Are you getting the sense that THE V.O.I.C.E. is becoming a monthly article? If so, let me assure you that is not by my design. Thank you for your incredible patience. I do plan on finishing this part of our series on Getting Assurance of Your Salvation during the 21st century. I’m sure that’s a relief to you.

Well, last time I left you, you had just taken the first step up the mountain of assurance (I pray) with Virtue. Wow, that valley fog is starting to thin out a little. It’s becoming increasingly more clear which side of the stream you are on. As you allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate in you that inward purity, that inward strength to resist impurity, you begin seeing the sweet fruit of your new birth growing. Isn’t it refreshing to know the cleanness of Christ within you! Isn’t it renewing to see yourself resisting private temptations of sensual sins in the power of your Lord! Isn’t it revitalizing to have the assurance of the continuing work of Christ in your life as He fits you for His glorious coming! Each evidence of virtue, each blossom of purity, each flower of holiness delights your soul with the sweet assurance of salvation. Even though there are some who would ridicule your stand of virtue, you can endure the hurt because of the immense satisfaction of living without doubt.

Well, we don’t want to stop with the first step alone; there are 6 steps left. We must “move on to perfection.” The Lord desires that we be strengthened, stablished, and settled in our walk with Him. Remember, it’s going to take ALL DILIGENCE as we climb. Don’t get the idea that these next steps are going to get progressively easier. They will actually get more difficult. However, as you climb, you are getting stronger in the Lord. You’re learning to lean on Him in great difficulty. You’re learning that you are weak, but He is strong. That knowledge enables you to continue the journey onward.

STEP TWO: KNOWLEDGE = GETTING TO KNOW GOD

Next, II Peter 1:5 tells us to take the step of knowledge. I want you to see something before we go into detail on this second step. These steps are not given in an arbitrary order. There is a divine order to each of these steps. You will find that it is impossible to take these steps out of order. You may be tempted during our discussion to think, “Well, I have taken that first step, but I have taken some of the other ones.” That is not possible. There is a clear principle that each step must be taken in progression before moving on. Let’s demonstrate this principle with the first two steps.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8

Notice the truth of this verse: one must first be “pure in heart” (have virtue) before they will ever “see God” (knowledge). If you want to take the second step of getting to know God, you must first have a pure heart. There are some who would claim that they know God, “Oh, I read my Bible and pray and go to church. I love God.” However, the same person is involved in an impure relationship with their boyfriend/girlfriend. They may even claim to have devotions together. There are others who attend church and claim to know the Lord intimately, but are living in adultery. Would you assume that they really know God? Certainly, if they have trusted Christ as their Savior, they are saved, but if they are living in sin, God makes it clear that they cannot “see God.” What a shame that many who desire to know the God that saved them are allowing sensual thinking to keep them from genuinely knowing Him. Whoever it is that they claim they are having close fellowship with, be sure of one thing, it is not the true God of the Bible.

DO YOU REALLY KNOW GOD?

“Then said Mary unto the angel, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’”

Luke 1:34

Did Joseph know Mary at this point? We would think, “Sure, of course he knew her. They were formally engaged!” I imagine they may have spent some time talking and getting to know each other. Perhaps Joseph had gazed into Mary’s eyes and memorized the exact shade of blue or brown there. I’m sure that Joseph knew the sound of Mary’s voice so well that he could pick it out in a bustling crowd. No doubt, they had shared with each other their heart’s dreams and aspirations. They had laughed together, cried together, walked together, and deeply enjoyed each other’s company. They probably discussed their philosophies on finances and raising children. Maybe Joseph had told Mary all the details of his work as a carpenter.

However, the Bible tells us that Joseph knew not Mary, and Mary knew not Joseph. Obviously, we know that this word deals with the intimate act of consummation which is only sacred and God-blessed within marriage. Though they were formally engaged, they had not yet consummated their marriage. Though the espousal was legally binding, they still did not know each other. Fact is, Joseph didn’t necessarily know anything about Mary that could not have been known by others close to her. I’m sure her friends and parents knew much of what Mary was like. Joseph knew about Mary, but he did not yet know her intimately.

Sadly, many Christians have the same kind of relationship with God. They are formally espoused to Christ by salvation, but they have never gotten to know Him intimately. It would be of great interest for you to know that the Greek word “knowledge” of II Peter 1:5 is the noun form of the exact same verb used in Luke 1:34 when it says that she “knew” not Joseph. You may know facts about Christ because others have told you about Him. Maybe others have explained aspects of our Lord to you or educated you in some important doctrines from God’s Word. You may have attended Sunday School and heard all the stories. Perhaps you have even taken classes in a Christian college. You know all the right answers on the Bible doctrines test. However, the question is, do you really know God? Do you yourself have an intimate walk with God?

I KNOW SOMEONE WHO KNOWS SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THEM.

Often as I am traveling, I am asked, “Do you know so and so?” Many times, my response is, “Well, I don’t actually know them, but I know someone who knows them.” I have a “second-hand” knowledge of that person. Perhaps I have heard about them from my friend, but I have never been acquainted with them personally. Unfortunately, you may have that same kind of “second-hand” relationship with Christ. Everything you know about God has been taught to you by your pastor, youth pastor, or parent. So, you don’t actually know him intimately yourself; you know someone who knows Him. It’s time that you get to know God for yourself. It’s time that you spend time cultivating a sweet fellowship with the One Who died for you. “How can I do that?” Great question; let’s think about it.

