BE STILL AND KNOW

(An excerpt from my book Hearing God’s Voice Every Day!)

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10

In my study along these lines, I came across this verse. Now I have heard this verse and read it hundreds if not thousands of times. I have used it and quoted it many, many times in ministering to others and in my preaching and teaching. However, I had never taken the time to study this verse. I mean it seemed self-explanatory. I have found that it is often these seemingly obvious verses that once expounded become much larger and more meaningful. Well, this verse is one of those verses. This verse went off inside my being like an explosion.

Be STILL in Hebrew is a verb that is causative and in the imperative tense. That means is before we even can look at what this word means, we need to look at how it is used. Being causative means that whatever this thing is, it causes a result or another action. It leads to something else. That it is in the imperative tells us that it is forceful, a directive, much like a command. This is not optional. So, before we even look at what the definition of this word is, we have an understanding that it is not an option but a directive from the Lord and it will cause something else to happen and follow.

The definition of the word is: to be alone (alone with God), relax, abate, withdraw, refrain, cease. What are we to relax, withdraw, refrain from, or cease from? Talking. BE QUIET. Yep! That is what it means. STOP TALKING. STOP THINKING. If we will do this. If you follow this directive, then it will cause something else to happen.

And KNOW in Hebrew is also a verb. This verb though is casual, although still in the imperative. Casual means that it will happen easily, it just happens. If you do this, then that will happen type of thing. So, to have the “knowing” part of this verse we must first accomplish the “stilling” part of the verse. And the word still being in the imperative tells us again this is not an option. Serving and seeking God is not an a la carte type of thing where we can pick and choose what and how we want to do it. Even though that seems to be a prevalent thought and idea these days, it is not accurate. If we want to receive the promises and blessings God has for us, many times we must follow the prescribed method that God has indicated. In this case… If we want to know that He is God, we must first be still. The reason why is that the word know is the word YADA in Hebrew. This word YADA is huge. Yes, it means to know, but so much more. To see, observe, reflect, hear, perceive, and recognize. It is a word used much about the prophets and prophetic visions and seeing into the future even. It is not just to acknowledge; it is to know things that you cannot know otherwise. It is revelation from God. It is hearing the voice of God.

So, in summary, if we want to hear the voice of God, clearly. (To see and understand), We need to be quiet. We need to stop talking. We need to stop thinking, (trying to figure things out). We need to quiet our mouths and our minds. If we will do this, then the knowing will come. The revelation. The hearing from God. Will happen and happen easily, without effort.

ALONE WITH GOD

We see Jesus alone with God in prayer (Matthew 14:23). And after His time alone in prayer with God, He is seen walking on the water to the disciples and He rescues them. (Matthew 14:25) How did he “know” to go rescue them from up on top of the mountain where He was praying? Jesus said, “I only do those things I see my Father do” (John 5:19). Jesus was “still” with God the Father and in so doing, He “knew” from God the Father what to do.

In another example, we see when the disciples were alone with Jesus, they were “still” with Jesus, that Jesus expounded or made them to “know” all things. (Mark 4:34). Receiving revelation is knowing.

Another time Jesus was alone in prayer and the disciples joined Him, they were “still” (Luke 9:18) and right after this time of being still, Peter has the revelation that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus told Peter only the Father can reveal or make you “know” this information. And this was different information than what the religious leaders and the masses had. It was even different information than the rest of the other apostles had at the time. (Matthew 16:18)

It is important to be alone with God. To spend time alone with Him. For it is in these times that we encounter the Creator of the universe and Lover of our souls. When we can be still and quiet in His presence and just wait on Him: He shows up; He speaks; He delivers; He heals; He reveals; He refreshes. Wait patiently on the Lord.

