Would You Like to Know God Personally?

As this completes the 52 Weekly articles of the Spiritual Nutrition series (all available on the shoeleatherfaith.com website), this most important question needs to be asked. “Would you like to know God personally?”

In John 17:3 Jesus states, “And this is life eternal that they know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” The word “know” in this verse is not to have an intellectual knowledge about God but instead it means to get very intimate with God in a love relationship where we truly know Him with our heart, soul, and mind. This verse gives each of us the primary focus of our Christian life; that is, to develop a more and more intimate personal love relationship with God for eternity.

Four truths that will help you to know God personally are as follows:

1) GOD LOVES YOU AND CREATED YOU TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY.

(God’s Love John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” and God’s Plan John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”)

What prevents us from knowing God personally?

2) MAN IS SINFUL AND SEPARATED FROM GOD, SO WE CANNOT KNOW HIM PERSONALLY OR EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death” (separation from God)

What is the only way to bridge this separation?

3) JESUS CHRIST IS GOD’S ONLY PROVISION FOR MAN’S SIN. THROUGH HIM ALONE WE CAN KNOW GOD PERSONALLY AND EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE.

He died in our place. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

He rose from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 “Christ died for sins…He was buried…He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures…He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred…”

He is the ONLY WAY to God. John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me’.”

It is not enough just to know these truths…

4)  WE MUST INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR AND LORD; THEN WE CAN KNOW GOD PERSONALLY AND EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE.

We must receive Christ. John1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name.”

We receive Christ through faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”

We receive Christ by personal invitation (Christ is speaking): Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him.”

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of people He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

YOU CAN RECEIVE CHRIST RIGHT NOW BY FAITH THROUGH PRAYER. (Prayer is talking with God) God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

After receiving Christ as Lord and Savior, He wants you to have spiritual GROWTH in and through Him.

G Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7)

R Read God’s Word daily (Acts 17:11), begin with the Gospel of John

O Obey God moment by moment (John 14:21)

W Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matthew 4:19, John 15:8)

T Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7)

H Holy Spirit-Allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16-17, Acts 1:8)