10 Steps to Knowing God - Free sample pages

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10 Steps to Knowing God

A discipleship guide to

developing an intimate relationship with God

for small groups and personal devotions

Liz Linssen


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RINT-READYCopyright 2012 by Liz Linssen

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or

by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying andrecording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except asmay be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests forpermission should be addressed in writing to

Equip Ministries, [email protected]

Exception: The first lesson only may be photocopied for small groupleaders and members while waiting for their own preordered copies.

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States of America byEquip Ministries

978-0-9849601-0-1

Author: Liz Linssen

www.10stepstoknowinggod.com

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from theHoly Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978,1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rightsreserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered inthe United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.


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Contents

Introduction .........................................................................1

1. KNOWING GOD ................................................................. 7

Can we really know God? ....................................................9

Friendship with God ...........................................................17

God of love ......................................................................... 21

Benefits of knowing God ....................................................25

Danielman of courage .....................................................30Application questions.........................................................34

2. CHARACTEROF GOD........................................................ 35

Faithfulness ........................................................................37

Fatherhood .........................................................................42

Goodness ............................................................................45

Power .................................................................................49Davidman of confidence .................................................53

Application questions.........................................................57

3. GODSGRACE.................................................................. 59

What is grace? .................................................................... 61

Repentance .........................................................................65

Freedom from guilt .............................................................72

Making up for wasted years ...............................................78Rahabwoman of hope .....................................................83

Application questions.........................................................86


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4. NATUREOFFAITH ............................................................ 89

Faith in the unseen .............................................................91

Faith and action ..................................................................96Faith like a child ...............................................................100

Faith and waiting ............................................................. 105

Josephman of faith ........................................................ 110

Application questions....................................................... 116

5. LOVEOF GOD ............................................................... 117

Lavish love........................................................................ 119

Love without fear ............................................................123

Love through trials ...........................................................129

Our greatest love .............................................................. 133

Mary and Marthaloved by Jesus ..................................138

Application questions.......................................................144

6. THE BIBLE ................................................................... 145

Flawless and reliable ......................................................... 149Foundation against storms ................................................155

Spiritual food ...................................................................160

Powerful ...........................................................................166

Joshuaman of Gods Word ............................................ 169


7. DEVELOPINGYOURPRAYERLIFE ........................................ 175

God cares ......................................................................... 178Believing and receiving .................................................... 184

Principles of prayer ........................................................... 191

Practicalities of prayer ......................................................208

Deborahwoman of prayer ............................................. 214


8. YOURPURPOSEINLIFE .................................................... 219

Finding your purpose .......................................................223Seeking first Gods kingdom .............................................229

Delighting in God .............................................................234


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vii

Fruitful faith .....................................................................239

Paulman with purpose ..................................................245

Application questions.......................................................249

9. ELEMENTARYPRINCIPLESOFDISCIPLESHIP ........................... 251

Becoming a disciple ..........................................................253

Baptisms ...........................................................................257

Laying on of hands ..........................................................263

Resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment .................265

Gideonman of small beginnings ....................................271


10. FIVEFOLDATHLETEPATTERN ............................................ 277

Introduction: Spiritual athletes .........................................279

Attitude ............................................................................283

Strength training ..............................................................288

Devotion ...........................................................................293

Perseverance .....................................................................299Nutrition ..........................................................................304


EPILOGUE .......................................................................... 311

CONFIDENTOFYOURSALVATION ........................................... 313

FORSMALLGROUPLEADERS .................................................. 319

HELPFUL BIBLEVERSES......................................................... 329

ENDNOTES ......................................................................... 349


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Chapter One

KNOWING GODI will give them a heart to know me, that I am

the LORD. They will be my people and I will be

their God(Jeremiah 24:7).

I grew up in a Catholic family, but although I knew the name ofJesus, I can honestly say that I never really knew Him. Growingup, I struggled with all kinds of things from depression and suicidal

thoughts, to disordered eating and every sort of harmful addiction

and habit. By the time I got to my first year of university, I had hit

rock bottom and truly believe that if God had not intervened at

that time, I would never have made it out of that year alive. But

thankfully, He had bigger plans for me!

Through a few separate people in my life, I ended up attending

an Evangelical Bible study/small group. It was through this group

that I began to see Jesus as a living God, who loved me and wanted

to participate in my life. He showed Himself to me through imme-

diately answered prayers, the words and actions of others, and even

through a few small miracles. It was then, when I finally turned to

Him that my life changed and I began to have hope for my future!It didnt happen overnight, my transformation, but rather,

God has been changing my heart and my life every day since the


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day I gave up battling on my own and let Him take control of my

life. Life is never easy, but through His power, I have been able to

triumph over the dark destructive issues of my past. He has givenme forgiveness for my sins, but also the strength to forgive others

whose wounds hurt me so deeply growing up. Because of this free-

dom, I now know what hope, joy, peace and true, unconditional

love feel like.

Most of all, I am thankful to God for the heart he has put inside

me for broken peoplethose who are still struggling with some of

the same things that almost stole my life. It amazes me that God isso powerful, so loving, and so amazing, that he could take a bro-

ken, empty life like mine, and not only restore it, but make it into

something beautiful, something that can offer hope to others too.

