When Did You Find God?
Most people assume they know God because they’ve known ABOUT God all their lives. But the Bible says everyone starts life “Without hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12).” Maybe you were raised in a church or religious tradition, and you were around people who knew God, but when did YOU find God? Maybe you were raised to believe in many gods, or you learned about a god outside of the Bible. Everyone must find God at some point in their lives.
Here are the five ways God has made Himself known:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1)
Have you ever been amazed by nature? Maybe you watched a beautiful sunset, visited the Grand Canyon, watched a dolphin show, or swam in the ocean. These experiences awaken our sense of awe and wonder at the natural world. We learn the basics about God from nature — that He exists, that He is strong, wise, and active all around us (Romans 1:20).
Have you observed the glory of God in the created world around you?
“Their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” (Romans 2:15)
God gave us each a conscience to alert us to His moral laws. Do you remember knowing right from wrong as a child? Do you remember breaking the rules and feeling guilty, or watching someone else get away with things and feeling angry?
God made us moral beings, and our conscience reveals that God is a moral being. Through our conscience, we learn that we have fallen short of keeping God’s commands.
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19)
Have you experienced feelings of guilt and shame when you’ve done wrong?
“In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways.” (Hebrews 1:1)
While creation displays God’s power, and conscience reveals God’s morality, we would never know specifics about God unless He chose to reveal Himself. The Bible (canon) is God’s self-disclosure. We can know about God, His nature, and His plan in the Bible. Without the Bible, we cannot know God personally.
“Jesus replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures (Bible) or the power of God.’” (Matthew 22:29)
Do you agree that God must make Himself known if we are to find Him?
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
You’ve probably heard the song, “It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year.” Christmas feels magical as people all over the world hang lights, decorate trees, and give gifts to loved ones. Christmas remembers the birth of Jesus, announced by a choir of angels. What makes Jesus so special? He came down from heaven to rescue us (1 Timothy 1:15).
Jesus is the sinless son of God. He lived the perfect life, and He died on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins. On the third day, he rose again and conquered the power of death. He is now exalted in heaven as King of Kings. Do you believe this?
“[Jesus] said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’” (Luke 24:44)
Have you discovered your need of a Savior?
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’” (Romans 10:9).
When you turn from sin and ask Jesus to save you, your life becomes proof that God exists! You are born again, and God makes you brand new in His sight. You cross over from darkness to light, and you become a citizen in the Kingdom of God (Philippians 3:20).
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’” (Romans 10:9).
When you turn from sin and ask Jesus to save you, your life becomes proof that God exists! You are born again, and God makes you brand new in His sight. You cross over from darkness to light, and you become a citizen in the Kingdom of God (Philippians 3:20).
When asked if they are going to heaven, often, people will say, “I’m a good person.” But the Bible says we can never be good enough to meet God’s standards. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, and our good works don’t earn us a place in paradise. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and we must be saved by Jesus. Have you asked Jesus to save you?
If not, stop and pray this sincerely from the heart right now:
“Dear Jesus, thank you for coming down to rescue us. I admit that I have sinned in many ways, and I’ve broken God’s law. I understand I deserve to be judged. But I believe you died on the cross to take away all my sins. I believe you rose again, defeated death, and you now rule forever. Jesus, save me from all my sins!”
If you prayed that with a sincere heart, you are saved! After you are saved, God will begin to transform you in hundreds of ways, slowly over time. Your transformation will prove that God is real.
“[You] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of [your] Creator.” (Colossians 3:10)
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
When asked if they are going to heaven, often, people will say, “I’m a good person.” But the Bible says we can never be good enough to meet God’s standards. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, and our good works don’t earn us a place in paradise. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and we must be saved by Jesus. Have you asked Jesus to save you?
If not, stop and pray this sincerely from the heart right now:
“Dear Jesus, thank you for coming down to rescue us. I admit that I have sinned in many ways, and I’ve broken God’s law. I understand I deserve to be judged. But I believe you died on the cross to take away all my sins. I believe you rose again, defeated death, and you now rule forever. Jesus, save me from all my sins!”
If you prayed that with a sincere heart, you are saved! After you are saved, God will begin to transform you in hundreds of ways, slowly over time. Your transformation will prove that God is real.
“[You] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of [your] Creator.” (Colossians 3:10)
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)