Acknowledge Him
The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths." Many of us know this scripture by heart, but is it in our hearts to the point that we are applying it to our every day lives?
I know for myself that I have asked the question, "What does it mean to 'acknowledge Him'?" I have heard many messages on the subject, but the statement, "acknowledge Him," still seemed ambiguous. Therefore, I, as perhaps you have too, struggled to acknowledge God and find it difficult to apply this scripture to your every day life.
Today I want to bring some clarity to that phrase. Very simply put, to acknowledge God is to consider Him. Take a look at these two verses.
Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Notice the command to "consider" in both of these verses. To consider Him means to acknowledge Him. To acknowledge Him means to consider Him. This is practically done by rehearsing who He is, rehearsing what He has said, rehearsing what He has done and rehearsing what He will do.
Now, let's put this into an everyday situation. Suppose you have a long forgotten debt that has now made it to a collection agency which has an attorney now trying to collect the debt from you. You are frustrated because you don't remember the debt, nor do you have the money to pay the debt. This is how you acknowledge Him in that situation.
1. Rehearse who He is - He is El Elohim, the Creator of heaven and earth. He is El Shaddai; the God of more than enough who promised to supply all of your need. He is Jehovah Jireh your provider. He is Jehovah Nissi; your victory, banner and standard. He is Jehovah Shalom your peace. He will give you peace in the midst of the storm.
2. Rehearse what He has said - He said in His Word that He is a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He said nothing is too hard for Him. He said that if you would call upon Him, He will answer you and be with you in times of trouble. He said if you would give it would be given back to you. He said that if you do not rob Him in your tithes and offering He would rebuke the devourer for your sake. He said that if you would give cheerfully, He would make all grace, every favor and earthly blessing come to you in abundance so that you will always, under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient, possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation. He promised to supply all your need!
3. Rehearse what He has done - He has provided in the past. You have always had a roof over your head. People have given to you to help meet your needs. People have blessed you with the things that you have wanted. God did all this through them.
4. Rehearse what He will do - God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He does not change His mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it (Numbers 23:19 GW). When God sends forth His Word, it does not return void. It produces fruit. It will accomplish what He wants it to.
The word "rehearse" means to recite or say over. Therefore, to acknowledge Him means to say out loud, over and over who He is, what He has said, what He has done and what He will do. As you do this, He will direct your paths. He will make the crooked things straight and the rough places smooth. He will do this because by acknowledging Him you are saying that you trust Him to work your situation out for your good.
So there you have it; how to practically acknowledge Him. Apply this teaching to your life today to whatever challenged with, whether it be your money, health, marriage or any other area. Acknowledge Him. He will produce results.
Understanding the Kingdom of Heaven in 2011,
Dr. Sheila
I know for myself that I have asked the question, "What does it mean to 'acknowledge Him'?" I have heard many messages on the subject, but the statement, "acknowledge Him," still seemed ambiguous. Therefore, I, as perhaps you have too, struggled to acknowledge God and find it difficult to apply this scripture to your every day life.
Today I want to bring some clarity to that phrase. Very simply put, to acknowledge God is to consider Him. Take a look at these two verses.
Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Notice the command to "consider" in both of these verses. To consider Him means to acknowledge Him. To acknowledge Him means to consider Him. This is practically done by rehearsing who He is, rehearsing what He has said, rehearsing what He has done and rehearsing what He will do.
Now, let's put this into an everyday situation. Suppose you have a long forgotten debt that has now made it to a collection agency which has an attorney now trying to collect the debt from you. You are frustrated because you don't remember the debt, nor do you have the money to pay the debt. This is how you acknowledge Him in that situation.
1. Rehearse who He is - He is El Elohim, the Creator of heaven and earth. He is El Shaddai; the God of more than enough who promised to supply all of your need. He is Jehovah Jireh your provider. He is Jehovah Nissi; your victory, banner and standard. He is Jehovah Shalom your peace. He will give you peace in the midst of the storm.
2. Rehearse what He has said - He said in His Word that He is a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He said nothing is too hard for Him. He said that if you would call upon Him, He will answer you and be with you in times of trouble. He said if you would give it would be given back to you. He said that if you do not rob Him in your tithes and offering He would rebuke the devourer for your sake. He said that if you would give cheerfully, He would make all grace, every favor and earthly blessing come to you in abundance so that you will always, under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient, possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation. He promised to supply all your need!
3. Rehearse what He has done - He has provided in the past. You have always had a roof over your head. People have given to you to help meet your needs. People have blessed you with the things that you have wanted. God did all this through them.
4. Rehearse what He will do - God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He does not change His mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it (Numbers 23:19 GW). When God sends forth His Word, it does not return void. It produces fruit. It will accomplish what He wants it to.
The word "rehearse" means to recite or say over. Therefore, to acknowledge Him means to say out loud, over and over who He is, what He has said, what He has done and what He will do. As you do this, He will direct your paths. He will make the crooked things straight and the rough places smooth. He will do this because by acknowledging Him you are saying that you trust Him to work your situation out for your good.
So there you have it; how to practically acknowledge Him. Apply this teaching to your life today to whatever challenged with, whether it be your money, health, marriage or any other area. Acknowledge Him. He will produce results.
Understanding the Kingdom of Heaven in 2011,
Dr. Sheila
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