
And it strengthens our witness for God because we will have so much to say from our experience with Him and we will say it with much boldness and conviction.
Building a strong relationship with God is the only way we can truly obtain his Grace and Mercy. We should believe in God with our whole heart and always walk in his ways.
This word ” My pastor says” Has really destroyed so many homes. It’s good to have personal relationship with God in order to hear God directly. No one need to tell you what he said rather he will speak to you directly. Not every pastor is real, so we also should find our communicating spirit with God.
I’ve personally experienced the strength and comfort that comes from knowing God intimately through daily prayer and reading His Word.
Thanks for sharing Ma.
Knowing God for ourselves and building intimate relationship with Him through prayers should be everyone’s priority especially we christians.
If you know God by yourself, you will be able to experience His blessings and love by yourself and not just believing that God blesses and loves you because your pastor told you so.
Thank you ma.
Knowing God personally is one thing ,you do not need your pastor or any spiritual director to tell you
As a Christian personal encounter with Christ is very important. People only come to churches these days to just to the pastor preach but that personal encounter isn’t there. This was very helpful ma. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you ma for this eye opener! Knowing God for our selves. This piece can be likened to taking drugs prescribed for someone’s illness because you have similar symptoms. If this method works for someone, it’s not a must it’ll work for you.
Thank you for making me understand that God has different prescription for each and everyone.
In reality, people can be suffering from the same illness and when they meet their doctor, they might be given different medications,is also like that with our Lord Jesus Christ that’s why it’s always good to pray to God to know what he want for us because what worked for Mr A might not work for Mr B
A relationship with God can not be over emphasized.
When you have a personal relationship with God, you’ll always feel his presence around you and your mind at ease knowing he is there to guide you
I have come to understand how important it is to have a personal encounter with God. When we do, it becomes quite hard for our faith to be shaken since we know personally what He can do.
Listening to spiritual fathers is very helpful but it only helps to build your very own faith.
Having a personal relationship with God help us to have trust and faith in God, for he is available for all .we all have different views of how we see ideas or issue in life, that is why we need to have a personal relationship with God to know him indepth
Thanks ma for this peice,God bless you
One thing that struck me here was ” when we know God for ourselves, we won’t flutter at the threats of the enemies because our God is mightier”.
Indeed our God is bigger than every situation and problem we face, all we need is knowing Him for ourself, having a personal relationship with Him and He’ll guide us through.
Thanks for this ma😊
This is pure truth ma and people need to understand that the way God wants them to worship him may not be the same way God wants their Pastor or Bishop to worship him so we need to have a close relationship with God so we can know how he wants us to worship him rather than doing exactly what the pastor says or do
Being intimate with God brings about a special feeling. The joy in knowing God for his goodness and mercies are overwhelming. As the Lord said, the word is God and to understand him, we need to read and study his word in order to have a personal relationship with him.
Really appreciate this, Ma’am
The first paragraph laid a valid point of people quoting their priests instead of knowing God himself unlike something i heard during childhood that Catholics do not come to church with their Bibles because they believe that their priests hear from God which might at times deviate from God’swill because we’re humans.