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Waiting on the Lord causes a renewing and refreshing of our soul. It gives us strength to go beyond the natural limitations of our physical body. It gives us endurance.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. Psalm 130:5

When waiting on the Lord our soul waits. That is our mind, will, and emotions. So, we are to calm and silence our mind, our will, and our emotions. We wait in silence on Him and hope in His word.

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. ²He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. ³He has put a new song in my mouth– Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear And will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3

When we wait on Him, He hears us, and He delivers us, He sets us on solid ground and establishes us. We can have confidence that we are stable and secure. We are SAFE. He also puts a new song in our mouths. This speaks of revelation. He fills our mouths with revelation straight from Him. This revelation bypasses our mind and our will as they are silent and quiet as we wait. This shows us the spontaneous nature of revelation. It is all by grace.

(An excerpt from my book Hearing God’s Voice Every Day!)

STILL SMALL VOICE

(An excerpt from my book Hearing God’s Voice Every Day!)

Many people talk about the “still small voice”. I know I have heard about God’s still small voice from the very beginning of my Christian walk over 40 years ago. Yes. I have been walking with God for over 40 years. Wow! I have to say that just hit me, on another level. And seeing it written down here on the page myself, it was like a mini revelation hit me in my spirit. That still small voice churning inside me leaving an impression of something I will research, look up and pray on it. I will share this with you, there is something about doing something for 40 days or 40 years in the Bible. Many things happened after 40 years or 40 days. I feel extremely excited and encouraged about this.

THE BACKGROUND

This still small voice that we talk about comes from a reference in the Bible. The event happened with Elijah and is recorded in 1 Kings 19.

Elijah had pronounced a drought on the land (1 Kings 17:1) that lasted three and a half years (James 5:17). He gave this pronouncement to King Ahab. King Ahab was one of the most wicked and evil kings of Israel that ever lived. He was married to Jezebel who was a worshipper and prophetess of Baal. She was evil, a witch, a false prophet, and a devil worshipper. After giving this pronouncement Elijah left for the Brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:3-7) where God miraculously fed him with bread and meat for about a year until the brook dried up. He then went to Zarephath which is in Sidon. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, except that Jezebel was Queen of the Sidonians. She was from Sidon and lived in Sidon. Here again, God miraculously provided for Elijah by means of a widow woman who did not have enough to feed her or her son, so they were about to eat their last meal of a small cake from a handful of flour and a little bit of oil before they died. (1 Kings 17:8-12) But God not only miraculously sustained Elijah, He also miraculously provided for this widow woman and her son for two and a half more years until the drought ended. (1 Kings 17:16-16). During Elijah’s stay with them, this woman’s son dies, and Elijah raises him from the dead. (1 Kings 17:17-24). I hope you are getting the picture here. Elijah was a mighty man of God. He hears from God and does what God says to him. He is experiencing and performing many miracles. These miracles are a confirmation stamp of his hearing from God. I mean he knows how to hear from God. Look, he heard from God and did what he had heard and then miracles happened. And he heard and did these things amid some scary and difficult situations.

He then challenges Ahab, Jezebel, and 450 of her false prophets of Baal as well as 400 false prophets of Asherah to a duel. (1 Kings 18:19). Ahab and Jezebel had sent out decrees everywhere and made it known that they were hunting for and wanting to kill Elijah. And anyone that knew where Elijah was and did not report it would be put to death. Jezebel had been hunting down all of God’s prophets and killing them, not just Elijah. As I read about this I can visualize and think of the movie series Star Wars. Do you remember how the evil emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader hunted down and killed all the Jedi? During this manhunt, Elijah shows himself to Ahab again (1 Kings 18:17). There is a great challenge between Elijah and 850 of Jezebel’s false prophets. In this showdown, the fire of God comes down from heaven and consumed the offering and all the water that Elijah had poured on it. Elijah then proceeds to execute with a sword all 850 of these false prophets (1 Kings 18:20-40). It is events like this that cause me to ask questions. This is no small feat. I mean he had to swing a sword at least 850 times. If he killed them each on the first attempt. And what about the rest? Did they all just stand there in line waiting their turn for Elijah to kill them? Did they resist at all? Something miraculous was happening for Elijah to be able to execute them all. Just imagine lifting your hand 850 times with nothing in it, let alone a heavy sword. After this event, Elijah tells Ahab, now the drought is over, and the heavy rain is coming. Ahab leaves and heads for Jezreel in his chariot – the King’s Chariot – the fastest chariot in the land – to beat the rain. God’s Spirit then comes upon Elijah and Elijah outruns on foot Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel, by the Spirit of the Lord. These events are chalked full of one miracle after another. Another sign attesting to Elijah hearing from God.

