'Knowing' Jesus?

Sorry i just noticed this mighty man of vaour its great stuff least you got a great heart for God bro stand strong my friend check out luthers intro tyo galatians bro read 1 Peter 5 it will give you good footing to stand against our foes and also ephesians 6 and the post called our wrestle may God raise you up mightly in Jesus Name amen
 
Greetings all,

:eek: Sorry this post got so lengthy- I just couldn't seem to condense it down any more...

I came from a childhood home that was cynical, pessimistic and mostly joyless. I was never abused and I was certainly loved, but that love wasn’t really expressed. My parents and sibling were more like house-mates than family. The message was pretty much that the world isn’t a safe or loving place, that no one can be trusted, and any acceptance I was to achieve in life would have to earned.

To this day I struggle as an adult with this deep-seated idea that I have to impress people and somehow excel and prove myself in order to be acceptable to them, but that I can never adequately do so. As an adult, I of course know this to be a completely faulty view, but it’s so intertwined into my personality that it’s always there, kind of like a physical deformity that can’t be denied.

I became a believer some 25+ years ago, but for about half of that time I lived as a ‘worldly Christian’- not really committed to God above all else. I know I'm a sinner, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and I expect to stand joyfully before Him on that day, clothed in the righteousness He purchased for me on the cross.

I believe the bible in it's entirety to be God's word and to be true. I'm a member of a firmly bible-based, evangelical church with a small but open and loving congregation. I teach adult SS classes there on a fairly regular basis.

As all Christians do, I struggle with the old sinful nature, but God has and continues to change me in un-dramatic but undeniable ways, and for that I am inexpressibly thankful to Him.


Having said all that...
I've struggled for years to understand what it really means to 'know' Jesus. I hear people talk all the time about ‘knowing’ Jesus and about their ‘personal relationship’ with Him. I hear the same terms used that would be used to describe ‘knowing’ another person- a dear friend, a spouse, child, neighbor etc. They talk about Jesus and His love as if He were physically present with them. I am not implying that these kind of descriptions are un-biblical.


However, I feel like I’ve missed something important here- my experience of Jesus seems to be all head and little heart. I mean It’s more about knowing about Jesus and his love, than it is about knowing Him in the sense that I could know a deeply loved person. I can have heart-to-heart talks with my wife, and we share many other expressions of our love for one another. But what does it mean to know Jesus and his love in a this kind of deeply personal way?


To my dismay, I even sometimes wonder if I’m really saved if my belief is factual but not experiential.


I would very much appreciate others’ thoughts. Am I alone in this experience, or are there others as well? I know the message of the bible and especially the gospels is about God’s indescribably great love for and mercy toward us. However, as foundational as God’s word is, just by itself quoting scripture passages speaking of God’s love haven’t really been that fruitful for me so far.


Believe my my friend Dodgem I do know what you mean. I was not brought up. I was beat up. My mother always used whatever came to hand to enforce her anger, broom sticks, hockey sticks, a few cups of hot tea. My dad always was too quiet to do anything for me or protect me He put me down in other ways. I had a really hard time with math so my dad would pound it into me with his fists. It was the same at school. My teachers loved me too, just as much. My entire life till I left home was a constant fight for survival. So I learned at a very early age that nobody could be trusted. Ever. That learned I grew up alone. I lived alone, I traveled alone, I did everything alone.
I met Jesus and deserately wanted what He was selling, so I accepted Him as Savior and master of my life. Well Savior anyway.
Like you my relationship with Jesus was all in my head. I could not seem to get that relationship into my heart, my spirit. What was wrong? Then it came to me. Trust. I had no concept of trusting a father. God is my father and how could I trust Him? I still have a fight to trust Father Dodge. Every day of my life I have to take Him at His Word. Every day I have to fight to stand on His Word. Every day He keeps His Word. Every Day He proves that He is true.

Dodge You have to decide that you will stand on His Word no matter what. I cannot tell you how long you will have to fight that fight. I do know that it helps to constantly speak what the Father says in His word though. Concerning anything you are dealing with. Speak His Word.
It reinforces your faith in Him and it reminds Him of the covenant He cut with you. I find that the Father likes it when you remind Him of His promises. Speaking His Word also helps you know Jesus and the Father personally because a persons words come from who they are.

Praying for you Dodge.


HBUY
D.
 
I know about Donald Trump but I don't personally know him.

I'm greatful to know Jesus personally, rather than just know about him and have no relationship with him. The only way to make it to heaven is to be part of God's family. Your name written in that Book

We aren't just fans of Him, we are players on his team. We are in the game, maybe even on the bench studying him. God doesn't just reside in the heavens, His Spirit dwells inside, we communicate daily.
 
Walk by faith not by sight.

It's so easy to allow our attention to be diverted from God to other things and to ourselves and our own desires and "needs".

Denaldii Cho, you're right:

You have to decide that you will stand on His Word no matter what.
I need to focus on the Spirit's leading and on obedience, and worry less about feeling/emotion or the lack thereof.
 
It's so easy to allow our attention to be diverted from God to other things and to ourselves and our own desires and "needs".

Denaldii Cho, you're right:

I need to focus on the Spirit's leading and on obedience, and worry less about feeling/emotion or the lack thereof.

Speaking for myself I still find that easiest when I speak the Word to the problem. If I speak what I see as though it was I get all under it. When I speak the Word as though it is I'm all over it and walking free of the junk.
 
Speaking for myself I still find that easiest when I speak the Word to the problem. If I speak what I see as though it was I get all under it. When I speak the Word as though it is I'm all over it and walking free of the junk.

Another reason why you need to speak the Word is becuase the Word is Truth and the Truth is Jesus Christ.

