Philippians 3:10 NKJV

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

Knowing the name of the Lord God is far different from knowing the Actual Personalities of the Lord God. for one may know the name of the Lord without having any deep understanding of His nature; of His Personalities; of his characters, etc. Therefore, the Book of Daniel, Chapter 11:32 had affirmed in the last line that ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR GOD, SHALL STAND UP AND BE ABLE TO DO GREAT EXPLOITS….That is why Paul hunger to know Him more.

 

A lot of people know God as The Mighty God who parted the Red Sea into two and made His children to walk on dry and dusty ground. They know God as the All Mighty God, who brought water out of the Rock when Israelites were thirsty in the wilderness and He is the Only One who has the capacity to rain Manna from the sky to feed millions of people in the Wilderness and He is God of multi-miracles. He can supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory. He is the God of Heaven and Earth.

BUT THEN, IF THIS IS THE ONLY ATTRIBUTES OF GOD YOU KNOW, THEN, YOU HAVE NOT KNOWN HIM ENOUGH.

Look at the three Hebrews in the Kingdom of Babylon:

Daniel 3:14-18 NKJV

[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

[17] If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.

[18] But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

These three Hebrews know their God intimately. They know His nature and attributes.

THEY KNOW HE COULD DELIVER THEM from the fiery furnace of the king. So, they were so strong in their faith in the Lord their God. They knew their God is All Powerful and could quench the fire in seconds; He could send a flooding rain and destroy the entire furnace and sweep away the ashes with its flood. So, with outrageous boldness, they declared before the king: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from your burning fiery furnace….”

HOWEVER, BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT THEIR GOD, AT TIMES, HAS ANOTHER WAY DIFFERENT FROM THE WAYS OF MAN; HE COULD CHANGE HIS PLANS; HE COULD DECIDE NOT TO DELIVER THEM.

He may allow them to die in the fiery furnace if He so chose.

SO THEY QUICKLY ADDED IN THE NEXT VERSE:

VERSE 18: “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

THAT IS WHAT I UNDERSTAND BY KNOWING YOUR GOD.

• When I remember in John 11 how He allowed Lazarus, His close friend to die and decompose before coming down to Bethany.
• When I remember how Stephen was stoned to death and all Jesus did was to stand up beside His Father, to welcome back STEPHEN for dying as His true witness. I saw that HE DID NOT RESCUE HIM FROM DEATH.
  
  *. When I remember how the Tax Collectors came to Him for His taxes and He had no money on Him or in the ministry money bag. So He sent Peter to go and catch a fish and open its mouth, he would find the required amount for the tax. He didn’t even allow PETER to catch more than one fish, neither did he found more than one coin in the mouth of the fish. I knew that THIS GOD CAN CHOOSE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

*When I remember in John 6:1-13, how Jesus multiplied five loaves of Bread and two fishes to feed more than 5,000 people and then, next, in Matthew 12:1-2, His disciples were hungry, and he watched them plucking and eating raw corn. I conclude that HE COULD CHOOSE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

SO THEY PREPARED FOR THE WORST.

JUST LIKE ESTHER WHO, AFTER FASTING FOR THREE DAYS TO SEE THE KING, SAID; “IF I PERISH, I PERISH”

THOSE ARE THE SAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY REALLY KNOW THE GOD THEY ARE SERVING. THE GOD WHO COULD CHOSE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

Abraham was His close friend, He did not answer his prayers for 25 years, before giving him the covenant child.

Moses was His chosen one to lead Israel. He conversed with God face to face. He entered into the fire on the mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandment from God. He interceded for the sins of Israel many times and stood between Israel on May Occasions. But when he sinned against God once, God did not forgive him.

He is DEEP and WIDE.

He is LARGE and HIGH.

His wisdom is past finding out.

Knowing God is knowing that He could do things according to His inexplicable wisdom. He could choose to answer your prayers instantly like when the blind Bartimeaus was instantly healed; and He could put a clay on the blind man’s eyes and tell him to go and wash his face in the pool of Siloam (John 9:5-11). He could answer NOW, and he could delay an answer till LATER.

THAT IS GOD.

Why do you think God loved Abraham and made him His friend? Because Abraham knew God, of course. He waited on God for 25 years till he had the Child, and twelve years later, God told him to go and sacrifice the Child, and Abraham never argues with Him. Abraham believed He could give and take away and yet fulfill the promise He made to make his children be like the stars of the sky.

ABRAHAM KNEW GOD.

Daniel 11:32 NKJV

“…..but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW THEIR GOD AND DID MIGHTY EXPLOITS FOR GOD.

If you are the type who can not withstand a little delay from God…then you do not know your God.

If you are the type who would challenge God and question God for not answering your Prayers at the time the answers are needed, and you would be discouraged and disappointed,

THEN…you do not know your God.

If you are the type who want things to be rosy for you all the time, because you are following God, Then,…. you do not know your God.

If you are the type who is not ready to die for what you believe like those Three Hebrews men, Then…. you do not know your God.

If you are the type who can not hand over back to God, what the Lord had given to you,…. Then you do not know your God.

IF YOU DON’T TRUST ENOUGH TO BELIEVE HE CAN NOT DISAPPOINT YOU, EVEN IF YOUR PRAYERS ARE NOT YET ANSWERED…..YOU DO NOT KNOW YOUR GOD.

AND IF YOU DO NOT KNOW YOUR GOD….

YOU CAN NOT CARRY OUT GREAT AND MIGHTY EXPLOITS FOR GOD.

Your Visions will have more expressions when you have more Knowledge of Your God.

You will be able to do massive exploits for God in 2019,‰ when You know Your God. You will be free from unnecessary Anxiety, because He is in Charge. THAT IS HOW TO KNOW YOUR GOD.

-MIKE BAMILOYE

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