Ahab tells Jezebel about what happened, and Jezebel sends a message to Elijah that she will do the same to Elijah, that Elijah had done to her false prophets, by this same time the very next day. When Elijah heard this, he ran for his life. We next find Elijah hiding under a tree. He is feeling sorry for himself and asks God to take his life. Elijah then falls asleep. I have experienced this type of sorrow; I would actually classify it as depression. Where the desire to live, to do anything, is gone and all your mind and body want to do is escape in sleep. There is no energy left in your body. Next, an Angel shows up and wakes Elijah from his sleep and feeds him. Elijah eats what the Angel gives him and then Elijah falls back asleep. The Angel shows up another time and feeds Elijah again. After eating what the Angel fed him, Elijah falls back asleep again. A third time the Angel of the Lord wakes Elijah up and feeds him. This time the Angel tells him that his next journey is too great, and he will need the nourishment of this food being fed to him. He travels for 40 days and 40 nights on the strength of that food and ends up in a cave on Mount Horeb. (1 Kings 19:1-8).

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

In his flight from Jezebel Elijah tells God he is done. He “taps out”, or “throws in the towel” if you understand that analogy. In wrestling if a competitor no longer wants to continue, he taps the mat; in boxing, they can throw a towel in over the ropes; and when the referee sees this he will step in and end the fight. It is a sign of resignation or surrender. Elijah was giving up, he no longer wanted to fight in this battle. He asks God to take his life. Notice Elijah did not die that night, but he was done. I can relate to this thinking and feeling. Sometimes you just get tired of fighting. We are in a battle, a fight against the enemy of our soul. Our enemy is not constrained by the natural limitations of food, water, and sleep that we in our natural bodies are. God has given us a comforter to help us. The Holy Spirit. He helps us and strengthens us when we are weak and tired.

Elijah has just spent the night in this cave on Mount Horeb and the word of the LORD came to him saying “What are you doing here Elijah?”. Elijah starts to complain in modern terms “I love God and have been His faithful servant, but God’s people have forsaken their covenant with Him and burned the churches and now they want to kill me too.” Elijah’s response did not answer the question that God asked him. “What are you doing here?” Elijah was still caught up in feeling sorry for himself. Raise your hand if you have ever been there. I see that hand. If you are being honest with yourself your hand is raised just like mine is.

I find it interesting that during this exchange God is still speaking to Elijah and Elijah is still clearly hearing the Lord speak with him the whole time.

The next thing we see is God passing by the opening of the cave and as He does there are demonstrations or manifestations of God’s presence as the elements of nature respond with a great strong wind, which tore into the mountains (plural) and broke the rocks into pieces, followed by an earthquake and then a fire. (1 Kings 19:11-12) And it says that the Lord was not in the wind, He was not in the earthquake nor was He in the fire. But after all of these great manifestations, there was a still small voice. And when Elijah heard that still small voice, he wrapped his face to go see and hear more. The commentators tell us that this was the same mountain where Moses had covered his face when God’s presence came down on the mountain with wind, earthquake, and fire. (Ex 19:16) Suddenly a voice came to Elijah and said, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah repeats his complaining still feeling sorry for himself as before.

