The Paradox Of Pursuing Knowledge About God And Experiencing Him

I remember as a young Born-Again Christian, just starting my spiritual journey that I would walk in and through the presence of God effortlessly. I lived and breathed the supernatural. Signs and Wonders were everywhere! The anointing was powerful! Then I went to Bible School and was told those things don’t happen anymore!

I began to focus less on my experiential knowledge walking WITH Jesus and more on increasing my cerebral knowledge ABOUT Jesus. Then, many years later, I was compelled to go back to growing in the passionate heart knowledge OF Jesus. Ever since then, the supernatural anointing is fresh and new every morning, growing stronger each day. I don’t ever want this to be a memory. I want it to continue as a living reality as I learn to trust Him more every morning!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV)

Trusting in God requires that a person: “lean not on your own understanding.” The word "lean" comes from a Hebrew word that is defined as "to support oneself, as though leaning for assistance." This is the same word that is used where Samson leaned on the huge pillars supporting the Philistine temple. (See Judges 16:29) It is the idea of putting one's weight on a crutch.

God wants people to lean upon Him, just like the Bride leaned upon her Beloved, and John leaned upon the chest of Jesus at the Last Supper (Song 8:5; John 13:25). A person can't do it unless they're right next to Him. Leaning is a progressive state of mind. A person has to continually commit their ways to Him. It must become the pattern of their life.

The word "understanding" refers to human understanding, intellect, knowledge, talents, logic, experience, reasoning, or perspective. Christians are commanded to STOP leaning “on your own understanding" for this is the opposite of trust. They can’t "trust in the Lord" if they are leaning on their “own understanding." It is impossible.

The way to grow in trusting-faith is to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart.” The root idea behind the Hebrew word for "trust" is to "take refuge" or "have confidence." This word carries the idea of throwing one’s self down and lying on the ground before another, casting all hopes for the present and the future to someone else and finding shelter and security.

Christians must learn to lie down at the feet of Jesus and cast “all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). They must give Him all the concerns and cares of their heart, (the inner self – their emotions and intellect) that frustrate them. This isn’t just saying they "trust in the Lord" or acting as though they do; rather, they are to be genuine in that "trust." They must do it with “ALL” their heart.

When a person trusts the Lord with all their heart, they relinquish ownership of those problems. They must still deal with them, but they won’t be worried or stressed over them because they belong to Him. They must give them to Him because they are His problems now!

Christians must “not be wise” in their “own eye.” Moving in trusting-faith means that they must stop trusting in their reasoning, intellect, education, abilities, talents, and experience and “acknowledge him” in everything they do. They must learn to turn away from self and turn to Jesus, remembering that He is ever-present, continually loving, caring, and providing for them.

When they fully rely on the Lord to handle any situation, He will "direct” their “paths" and remove the obstacles. He doesn’t promise that their life will be easy and without problems. However, He does promise straight paths as they journey through this life. When they learn to trust Him completely, “This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Psalm 3:8 NIV).

The reason His mercies are new every morning is that a Christian’s trust has to be new every morning if they are to grow in His grace and be a fresh vessel of His Glory (See Lamentations 3:22-23). Yesterday’s new wine is now today’s old wine. They need new wine every day. They never really arrive. They are either going backward or forwards, which makes it all the more about Him and not about them.

It is beyond just faith…it is trusting Him daily, hourly, minute by minute, second by second, pouring out everything of their self - breath by breath - so that they are constantly being filled with His Blood - His wine - His oil - His anointing - His glory - and His love. The beautiful God yearns for every Christian to live in a state of knowing that they can count on Him NO matter what!