DIGGING DEEP IN GOD Sylvester Onyemalechi God is too deep to be understood in a day or a short time. Anyone seeking to know him must be sincere in his heart and consistent in seeking Him. SINCERITY Sincerity is a necessary ingredient in any and every relationship. Man s relationship with God must be on the grounds of sincerity. You serve God not for what you will get from Him but for love. Marriage is on the grounds of love and not what one will get from a man or a woman. Your love relationship with God should be unconditional whether your needs are met or not you will continue to serve him. There is a need for you to seek God with sincerity. CONSISTENCY Many people are not consistent in their service of the living God. They make themselves unreliable by their inconsistent living. You must keep practicing the word of God, giving, tithing, witnessing, and doing all that God commands that the believer should no matter what happens in your life. When things happen contrary to expectation, you must remain consistent. When there is a delay in meeting your needs, you must remain consistent in your service of the living God. God will only reveal more of Himself to the man who is consistent and is willing to remain consistent in following and doing His will and commands. 1 Cor 13:9-12 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part ; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Cor 12:7-8 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; KJV God reveals Himself little by little depending on how thirsty a man is and how the man applies what is being revealed to his life. Isa 28:10 1
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: KJV Isa 28:13; John 14:25-26 It is the thirst in a man s heart that determines how he seeks and searches for truth about God and His ways. John 7:37-39 37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. 1. Seekers always find. Matt 7:7-8 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Jer 29:11-14 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." 2. It takes a deep thirst to become a seeker of God. Ps 42:1-2 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Ps 84:1-3 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar. 2
3. Without a strong desire there can be no diligent search for the truth and for God. 4. God will only give drink to those who are thirsty. John 7:37 37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink Ps 27:8; Ps 53:2; Ps 63:1 5. It is only a strong thirst for God that will make one invest his money in buying the truth as the word of God has commanded. Prov 23:23 23 Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. Prov 4:7-9 7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. 9 She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor." 6. It is only a strong desire for God that will make a man to burn the midnight candle searching and researching the word of God, books and listening to tapes in order to discover the truth of God. Ps 119:148 148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Ps 119:55; Ps 134 7. It is only a strong desire called thirst for God that will make a man to wait patiently for God to reveal himself and not give up until he finds what he is looking for. Ps 37:7 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; How long you will have to wait depends on what you are looking for and how long it takes God in His infinite wisdom to deliver it to you. Prov 2:1-12 STEPS TO LEARNING FROM GOD 1. Accept my words and store up my commands within you. 3
2. Turning your ear to wisdom. 3. Applying your heart to understanding. 4. And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding. 5. And if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure (Great thirst, value what you are looking for). 8. It takes thirst to fast and pray that one may know God rather than pray for material things. Phil 3:10 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; KJV Paul knew God and had intimate encounters with Him, he experienced the power of God and saw great miracles in his life and ministry, yet his heart cry remained That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. Paul s heart kept on longing for God despite his exploits in God. May you hunger for God as Apostle Paul did all the days of your life in Jesus name! Precious treasures are found not on the surface but in the deep. Gold is not found in commercial quantity on the surface. You have to dig deep into the ground to mine for it. So it is with diamonds, coal and all precious metals and pearls. You need to get deeper in God to get more insight about God and life. GOD IS SO DEEP 1 Cor 2:10 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. Eph 3:18-19; 1 Tim 3:9 We must go deep into God to enjoy full fellowship with Him and manifest His ultimate power. COST OF DIGGING DEEP 1. Strong desire for God must be developed. 2. Create time, for it will cost you many man hours. You may even burn the midnight candle as you are consumed in searching and studying God. 3. Sincere heart felt prayers prayed regularly for insight and nourishment is needed. You may sometimes have to fast to gain insight. 4. You must be ready to spend for truth. It will take money to buy books, tapes and attend seminars that are not free to gain knowledge. 5. You may sometimes disorganize your personal programs in order to gain knowledge. 4