I have come across many people that seem to think that if God spoke dramatically to them or something spectacular happened to get their attention then they would change. But we see just the opposite of that here. Even amid all these events, I mean right smack dab in the middle, Elijah was still stuck on feeling sorry for himself. Stuck on what the natural situation and circumstances were saying to him at the time.

You and I are no different from Elijah. Listen to what James, the brother of our Lord had to say about Elijah.

Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].
James 5:17-18 AMP

Did you catch that? Elijah was a human being and had a nature like we do. He had emotions, feelings affections and a constitution just like we do. I am not putting Elijah down in any way. I am merely trying to point out that although he did all these awesome things and God used him so mightily, and God spoke so dramatically to him, Elijah was just a human being like me and YOU. And even though we have feelings and emotions that hinder us or sidetrack us, they do not stop God from using us in the same way as he did Elijah.

It seems that Elijah was running from what God told him to do. God’s question to Elijah, “What are you doing here?’ And then God reiterates the question once He gets Elijah’s attention and Elijah begins to listen to that still small voice. This speaks to me. I know there have been times when things are dry, I mean I cannot seem to hear the still small voice at all. And when I reflect and look back those are times when I know I have not done the last thing God told me to do. If you seem stuck, try to think, and remember, what is the last thing you know for sure that God told you to do. The last thing you had a passion or burden for that you have yet to do. Go and do it. After you do, you will see the revelation begin to flow again. “The day will dawn, and the morning star will rise in your heart” as Peter said. (2 Peter 1:19). This is a visual depiction of how God’s Word, His illumination comes to us.

(An excerpt from my book Hearing God’s Voice Every Day!)

HOW JESUS USED THE WORD OF GOD

(An excerpt from my book Hearing God’s Voice Every Day!)

We are going to take a peek at how Jesus used the Word of God in His daily life. Here is one example that we have. Now remember Jesus was alone, all by Himself when these events happened. So how do we know about them? He told His disciples and had them record it. It must have been important for Him to specifically recall it, and have the to do so. We see the interchnage in Luke 4:1-13

¹ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Jesus is our example of how we should live our lives and how we should do things. Jesus heard from God, and He used the word of God when He dealt with the tempter – the devil. Jesus is our example. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, a deserted place. Jesus was alone. All by Himself. No other human person was with Him.

²being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days, He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Jesus was tempted for 40 days by the devil. Let me say that again. Jesus was tempted by the devil. Not by God. The devil is the tempter. We have the account of only three occurrences here, but it clearly says He was tempted for 40 days. He was also fasting for 40 days and afterward he was hungry. Then comes the tempter again. Are you seeing the picture here? Medical science tells us that around day 40 of not eating starvation begins and people usually start to die. He was literally starving when tempted to turn the stone into bread. He was HUNGRY.

³And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

The tempter tempts us when and where we are weak. He tempts us where we have a NEED. He challenges our status and authority, as well as our natural desire to survive and live.

⁴But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” (Deut. 8:3)

Jesus used the Word of God to fight off the temptation. No doubt Jesus was hungry it tells us so – but that He was tempted means He thought about doing it. Sometimes we think that since Jesus was God and He always was constantly thinking God’s thoughts. But it clearly says that Jesus was tempted. He thought about doing it. James 1:13-14 tells us clearly that God does not ever tempt anyone but instead, each of us is tempted by our own desires. What kept Him in check? What helped Him in the midst of this temptation to stay strong? It was the written Word of God. Jesus is That Mana. He IS the Word of God and the Bread of Life, and even He used the established written Word of God in His battle.

⁵Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.⁶ And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

Again, the tempter attacks Jesus in an area where He has a NEED. A desire (James 1:14) Jesus came into the world for this purpose. He came to take back the authority that Adam lost in the Garden of Eden. And Jesus thought about it. Maybe just a millisecond, but He did think about it. If Jesus never thought about doing it, then it would not have been a temptation.

