Do You Know Him?

When I was growing up, my mom attended a certain church and took me with her. Later, she attended a different church or religion. During the Summer we kids went to yet another church that had a Summer school-type setting. In an effort to get rid of us kids for a few hours and hopefully instill some good in us, my mom forced us to attend every Summer. I began to notice the differences in the religious beliefs and wondered why these churches believed things about God differently. The services and programs were conducted differently and the strictness from one to the other differed as well. I was confused. One day when I was about 10 years old, I found a Bible in a drawer and began to read it, trying to figure out what the ‘right religion’ was. The Bible was very difficult for me to understand and I was more confused than ever! Especially about who God was and who I was supposed to be praying to. Who had the power up there anyway? I prayed to everyone I could think of, that I thought was up in Heaven, for answers and begged God to show me the truth and to lead me to Him.

I was hungry for God and desired the truth about Him and the Bible. I longed for understanding and at such a young age I knew I needed Him in my life, or I just wouldn’t make it. I searched the Bible, I prayed for God to show Himself to me even though I was a little afraid of Him. In my mind, God was this huge powerful entity, living in the sky and watching every bad thing I did. He was sitting on a throne with a big stick in His hand waiting to strike me with lightning because I was bad. But still, I wanted to know who He was and despite my fears, I kept praying.

Many things happened in the next few years, from trauma to depression, to addiction, and heartbreak. But I never gave up wanting to know about God and truth. Some days I thought I was insane, and some days I hated everything about life. Many times I just wanted to give up on myself, but something kept me going. Something kept me striving for a relationship with God.

A few years later, God answered that prayer! And led me to where I am now. To a place where truth is preached. A place where the Bible is believed to be the true Word of God. It was a place where I received the revelation of the fact that Jesus Christ is God. Over time God showed me that He is a loving and patient God, and desires a relationship with us. He isn't some scary entity who is just waiting to hand out punishment when we are ‘bad.’ But rather He wants us to have eternal life with Him. It’s the reason He came to earth to die for us.

Yes, sometimes hearing different beliefs and different interpretations of the scriptures can be confusing. But I know through experience that if you have a true desire to know the truth, God will reveal it to you. If you ask God with an open mind to show you His truth, not man’s, through a divine revelation of who He really is, your eyes will be opened, and He will guide you to truth. Maybe through teaching, or maybe as you read and study the Bible. It can be through preaching you listen to or even through this blog. But know that He knows you and loves you, and He wants you to know Him in a more personal way.

2 Peter 3:9

1 John 4:9-10

John 3:16

John 1:1, John 1:14, Isaiah 9:6, 1 Timothy 3:16.

Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 145:18, Deuteronomy 4:29, Matthew 7:7-8