I owe my life to God, and I believe with all my heart that He is

the Way, the Truth and the Life that every one of us is wandering

through life searching for.

Nicole


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Chapter 1: Knowing God

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DAY 1:

CAN WE REALLY KNOW GOD?

I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritualwisdom and understanding, so that you might grow

in your knowledge of God(Ephesians 1:17 NLT).

If youve picked up this book and are reading these words, then

its because youre interested or even hungry to know God. Youre

curious to find out who God is and whether youre able to follow

Him. Perhaps youre eager to find out what Gods will is in a par-

ticular area of your life, or perhaps youre searching for His purpose

and plan for you. If you fit into any of these categories, then keep

reading! I pray that through this book, God will speak to you in

all of those areas.

10 Steps to Knowing Godwas written for people just like

you who desire to connect (or perhaps reconnect) with God. So

whether youre a brand new believer, or have been a Christian for

many years, or even a prodigal who has decided to return to God,

keep on reading. God desires that you truly understand His love

for you andHis purpose for your life, all of which are beyond your

expectations and imagination! He wants you to know just how

valuable and precious you are to Him, and for you to experience

an intimate and real relationship with Him.

So, if youre ready, lets begin this journey together learning

what it means to develop a relationship with God and begin byconsidering that all-important question that everyone, at some point

in their lives, asks: is God real and if so, how can I know Him?


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DOES GOD EXIST?

Whoever we are and wherever we are from, we all at some

point in our lives have pondered the universal question of Godsexistence and His relevance to our lives. Everyone has an opinion

about God. For some He is a distant, uncaring Being living in a

galaxy far away; for others Someone who loves people discrimi-

nately; still others question whether He exists at all. The Bible, on

the other hand, claims Him to be a loving God, existing as Father,

Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit, and who cares for and speaks

to His creation. So which of these opinions is true? Has God givenany clues about His existence? What does the Bible have to say on

that? Romans 1 verse 20 provides one answer:

For since the creation of the world Gods invisible

qualitieshis eternal power and divine nature

have been clearly seen, being understood from what

has been made, so that men are without excuse.

What this verse means is that Gods existence can be seen in

the beauty and wonder of nature all around us. In other words,

through creation we see the fingerprint of Gods existence, which

reveals His power and character. Creation is full of complexity and

beauty, science and intelligence, order and purpose, seasons and

color. Could such a world and universe really come into existence

purely by some accidental Big Bang? Or is what we see and experi-

ence every day the work of a great Designer? Lets be honest, there

is so much more evidence that leans towards the latter versus the

former. For instance, scientists will readily tell you that the degree of

the earths tilt has everything to do with the seasons and climate we

experience. Any significant change would bring ecological disaster

upon us. So how did the earth arrive at the just the perfect angle

in the first place?Surely, in light of all the scientific data and knowledge around

today, its actually easier to believe that there is a great Designer

who exists than to believe there isnt. This, according to the Bible, is


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enough evidence to understand that God does exist and something of

what His character is like. In other words, the wonder of the earth,

the planets and all the galaxies are a huge neon arrow pointing toGod! Wherever we live and whatever our culture we are from, from

the remote tribes in the Amazon rainforest to the high tech cities of

the world, we all possess enough knowledge and evidence through

Gods handiwork to appreciate His existence and therefore seek

Him. We really are, as Romans 1 says, without excuse.

1. Why do you believe in God? What evidence for you existswhich points towards His existence?

But thats not all. History confirms the fact that Jesus Christ,Son of God, was indeed someone who lived, breathed and walked on

this earth. Thousands of historical documents exist which confirm

His existence and His miraculous works, far more documents that

testify of other major historical events, which we take for granted!

For example, the earliest documented evidence ofCaesars Gallic

War (which occurred between 5850 bc) that we have in posses-

sion today dates back to ad 900, and historians possess 9 to 10

such copies. Of the literary works ofCornelius Tacitus, a senator

and historian from the Roman Empire who died in ad 117, the

earliest copy of his work existing today dates from ad 850 and

around 20 copies of that exist. But of New Testament literary

writings, around 24,000 copies exist that date back to as early as

ad 130! Even the non-Christian writings ofCornelius Tacitus (in

his Annals) include mention of the works and existence of Jesus

Christ. Therefore, whatever our opinion of Jesus might be, no onecan adequately dispute that fact that Jesus Christ didindeed exist.

As Albert Einstein himself replied when asked whether he believed

in the historical existence of Jesus: Unquestionably! No one can


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read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His

personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.1

So through the awesomeness of His creation, coupled with thedocumented existence and miracles of Jesus Christ, it is clear that

God is trying to get a message across: God exists and He wants

you to know Him. In John 14:6, Jesus said, I am the way and

the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through

me. In other words, you can know God, your Creator, through

His Son Jesus Christ who came to earth to make that possible and

reveal God to us. I love what pastor and author John Ortberg writes:The story of the Bible isnt primarily about the desire of people

to be with God; its the desire of God to be with people.2

2. Why do you desire to grow in your relationship with God?

Through the signs of Creation and the work of Jesus Christ,

God has been trying to get our attention and He has been doing

this simply because He loves us and wants us to know Him. He

doesnt want His creation to live in ignorance of who He is. Nor

does He want us to remain lost in sin and without understanding

of our God-given purpose. God is so much closer than you think

and He wants to give you life to the full, which is possible through

faith in His Son Jesus Christ. So that brings us to the question, if

God does exist, how then can we know Him?

