Do You Have Americanitis? (“Be Still And Know That I Am God”)

Why?

Because this verse of scripture tells us to BE STILL and then it tells us why we should be still…to KNOW GOD.

Some people live their entire life KNOWING THERE IS A GOD BUT NOT KNOWING GOD.

I want to ask you a question, DO YOU KNOW GOD?

You might say preacher that is the most RIDICULOUS question that I have ever been asked!!! Everyone KNOWS GOD!!!

Have you forgotten the atheist tells us they do not believe in the existence of God?

Illus: Reminds me of an atheist he was hiking in the woods when he stumbles across a huge hungry grizzly bear.

The bear rears up to full height eight feet tall and gives a roar as it leans in toward the man.

• The atheist screams in terror "Oh God, help me!!!"

• God says to him, "So all your life, you deny My existence, yet now you call for My aid now that death is upon you?

• I am sorry, my son, but it is too late I cannot save you."

• The atheist thinks quickly. "Well, God, if it is too late for me to become a Christian, how about you just convert the bear?"

• Time begins moving again, and the bear immediately stops its roaring, kneels quietly and respectfully, and begins speaking. "O Lord, bless this meal in which I am about to partake..."

There is no such thing as a true atheist.

Illus: To be a true atheist you would have to say, I know everything and there is not anything I do not know and no one can say that! NO ONE!!!

SO THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TRUE ATHEIST.

Reminds me of another atheist story.

Illus: A lady gave the Lord praise for everything. One day she was out on the front porch and it started to rain, and she said, “Praise the Lord, we are finally getting some rain.”

The man an atheist next door heard her and said, “There is no God, why are you praising Him?”

Another day she was on the front porch when this same atheist and the mailman brought her a piece of mail, and it had a check inside for $25.00, and she said, “Praise the Lord.”

The atheist again said, “There is no God, why are you praising Him!”

This atheist decided he was going to going to fix this lady that believed in God.

He placed a whole bushel of potatoes on her front porch. The Christian lady stepped outside the next morning and saw them, and said, “Praise the Lord!”

The atheist stepped out from behind some bushes, and said, “I told you there is no God, I brought those potatoes.”

The Christian lady said, “Praise the Lord, He sent me a bushel of potatoes and used the devil to bring them to me!”

But listen you might not be a professing atheist but that does not mean you know God intimately.

Almost everyone will acknowledge THERE IS A GOD but they really do not KNOW GOD INTIMATELY.

Illus: It is like this, everyone will acknowledge there is a man that once was president of the United States called Abraham Lincoln. They can acknowledge they know him intellectually but personally they do not know him.

But the reason I said to start with these eight words in the scripture are some of the most important words in the scripture because it is essential that we get to KNOW GOD intellectually but also personally know Him INTIMATELY!

HOW DO WE GET TO KNOW GOD?

In two ways:

(1) THROUGH PRAYER

How do you get to know someone?

• You have to spend time with them.

The more time we spend with them the better we get to know them.

• The more time we spend with God in prayer the more we get to know God personally.

Illus: I personally believe that the reason that many are having problems in their marriage this day is because they do not spend quality time with each other.

Before they got married they spent time with each other but after years of marriage they have allowed all kinds of things consume their time and now they do not have any quality time with each other.

Illus: For example, I know a man that seem to love his old hound dog “Jake”” more than he loves his wife.

• Every time he gets a chance he is out in the woods with old “Jake”

• He comes home from work and he heads to the dog pen to be with old “Jake”

• He spends more time with is hound dog than he does with his wife.

Before marriage it was sweetheart, darling, sugar pie but after years of marriage it has become THE OLD MAN and the OLD WOMAN!