The Knowledge of God

Today’s Reading: Hosea 5:1-9:17

Well my friends, today I started my classes at Grace University right here in my living room where the Holy Spirit is homeschooling me. Together, the Holy Spirit and I, have been working on my Master’s degree in Christian Studies for the last three years now… I’m not sure I’ll ever really graduate, not that I want to mind you, but I am certainly taking on a full course load this semester! I’ve committed to watching three sermons daily by Joseph Prince, Creflo Dollar and Joel Osteen – all Grace Ministers. I’ve also committed to reading several books, “They Thought for Themselves” by Sid Roth, “Every Man’s Battle” by Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker with Mike Yorkey, “School of the Seers” by Jonathan Welton, and of course continuing reading through the Bible in a Year. I will also be doing/leading a Bible Study by Beth Moore, “Believing God” and then blogging daily about the things that I glean from all of these wonderful people of God. My exams are of course, LIFE. As part of my Sabbath recreation I told God that I would like to start working on a fictional novel; He gave me the story line in a dream a couple of weeks ago… but we’ll see how He leads me in all that. J And then of course I’ll still be working on getting up and running smoothly all while being the best mom and wife that my family could ask for! What’s funny is, writing it all down like that makes it sound like SO much… but it’s not any more than what I’ve already been doing!

In the verse that I pulled out today (Hosea 6:6) God tells us that He desires for us to acquire the knowledge of God more than He desires our burnt offerings (or works). He wants for us to know Him. He wants us to spend our lives and our after lives getting to know who He is, how He works, and most importantly of all doing all that by simply spending time with Him. He wants us to know what He has done for us, what He has given us, what He has promised us. And when we start harvesting from His abundant field of grace we begin to understand those things. We begin to fathom how much we might mean to Him, how deep His love for us runs.

Did you know that God’s love runs? Did you know that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are running after you right now? Yup, they really are. To this very day one of my deepest desires is that someone would want me; my husband, my friends, my family. I’ll never forget the day when I heard the truth that Jesus wants me so badly that He follows me everywhere. It changed my life! God wants me more than I want Him! Wow. His desire for you is so strong that neither life nor death can separate you from Him. Jesus wants you so badly that He was willing to die rather than to live one more moment without you by His side.

As Jesus is, so are we in this world. When He died on that cross and covered us with His blood we were instantly made righteous in the sight of God Almighty. We didn’t do anything to gain that standing… so is there any way that we could do anything to lose that standing? NO!!! However, we can lose sight of that right standing with God. We can chew on and believe the lies the Enemy feeds us when he tells us that we’re not “good enough” to be righteous. Guess what folks, . Do you know what that means??? Justified = just as if I’d never sinned. You are JUSTIFIED, which makes you RIGHTEOUS, period. I was tempted to put you are justified which makes you righteous in God’s eyes, but that’s only half true. You are righteous in the Enemy’s eyes too. He KNOWS you have been justified, he KNOWS and he makes it his primary concern in your life to hide that TRUTH from your eyes! Because you ARE justified, you are righteous. Period. There is nothing that you can do; there is nothing that the Enemy can tempt you to do to make that truth go away. The only thing that can hinder you from living that truth out is your unbelief in that truth. And since it is impossible for God to lie, and it is in His Word that we find this truth what is there not to believe? You have been justified… by His grace as a gift. Do you accept that gift?

While I was meditating earlier God showed me what I’ve been doing. He showed me a picture of my self bent over in tear-filled prayer, hands desperately clasped together as I pleaded to Him to “give me… give me… give me…” and He said to me “Beloved, give Me your eyes (that’s what I say to my kids to get them to look me in the eye), I have already given you… given you… given you… I gave it to you the first time you asked, you just haven’t unclenched your hands enough to receive the gifts I’ve been trying to give you. Child, open your hands and receive the gifts that have already been given!”

Next He showed me a picture of water rolling off a duck’s back and the way that the water simply beads up and rolls away never really even touching the feathers of the duck. Then He showed me a picture of the duck’s feathers having just been ruffled and exposing the downy fluff underneath. Water was poured onto the duck and it soaked right in. And He said, “The Enemy does everything he can to get your feathers ruffled because it is only then that his lies have any impact on you. He presents you with situations in life that contradict My promises to protect you, IGNORE THEM. Do not let him ruffle your feathers; simply allow his attacks and lies to roll off your back. Give Me your eyes, keep your eyes on Me and My love for you and we can weather any storm of life together.”

The knowledge of God, how much He loves you, it’s a powerful thing. Something the Enemy simply can’t fight, although he certainly does try.