The Life of Faith (Pt. 8) - Know The Lord Your God
We began this week’s message titled "Know the Lord your God.", by reading Hebrews 11:1–3 (AMP), highlighting that faith is the title deed and confirmation of our divinely guaranteed hopes, and the conviction of unseen realities. We emphasized that by faith, the universe was framed by God's word.
We also read 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NKJV), reflecting on David’s final words to his son Solomon, urging him to "know the God of your father" and serve Him with a loyal heart and willing mind. This pointed Solomon back to God who had lifted, defended, and established his Father, David, throughout his life.
Faith-Driven Actions
Faith isn’t just internal—it produces visible actions. If we truly have faith, it will naturally show through steps we take, without needing to convince anyone. Faith is believing and acting on what we know about God. We highlighted that in Hebrews 11, faith-driven actions fall into two categories:
God-initiated actions - obedience to His instructions (like Noah building the ark, Abraham moving to a new land, and Moses keeping the Passover)
Self-initiated actions - steps we take based on an understanding of God's nature (like Abel offering a better sacrifice and Rahab protecting the spies)
The Bible honors both as true acts of faith. Now, this should cause us to live lives with actions that clearly show, “by faith, they did this”? Faith must always produce action—faith without works is dead.
Faith Requirements
Faith, at its most basic level, is trust and confidence in God—and trust requires knowledge. Just as we wouldn't trust a stranger, it's unwise to claim trust in God without truly knowing Him.
True faith is rooted in experiential knowledge of God. All the heroes of faith in Scripture acted from a place of knowing Him personally, and the same is required of us.
God has given us His Word as a sworn affidavit—an unbreakable promise. Scripture is a legal document we can stand on, knowing God cannot lie. Faith grows as we learn to litigate with His Word, just like Moses did.
Like Job, who moved from hearing about God to seeing Him through trials, we deepen our relationship with God through both blessings and hardships. Our faith strengthens as we grow in the knowledge of God (Daniel 11:32, Jeremiah 9:23–24), and true discernment comes from knowing God's heart, not just His acts.
How to Know God
Desire to know Him
We learned that the first step to knowing God is desiring Him as Paul expressed in Philippians 3:10: “That I may know Him.”. Moses also prayed, "Show me Your ways," despite all his miracles. He still wanted a deeper relationship beyond God's acts. God called Moses His friend, speaking with him face-to-face (Exodus 33). Like David, who desired only to dwell in God's presence (Psalm 27:4), we must have a true hunger to know God personally—not just to experience His works.
Look Through Scripture
We were reminded to approach the Bible with a heart that says, "God, I want to see You." Every time we read Scripture this way, we gain a deeper revelation of who God is. Scripture teaches us His character—like how faithfulness, not just prayer, leads to increase. As we read, we should always ask, "What does this reveal about God?" Our knowledge of Him must grow week by week.
By the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
We reflected on Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:17, asking God to give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him more deeply. Beyond reading Scripture, the Holy Spirit personally teaches and reveals God's nature to us, enlightening our understanding. As we stay open, even ordinary experiences can become moments where God reveals Himself to us in powerful ways.
Spend Time Talking to God
We grow in the knowledge of God by talking to Him—spending consistent time in His presence. Just like any relationship deepens through communication, our understanding of God grows as we make time to speak with Him and listen for His voice.
Learn Through Experience
We grow in the knowledge of God through real-life experiences, just like Job and Moses. After crossing the Red Sea, Moses sang a new song because of what he learned about God through that encounter (Exodus 15). Both trials and blessings reveal God's nature—His faithfulness, provision, and deliverance. We must not waste our experiences; in every season, there is something about God to discover and know firsthand.
Learn Through the Experiences of Others
We also grow in the knowledge of God by valuing others’ testimonies. Like Jethro in Exodus 18, who said "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods" after hearing Moses’ stories, we should rejoice in others’ testimonies instead of doubting them. Others’ experiences can reveal God's character to us and strengthen our faith if we respond with humility and gratitude rather than cynicism.