⁸ And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ “ (Deut. 6:13)

I love how Jesus rebukes that old slimeball. Get behind Me satan. It means do not tempt me, I reject you, your statements, your beliefs, and your quotes. It means you did not do what you attempted or tried. We have some more modern ways of saying that. Get lost, Get out of my way, Take a hike, Beat it, Kick rocks, Take a long walk off a short pier, and Don’t let the door hit you on your way out. You choose which one fits your style, but they all have the same inference.

⁹ Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’ ¹¹ “and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ “

(Psalm 91:11-12)

This part I think is the most enlightening. The enemy used the scripture to try and trick Jesus. Jesus had been using scripture the whole time. So, the enemy tries to use something that Jesus is familiar with and is a source of strength for Him, to cause Him to let down His guard. This tells us that it is not only important for us to know what the words in the word of God are, but we must also know what they mean and how to apply them.

¹² And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ “

(Deut 6:16)

If Jesus the Son of God in the flesh… needed to learn, know, and use the scriptures… my friends we need to as well, and even more so. Jesus whipped the devil with three verses all from the book of Deuteronomy (see citations). We have 66 books of the Bible, and we can use them all. Get behind me, devil!

¹³Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Just because you have one victory over the enemy doesn’t mean you will never have another opportunity. The devil will keep looking for an opportune time to try and get at you. Just like he did with Jesus. This is why we need to stay tuned into God and His word. There will be another time. We need to be prepared and ready.

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, has deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:13-16

Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), 2 Timothy 3:16 (Amplified Version)

The word of God is our “reed”. It’s a standard that we use to judge all things against. Let God be true and every man a Liar. (Romans 3:4).

His Word is forever settled in Heaven (Psalm 119:89)
He has exalted His Word above His Name (Psalm 138:2)
His Name is Called the Word of God (Revelation 19:13)
Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-14)
God works with and confirms His Word (Mark 16:20)

God’s Word keeps us safe and secure. We can trust His word implicitly. As we continue in His word, we are His disciples (sheep) and then we will know the Truth and that Truth will make us free.

³¹Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

This may seem like a simple point, and straightforward, but I cannot emphasize it enough. As we continue in God’s word, the more we read, learn, and know, the more we will learn and know. This then makes it easier to hear God’s voice. Because we start to know God’s nature. What He likes and doesn’t like; what pleases Him; what His will is in given situations, (His Word is His will), then we can more easily know when He is speaking to us. Because we know God will never violate His word. He will speak in conjunction with what He has previously said in the past. “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. Jesus said, “to him that more will be given” Mark 4:25. And when Jesus said this, He was talking about having ears to hear. He said to watch what you hear and how you hear. And the degree of hearing is in proportion to the degree of importance you give to hearing. (Mark 4:22-25)

(An excerpt from my book Hearing God’s Voice Every Day!)

GOD’S HEARING AIDES

(An excerpt from my book Hearing God’s Voice Every Day!)

God has placed safeguards for us. These safeguards serve more than one purpose. They help us stay safe “so we are not lead astray by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14), they help us stay strong against the enemy, they help us “rightly dividing His Word” (2 Timothy 2:15), they help us hear Him better (Hebrews 5:14), they help us develop our own fruit (John 15:5) (fruit of the spirit and spiritual fruit – two different things – but that’s another lesson), they help us to “tune in” to His frequency.

HIS FREQUENCY

The description of a radio is a great example of how this works. Think of a radio station. It is always broadcasting. If I am unable to hear station 99.1 on my radio, I have to do some troubleshooting to figure out why. Do I have a proper radio that will pick up the frequency? Do I have an antenna? And is the antenna the right kind? Am I connected to a power source either electric current or battery-operated? Do I have the radio turned on? Is the radio tuned to the correct channel and band (AM or FM)? Once I have the signal, is it fine-tuned to pick it up clearly? Do I have the volume set to the right level? Each one of these things can cause me to not be able to hear the broadcast coming from the station. Or to not hear it clearly. I do not think anyone would automatically assume the station was not broadcasting if they couldn’t hear the station. It is the same way with God. He is always broadcasting – He is always speaking to us. If we are not able to hear Him, then we need to first check our “equipment” to make sure it’s not broken and it’s working properly and make sure that it is plugged into the power source and tuned to the correct channel.

