Wednesday, 25 November 2020
The Knowledge of Who You Are
An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered (Proverbs 11:9).
Imagine that you carried and were playing with your neighbour’s one or two-year-old child and he suddenly inflicts a bite on your hand. You see the bite wound but shrug it off as nothing, because he’s only a child. Then while walking away, someone walks up to you and says, “I saw that child bite you; but did you know the child is HIV positive?”
Suddenly, your demeanour changes; you start speaking in tongues and making confessions. In your mind, you think you’re putting your faith to work, whereas you’re actually demonstrating a lack of understanding of who you are in Christ. God doesn’t want you at that level.
If you have the knowledge of God and recognise what you have inside you, and who you are in Christ, you’ll remain unmoved, in spite of the new information about the child. This was what the Apostle Paul knew that made him so different. In Acts 28:3-6, the serpent that bit Paul was a venomous one, and those who were around him were expecting him to swell and die right there. But they were baffled to see Paul unharmed. He didn’t even pay attention to it; the Bible says he shook it into the fire and went on discussing the Gospel. Hallelujah!
Someone may say, “Oh, if only I have the kind of faith that Paul had!” No, it wasn’t faith that Paul demonstrated; it was the knowledge of God at work. He had the knowledge of who Jesus said the Christian is. In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe... if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them...” If any poisonous substance ever finds its way into your system — whether by accident or by intent — it’ll have no effect on you.
What you need is the accurate and adequate knowledge of God’s Word; this is what puts you over in life. Many don’t have a faith problem, for every one of us has faith (Romans 12:3). The issue is their lack of understanding of who they are and what belongs to them in Christ. The knowledge of God’s Word gives you an undeniable conviction of the transcendent life of victory and dominion. This is why you’ve got to study and meditate on the Word every day.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for the impact of your Word in my life. As I study and meditate on the Word today, not only do I discover my inheritance in Christ, I also receive the faith to relate with, and enjoy all that you’ve made available to me in Christ. I reign in life through your Word, winning, excelling and prevailing over the challenges of life through the Word, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Hosea 4:6; Acts 20:32; 2 Peter 1:2
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 1 Peter 4 & Ezekiel 33-34
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Revelation 1:1-20 & Hosea 3-4