How to Know God

Inside every one of us is a longing for something more.  Although most people don’t realize it, that desire is a yearning to know God.  People try all kinds of things to fulfill that longing.  Those who don’t find a relationship with God may end up trying human relationships, success, materialism, sex, drugs, alcohol, and pleasure seeking.  After many attempts they end up wondering why the inner yearning just cannot be fulfilled.

Those who find a true personal relationship with God, and who continue to grow deeper in that relationship, find a peace, joy, and contentment that continue even in the midst of the difficulties of life.  Not that they are constantly “happy,” but that they have a sense of the Holy Spirit within them and with them, no matter what circumstances they find themselves in. And they have an assurance that He is working out everything as they draw closer to Him.

Many people do realize that the deep longing inside is to know God, but they don’t know how to find that relationship.  Often people reach out to fill that inner gap by trying religion.  Religion is not a substitute for true relationship with God.  Religion involves striving to keep a set of rules and to be good enough to somehow make it to God.  It often involves rituals, penance, doing good works, and reciting prayers.  Religion never offers assurance that a person has really made it or that they will go to heaven.  People who are religious hope they are doing the right things to get them to God, but they don’t have the fullness and assurance of the Holy Spirit within them.

So the question facing many is, “How do I really get to know God?”  The answer lies in the Bible.

First of all, we must realize that there is no religious effort or number of good works that will get us into a relationship with God.  Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses as filthy rags.” No matter how “good” we are, we never can measure up to God’s holiness.  He is perfectly good.  We don’t even come close.

Romans 3:23 tells us that every one of us has sinned, and we all fall short of God’s glory.  Sin involves things that we think, say, and do that do not please God, and it is also the neglect of the things that we should think, say, and do.  Even a person who is “good” in the eyes of other people has sin in his/her life.

Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.”  Sounds pretty hopeless, right?  If we can’t measure up to God’s standards and we can’t get rid of our sin through religion, then eventually we will have to face eternal death – which is eternal separation from God.  However, the second half of Romans 6:23 gives us some good news.  The whole verse says,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Through Jesus, we can receive a free gift of eternal life instead of getting the death that our sin has earned us.  When someone offers you a gift, you have to receive it for it to be yours.  You can know about a gift or stare at it, but until you take it, it doesn’t do you any good.  It’s that way with God’s gift.  John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  The “Him” is Jesus Christ.  We have a choice to receive Him or to reject Him.

In John 3:16 we are told, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Isn’t it awesome to know that God loves you and does not want you to experience the wages of sin?  By putting our faith and trust in Jesus and receiving Him and His forgiveness, we experience Him in a real way in our lives.  We come to know Him personally, and His Spirit comes to live inside us.

Why is it Jesus who brings us into this relationship with God?  Why isn’t it some religion or religious leader?  It’s because Jesus is God Himself, who came to earth as a human being, in order to take the punishment of death that we ourselves deserve for our sins.  He made outstanding claims such as, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except by Me.”  Also He said, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

The purpose of this devotional is not to look at all of Jesus’ claims or to recount His many miracles.  If you have doubts about who He is, but are truly seeking for the truth, ask Him to reveal Himself to you and then read the book of John in the New Testament.  Read with a seeking heart, and He will not fail to show you who He is.

Jesus willingly let people falsely accuse Him, whip Him, mock Him, and kill Him through a cruel crucifixion.  Even as He hung on the cross, He offered forgiveness to those who were doing this to Him.  He offers forgiveness to us as well, if we will open our hearts to Him to receive Him. He proved who He was through rising from the dead.  No religious leader has been able to do that!  Jesus goes beyond religion.  He powerfully changes our lives when we come to Him.

So, back to our original question:  How can we really know God?  It’s pretty simple.  Believe in Jesus and acknowledge that you are a sinner who needs His forgiveness.  Pray, asking Him to forgive you and to take over your life.  Sincerely open your heart for Him to work in your life to change you into what He wants you to be.  Thank Him for dying on the cross for you.  Know that He is alive and is eagerly waiting to reveal Himself to you.  If you want a relationship with Him, you can have it!

The words you say are not as important as sincerely opening your heart to Jesus Christ and acknowledging that you are a sinner who needs forgiveness.  Here is a sample of what you could pray.

“Dear Jesus, Thank you for dying on the cross so that I can be forgiven and can come to know You.  Forgive me for all my sins.  Please come into my life and take over. Make me into the person you want me to be.  Reveal Yourself to me, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit.  Thanks for loving me.  Amen.”

Written by :

Worldwide Prayer Chain