Believing Is Not Knowing...

Some of you may have been thrown off guard by the subject of this blog. I must submit to you that there is a distinct and pertinent difference between believing in the Lord and knowing the Lord for yourself. Let's dissect this to its most elementary application. If I were conducting an interview with your parents and I asked them if they knew who you were, and their response to me was... "Yes, I believe that is my son or daughter," I must tell you that as the interviewer, I would suspect that perhaps they were ashamed or unsure if they knew you or they were not your true parent and somehow connected to you in some other "illegitimate" way. Now let's review that scenario again and suppose that your parents' response to my afore-mentioned inquiry was... "Yes, I know them, that is (insert your name here), my son or daughter." Then and only then, would I be able to affirm that these individuals not only know who you are, but actually have a relationship with you. Again I must reemphasize the title of this writing; believing a thing is not knowing a thing.


Let’s take a quick look at a couple of versions of 2 Timothy 1:12

"...I KNOW whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (KJV)

"...I couldn't be more sure of my ground- the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end." (MSG)

 Certainly this section of the text is interesting for me, in that, I am reminded that at the beginning of 1 Timothy, we find the Apostle Paul is encouraging this young minister not to cower behind his age and to hold firm in his faith amidst turmoil and conflicting practices both social and spiritual that were contrary to what both he and Paul were spreading about Christ. It is also important to note here for those of you who will make the case that Timothy was to hold firm to his faith, which you may say is directly related to his beliefs about the Lord... well... I must disagree. Faith is and has always been substantive. It is not simply our thought life about what is, but it takes shape in our responses to that belief through what we do as a result of our experiences while walking with the Lord (relationship). Scripture informs us that faith is the "substance" of things hoped for, it is something that goes beyond what we think or even feel about God because that can change depending on circumstances, our surroundings, friends, family, etc. It is something entirely different when you are able to say, that although everything in my life is screaming at me that there is absolutely no divine direction, governance, and certainly no protection from God right now, yet, I still KNOW that He is the I AM that I AM, and more than able to bring me to my destined place full of hope and a rich future. The bible says that the heart is deceitful, which further supports the fact that our belief and even some of our hearts desires manifested in our thought life and in our conversation can and have been at times contrary to the plan and purposes of God for our lives. We have got to constantly check our thought life, meditations, speech against the written and spoken words of God in order to line up fully with ALL of who we know God to be. That means when the bank account is low, rather than believe this is just the way life is for you, you KNOW that God is your Jehovah Jireh and is well able to “provide all of your needs according to His riches and glory,” or when there is constant chaos, disagreement and discontent in your home, you KNOW that God desires for you and your family to have a "peaceful habitation and a quiet resting place."

There is a definitive and distinct difference between simply believing in the Lord and knowing the Lord. Just like any other relationship it must be cultivated with quality time, questions and answers, and ultimately with a complete dependence and absolute trust. Ultimately there is no way to feel solidified in your salvation from sin without an assurance of relationship with the Lord Jesus.