Knowing God

Ginosko

Ginosko is a Greek word meaning: to know, to learn, to come to know or get a knowledge of, perceive, feel, to become known, to understand or to have knowledge of, or progressively know. It's also a Jewish idiom to connote intimacy.

Ephesians 3:16-19 says "I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

When you come into contact with someone for the first time and introduce

yourself, you know who that person is by name, but you don't KNOW who that person is. So we can say therefore that knowing about God and knowing God are two different things. If I ask everyone in a room, 'Do you know God?'; I am sure everyone will raise their hand to indicate a 'yes, they do know God'. However if I ask 'Do you KNOW God?', they might think twice.

We understand by our definition noted earlier that Ginosko is a combination of  things summing up "to know". So ask yourself, "Do I know God? If not how do I get to KNOW God?" Let's consider the steps it takes to get to know someone:

1. Of course after initial introductions, you keep conversations active by listening and responding. Nod your head, display appropriate facial expressions. Smile. Look at your new friend in the eyes. Romans 10:17 says that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So we talk to God via our prayers and we communicate with Him via the knowledge and understanding of His word.

2. Ask questions that require more than a one word response. Don't put the other person in the position to respond with just a "yes" or "no" answer. Instead of asking God "Can you hear me, do you love me?", say to God, "I feel like you don't love me, and I get so worried sometimes, feeling like you're not there and sometimes like my prayers are falling on deaf ears." God will respond saying "My child, as it is written in my word, I love you so much that I gave my only begotten son; (John 3:16) it is also written in my Word that my hand is not too short to deliver you neither my ears deaf that I cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated you from me (Isaiah 59:1). With this response you understand that you need to check inwards, check yourself and examine your life and reconcile yourself to God. (1 Corinthians 13:5)

 3. Don't forget to respond verbally- show interest in what the person is saying. Show that you want to know more about what they know. "Oh God, have mercy on me, according to your loving-kindness (Ps. 51:1-3). Start to confess and repent and show God you want to make amends for the error of your ways. This creates an engaging conversation and prompts deeper questions and answered between you and God.

4. Plan activities that allow you to spend quality time together. Making consistent contact with the other person lets them know that you enjoy their company. So be in constant prayer, praise and worship, have quiet time where God can speak to you in that small still voice. Attend church programs, don't make Sundays a routine; make it an opportunity to have an encounter with God, so also church programs. Attend with the mindset that you are going to meet with God and you want Him to touch you, reveal Himself to you, use you, take you to another realm of the spirit in Him.

5. Learn about their interests and opinions and be honest about your own, this helps the process of getting to know and avoids fake relationships and misplaced intentions. God says "I know the plans I have for you" (Jeremiah 29:11) this illustrates that He has the best intentions for you, "plans to prosper you and give you hope and a future toward an expected end". Let your heart towards God be genuine, after all, He is the only one that can see inwardly, He is the only one that knows your heart, so why not just be real with Him.

After all this when you KNOW your God you can overcome anything. The part b of Daniel 11:32, says that "....those who know their God will be strong and do exploits." Job is an example. All seemed lost and bleak, even his friends mocked him and his God. His wife told him to "curse God and die"; but Job knew his God and stood his ground and became triumphant in the very face of adversity. When you can vouch for your God, your God will vouch for you.

When you know your God you know when you ask in His name you will receive. 1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, he will answer us." When you know your God and you stand confident in Him, He causes your enemies to make fools of themselves.

Abraham knew God and God considered him to be His friend- Abraham knew what he had been through with God, the mercy God showered on him, the challenges and obstacles God brought him through even to have a child at his age of 100 years old. So when God told him to give that child as a burnt offering sacrifice, it was no big deal. He trusted God, He knew God. He knew God's promises are "Yes and Amen".

So let me ask you, "Do you KNOW God?" if you do say "Ginosko"!! If you don't ask me and I will tell you who God is.

OSF