The Joy of Knowing, Understanding, and Acknowledging God [Yahweh]

"And they do not know and understand and acknowledge Me,” says the Lord."

Jeremiah 9.3 // AMP

They tested Him in the wilderness and beyond, though they had seen His presence with them in Egypt and beyond.

Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 3 says:

“They bend their tongue like their bow;

[Their] lies and not truth prevail and grow strong in the land;

For they proceed from evil to evil,

And they do not know and understand and acknowledge Me,” says the Lord.

Yahweh is a God of love, mercy, justice, favour, grace, all the kindness you could ever imagine, and more. But He is also a God of holiness and infinite righteousness. He is Sovereign, Righteous Judge, and He is to be revered.

The Israelites had seen the physical manifestation of God's presence. They had heard His voice and they had seen His power. He had shown them His mercy and goodness, His love and affection towards them. Yet they still loved another before Him. They still chose idol worship, complaining, and grumbling. His provision in the wilderness was sustained even after they had grumbled their way into a 40-year stay in the wilderness that was only meant to last a few days.

When they went into the Promised Land, they worshipped the idols of the land God had given them instead of doing away with them [as God had instructed them to do] and worshipping the one true God - Yahweh, the One who saved them from hundreds of years of oppression in Egypt; the One who had carried them through the wilderness (the very place of their rebellion against God).

They did not fear Him. They did not know Him. They did not understand Him. They did not acknowledge Him. They did not want to.

Spiritual apathy is a sin.

I'm reminded of David who often wrote psalms and songs to the Lord. He was a skilled harp player and skilled in his writing so much so that he wrote for the Lord - songs of praise, faith, lament... His heart remained focused on the Lord. His desire was for God's commandments. He sought God's presence and to do God's will:

²² And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king: of him He testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart [conforming to My will and purposes], who will do all My will.’

- Acts 13.22

There is a stark difference between the Israelites as a whole and the man God had placed as their kind to lead them - David loved the Lord. His heart was set towards knowing, understanding, and acknowledging God - His will, His Word, His purpose, and His divine presence.

My question to you is this: how's your heart looking right now? How do you feel about Jesus?

This might be a loaded question for those with issues relating to unanswered prayers or questions they'd love to have answered by God, such as:

• "Why hasn't this been done yet?"

• "Why did You allow this to happen to me?"

• "Where were you when I needed You the most?"

Friend, allow me to be frank with you when I say that God does not owe you and I any answers to any questions. Job might have a few points to add here, because he ended up in a very terrifying scolding after he dared question God during his own time of suffering.

God does not owe us answered prayers either, especially when it's our will that takes precedence over His. He certainly does not bring hardship on us; although He is very much present with us when we are hurting and is patient in our affliction-driven rebellious taunts against Him, He is not the one to direct accusations towards. He is not your assailant. He is God.

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel [questioning My authority and wisdom] by words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!" " - Job 38.1-3

When we adopt the ways and rules of the world on how to address and approach God  (even the ones we've made up in the Christian world), we lose sight of this one thing:

GOD IS HOLY! HE IS TO BE FEARED [PROFOUNDLY RESPECTED] AND REVERED!

He who was and is and is to come does not change, though our circumstances do. He remains constant in our struggles, faithful in our waiting; He remains true, even when we are not.

The cycle of envying the relationship others have with God and thinking, "How come it's not me..." must first begin with your surrender. It must begin with you reading your bible and seeing that the God of the bible [Yahweh] who was then is the same God of the bible now. The same God that appeared as a pillar of cloud (large whirlwind) and a pillar of fire by night. The same God that caused a sea to split two ways allowing His people to walk ON DRY GROUND (meditate on that for a moment... sea bed... dry...). He is worthy of our true worship - in spirit and in truth.

He is the One who snatched you out of the claws of hell, and placed you right within His heart. The same God that sent His Son to die (God in flesh) to drink the cup of His wrath in order to pay the price for our transgressions - our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing. Whose undying passion was displayed on the cross in complete nakedness and anguish - all for you and me to become one with Him again. The One whose heart burns with passion for us even today - beckoning us into deeper relationship with Him even when we decide with our hearts to betray Him by choosing another lover [idols] outside of Him.

It's the goal and role of you and me to be faithful to God no matter what trials and blessings come our way. Our Treasure [God] chose to keep us in the centre of His focus and plan; it is our role, duty, and eternal pleasure to do the same.

Well, you might be thinking that this couldn't possibly be you. If all of this sounds foreign, and you find yourself in a deeply intimate relationship with Jesus, then I'm really happy for you! Don;t let the fire grow cold; fan the flame of devotion to your First Love every moment of every day!

If not, well, do a quick heart check with me for a moment. Think of the one thing you love the most; if God were to ask you to give it to Him, would you do so willingly, or would you negotiate, even disobey? Or perhaps let's think about your attitude towards church or the things of God. Do you find yourself more drawn to Netflix and 'chill', or do you hunger for some time away from everyone, a time reserved only to sit with Him in a room reading His Word and enjoying His presence. Perhaps you might be feeling that church, practices in the bible (such as tithing and following the 10 commandments), and time with God are optional.

All these examples - given not to condemn you - are an invitation to start thinking about your walk with our Triune God and how it is that we treat Him:

1. As One to know, understand, and acknowledge - One to cherish, serve, and worship with affectionate reverence, in what is the most prized friendship?

   OR

   
   

2. As One to treat like the Israelites did - constantly rejecting Him, even when He sent prophet after prophet to beckon them out of rebellion, and into obedience and relationship with Him?

 The veil between us and God was torn after an eternally heavy price was paid. The gift of intimacy is there. It is up to you and me to take hold of it. What will your choice be?

