The short answer is that God commands us to pray. I’m an expert – listen to me!” they cry. In other words, we must choose to hear and then obey. The Bible tells us very clearly who we are and what we deserve. In fact, He loves you, and life’s greatest joy comes from knowing that God is your friend, and that He is with you every day. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14). I feel like shaking my friends and shouting, “Wake up! By them your servant is warned; They sang happily as one man accompanied them with his guitar. It gives us an understanding of God that can be the envy of the world’s most learned men, because through its pages we develop intimate relationships with God Himself. This has been the primary purpose of religion, of course -- to congregate people for the Greater Good -- but God has been, in fact, the divine carrot. As we discipline ourselves to meditate on it “all day long” (Psalm 119:97), it becomes even sweeter than honey. Do we want to know God, or do we just want a formula for life? God, however, came to earth to reveal Himself so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. He died on the cross for our sins. HalleluYah! Dear Abba Father, We thank You that You have revealed Yourself to us through the written Word of God. Don’t let yourselves be fooled!”. “The more you love your son, the more you hate in him the liar, the drunkard, the traitor,” (E. Gifford). As you would read in my blog, the YAHWEH has been mentioned in the Bible more than 5,000 words. (“I’ll do this if you will do that.”) That is not Christianity at all, but a form of magic or paganism in which you “appease” the cranky deity in exchange for a favor. One of His miraculous provisions was manna – small, honey-flavored wafers that mysteriously appeared on the desert sand each morning. It was first brought up in the opening pages of the Bible. Becoming better acquainted with the marvels of the creation and our awesome universe itself is one helpful key. Because, as believers we need protection. Simply look at the state of moral philosophy in the halls of Western academia. 2:6-13). Help us to overflow into the lives of others, making a lasting difference in this world. “If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Master Yeshua the Messiah” (2 Peter 1:8). That means to pray a lot! When we immerse ourselves in the Bible, God is able to pierce through the obstacles in our heart and to show us exactly what we are. God as our protector, has given us armor. Indeed, Scripture says to “ let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Believe. 1. All I know is that I’m already saved and going to Heaven!” But wait—we all need to know the gospel for two very important reasons: We want to make sure that we have heard and responded to the true gospel, lest we have a false hope concerning a salvation that we think we have. They do not benefit these people in the least,’ declares YHVH” (Jeremiah 23:25-32). None of these things really gets to the heart of the matter, however. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 God commands us to pray continually. In spiritual bondage. You take leisurely sips from a tall glass of tea as a young child toddles over and pats her mother’s leg. Two thousand years ago, at the Areopagus, or Mars Hill, in Athens, the apostle Paul said this about God to the freethinking Athenians: “He himself gives to all persons life and breath and all things. The busyness of daily living, stresses at work and home, emotions tugging us this way and that, can all take their toll. David trusted the Lord and knew that it was God who would lead him in the right way. Do so. You need only doubt your doubts. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life. Here’s how you’ll know: Can you name several people whose lives have been changed because you shared God’s Word with them? Are there objections to the Christian faith that you cannot resolve in your own mind? John Piper begins the first chapter of The Pleasures of God by citing an important … God does know what we need. He wants us to hear Him, know Him, and respond. To live for anything else but God leads to breakdown and decay. You will be surprised but knowing His true name reveals His true nature, which helps us build a closer relationship with Him and appreciate His divine nature. “The law of YHWH is perfect, We begin to see the world through God’s eyes, loving what He loves and hating what He hates. God being a loving God took the punishment for us, giving us a way out.     and all of them are righteous. Here Jesus is telling us that our continuing to seek God, desiring to know Him more, is the essence of true life, eternal life. God wants to hear from and bless us, so much so that He even helps us as we pray: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us…” ( Romans 8:26 ). I … Your email address will not be published. When we weigh our words and actions on the scales of godly fear, then we gain wisdom and understanding and virtue, because then we learn and do God’s will. Then there is Sharon, who