How to know God

    As I was praying this morning these thoughts came into my mind. I had a best friend in grade school; today we rarely talk.  I became friends with an older woman a few years ago; we talk once a week.  I have another older woman friend; we talk every day. We share pretty much everything about ourselves and our family, our hopes and dreams, our sorrows and pains.  Which of these three do you think that knows me the best? Which one do I know the best? 

    Many people know ABOUT God. "Yes, there is a God," many might say, but do they KNOW God? I mean because God is infinite, we cannot know EVERYTHING about who God is, obviously, but do we have a relationship with Him?  Do you think of Him like a sort of santa claus; here's my wish list, and if I don't get the things on my list then I won't believe in you anymore? Do you talk to God once a week, in church? Once in a while when you need something? I have heard it said that we should practice the presence of God. In other words, pretend for a moment that He is walking beside you every moment of every day. (Which is, in fact, the case). When you wake up, even before you jump out of bed, speak with Him. I have heard of people who set an hourly alarm to remind them to say a prayer every hour on the hour.  Now these aren't long drawn out prayers, nor are they simply a repetition of, "Our Father, who art in Heaven...", but maybe just a quick, thanks for a specific blessing, or they are reminded of a person in their past that they want to ask a blessing over. We have the example of Daniel, in Daniel chapter 6:10 "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." Morning, noon and night are great times to say a prayer to God. When you get up ask Him to be with you during the day and turn yourself and your day over to His capable hands. In the middle of the day praise Him for something. And before you go to sleep, Thank Him for all His blessings. https://www.bible.com/bible/1/DAN.6.KJV

    And how might you ask does God talk to me?  Occasionally one might have a thought, for lack of a better term, downloaded, into their brains. If we learn to listen to these promptings God will make them more distinguishable from the other thoughts that meander through our brains.(Be careful to discern whether the thought is from God or satan.) Isaiah 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ISA.8.KJV In other words, if a thought goes against Biblical teachings then it isn't from God. So one must know what the Bible teaches in order to be able to discern which "spirit" is speaking to them, God's or satan's.  When we ignore these thoughts, eventually they grow quieter and quieter until we can no longer hear them at all.  This is when our consciences become seared and we have grieved God's Holy Spirit away. The other way we hear from God is through His written word. How many of you take a Bible with you to church? After church does it just come home and get put on a shelf until next week? Many people, who say that they read the Bible, have a yearly reading plan and they simply read the words, but usually gain very little of it.  The Bible itself says, in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/2TI.2.KJV Study involves more that just a cursory reading; it even involves more that simply memorizing verses, Although these things are good, in and of themselves, study involves taking a specific passage and comparing it with other scripture, as Isaiah 28:10 "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:" https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ISA.28.KJV  Some passages of scripture are pretty straight forward, but even these can be compare with other scriptures to get a wider picture. Other scripture is more difficult to understand and a good concordance will help with these studies. There is a dire warning in Matthew 7:21 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/MAT.7.KJV There will be many people who think that just because they read the Bible, or preached sermons, or did many wonderful works that they should be saved, but they didn't really KNOW God. If we don't take time to talk to God, not just in a hurried, or repetitive, or in a nominal way. If we don't take time to read AND study God's word, then He will one day say, "I never knew you."  That will be the saddest day of anyone's life. The following link is a ministry that I have found that does this "line by line" kind of Bible study. The link is the beginning of their study on the book of Daniel.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YARGSoQ80K0&list=PLa2xyjHSwcZ3EQgXyoAsILqBjySEC76_7&index=111 And here is the link for the first study guide. https://www.prophesyagain.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/01/Notes/Daniel-the-Prophet-Daniel-1.pdf  I pray that each of you will get to know God better every day and one day be in heaven.