God is patient. However, as we learn from The Parable of The Ten Virgins, the door of grace for us to repent and enter right relationship with Him will not remain open forever. The time of grace will end. The time of judgement will come.

My encouragement to you today is to focus on God as God - one to be served, revered, prized as holy, and one to be taken seriously in true and faithful relationship.

You see, our feelings will lie to us. The fragility and unpredictability of life will betray our understanding of life as a whole. Our enemy (the devil) will construct things to distract us from being close to God, to deceive us into seeing Him as an option (and not our only Treasure and Choice), and to give excuses for not revering Him as holy. If you don't make your life about Jesus, you will soon find yourself self-focused and self-driven into an apathetic state fashioned by the enemy to keep you lulled. The goal is to ultimately steal, kill, and destroy, the connection between you and God (the loving Father whose image you were created in); to seduce you into complaining, grumbling, making this life about yourself, and, lulling your way into a wilderness far from God, where he (the enemy of your soul) hopes to eventually snatch you back into the very claws God snatched you from.

There is hope for you and me. His name is Jesus. Stick to Him!

When Jesus ascended to heaven after having died and risen, He said it was better for Him to return to Heaven so that the Advocate (God's Holy Spirit) would come. The Holy Spirit of God is the One who helps you on this journey; He intercedes to God for you, sanctifies you (makes you holy), and so much more (please research some verses; here's a golden nugget for now: Isaiah 11.2).

One thing Holy Spirit does is point you to Jesus - the image of the invisible God the Father [Yahweh]. In Jesus alone do we have eternal life and relationship with Yahweh. The Holy Spirit does only what the Father does, and He moulds us into the image of Jesus - restoring us into our original form before mankind rebelled against Him in Eden. This post is not only for the clearly apathetic; we cannot, after all, judge using our own standards. The only standards that count are God's. I encourage you to spend time with Holy Spirit, ask Him to help you.

Here are a few ways I approach God to ask Him for help with my heart:

1. I repent and humble myself - admitting that I know nothing, I humble myself and repent of how I have behaved towards God and the lies I believed about His character.
   

2. I tell Him how I feel - I lament if I need to (e.g. if I'm grieving and hurting) and surrender it to Him.

3. I sing worship songs and thank Him - this sets our focus on God instead of ourselves. I highly recommend listening to songs centred on Jesus (and not your feelings or soulish Christian songs). I also recommend reading the book of Psalms. It will also help you with point number 2.
   

4. I read the bible - a renewed mind is a mind centred on God. Reading your bible helps you get to know God, it feeds your spirit with truth instead of the lies the enemy of your soul sends, and it keeps you connected to the Vine - Jesus [the Living Word]. God also uses His Holy Word to shape us, mature us, and teach us the right way.
   

5. Trust - I wish I could say that trust was a pair of six-pack abs that appeared over time. Much like muscles, trust is a muscle to be exercised and built daily. You feed trust with all of points 1 to 4. However, the main ingredient to trust is surrender - surrendering everything to God, and surrendering yourself for Him to chisel and shape into the spiritually mature child and friend that reveres Him, knows Him, understands Him[His character], and acknowledges [takes notice of, focusses on, pays attention to] Him.
   

God is faithful to meet you if you humble yourself. He is true to His promises, and He will give you new heart - a heart of flesh in exchange for a heart of stone. He loves you. He is worthy. He is holy - to be magnified, adored, revered.

Keep your oil full. Keep your lamp burning.

May we never lose the joy of knowing, understanding, and acknowledging the Lord.

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If you're reading this as someone who doesn't know Jesus, it's important for you to know that Jesus is the only way to God [Yahweh] - the only One in whom we have salvation. He paid the price to save our lives and souls (the price we were meant to pay - death and eternal separation from God - God's wrath). He alone holds the keys to the life we're all looking for - relationship with God and fulfillment of our purpose in Him. If you'd like a relationship with Jesus, you can start by approaching your Heavenly Father (Yahweh) and talking to Him (i.e. praying). Ask forgiveness, and choose to follow Jesus as your Saviour. You can use your own words or the ones below:

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for creating me. I believe that You are the only God. I admit I am a sinner, and I need You in my life. Jesus, I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that You are the Son of God, and that You died in my place and rose from the grave. I choose today to follow You. Heavenly Father, please forgive my sins. I surrender my old ways, and ask that You wash me clean and make me brand new in Jesus' name. I surrender my life to You, and ask Jesus to be the Lord of my life. Please may You give me Your Holy Spirit so He may help me to follow You. Thank You that I am now Your child and that you are my Father. I pray this in the name of Your Son, Jesus.

Amen."

Note:

Welcome Home!!!! You've made the best decision of your life and eternity!

The good news is that after you have accepted God's gift of eternal life and salvation through Jesus, you do not have to do this life alone. God gives you His Holy Spirit to help you, and transform you - this is the part where you surrender so He can do His work in you. His Holy Spirit is there to help, comfort, guide, teach, and so much more. If you prayed this prayer, welcome to God's family! Your next step is getting a bible and finding a good bible-believing church community. Here is a useful resource to help you understand your next steps. Here's a great app you can use in the meantime to start reading the Word of God. If you don't know where to start, start at the beginning (Genesis) and ask Holy Spirit to teach you as you read along. You can read any translation you like; in my personal journey, I have found that the Amplified version breaks down the meaning of the Word very well, including the parts that would have gotten lost in translation when the texts in the Word were translated from Aramiac and Greek. Please get in touch with us by emailing hello@lwap.com.au if you would like some help finding a church.

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God bless you! :) Jesus loves you.

Sincerely yours,

Pamela.

If you'd like us to pray with you about something you're believing for, please click here and fill out a prayer request form.

Jesus loves you, and He's coming back soon. Stay alert.