How do I know my wife? Certainly not from listening to someone else spout off facts about her. I know her by spending time with her. Sometimes when we are together we talk. Sometimes I just listen to what she has been thinking. Sometimes we are just with each other silently enjoying the presence of the other. Whatever we are doing, we are getting to know each other more by spending time with each other. It’s just the two of us. We don’t hire an interpreter to come and sit between us to explain to each other what we are saying. It’s directly between my wife and me.

If you want to really get to know God intimately, you must spend time alone with just you and Him. Allow Him to talk to you through His Word. I encourage those of you who are serious about taking this second step to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading God’s Word. What should you do when you read something that confuses you? What would I do if my wife said something to me that confused me? I would ask her what she means. Do just the same with your Father. Vocally ask Him, “What do you mean by this verse? How does this apply to me? What do you want me to know by this passage?” At first, there may be a lot of confusion and even some frustration on your part. That’s understandable. When my wife and I were first married and just starting to really get to know each other, there were some times of frustration and confusion, but we talked it all out. Keep reading, keep talking to the Lord, and keep seeing Him as your very closest Friend Who delights to be with you in sacred privacy.

Then, spend time praying to your Father Who is in heaven. Praying is simply bringing your desires before the only One Who can supply them. Tell Him how much you desire to know Him more and confess your inability as a simple child. Tell Him about every difficulty you are facing and lay the problem before Him in the greatest detail you can. Ask Him to make Himself known to you through the time you spend with Him. Plead with Him to use you to be a witness to the lost. Let Him know about all the little desires you have for your future. Find promises in His Word that you can rehearse before Him and claim for yourself.

“How should I pray?” There is no set way. Many times I like to pace around in a circle and just talk to God while pleading His promises and asking Him to grant my desires. I will stop at times and just sing a song to Him. I will put my face to the ground and pray worshipfully. I will shout loudly to His glorious name. I will laugh with Him about something that amuses me about His wonderful working. I will cry and plead as a child who is very afraid and concerned about something. At times I will just sit before Him and give Him time to speak tenderly to my soul. Sometimes I pray with my eyes open, sometimes with my eyes closed. The way you pray is not necessarily the most important thing as the condition of your heart.

Avoid praying the same words over and over again. Avoid treating God like He is not really interested or listening to you. I try to talk to the Lord out loud. There is something more personal and powerful about actually using the voice God gave you to speak to Him. Talk at the same pace you would normally talk to anyone around you. Tell Him how much you love Him. Prepare different ways in which you can compare God’s greatness to something you saw in nature. Spend sweet intimate time with Him that no one else has to ever know about. Make it a point to never tell anyone about your secret time or your secret place with God. Whenever you are overcome with fear, anxiety, temptation, or hurt, run to that place and seek the face of your Lord.

“Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you...”

Jeremiah 29:12-14a

Remember, you are going to be seeking God with all your heart, so you had better be sure it is a heart filled with virtue. When you are certain you have taken that first step of virtue, you can boldly request that the Lord permit you to intimately know Him. You can begin to walk with Him in such sweet fellowship that you will wonder how you could have ever lived without it!

THE LONGING OF YOUR FATHER

Let me close with an encouragement to you. The Lord deeply longs to have a closer, more intimate relationship with you. His greatest desire is to woo you to Himself. He has loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness has He drawn you to Himself. He so eagerly thirsts for a deeper communion that He gave His body to be brutally murdered to secure the rights to that kind of relationship. He was willing to bare our sins in His own body on the tree and be separated from His own Father in order to one day call us His “Well beloved.” Why would He pay such a great price if He did not earnestly long to be with us? Why would He prepare an eternal home for His special children if He did not passionately long for our companionship? Oh believer, away with all doubts about our Lord’s love for us. His bowels earnestly and compassionately long toward us. We are His delight, His treasure, His children, His sweet bride. Oh how He loves you and me!

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.”

I John 4:16

One of my greatest desires as a father, is that my children know and believe that I love them greatly. Nothing would hurt me more than for them to doubt my earnest love for them. I want them to be secure in my love and desire to spend time with me in return.

My son Noah wants to do everything that dad does. If I’m shaving, he needs his shaving cream too. If I’m going out to change the oil in my truck, Noah is there to say to mom, “I work with Dad, too.” Whatever I’m eating, he wants to be eating. Every now and then we make a very special father-son trip to McDonalds. I order pancakes and a hash brown, and Noah orders the same. Then, as we eat, he wants to make sure that we eat the same thing at the same time and take a drink at the same time. Noah also has a great desire to know what dad is doing when he preaches.

We were holding a revival meeting in South Carolina that had a nursery with a closed-circuit TV for the benefit of the workers. While the workers watched the service on one side of the room, the youngsters watched a little kids' Christian video on the other side. After one of the services, Noah came up to the platform and started pacing back and forth, flailing his arms, and talking very loud. I didn’t know at first what he was doing. One of the nursery workers came up to me and told me what happened in the nursery. As the children sat watching their little video, Noah heard the sound of his dad’s voice, got up and walked over to the workers, sat down, and watched Dad preach the entire sermon. Now it made sense! Noah was trying to preach like Dad!

Of course my heart was warmed to know that my son was so interested in knowing everything about his dad. The same is true with your heavenly Father. God is not satisfied that you simply know things about Him. He wants you to desire to know Him personally and intimately. Do you think I would be happy if my son was satisfied with hearing something about me once a week from his mother? Of course not! It would break my heart. Do you think God is happy if you are satisfied hearing a sermon about Him a few times a week from someone else? Of course not! He wants you to desire to know Him in every way. Boy, it sure won’t happen by accident. No, it’s going to take ALL DILIGENCE if you are going to take the second step of “Knowledge,” but I assure you, the reward will be well worth it.

See you next time!