“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” 1 John 2:3 (ESV) Is it possible to know God by experience? As Henry Blackaby says, “You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.” God reveals Himself to you so that you can know Him personally and experience Him continually. God blesses obedience. Obedience is the outward expression of your love of God. The reward of obedience and love is that He will reveal Himself to you. Henry Blackaby affirms, “If you have an obedience problem, you have a love problem.” Your love for the Lord will be demonstrated by your obedience to the Lord. “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is 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 (ESV) Obedience requires total dependence on God to work through you. Knowing God and doing His will requires His power. To complete a God-sized assignment requires God’s supernatural enabling. Will you fully rely on God to empower you to fulfill His mission? God has uniquely designed you and equipped you to fulfill His purposes upon the earth. Practice instant obedience and come to know God by experience. You will be able to testify of His faithfulness as you join God in His activity. Take a moment to assess your level of obedience? Have you obeyed what you already know to be God’s will? Walk in the light God gives you and wait for His timing before you take the next step. Affirmation comes after obedience. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Knowing God
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” 1 John 2:3 (ESV) Is it possible to know God by experience? Let’s examine the final Experiencing God reality: You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you. God reveals Himself to you so that you can know Him personally and experience Him continually. God blesses obedience. Obedience is the outward expression of your love of God. The reward of obedience and love is that He will reveal Himself to you. As Henry Blackaby says, “If you have an obedience problem, you have a love problem.” Your love for the Lord will be demonstrated by your obedience to the Lord. “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is 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 (ESV) Obedience requires total dependence on God to work through you. Knowing God and doing His will requires His power. To complete a God-sized assignment requires God’s supernatural enabling. Will you fully rely on God to empower you to fulfill His mission? God has uniquely designed you and equipped you to fulfill His purposes upon the earth. Practice instant obedience and come to know God by experience. You will be able to testify of His faithfulness as you join God in His activity. Take a moment to assess your level of obedience? Have you obeyed what you already know to be God’s will? Walk in the light God gives you and wait for His timing before you take the next step. Affirmation comes after obedience. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
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Knowing God
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Eph 1:17 (NIV) God wants you to know Him intimately. God invites you into the process. You must participate with God in developing and maintaining intimacy with Him. He makes the relationship possible through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. You get the privilege of knowing God and growing in your knowledge of God. Paul had a loving desire to see the saints at Ephesus grow in their relationship with God. From prison he prayed for their sanctification. Meditate on his prayer. Why would Paul pray that God would give the saints at Ephesus the Spirit of wisdom and revelation? He prayed that specifically so that they would know God better. In other words, there is room to grow. Yes, there’s more to explore. We are finite. God is infinite. There’s so much more to know about God and more to explore in knowing God. The beauty of a love relationship with God is that it is progressive. You can continually grow to know God more. What a privilege! What an honor! What a responsibility! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matt 14:13-14 (NIV) After hearing of John the Baptist’s death, Jesus chose to embrace solitude in order to connect with our Heavenly Father. Jesus modeled the value of knowing God intimately. When interruptions arise, turn them into opportunities to take your love relationship with God to the next level. Hurricane Ike has given many of us in the Houston area the necessity to embrace a different pace. Our entire region has shifted into survival mode. Families are coming together and working together to do life together through the backside of this storm. What an opportunity to know Christ more! “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Phil 3:10-11 (NIV) “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8 (NIV) As followers of Christ, we have the privilege of determining our level of intimacy with God. God invites us to know Him personally and intimately through our relationship with Jesus. Whatever you are facing during this season of life, make the choice to daily draw near to God. There’s more to explore! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Knowing God
Years ago I read J. I. Packer’s book, Knowing God. I recently picked it up again and read it. Your walk with God will be enhanced and your passion for God will be intensified by reading Packer’s book. Make a commitment to secure a copy at a local library or bookstore and feast on it. God wants you to know Him intimately. That doesn’t just happen. You must participate with God in developing and maintaining intimacy with Him. He makes the relationship possible through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. You get the privilege of knowing God and growing in your knowledge of God. Paul had a loving desire to see the saints at Ephesus grow in their relationship with God. From prison he prayed for their sanctification. Meditate on his prayer. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Eph 1:17 (NIV) Why would Paul pray that God would give the saints at Ephesus the Spirit of wisdom and revelation? He prayed that specifically so that they would know God better. In other words, there is room to grow. Yes, there’s more to explore. We are finite. God is infinite. There’s so much more to know about God and more to explore in knowing God. The beauty of a love relationship with God is that it is progressive. You can continually grow to know God more. What a privilege! What an honor! What a responsibility! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care