How I can know Jesus.

I remember many years ago being in West Africa. It was within the most difficult moments that people found that God was there for them. Dr. Garry Parker asked one of the patients, who had given her life to Jesus, “Was it the surgery? Was it the Jesus film?” The lady kindly answered, “On the day I was waiting to see the doctors, a little girl walked towards me and placed her hand upon my hand. You see, for over 10 years no one touched me, and here this little girl told me that everything was going to be okay. I knew I wanted to know the Jesus she knew.”

You see, I know God is real because I have seen Him work in the lives of so many people and in my life. I know that He loves me. Most of all, I know that He loves you too, whoever you are, whatever your circumstances may be. I have been through the good times as well as the challenging times of life, and God has always been there for me. Ever constant and true, He has never failed me.

None of us are exempt from difficult times, I know that full and well. I have had many mountains to face which had challenges of their own. Major surgeries, long term illness, where I too had to trust God daily, finding He was there. He has always been there. I truly cannot imagine my life without Him.

The beautiful thing is that you can know Him too. You can experience His unconditional love and forgiveness, you can experience Him as ever constant and true, by accepting Jesus and His demonstration of love towards you.

God knows who you are

“O Lord, you have searched me thoroughly and have known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up, my entire life, everything I do. You understand my thought from afar… Even before there is a word on my tongue, still unspoken, behold, O Lord, You know it all.”Psalm 139

What if I told you today, you are known, and that there is Someone who knows you better than anyone in this entire world. Someone who understands you and who will always be there for you. Would you not want to know who this is? The One who knows you better than anyone else is God. He created you and has known every detail of your life since before you were conceived.

In Psalm 139, David tells us how much God knows about us. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise.” But God does not just know all about us, He wants to have a deeper relationship with us, knowing that He is there when you fall asleep and when you wake up. Every moment of your life matters to Him. He is waiting for you.

God hears you

“Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”Psalm 116:2

How we all long for someone to be there, to listen, especially in and through the most difficult times of our lives. To know that someone cares about our joys, but also our greatest disappointments.

Have you ever thought that God was too busy to hear you, to listen to you? He is not. God does not become distracted by someone or something else. No, He hears each word that you say, even the words that are the whispers of your heart.

When you sit and when you rise, He knows and He cares. May I ask, are you going through a difficult situation, the loss of a loved one, a medical diagnosis, or a broken relationship? God knows what you are experiencing and wants to help you. God will meet you right where you are and exactly as you are. You do not have to pretend to be someone else for God to hear you. Remember, He knows you better than anyone else does, and He wants to help you.

It is hard to believe that God will not give up on you, but in God’s Word, He promises:

“…I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down, relax My hold on you! Assuredly not!”Hebrews 13:5b

God loves you

Not only does God know more about you than anyone else does, but He also loves you far more than anyone else could. I know you might be thinking right now, “How is it that God knows everything about me, and He still loves me?” He truly does love you.

We are used to love that is conditional and limited, and when we fail at meeting the conditions, some people withdraw. But God’s love is unconditional, it is true, it is unfailing and will never leave you. There is no one who is too far away for God’s love to find them. Corrie ten Boom once wrote, “There is not a pit too deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” God has always loved you, and this I promise, He will never stop loving you.

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Romans 8:38-39

Everything about God is perfect, His love and who He is. He is never changing. The Bible says that we all have sinned, we all have done wrong in our lives, but because God loves us, in His love He wants to forgive us. Because He is holy and just, He must deal with our sin.

God loves us so much that He made a way. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth, and Jesus’ heart was to make a way that we could also know God. To rescue us! Jesus lived a perfect life, He was the perfect Son of God, and by dying on the cross and rising again on the third day, He took all the punishment for our sin, so that we could be forgiven, that we could spend eternity with God.

God is ready to forgive

You might wonder, could it truly be so easy. “You have no idea what I have done.” The enemy would love you to believe you are beyond forgiveness, but the Bible says Jesus died so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Receiving God’s forgiveness is simpler than you could imagine. May I share something Dr. David Jeremiah shared? Sometimes called “the Romans Road,” God’s plan involves six fundamental truths:

You are forgiven. How relieving is it to hear those words after you ask for forgiveness from a loved one for what you did wrong. God offers the same words to you. No matter what you have done wrong, God will forgive you. Nothing you have done is outside of God’s forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is like putting your sin as far away as the east is from the west (see Psalm 103:12). When God forgives you, He welcomes you into His presence where there is joy and pleasures forevermore. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

To receive God’s forgiveness, simply ask Him to forgive you for your sin. Here is a simple suggestion for your prayer:

God wants a relationship with you

I know I look forward to spending time with my family, with my best friend. Those are moments that I cherish and value. When I go to visit them, my heart fills with excitement, and from the moment I see them, we begin to talk about everything and anything that is important. The same is true about God. He wants you to know Him, He wants you to spend time with Him and talk to Him. So how do we do that? How do you build a relationship with God?

Prayer

Praying is how we talk to God. If this is new for you, I have a journal where I write letters to God. I share my heart and I write down the promises God has given. You can also talk to Him like you talk to a best friend. He is always there. I love that we can ask Him to forgive us when we have messed up. We can ask Him to help us daily, to be there for us, and to provide for our needs. He knows your heart, but He longs to hear your voice. You matter to Him.

God’s Word

Learning to know God through His Word is important. Through His Word we come to know who God is, but we also find out about His promises and who we are in Christ. What I love about studying the Bible is that it invites you on a journey to grow personally and in your relationship with God. When you come to know Jesus, it is the beginning of a journey, and with each step of the way we come to know God more and more. His Word is like a compass that helps give direction, it gives answers to questions we might have, but most of all, His Word is true and God is true to His Word.

What I have found helpful as well is good daily readings, and reading good books from people I know are sound. I love to listen to messages from Dr. David Jeremiah, Joyce Meyer, Priscilla Shirer, Louie Giglio and many more. It truly helps encourage me on life’s journey, and I know it will help you also, especially if you are just starting out on getting to know God.

Church

Finding a good church is so important. No one is meant to walk the road alone. It helps you to connect with other believers and be a support for them as well. There is also something so amazing about being able to worship God with other Christians and to become part of a Christian family.

Share

When we have exciting news, we love to share it with others. With this being said, it is important to tell someone about your decision to receive God’s gift of salvation. The Bible says, “With our mouths we confess and with our hearts we believe.” It is a great way to share the amazing gift of love that God has given you with others. We would love to hear about your decision as well, and someone from our team will reach out to you.

God is there for you

Through many years and the writing of my book, I have come to know that God is ever constant and true, and that He is there for you. Though people might come and go and seasons might change in our lives, God remains the same. His love for you will never change.

“Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you.”Isaiah 41:10

In life there will always be mountains to climb and valleys that lie ahead, but in God’s Word He gives us hope and wisdom for everyday life. God will make a way and He will provide. This I know with all my heart, He will not abandon you when you are facing difficulties. Often times God will bring people to walk the road with you, giving encouragement and wisdom with every step of the way.