However, this brings up a good question: must we as Christians know the LORD only as the God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, and so on? Shouldn’t we know the LORD our God for ourselves too? Well, the last time I checked we are sons and daughters too, and have the same right to the Father just like the elders of old. The Bible says, “…as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons [and daughters] of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). In this post I want to share with you three simple but amazing ways through which you can Know God for Yourself.
1. Speak to God Yourself and Do it Like a Son to a Father
I believe in praying for people but I also believe that the most effective of all prayers is the ones we pray we do ourselves. For example you can’t send one of your siblings to your dad any time you need something from him. Obviously, the seriousness your dad will accord to your request will be higher than when you are asking through a brother or sister. Similarly, talking to God yourself activates your faith in Him and thus leads to greater blessings. What is more intriguing is seeing the hand of God move to accomplish that which you asked Him. The euphoria is simply amazing.
Secondly, you need to talk to God like a son to his father. King David was one great man who did this many times (see Psalm 121). I never realized how close the LORD is to me until I started talking to Him like a son would do to his father. I believe in long prayers but I also strongly believe in short communications with God as I go about my daily activities. Many times I have stood at the bus stop with so much traffic, and with no sign of a bus to board. Then as soon as I open my mouth and speak, “God, I am late for work. Please help me get a bus now! Show your mercy; show your favor, in Jesus name. Amen,”suddenly, a bus will show up right away and I will board and go to work. This had happened so many times. Initially I used to say it is a coincidence. Perhaps the bus was already on it ways. But God taught me a lesson. He made sure I was eventually late on days which I doubted Him and did not pray at the bus stop.
- Allow God to Speak to You
Many Christians get so involved in praying that they fail to watch for the voice of the LORD. They apparently don’t see or even realize it when their prayer is answered. Jesus instructed us to “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” –Mathew 26:41. Please, note how the word ‘watch’ came first before the word ‘pray,’ in the above scripture. It is good to pray, but is equally good to watch for the voice of God as we pray. In order to know God for ourselves, it is important that we allow the LORD to speak to us. God said in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. God’s answer to our prayers is very crucial to our lives. From the His answer comes our deliverance, blessings, breakthrough and every good thing we ever imagine. And more importantly, it is from His answer that we can know His will for our lives and that ‘will’ is what enables us to have a personal relationship with Him.
- Learn to Agree With God
Agreeing with God is very important if we are to know God for ourselves. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” – Amos 3:3. We need to agree with God on who He says we are, what He says we can do, and on His promises (John 14:2). God said your sins are forgiven and you are now a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), He says, “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13), and finally He said He is preparing a home for us in Heaven where we will live with Him forever and ever!
God has spoken; agree with Him by believing His Word, claiming it and taking it in Jesus’ name. Amen! If the LORD wills, I will be throwing more light on the third point of this post; Learning to Agree with God.