HOW CAN I KNOW GOD?

There are two parts in answering this question: firstly, what

does it mean to know God and secondly, precisely how can weknow Him? Lets start with answering the first part of the question.


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If you were to look up the verb to know in a dictionary,

we find this definition: firstly, to have knowledge and facts about

something or someone. So, for example, I know how to make amean Chicken Tikka Masala. I know how long it takes to burn

300 calories on the treadmill. I also know who married Prince

William! But these are just facts that I know and just one aspect

of its meaning. A second facet of the meaning to know goes

deeper because its more that just knowing facts aboutsome-

thing or someone. It also implies having personal familiarity or

experience of something or someone. So, for example, I couldsay that I know my best friend. Not only do I know quite a lot

of factual information about her, but I also know her intimately.

We have shared many life experiences together and because of

these, I have to know her pretty well and vice versa. Think about

someone youve known a long time. Isnt your knowledge of him

or her more than a mere acquisition of information and facts, and

more of a familiarity, an intimate understanding of the heart andcharacter of that person? Therefore, knowing God involves both

the head andthe heart. Its much more than just knowing about

someone. Its about a real relationship and friendship. Sure, I

know some facts about Prince William, but Im sure he wouldnt

consider me a personal friend!

The same is true is in a relationship with God. He doesnt

want us to just know facts about Him. He wants us toperson-

ally know Him in a relational and friendship way, in our hearts,

lives and experience. Knowing God then is not just a question of

acquiring greater head knowledge (although of course, that helps).

Its so much more than that. Its also about having an in-depth

experience of what Hes like and how He works in our lives. Its

having an understanding of His will in all things and learning to

recognize His voice and guidance. In other words, knowing God

is about having a real relationship with and experience of God.Now that is exciting!


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3. Now, open your Bible and read Jeremiah 31 verses 33 and

34. What do you think these verses reveal about Gods

heart for us?

These verses teach us that God genuinely wants people to know

Him! He wants to have a relationship with human beings and willpurposefully draw us to Himself. God will use people and circum-

stances in our lives to get our attention just as Nicole experienced

in the opening story of this chapter. God wants to make His home

in your life and wants you to know His loving care for you, teach-

ing you how to walk in His ways and how to recognize His voice:

Jesus said, I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and mysheep know mejust as the Father knows me and I know the

Fatherand I lay down my life for the sheep . . . My sheep

listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them

eternal life, and they shall never perish. (John 10:14, 2728)

In this passage, Jesus describes Himself as a shepherd, and us

as His sheep. He used that analogy to explain how just as sheep

learn to recognize their shepherds voice, so we too, as we get to

know God, we will come to recognize our Shepherds voice. That

means, we will understand when God is speaking to us and discern

His guidance and direction for our lives. In every relationship in

life, when we come to truly know someone, we recognize his or her

voice. Whenever my brother Peter calls me on the phone, he doesnt

have to say his name because I immediately recognize him. That

recognition has come through spending time and experiencing lifetogether. Its the same with knowing God: the more you get to know

and experience Him through spending time with Him, the more


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youll learn to distinguish His voice and whispers in your life. God

wants to speak to you! As pastor and author Bill Hybels explains:

If there is a pattern in Scripture regarding whispers, it is thatwe serve a communicating Goda God of words. He created with

a word, he healed with a word, he encouraged with a word, he

rebuked with a word, he guided with a word, he prophesied with

a word, he assured with a word, he loved with a word, he served

with a word and he comforted with a word. Throughout all history,

God has communicated, and he still is at it today. The issue isnt

whether or not God is speaking; its whether we will have ears tohear what he says.3

Our communicating God then, wants you to know Him in a

real way. A relationship with God is a relationship! That is what

you need to be focusing on; not just gaining more head knowledge.

Now that we understand something of what it means to know God,

that brings us to the question, how then can we experience this for

ourselves? How can we develop our relationship with God? Theanswer is quite simple: through faith in Jesus Christ.

As historical documents also attain, Jesus not only came to

this earth to teach people the ways of God, while doing wonderful

miracles of healing the sick and raising the dead. Jesus also allowed

Himself to die a very painful death on a wooden cross, a cruel form

of capital punishment at that time, and for a very good reason. As you

read the New Testament, it becomes clear that Jesus, in fact, saw His

death as His ultimate mission here on earth. It came as no surprise

to Him. He knew He had to die this way and the Bible explains the

reason why: For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,

and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace

with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on

the cross. This includes you who were once so far away from God.

You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts

and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He hasdone this through his death on the cross in his own human body.

As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and


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