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What Keeps me from Knowing God? Are you trapped by a particular sin that you seem to struggle with habitually? The word sin is defined as lawlessness or transgression of God's will, either by omitting to do what God's law requires or by doing what it forbids. The transgression can occur in thought (1 John 3:15), word (Matt 5:22), or deed (Rom 1:32). (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers). According to 1 John 3:5-10, a person who practices or is a habitual sinner does not know God and is identified as being of the devil. If being associated with the devil does not bother you, then you certainly don't know God nor does He know you. How Can I know God? You can know God today! The first step is to acknowledge that you are a sinner and in need of deliverance from your sinful ways, and you need to be delivered to God and His ways. This honesty comes by way of the Holy Spirit, who is the One who convicts you of the sin that you are involved in. A good gauge of being convicted by the Holy Spirit is when you feel guilty about sin, and develop a Godly sorrow for what you have done. You acknowledge your actions as sin, and you sense an overwhelming sorrow that penetrates deep into your thought patterns when you are all alone, and your conscious can't escape the thought of what you have done. Repentance The next step towards knowing God is repentance. After acknowledging your sin, and sensing a Godly sorrow for your wrong, you are now ready to take the next step. You need to repent. Repentance is turning away from your sin, and turning to God for help. It is a complete abandonment from sin and rebelling against God, to actions that illustrate noticeable and practical changes in attitude, character, and lifestyle. 1John 1:9 says, "If we confess (or agree with God that we have sinned), our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Believe Now that you have a change of heart and actions about sin, and you have confessed your sins to God, you must now believe that God has forgiven you. Not only do you need Him to forgive you, but you need Him to acknowledge you as His child. This happens when you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and that He is your Savior and Master for life. He becomes your Savior because He is the One who delivered you from your life of sin and now has given you a life of righteousness through His death on the cross. This is the beginning of knowing God. Now you must be baptized and become a part of a local Church assembly. It is in that environment that you will continue to mature, learn who God is, His way of living your life in Him, through Him, and for Him. "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Col 1:13-14 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:11-14 11 "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Rom 10:9-10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph 2:8-10
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