BORN FOR KNOWLEDGE
Part 1

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”
(Ephesians 1:17).

We were born for truth. We were born for knowledge. Provers 19:2 says: “That the soul be without knowledge, it is not good.” We were created in the image of God who is Truth. Therefore, it should be our inherent longing to know truth and walk in truth.

On the other hand, Satan is a liar. Jesus called him the father of lies (John 8:44). Because he was the liar from the beginning, he seeks to subvert us from the truth and fill our minds with lies and deception.

The greatest battle we face every day of our lives is in our minds. It’s the battle between truth and deception. God’s truth and Satan’s lies. Satan is the master deceiver and doesn’t tempt us with blatant lies. He makes them subtle. He makes them look like truth. He makes them look good and wise (Genesis 3:6).

The only way we can be sure of discerning and exposing His lies is by filling our minds with God’s truth through His eternal Word He has given to us.

God’s plan is for ALL people “to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). The word “knowledge” is epignosis. “Gnosis” means “knowledge gained by experience” and “epi” intensifies the word. It is an intimate knowing. It means “to discern fully, to acknowledge.”

Dearest mothers, we must be women of truth. If we are not mothers of truth, how will our children become young men and women of truth? We are the imparters of God’s truth and knowledge to our children. This world is filled with knowledge, but much of it is lies and deception. A lot is good, but is worldly knowledge. The greatest knowledge is God’s knowledge. The knowledge of Him. The knowledge of His ways and how He wants us to live.

There is nothing greater we can do in life than lead our children into the knowledge of God, the knowledge of the Holy One (Proverbs 9:10). This doesn’t only mean intellectual knowledge. Epgnosis is knowledge that affects our lives and behavior. In fact, if it doesn’t produce godliness in our lives and our children’s lives it is not God’s knowledge. It is worldly knowledge which may fill the mind, but is of no use to the life. And it usually produces pride. Titus 1:1 (AMP) talks about the epignosis of truth “which leads to godliness.”

THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE

As a struggling young mother, I read Philemon 1:6 and it changed my life. This Scriptures shows us how to translate God’s truth into our daily lives. It says: “That the communication of the faith bay become effectual by the acknowledging (epignosis) of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”  How can our faith become effectual in our lives? By the epignosis, the acknowledging that every good virtue that is in Jesus Christ is also in us because He lives in us!

We can intellectually acknowledge all the wonderful virtues that are in Christ—His love, patience, longsuffering, joy, peace, strength, and so on. But to confess that they are in us? That’s too far-fetched! But this is the truth of this Scripture. God’s truth is usually the opposite to our thinking and feelings.

This is the secret. You’ve got to allow His word to fill and transform your mind with His truth. You’ve got to confess that these virtues are in you. When you feel upset, impatient, and angry, don’t confess these feelings. Instead, confess that you are filled with patience and longsuffering. It’s the truth, whether you feel like it or not. Christ Jesus who lives in you is filled with longsuffering and He wants His nature to become your nature. It happens as you acknowledge and confess it.

God’s Word translation calls it “a complete knowledge of every blessing we have in Christ.” The Amplified translation describes it as “your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.” In other words, we cannot experience it until we know it. Therefore, we must seek to know Him. God wants us to come into “the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement (epignosis) of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2, 3).

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ! You don’t have to turn anywhere else. You not only lead your children to salvation in Christ, but to understand all the wisdom and knowledge that is in Him.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER

“Dear Father, I thank You that You live in me. I thank You that all the beautiful virtues that are in You are also in me because You live in me. Oh, please save me from living so shallowly and scraping the bottom of the barrel when I can live in the fullness and glory of all your virtues.  Thank you that I can love when I don’t even feel love because Your love is in me. Thank you that I am filled with patience even in the most trying times because You live within me. Help me to understand and acknowledge this wonderful truth. Amen.

AFFIRMATION

I am pursuing knowledge—the knowledge of the Father, the knowledge of Christ, and the knowledge of all His glorious promises.