Do You Know Him Personally?

How well do you know a person? There is what I call academic knowledge of a person and there is what I call intimate or personal knowledge of a person. So, what do I mean by these?

Academic knowledge as I call it is to know a person or a thing from afar. While intimate knowledge is having an innate knowledge of that thing or person, sort of like being that person.

Let's take a look at Nicodemus and our Lord Jesus in John 3. Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about the born-again experience. Nicodemus being a religious leader didn't understand what Jesus was talking about. This was because he had academic knowledge about God, but not personal or intimate knowledge about God. In other words, Nicodemus knew nothing outside what he was taught, because it wasn't something he had experienced.

Jesus on the other hand spoke not just about what He knew, but on what He experiences. With what Jesus said, a person who is born-again could be likened to a cub who has a Lion within. No matter what the cub does, it will become a Lion. But no matter how much another animal imitates a Lion in every aspect, it cannot be a Lion.

Nicodemus like anyone who isn't born-again, no matter how much they have knowledge about Jesus cannot experience the life of Christ in them, because they just have academic knowledge. But anyone who is born-again carries the Spirit of Christ Jesus in them, therefore, they have the natural and personal experience of God in them.

Colossians 2:6-7 says, "My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving." MSG. Why is this important to note?

Many times Sons and Daughters of God relate to God as one who doesn't have His offspring, like a stranger who knows about God, but not intimately. The moment you receive Christ Jesus as Lord of your life by being born-again, you are to live Him, because all that He is, you have become.

Do not allow the devil to lie to you that you still have your old life with you. What you have is just the memory of your old life. Everything about you is completely brand new, and you can always remind yourself through the constant meditation on Jesus in the scriptures, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

You have Jesus within you. And as you constantly meditate on Him, you bring out the real you in your going out, coming in, thoughts, words reactions, everything, because this real you is Jesus! It's a relationship and not a religion.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t. Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations, you’re born again, you are now brand new!

                                          

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GOD BLESS YOU.

 

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Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)

The Prayer That Yields Results

I have written on prayer several times and made it clear that prayer is a dialogue between the Sons and Daughters of God with our Father in Heaven. I also said prayer expresses faith based on who we are in Christ Jesus. It is a place where we sit to receive and release. But in this write-up, I'll explain how our prayer can always yield the desired result we seek.

First of all, the Spirit of God lives within us, and from the point of the leading of the Spirit of Jesus within us we pray. In other words, the Spirit of Jesus guides us to know if what we intend to ask is in line with His will. This is the result of being transformed by the renewal of our minds.

Now, James 1:5-8 says "⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Prayer is done in faith, and by faith, you should not be double-minded. But that's not all, Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Prayer is done in faith. Again, prayer is done in faith. Has this sunk yet? Let me give you an example, a man had a skin disease, and his hope was that his skin disease would be cleared. Now, we all know that on the cross, that man's skin disease was placed on him, and in return, he has given the man brand new skin, with no disease. Sounds easy right?

It's so easy, but many of us do not go about it that way. So, like the man he brought his request to God, asking for healing of his skin. Now, what he does next would determine whether his prayer would be answered or not.

Now, stay with me on this, as the scriptures say, prayer is done in faith. So, what is faith? It simply is the positive affirmation of all that Jesus has given you as yours. If that isn't clear enough, ask yourself, do you know God? I am asking this because Hebrews 11:6 says "...he who comes to God must believe that He is..." that you know He is not a man that lies or repent, (ref.: Numbers 23:19). After all, whatever He says, He does it. This is what we as Sons and Daughters of God MUST ALWAYS remember.

So, when the man presents his request to the Lord God, what he is to do next is to keep thanking God that He has healed him. He is not to come back and ask God to heal Him. Asking God to heal him is a sign that he has a double mind, and a double-minded man should not expect anything from God.

The moment you present your request to God, from that point on keep on giving God thanks on that matter. Even if you don't see the physical result immediately, keep on giving God thanks. The devil may bring suggestions to your mind that you are not healed or whatever case you made your request to God for wasn't addressed by God.

Jesus told His disciples that whatever thing they ask when they pray, they will have what they prayed for when they believe they have received them (ref.: Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24). This is faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God (ref.: Hebrews 11:6).

Remember, whatever the devil says is ALWAYS a lie, so, if he says, it wasn't addressed by God, then know that God addressed it.

Also, you must have a firm grip on the word of God that strengthens your faith that God did it.

The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, believed that God did it, even when they hadn't seen it physically. This is faith because to call something faith is to see what no one can see as real. And thing was given to us by Jesus.

If you want to see your prayer manifest, then trust that Jesus, as the man who never fails, and most of all, He answered our prayers before we asked Him. All you keep doing is to keep giving Him thanks over and over because you believe and know that He has done it.

Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t. Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations, you’re born again, and you are now brand new!

                                          

Log on next time.

 

For prayers and comments, send them to the comment section below.

 

GOD BLESS YOU.

 

PLEASE LIKE AND FOLLOW MY BLOG

 

                                                                                                                 

Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are obtained from the New King James Version (NKJV)