“How do I get to know God better?”
I can’t tell you how many times people ask me this question. Do you pray more to get to know God? Do you read the Bible more? Is there a magic formula to use to get close to God? Well, there’s no magic formula, but there are some powerful answers to this question. Can I share them with you?
There are five foundational principles that J.I. Packer lays out in his book Knowing God that determine the path to which we take to get to know God. Each of these principles have life-changing truths. Read through this list and see how God will use these questions and principles to enhance your perspective:
01 | God has spoken to mankind about Himself in His Word.
The Bible is God’s story to us about His ultimate plan to restore the world through the message of Jesus. It’s where we learn the most about who God is based on what He says about Himself.
Packer adds a phrase at the end of this principle “[God’s Word was] given to us to make us wise unto salvation.” Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10 talk about the fear of the Lord being the beginning of wisdom.
This ‘fear’ is our recognition of how awe-inspiring and holy our God is. We get to know God better by understanding first who He is through Scripture.
Ask yourself, “How do I recognize who God is in my life?”
02 | God is Lord and King over His world.
God rules all things for His own glory and displays His perfection in all that He does. From the magnitude of space to the intricacies of an atom, we see His glory and sovereignty on display.
Read Psalm 47:5-9 to see the Sons of Korah’s response to God’s sovereignty. Does it match your own response?
03 | God is our Savior and gave His Son Jesus to redeem people into a relationship with Himself.
God revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus.You cannot know God without recognizing who Jesus is in return. It’s through Jesus that we can be forgiven of our sins and restored back to God.
Consider who Jesus is in your life. Have you let Jesus change your life?
04 | God is Triune.
God reveals Himself to us in three persons: God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is essential to our understanding of who God is.
Do you know how each member of the Trinity guides your life? Many believers tend to overlook the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Take time to study the Holy Spirit this week.
05 | Godliness is only obtained by a person responding to God’s revelation of Himself through obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service.
We cannot draw closer to God on our own merits. It’s only by getting to know the depth of our depravity that we can truly recognize His work in our hearts. Growing in godliness is associated with discipline, like being disciplined in your time and commitments. It’s where we draw the word disciple.
Ask yourself, “How disciplined am I in faithfully following God’s direction on my life?” How we follow God is a direct reflection of what we believe about Him to be true.