grew up in an abusive home. Like Like. Giving us the ability to choose does not mean God creates us with a blank slate. I want to claim the promise of God that meditating on His Word and observing to do all He’s written in it will give me have true prosperity in His eyes. In Romans 1 and 2, Paul affirms this. Click here to have coffee with me each Friday. We are sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. It’s a hearing that brings response. You can have coffee with me on YouTube! The grass withers, Knowing God is more than a feeling, more than attending church, and more than saying a prayer. These examples logically lead to the question: Do we really need God? The more we read it and do what it says, the sweeter our lives become. We can this same problem on a broad scale in our society today. Holding a mirror to the modern reader, Robert Louis Stevenson's page turner from 1886 reveals something within all of us. Worshiping other things besides God leads to a loss of meaning. She recently took a Christian book and crossed out every reference to God, writing her own name in instead. Educated people, he claims, can see through its restrictive and antiquated beliefs. It is not possible to bargain with God. Tomorrow won’t be easy for you either. Sinners. We do not want to worship God and surrender ourselves as master, yet we are built to worship, so we cling to idols, centering our lives on things that promise to give us meaning: success, relationships, influence, love, comfort, and so on. Those who know God have great contentment in God. You summarized about the Word of God well^^ A lack of godly fear leads to us doing our own will. Soon after, she repented of her sin and accepted His forgiveness, and by the time we met her only four years later, she and her husband were spiritual leaders among the married students at the Bible college we all attended. First, the Word of God is infallible. The fear of YHWH is pure, Where is the evidence of that? Your challenges in your life, your job, your children, your finances, relationships, etc., aren’t easy. That model shows not only the basics of praying but also the necessity of praying. Reply . In order to find the answer to the question, let us give attention to a number of issues raised in the Bible book of Genesis. To come to understand God’s will for us 4. I can let you know by email when I have a new post, Revelation, Wise Virgins… and What to Do About It, The Most Important Chapters (March 14-15). Her faithful parents consistently taught her how to know God in a personal way and how to apply His Word to every area of her life. The act of praying reminds us of our frailties, weaknesses, needs and sin as we ask God to help us in these things. Finally, truly knowing God involves our commitment to obey what we read in the Scriptures. Peter wrote, “For you have been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because, ‘All flesh is as grass, While you’re sipping on a nice cup of something hot, you’ll find lots of help for wives and moms — all about how to find joy in your marriage, parenting, homeschooling, and homemaking. Jesus Christ. We seek God because He has invited us to do so. Faith is transferring your trust from your own efforts to the efforts of Christ. I want to have “spiritual babies” also – people whose lives are changed by the living Word of God overflowing from my life. His active concern is for our joy and well-being. If you think, “God owes me something for all my efforts,” you are still on the outside. If you say, “I have no faith,” that is no excuse either. Still others turn from the truth in God’s Word and deny the knowledge of God. However, the Bible does make clear that, when a person is in a real relationship with God, he will serve God. As the cat rubs against your host’s leg, begging for more milk, you ask if there is any solution to your problems. God tells us in Matthew 6:8, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” But in the next verses he tells us to pray for our needs. Each of these women – and countless others, both men and women – has been exposed to God’s Word. For two hours these kind people listen as you pour out your story. I want to share the peace and joy I’ve found in God, and I want to delight in my spiritual offspring for all eternity. My goal is to always point you to Scripture, so grab your Bible! Yet these verses say that the man of God who trains (“exercises”) himself through frequent use of the “word of righteousness” will finally be able to discern between good and evil. As we shall see, prayer is certainly no waste of time. The Word is a seed. Karen (real person, not her real name) became a Christian before we met her. Knowing about God is easy. One Saturday night, while wandering from one nightclub to another, she saw a group of young adults sitting around a bonfire at the water’s edge. Why pray then? The great deceiver would have you believe that the Bible is just a story or a fairy tale, useful only for children or for the ignorant. 