In this analogy, our equipment or radio is our born-again conscience, the Word of God, and praying in the spirit. Our equipment is also a safeguard for us to keep us on the correct path and make sure we do not tune into a different channel or be misled or deceived in any way.

SAFEGUARDS

Let us talk about some of these safeguards. There are many safeguards God has set in order, to help and guide us. The list below is by no means exhaustive, but merely a few examples to help us think about things differently. When we begin to think from a kingdom mindset then we demonstrate the true repentance that both John the Baptist and Jesus preached. For the Kingdom of Heaven is surely “at hand”.

His Word
Our Born-Again Conscience
Praying in the Spirit
Holy Spirit
Meditating
Worship
Peace
Spiritual Mentors (Discipleship – not TV/ Radio ministers) – Relationship is involved.

For this lesson, we will address His Word and our born-again conscience. In the next chapter, we will cover praying in the spirit.

HIS WORD

Although to some it may seem self-evident that God’s word would be a basic safety net when wanting to hear from God, even though it may seem this way, many people do not connect the dots and do not understand this concept.

Having a basic understanding of God’s word helps us to know when God is speaking to us. We have a measurement tool to use and verify if the content is from the same source. We take what we hear or perceive and hold it up next to God’s word and see if they say the same or similar thing.

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22 Amplified

As we incline our ears to His Word and give priority to His word, His word will be life and health to our flesh.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. Psalm 119:101

This says that we must restrain ourselves from evil so that we can keep His word.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

His word sheds light on our path which means He leads us and directs and guides us. A lamp to our feet means we will not stub our toe or stumble because the light is on our feet where we walk. This shows us that not only does God give us broad big picture direction, but He will also give us the small details and make sure that where we go is lit up. Of course, we have to listen to and obey His word to see this result.

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.John 15:3

His word makes us clean and pure. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” We are clean and pure before God when we hear His word. This gives us confidence that we can come before Him with boldness.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Matthew 24:35

His word will never pass away. It says that Heaven and earth will pass away. We know from Revelation 21:1 that at the end of the age, heaven and earth will pass away and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. But His word will remain. He is the Word.

These verses above outline for us some of the ways that doing this protects us and keeps us safe. God’s words bring us life and health, they keep us from evil, and they shed light on our path so we will know God’s will for our lives. They keep us clean, and pure in our minds and souls. And they can be counted on and relied upon until the end of time – forever.

God and His word are One. Jesus is the Word of God. (John 1:1) The Word of God is God. I am not referring to the ink, paper, and binding of a book, but the words contained on the pages. The Spirit of those words. Imagine the more you know God’s word, the more you know God. I would like to add a caveat to that statement. What does it mean to know God’s word? I do not mean just being able to read, memorize and recite words. The word must get inside of you, it must be real and come alive. The word is a light that “shines in the darkness” of your heart and mind (John 1:5) “until the day dawns, and the morning star rises in your heart” (2 Peter 1:19). When this happens, it brings a spiritual understanding and establishes what you have heard. This is also called a revelation. Paul refers to this as having the eyes of your understanding enlightened so that you may know His will. (Ephesians 1:18)

Have you ever heard the phrase “it just dawned on me”? This verse in 2 Peter is where that phrase comes from. And when someone uses that phrase, they are referring to something that just became aware to them in their mind. Something they were not previously thinking about or may not have understood. Then suddenly a light bulb goes off on the inside and a fresh new perspective arises inside. That is the day dawning in your heart. That is revelation straight from God.