Knowing God

Do you know facts about God?

Or do you KNOW God intimately?

There is a difference. God wants you to know Him relationally, deeply, and intimately. He doesn’t want you to simply know facts about Him.

When you know Him, you find eternal life (John 17:3; I John 5:20). Think about that: eternal life is knowing God, not knowing a bunch of facts about God, but knowing Him relationally.

Christianity is NOT a bunch of rules, rituals, and do’s/don’t’s. It teaches a relationship with God through Jesus Christ only Who is the way and the truth and the life.

God is relational. Read all the books you want, but when it comes down to it, talk to Him in prayer and listen to Him in Spirit and in the truth of His Word. Then, trust Him by obeying what He says because when you truly know Him, you know He is good. He will take care of you.

In fact, He likes you.

-Mark (God likes me better than I like myself)

What is the “heart” biblically speaking?

Society mistakenly promotes the “heart” as ONLY emotions sometimes today but the “heart” refers to the central part and CORE of someone’s inner person.

The HEART, biblically speaking, includes THINKING according to Strong’s Concordance: “fountain of thoughts…”

So when you think of your heart, think about your inner self including thoughts, emotions, attitudes, desires, passions, motives, etc. and you’ll better be able to understand what the Bible means by “heart.”

We are to trust God with all of our heart (Prov. 3:5) and we are to love God with all of our heart (Matt. 22:37). In biblical counseling, this is what we direct our counselees to do every daybecause only God can be fully trusted. God has the power to transform hearts and to conform them into His heart of compassion. Then, He gives us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:3-7) as we delight ourselves in Him!

-Mark (thankful God changed my heart and gave me the capacity to love and trust in Jesus Christ)

Where’s the Bible say “trust God”? (part 4)

Isaiah 26:3-4 states (ESV):

“You keep him in perfect peace
   whose mind is stayed on you,
   because he trusts in you.
⁴Trust in the LORD forever,
   for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”

What a promise from the Lord!

We have to  keep our minds focused upon Him! We need friends and loved ones to help us with this. We need the truth of God’s Word to do this. We must read it and meditate upon it daily to keep our minds on Him, but then here’s the awesome promise of God: He’ll give us peace! His peace, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

Doing our part to focus on Him enables us to better trust Him!

I’m convinced that the more we know God relationally, the more we will trust Him. That’s why biblical counseling is so powerful! What a message to tell people daily!

-Mark (being intentional in my thinking these days to stay focused upon the Lord)

Where’s the Bible say “trust other people”? (part 3)

Again, I know I am beating a dead horse but it’s amazing to me how many people COUNT on other people (aka TRUST).

People are going to disappoint you. They’ll even hurt you. Sometimes, unintentionally but sometimes intentionally. We must not be devastated when it happens according to Romans 12:21a (ESV): “Do not be overcome by evil…” When others are evil against you, do not allow it to overcome you! Period!

The last part of that verse is what you are to do in response to evil: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).

Trust in the Lord even in your difficult trials knowing that He allows us to experience difficulties that He might receive glory and that we might grow into the image of Christ!

-Mark (trusting the Lord more each day)

Where’s the Bible say “trust your SPOUSE”? (part 2)

Remember Prov. 3:5-8 tells us NOT to trust ourselves but only to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts.

So where does the Bible say that you must trust your spouse?

Someone who had been cheated on by a spouse committing adultery asked me once, “How will I ever be able to trust ANYONE again?”

To which I replied with the question, “where in the Bible does God tell you to trust your spouse?” The person responded “no where” and then with “I am called to trust in the Lord.”

Now, in marriage, trust does build. As two persons are faithful, they learn to trust each other more but ultimately, they must be trusting in Christ alone. He will reveal to them what is going on in His timing, for His glory, and for their own good!

God is love and can be trusted completely. Anyone else falls short.

Jeremiah 32:17 (KJV): “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.”

Jeremiah 32:26-27: “Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”

By God’s own Word, He tells us to trust Him since He can do anything He wants and He loves you and I! Think about the implications of this for biblical counseling!

-Mark (basking in the glow of God’s glory in my life as I trust Him alone for eternity)

Where’s the Bible say “trust yourself”? (part 1)

Where in the Bible does it say to trust yourself?

Prov. 3:5 tells us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”

The Bible teaches us to trust in the Lord completely and fully.

Proverbs 3:6 goes further: “In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” This tells us to acknowlege God in ALL areas of our lives, not just “spiritual” ones.

Proverbs 3:7 warns us: “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.”

We are warned NOT to be wise in our own eyes!

So, is the phrase, “Trust your heart” biblical or unbiblical?

Jeremiah the prophet had a better heart than any of us and he said this about his own heart in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it?”

If Jeremiah considered his own heart to be deceitful, how much more should we NOT trust ourselves!?!

Trust the Lord. Doubt yourself.

-Mark (trusting God at His Word)

People are quick to say “I believe” but I wish people would say “I will obey”

Seems like every counselee and church-goer I know is quick to say “I believe God’s Word” but very few are willing to say, “I will obey God’s Word.”

When we fail to obey His Word, we are really saying by our actions, “God, Your Word is true but I don’t think it’s very powerful. I don’t believe it will change my life.”

You may disagree but many times, this is true. We all should trust God and take Him at His Word by obeying Him. Our Father knows best!

We serve an infinitely wise God. He is so awesome! He is amazing! Let’s trust Him today by doing what He commands.

-Mark (serving an amazing God)