My Anchor in Knowing Him

My Anchor in Knowing Him

{Community Bible Study Devotion given Nov 10, 2015}

As I have been reading through the Bible this year, God has also challenged me to do a word study on the word KNOW.  Not the word NO that my 18 mon old granddaughter says with great expression, 

but K-N-O-W. 

Here are some interesting facts about the word KNOW:

1. There are 1324 forms of the word know in the Bible,
2. In John’s 4 books alone, he uses know 145 times.  And In the book of Romans-Paul uses the word know 35 times.
3. The first time know (knows) is used in the Bible is found in Gen 3:5.  The Serpent was tempting Eve while her husband, Adam, was close by: “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, & you will be like God, knowing good & evil.”  Well, we know the rest of that story.  

     There are many definitions of the word know in Greek & Hebrew.  But, the meaning God brought to my attention was intimacy in marriage.  God wants intimacy, & relationship with us.  NOW! I understand more of why God wanted me to spend a year looking at this word. The meaning of this word KNOW is more than intellect.  It goes far past our thoughts & emotions.  KNOW goes to the core of our being.  What we firmly believe, trust in, rely upon is what we live out.  What is in our hearts correlates to our faith walk in life.

I have summed up this study in three categories.  I am sure there are many, more, but this is where the Lord has planted me.

1. God wants me to know His name.
2. God wants me to know His covenant.
3. God wants me to know His only Son-Jesus! 

A) KNOWING GOD’S NAME  

I love the study of God’s names.  By knowing His names, I can know & understand God’s character.  Many years ago I began praying, “God show me Your glory as You did for Moses.”  It wasn’t until very recently that God answered this prayer.  God revealed to me that when I have experienced one of His names, He has been revealing a part of His glory.

B) KNOWING GOD’S COVENANT

God made it very clear through out the Bible that He wanted His chosen people to know His covenant!  In Ex. 6:7 it says,”Then I will take you for My people, & I will be your God; & you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”  Covenant is very simple.  Anywhere you see in the Bible one to three of these statements, God is talking about His covenant.  These statements are: 1) I am Your God, 2) You are my people, & 3) I will dwell among you.  By knowing God’s covenant, I will know Who God is, I will know my identity in Him, and I will know His deeds & promises.  

Jesus has many names.  One of them deals with covenant which was revealed at His birth: Immanuel—God With Us.

C) KNOWING GOD’S SON-JESUS

        I don’t know how to make it many more planner than that.  From Gen. to Rev. God wants us to know Jesus.  Not just intellectually, but relationally.  He is The Way, The Truth, & The Life.  Anyone who comes to the Father can only come by way of Jesus.

             

Here are a few examples of how God has made Himself known to me:

I believe that I am sinner totally saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, who gave His life for me on the cross.  Even though I came to this realization as a child, I was for many years an individual who tried to do all the right things.  I was a great Doer, but not a great Be-er!  This lead me down a dark road of great guilt & condemnation.  I was like a caged hamster on its wheel going round & round striving to be perfect, & if I wasn’t, then I would mentally beat myself up.  Most of the time I didn’t even know I was doing this.  This was all I knew.  For many years I prayed, & searched for God to free me from this internal turmoil.  It was not a sudden thing, but one day recently I realized I was not beating myself up anymore.  I had peace within concerning this issue.  The beating had stopped!  I was coming to know God as my Jehovah-shalom: the Lord of Peace.  Does this mean I still don’t put myself under condemnation?  Of course I do!  But, through God’s grace, mercy, & timing, God puts a cold splash of Rm. 8:1- healing my mind & heart-“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Another huge lie I believed was I didn’t hear Jesus’ voice even though Scripture said, “My sheep hear My voice, & I know them & they follow Me.”  This truly affected my identity, my worth.  As I compared      myself to others faith walk with the Lord; in my mind, I didn’t seem to measure up. 

In Oct 2007, I was attending a Women’s Bible Study.  I don’t remember what we were studying, but I do remember recognizing this & other lies.  I began to renounce them by faith through the blood of Jesus & His Word.  

This Feb 10th an amazing thing happened to me!  I had just finished visiting with this (CBS) Core Leadership Group on Tues, knowing I was going to be helping in the Children’s Ministry (in CBS) on Wed.  As I was crossing the 430 bridge on my way home, it hit my spirit like a ton of bricks, “You do hear from Me!  What about Our study on the Mothers of the Kings last Summer?”  I could hardly see the road through my tears.  This study is special to me, because it was only God Who taught me through my quiet time Bible reading.  Not only did God teach me many things, but He prepared me for last years CBS study-Journey to Jerusalem.  God is so faithful!!  In an instant I knew Jesus as my Shepherd, & Friend.  God had brought me full circle and that lie is put to dead!!!  

Finally, in Sept “1996” I took diet pills trying to be thin.  This act sent me into a psychotic mental breakdown that lead me into a horrible couple of years of depression.  Through this time I came to know God as my J. Rapha-The Lord Who Heals.  He was the great Healer of my mind, body & soul.  So many times God met me in this deepest hole and would bring me up in a split second through so many ways that only He could do.  He proved over & over His faithfulness, goodness, love & dwelling in my heart.  He truly gave me beauty instead of ashes, & the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a heavy, burdened & failing spirit.  I praise Him that I don’t suffer from that depression any longer!

A little twist to this story, is during the breakdown, I believe Satan put a seed of doubt into my mind causing me to question if I really believed I was God’s child, & would I be with Him in heaven when I died?  That thought terrified me!!!  When I came to my senses, I dismissed the thought quickly, knowing I was saved through faith in Jesus, but I didn’t put the thought to death.

All of a sudden during the last day of CBS Rev Bible Study during Core group, I knew I had been attacked by Satan with the thoughts from Sept “96”.  They came barreling on top of me &  I was terrified!  I was literally holding onto my chair with both hands.  No one in the room knew.  All I knew was I can’t fight this with my emotions or even my thoughts because they were going wild inside of me.  I knew I had to go back to my anchor knows of Scripture.  I was sobbing inside & out.  

As Sara began her lecture, I didn’t hear a thing on Rev. 22.  All I heard Sara teach was the washing of the grace of the GOSPEL. 

After our CBS luncheon I cornered my leader privately at our cars.  I am so grateful God used Beverly to splash a cup of His grace over my soul.  Very quickly she took me back to what I already knew-I am God’s child, because I know Jesus died for me, paying my price so I can be with Him in heaven.  God put to death that seed that Satan so desperately wanted for me to believe.

That year God showed me Jesus in a new & living way as I had never seen before.  And now as I am looking forward to the time that I will see Jesus face to face.  I can’t wait to see Him & be apart of His Kingdom as in Rev 19:11-16:

“…Behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.  His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.  He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. …  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  

ann :)