Another reason because satan hates it when you speak the Word. He hated it when Jesus Said " It is Written " and he had to flee. So in order for us to be in this army of God we need to but on all the armour .to withstand the darts from the evil one.

231armour.jpg
 
My thoughts

To know Jesus is to not know oneself, As I do not do what I want to do. But thanks for God's grace.

Reasoning through the Holy Spirit as Christ creates the intention in our hearts, Which always remains. This is walking with God


As opposing; creating the intention through reflection to the mind. This does not last but disappears

I hope this makes sense


Meaning reconciliation then creation

God bless

Yes Univac it makes perfect sense. Having Christ in our lives no matter what our background and what we have been through is what really matters.

Yes it is good sometimes to reflect but ultimately it is where we are today in our relationship with Him that matters because when we hunger and thirst after Him we will be filled and our cup will run over.

When I look back I see a person who was not really spiritually where I should or could have been and now seem to be playing catch up .,with my other Christian friends and sometimes feel I don't know as much as they do about the Bible .

But now , praise God His grace and mercy have given me the time in my retirement to really study and go deeper into His Word and the more I do the more I yern to. He gives us the desire to know more about Him, to love Him and be a workman that needs not be ashamed.
 
So many of you have shared your thoughts and insights,

some having been born out of painful personal experiences and years of struggle and trial. Some have been praying for me and for other posters to this thread.

I am so thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ who are willing to share so openly and honestly. To each of you, my heartfelt thanks.

In reading and thinking through these posts, a foundational theme is coming into focus for me, that of trust in and reliance on Almighty God and the necessity of taking Him at His word.

I think this is a pivotal point for me (and for others too, it would seem)- this idea that unless something can be experienced or 'felt', it's somehow less real or genuine. I don't think most of us would even admit to this kind of thinking, but clearly the enemy can use it to his advantage. It's the oldest trick in The Book- 'did God really say...?' . It worked with Adam and Eve, and it will work with us too if we allow our attention to be diverted away from God and to ourselves or anything else.

God has told us in His word that if we trust solely in Him and His blood shed for our redemption, then we are His and He has prepared a place for us. Further, He will empower us to live in and for Him, something we are utterly incapable of doing on our own. This is what is true, irrespective of any 'warm fuzzies' we may or may not experience.

Put another way, we're in deep trouble if we demand understanding before we're willing to trust God. Faith (trust in Him) must come first, without preconditions or reservation. Understanding (and/or feelings) may or may not follow, but assurance certainly will (Phil 4:6-7).
 
I've been thinking about this, and a couple of days ago I remembered this verse:

James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded".

To experience a closer walk with God, the responsibility lies with us I think.
 
55Dodge-

Yes, I grew up as a kid pretty thru tough circumstances. But, God taught me this- I never had to worry about pleasing other people or seeking thier attention. They did not save me from eternal death, God the Father did. So, I was to seek to please God first, then He would take care of my needs.

God taught me to only be concerned with seeking His approval of me, no others. People can have an effect on my life right now, but God has control over my future life of eternal existance. So, who should I seek more and pay more attention to?

Like me, many have saught to be accepted by others in past years. But, I haven't needed that for years now. I've learned, it does not matter if people accept me or not. Its if God does. Besides, I don't want my witness to be for others to accept me, but accept the God who healed me. The God who gave me an eternal peaceful loving future existance to look forward to. Why?

Because God "Loved" me enough to allow His only begotten Son to be sacrificed for me. And Jesus was sacrificed for you too.

As a Minister, during younger years, God has Blessed me many times to be involved with other's family Members who were saved and reborn, and lived horrible physical lives of pain and suffering. As some wre dieing, they were still joyful, yet crying, saying they prayed they had been the witness God had wanted them to be thru all that. That God was seen thru them instead of any edifying of thier own.

This changed my life in itself. I now was only concerned with being the best witness I could be for God, and what others said or thought of me, mean't nothing. But only that they might say they saw God thru me is all.

I would rather be meek and weak, that God could show thru me more, than be strong and bold, for people to think better of me. Thats why, very little if anything anyone could say to me, would ever negatively effect me.

I'm the creation, God is the creator. So, what am I compared to Him? Thats why its better others see Him rather than me, that God can be Glorified and I not noticed.

I've learned, I don't need nor want to be edified, but only God to be Glorified. It is my wish, that if anyone remembers me at all, its only because it was God noticed as my life, provider, protector and Leader, as my creator and Lord and Savior.

Thus, what others think or believe of me makes no difference. God has healed the hurt and rejection I felt so long ago, and replaced it with His Love for me to stand on over and above all things. Knowing now, it has been Satan, not people trying to destroy me all along.

The people I held things against in the past, I found I didn't have to forgive, because the hurt, anger and hate were gone. My saved and reborn Nephew and his wife have told me many times, thier folks and other relatives, could not understand the change in me how I related to them after a certain point.

I loved and cared for them out of the blue instead of hating them as before. I understood it wasn't those people who intentionally tried to hurt me, but were influenced by Satan to think and operate as they had. From there on, I battled Satan directly instead of trying to deal with people.

I pray this helps.

God Bless!!
 
I've been thinking about this, and a couple of days ago I remembered this verse:

James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded".

To experience a closer walk with God, the responsibility lies with us I think.

That's it in a nut shell , Swiss.....

It is our choice , whether we want to be closer to Him or not .

I was just concentrating on a lesson that I am giving on Sat. and the title is " The reality of a watched life "

If we are growing in conformity to Christ , it must increasingly become public evidence that demands a verdict. In other words , what we are doing and saying edifies , Christ and being accountable for our own actions is up to us . Bottom line we need to tend to our own garden and not some one else's. We have to be fruit inspectors of our selves.

He must increase and I must decrease.
 
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