4:16). He knows what we need. This does not mean you should stay uncommitted. We can easily be deceived into thinking that we are capable of fixing all our problems ourselves, without any supernatural help from God. We can have utter trust in God’s Word, that it will accomplish what God sent it forth to do. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. Why do I need to know God? Every Christian asked might have a different reason for serving God; different people are motivated by different things. Christianity has at its core a transaction between a person and God. We need protection from a world that is hostile and full of hate toward God, His Son, and those who are His. Turn From Darkness To Light With the word of God, you can escape darkness (sin) and enter a righteous relationship with God (light). Here’s how you’ll know:  Are you confident that you know your Bible well enough to apply it to your own problems and to offer biblical solutions to others? There is no consensus on even the most basic questions. What a treasure we hold! New videos are added about once a week. We need God because we are sinners and the penalty for sin is death. We eventually discover that our desire for that precious something is a longing no lover or career or achievement, even the best possible ones, can ever satisfy. The most important thoughts our minds can entertain are thoughts of God, because they will determine the quality and direction of life. This disregard for God makes us foolish and does not lead to any kind of spiritual growth. Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. It helps us avoid the mistakes people have made repeatedly throughout history as we learn to apply its principles to our everyday lives. I often quote Jesus’ words: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). “… you have become dull of hearing. His Word is like a fire that can separate senseless chaff from valuable wheat. Each is something a Christian has, but not one of them serves as a definition of what a Christian is. To acknowledge that God is God and we are not—this is such a positive and a healthy thing for us to do. My greatest desire for the women of God is that we learn how to battle well. He first lived a perfect life, loving God with all his heart, soul, and mind, fulfilling all human obligation to God. Hi, my name is Anne. “‘I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. We need to return to the nourishment found only in the sustaining Word of God. They are more precious than gold, Are you a fruitful Christian? He lived the life you owed — a perfect record.     enduring forever. On the one hand, we need the assurance that God is in control and therefore is able to work all of my pain and loss together for my good and the good of all who love him. What the Lord wants is relationship. God as our protector, has given us armor. His love for you is unimaginable. What is Christianity? Why do I need to know God? Nothing delivers the joy it seemed to promise. Are there intellectual problems you have with Christianity? Is it any wonder, then, that Satan desires to downplay the value of God’s Word? Because humans were built to live for him (to worship), we will always try to worship something — if not God, we will choose some other object of ultimate devotion to give our lives meaning. The Bible makes big claims for itself. Worshiping other things besides God also leads to self- image problems. Strength will come in unexpected ways and at … God being a loving God took the punishment for us, giving us a way out. You need Him first of all because you need His salvation. Slam! Praying to the Lord helps us understand more of God’s character. The opposite of love is not anger, but indifference. Sin is not just about doing bad things, it’s also about ignoring our Creator. Because we have been called to be a soldier of Christ ( 2 Timothy 2:3 ). Why do I need God? Unlike Sharon who turned to mysticism for fulfillment and literally despises the Word of God, we have found that the more we meditate on Scripture, the sweeter it becomes. Indeed, Scripture says to “ let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). In other words, we must choose to hear and then obey. by finding fault in everyone and everything around you. He is stronger than the enemy, and with the mighty sword of His Word, He can create new life within. God’s creation. The walls of the bright, yellow kitchen beam at you, and the plates on the shelves smile down at you. If we achieve these things, they cannot deliver satisfaction, because they were never meant to be “gods.” They were never meant to replace God. Studying God’s Word daily gives us tools that are perfect for what we need to tackle the challenges of life. One of the most exciting things about allowing God’s Word to enter our hearts is the new life that begins to sprout within us. Just as apple seeds make apples, and pomegranate seeds make pomegranates, and the seed of a man makes new babies, the Seed (Word) of God never fails to bring forth the fruit of God in our lives. 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