KNOWING GOD

God desires for His creation to have an intimate, personal relationship with Him.  In John 17:3 Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.”   

Eternal life is more than living forever.  It is a life that is defined by knowing God and experiencing all Who God is.

God tells us in Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Let not the wise man bask in his wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his riches.  Let them boast in this alone: That they truly know me, and understand that I am the Lord of justice and of righteousness whose love is steadfast”.

There are several commands in God’s Word that revolve around or are contingent upon our knowing God.  

Proverbs 3:5 tells us, “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.”  

Luke 10:27 commands, ”You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

How do we reach a point in our lives where we completely trust and love God?  We must come to know His heart and His attributes. The names of God are a manifestation (evidence, example) of His character and reveal to us Who He is.

Approximately one year ago God instructed me to begin writing a blog describing His many names.   It is my desire to help the readers of these articles, along with myself, discover Who God truly is and become intimately acquainted with Him.

Father, I pray Your Word over each person who reads this.  As we “Move our heart closer and closer to God, He will come even closer to you. (James 4:8)

I thank You for Your  promise and I thank You that You are faithful to Your Word.  Open our hearts to all that You are.

JEHOVAH SHALOM Part3

In Ephesians 6:11 Paul encourages us to, “ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”  He continues in verse 15 by saying, “and having shod your feet (put on shoes) with the preparation of the gospel of peace.“  In the Greek, preparation is defined as a solid foundation and peace is defined as: a state of rest, quietness, calmness, absence of strife, or a peace that rules in all situations.

 Paul is telling us to put on shoes of peace, which come from God, so that we will be fully prepared to face life’s challenges. He is comparing peace to the shoe the Roman soldiers wore in battle.  This shoe consisted of two parts, the greave and the shoe itself. The greave was a metal tube which began at the knee and extended down the length of the leg, ending at the upper portion of the foot.  It completely shielded the lower leg from being bruised, cut, or broken. The greave was a defensive weapon which protected the soldier and kept him from being vulnerable to attacks. Like the greave, God’s peace protects your mind and emotions from fears which could make you defenseless by weakening your faith. God's peace is a divine weapon that will insulate you from satan’s attacks and enable you to navigate successfully through every situation in life.

On the bottom of the soldier’s shoes were spikes which were one to three inches in length.  As the soldiers stood ready for battle, the spikes in his shoes were planted firmly into the earth allowing them to stand their ground.  Similar to these spikes, the supernatural peace of God causes you to: stand firm, be immovable, and hold in place.

Philippians 4:7 portrays a promise to all believers.  “And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is YOURS].”

We do not have to live a life full of chaos, confusion, and fear.  As we surrender our life to God and begin to trust in Him completely, His peace will guard our hearts and minds.

Father, I thank You for Your gift of peace. Help us to trust you in all things and surrender all that we are to you.

JEHOVAH

Isn’t it amazing that there is no one single name that can completely describe the greatness of Who God is?  Yet God, Who is so magnificent, desires that we know Him intimately and in the fullness of Who He is. The more extensive our understanding of God’s greatness, the more we become in awe of Him.

One of God’s names is Jehovah. This name appears in the bible more than any other. The name Jehovah comes from the name Yahweh and has been considered by the Jewish people to be too holy to speak or to write. When scribes would translate the Old Testament manuscripts, they would remove the vowels and only write YHWH. This was a name that filled the Jewish people with awe because they realized the worthiness and holiness of the name. It saddens my heart when I see how today God’s name has been reduced to a slang phrase that is carelessly spoken and used almost in a comedic way.(OMG)

There are several dimensions to the name Jehovah. Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word that means “to be” or to become. He is the self-existent Creator Who always has been and always will be. He Himself was not created, He always was and is.  When Moses was going to speak to the Israelites in behalf of God, he asked God Who should I say that You are? Exodus 3:14-15

14 God replied to Moses, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is My eternal name, My name to remember for all generations.”  In essence God was and still is saying, “I am that I am. I am the self-sufficient One. I am everything you will ever need. I am with you. I am eternal. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. This name, Jehovah, declares the absolute existence of God and reveals Him as the dependable, faithful God Who desires the full trust of His people.

God is saying those same words to us today.  “I am all that you need. Won’t you TRUST ME?”