How revelation brings us closer to knowing and understanding God
Paul prayed for the Ephesian church regularly. One of the things he prayed is that they would have revelation knowledge about God and His love for them.
Ephesians 1:17 says, “[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him” (AMP).
There’s nothing more important than knowing God loves you and that He desires an intimate relationship with you. We all need to have a revelation about that.
You see, there is a difference between information and revelation. No matter how much information you get, if it never turns into revelation it’s not going to do you a whole lot of good.
Maybe you’re like me and you have a Bible that looks more like a coloring book with highlights in every color, lots of underlines, stars all over the place. Well, that can actually be deceiving because if we have something underlined, we may think we know it. But until we’re actually applying what we’ve learned, all we’ve really done is decorate our Bible.
When God gives us the gift of revelation, we’ve learned something that can’t ever be taken away.
After everything he went through, Job was able to say, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (see Job 19:25). That’s the kind of spiritual revelation God wants us all to have.
Why Unbelievers “Just Don’t Get You”
When you receive Christ, you’re given a measure of revelation. You know that God is real and you can begin to know Him in a very personal way. That’s something the world just doesn’t get. Without revelation they won’t ever have a relationship with Him.
The Bible says in John 14:17, “The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.”
Don’t ever get mad at an unbeliever because “they just don’t get you.” You don’t need to spend another Thanksgiving trying to convince your unsaved relatives that God is real. If God opens a door for you to witness to them, He will help you do it with a sweet spirit. But if you find yourself on the verge of an argument, drop it. Don’t let the devil steal your peace.
We never need to compromise to please others. We just need to learn how to meet them where they are and be the best example of God’s love that we can be.
The Endless Advantages of Being a Believer
It’s so wonderful to know God and be able to talk with Him. There are so many advantages to knowing God! With Him we’re not hopeless. When we get disappointed we can quickly get reappointed. And when we make a mistake we can receive forgiveness from God immediately, knowing that Jesus has set us free.
Paul said, “I pray that … your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ” (Philem. 1:6, ESV).
Here are just a few of the things the Bible says we have in Christ:
We are loved unconditionally. Chosen by God. Adopted as His own. Redeemed. Forgiven. Delivered from sin and all its effects. We have God’s favor and mercy. We are joint heirs with Christ. And no matter what the enemy takes from us or does to us, God works everything out for our good.
You can have revelation knowledge of all these things. Think and pray about them. Talk about them. Share with others how God is working in your life.
Enjoy all the benefits of knowing Him personally.
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times best-selling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored nearly 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Do Yourself a Favor … Forgive (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs. For more information, visit joycemeyer.org. To read her past columns in Charisma, visit charismamag.com/meyer.
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