We all have problems with the flesh from time to time. The main thing is that we repent and not live in continual sin. When we have been born-again the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sin. We need to come to know Jesus Christ and not just about Him. It is not a one-time saying a sinners prayer or being baptized and then they were in. We need to make it our business to follow Him the best we can and yes that takes quite a lot of effort on our part. The flesh does not want to do it and Satan surely doesn’t want us to do it.
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. ~ Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
Diligently seeking Him takes a lot of effort.
Romans 6:16
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)
Jesus wants all of us not just part. So the more we study His word, pray, and get to know Him the more we will be able to be led by the Holy Spirit. The more we will hear His voice. Again it is a lifetime commitment and not just something we think about from time to time.
We need to get to know His word so good it is in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will bring to mind what you need to know, but you first need to make sure it is in there. That means to get to know the bible. Don’t depend on a Preacher to teach it to you, read it yourself because today there are not many Preachers that are actually teaching and preaching the truth. If you don’t know the truth you will not know if they are feeding you a line or not.
Some people seem to be “on fire” for God and “hear from God” making others wonder why they don’t. A lot of the people you see on TV are fakes. A lot of the people you see in Church are fakes and mostly are not hearing anything. Like I said you need to really get to know your bible so you know the truth. The more you read, study and pray asking God to open your eyes and help you to hear from Him and get to know Him the more you will come to realize what you have been missing. Believe me, once you get to know Him you will have no doubt you are saved.
Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes’ —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step—we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin—”But if we walk in the light,” we are cleansed “from all sin” ( 1 John 1:7 ). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying about it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . .” ( John 7:17 ). Prayer, ask Him to help you get to know Him and be aware when the Holy Spirit puts into your mind things He wants you to do. It may be very small things, but do them and see the light start shining on the word of God when you read it. See how you start to come to know Him.
Mark 8:34-38 (King James Version)
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever (anyone that) will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Since this is Jesus himself speaking in this passage then we know He is speaking the truth. He expects us to deny ourselves and follow Him. Which would mean we place Him first in our life. Not second third or so on.
The first commandment is “You shall have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:2-3 This alone with the above passage tells us God wants our full attention. He does not say, “Your Pastor should put me first and deny himself” he says, “Whosoever (anyone that) will come after me, let him deny himself,” So we are each individually to put God first in our lives. Not just when we are in Church, but the entire day, every day Church or not.
If one reads the entire bible and opens their eyes they will see that the whole bible points to Jesus Christ and it is about knowing Him. So if one claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ and that they know Him, they will do as He teaches.
Again…. 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 (constant in effort) seek (to go in search or quest of ) Him. – Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
This is not about the casual reading of the bible and going to Church. There are many, many people that go to church every Sunday that do not know Jesus Christ and will bust hell wide open. (See www.lostinchurch.com for more information about that.) Knowing Jesus Christ is not about going to Church, following a Pastor, and walking the aisle. It is about seeking Him with all your heart yourself. If you do this you will find Him and then you will know Him.
There is no push-button thing you can do for salvation. The bible says we MUST be born-again. That is a process and if you are born-again your live will start changing and you will put Jesus Christ first in your life. Not just know about Him or think you purchased a ticket to heaven and you have it somewhere in a drawer.
We are to walk and live by faith and endure until the very end (Matt. 10.22). If you are saved you will love and put Jesus first in your life. That is how you know if you are born-again. Your life changes its focus and it then becomes about knowing Jesus.
My life is my example. I knew about Jesus Christ and believe He was real since I was 12 years old and even walked the aisle at a Church and was baptized. But that is not what Jesus said to do if you want to know Him. He said one must “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” That is not what I did. I just attended Church for a while and never diligently sought Him (I believe this happens to a lot of people that have a push-button mentality). I soon stopped going to Church because of the hypocrisy and thought it must just be some sort of game people like to play. I don’t think I was saved at that time because of the following:
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. – John 14:21
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. – Revelation 3:16 (KJV)
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. – Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)
I am sure there are more verses but that is all I will list now.
But thank the Lord for a praying Mother at the age of 23 after years of drinking, parting, and things I don’t want to think about or mention God let me know that He was real. I decided I had to know if Jesus was real, so I got on my knees and ask Him. Guess what? He let me know He was real. I started seeking Him. I did not come to know Him overnight, for me, it took some diligent seeking through bible study, prayer, and talking to people that knew Him. Actually, for me, it took until I was 26 until I actually meet Him. I was enlightened to know that He was REAL and not just someone that people wrote about in the bible or people used to get your money or someone that was locked up in a Church building. He proved to me He was real and I have never been the same. It changed me and is still changing me at the age of 64. I no longer looked to Pastors or people as the ones who would tell me what God wanted for my life. If you do this it will not be long before they use you or let you down. I started looking directly to Jesus Christ who has never let me down and I have been learning to live for Him and not for me. I have learned it is ALL about Him and not about us. Until we come to know that, whether we are Pastors, laypersons, Elders, Deacons, business owners, or the President of the United States. We will not be saved. If we do not know Jesus Christ and deny ourselves and give Him the glory for what He has done for us. He has given His very life’s blood in our stead so we might live with Him forever throughout eternity. So until we come to know Him we will never know what salvation is. We will then want to tell others of this salvation and will not rest until He calls us home, as we will know what it means to know and love Him. There is no mistake about people that know Him, they always want to talk about Him, and no not just at Church but everywhere they go. Yes like your first love, you would talk about them until people were sick of hearing it and you never understood what was wrong with them. Jesus wants to be our first love today and every day of our life and if you know Him you will want the same thing. If you don’t then you will just think I am crazy, but I really don’t care what people think. I care what God thinks and what God thinks will echo throughout eternity.
So to me, this is what it means to know Jesus. Not knowing about Him but knowing Him personally. And I pray this will help you to know Him better.
God bless you,
David Campbell
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV)
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him – Psalm 25:14
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. ~ Luke 9:62
Luke 13:24
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessings, instead of in God Himself. ~ Oswald Chambers
Many come to know Jesus as the Way. A few more go on to know Him as the Truth. But very few go on to know Him as their life. ~ Rick Joyner
Below are some links with articles that may be of help:
What is the Christian life supposed to be like?
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-life.html
How can I overcome sin in my Christian life?
https://www.gotquestions.org/victory-over-sin.html
How can I stay focused on Christ?
https://www.gotquestions.org/focused-on-Christ.html
Are you saved?
https://www.jesusisthelight.net/AREYOUSAVED.htm
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Also, it is important to listen to Godly Biblical Preacher. Below are a few:
David Clark – https://www.boonescreekcc.org/past-sermons-1
Scott Price – www.fellowshipchapel.us
John MacArthur – www.gty.org
Paul Washer –
https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?Keyword=Paul%5EWasher
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