6. Regular attendance in church activities and programs because of your great love for God and to know more about Him and His ways. 7. Your zeal for God will cause you to preach the gospel to people always and even at odd times and at great cost. HOW TO DEVELOP THIRST OR STRONG DESIRE FOR GOD 1. Give your mind (thoughts) to God. Mark 12:30 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' Read Joshua 1:8. 2. Think about God s faithfulness and deep love for mankind and for you as a person. Eph 3:18-19 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 3. Think about those who were close to God and what they benefited from being close to Him. 1 Cor 10:11 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 4. Meditate on the scriptures often day and night. Josh 1:8 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 5. Mix up with, and fellowship with those who are hungry and thirsty for God. 1 Cor 15:33 33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 2 Cor 6:14-18; Ps 101:1-7 The people you move with influence you positively or negatively. Mixing up with committed and zealous Christians will create zeal and thirst for God and His ways. 5
It will reduce the risk of distraction from wrong negative and unbelieving friends and family. It will keep you focused on God. It will surround you with encouragers in time of temptation and discouragement. 6. Pray a strong thirst for God into your heart. Make it a daily prayer point that you pray passionately. Prov 2:1-5 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 7. Be a regular person in church and listen attentively to the word of God that is preached to you and work with it. It will produce in you if you do so. Heb 10:25 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. James 1:25 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. KJV 8. Be emotionally involved with God. Do not let your relationship be solely intellectual, be passionate about it. Have a strong feeling of love for God, it will increase your desire and thirst for Him. Mark 12:30 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' Your heart is your spirit. Your soul comprises: The mind, emotions and will. Mind is the place of intellect, reasoning, analysis and conclusions on issues and the place of memory. Your strength represents your personality: Training, skill, gifts, abilities, finance and physical strength. 6
PRAYING FOR INSIGHT Hos 4:6 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. The Bible teaches that the people of God are destroyed for lack of knowledge and not lack of power or willingness to help from God. It is important that you who want to dig deep in God pray the right prayers persistently until God answers you. You need to pray for insight or revelation knowledge of God and His word. You must regularly and passionately express your desire to know Him intimately to Him. Here are some examples of men in the Bible who called on God for insight and they got it. KING SOLOMON 1 Kings 3:4-15 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke-and he realized it had been a dream. 7
Solomon s request was an uncommon request which got God s commendation and blessing. The wisdom he asked for gave him riches, fame, honor and great success. KING DAVID Ps 119:18-20 18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. 19 I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. 20 My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. King David had a great hunger for the word of God, and that hunger led him to passionately ask God give him understanding of His word. 1. You must have a strong desire or thirst for God s word to pray for insight. 2. You must be willing to let go of all that you know from your parents, family, school teachers, books, peers and life, to accept the truth from the word of God. 3. Recognize you are a stranger on earth and do not know how to live in this world the way God wants it, and allow God to teach you for He made the earth. 4. Ask God passionately for insight. APOSTLE PAUL FOR THE EPHESIAN CHRISTIANS Eph 1:15-23 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Paul prayed not for power and victory, but for revelation knowledge that he believes will guarantee victory in all area of life, especially in the Christian race. 1. Knowledge of the hope Christians have in Christ. 2. The inheritance the believers have in Christ. 3. The surpassing great and immeasurable power of Christ that works in and through all the believers 8
4. How the authority of Christ came to us. 5. The love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge. Eph 3:17-19 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. APOSTLE PAUL FOR THE COLOSIAN CHRISTIANS Col 1:9-14 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. It takes revelation knowledge to live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work. APOSTLE PAUL Phil 3:10-11 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Despite Paul s encounters and miraculous manifestations of the power of God, his heart prayer remains that he may know God more and more. May this be your prayer also? GENERAL INVITATION TO ALL Prov 2:1-5 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 9
If you will cry out for understanding, you will gain it. A strong desire for deep revelation knowledge of God will cause you to daily cry out to God for insight. This kind of prayers will deepen your love for God and sharpen your spiritual senses to understand the word of God in detail. It will cause your heart to tremble before God s word and make you to be quick in obeying the word of God. It will also sharpen your retentive memory so that you will not forget what you have read or discovered in the word of God. 10