Todd White: "The Joy of Knowing Him"

"The Joy of Knowing Him"

Todd White, Watauga, TX

There is something about believing, then beholding, and then becoming. It's about believing you are who God says you are and that He is who He says He is. In Matthew 16, Jesus asks the disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" These guys are hanging out with Him, traveling with Him, eating, breathing, sleeping, doing life with Jesus—and He asks them this question. And they answer, "Well, a lot of people are saying a lot of things." Christians are still doing that today: "Well, maybe He will do it, maybe He won't. It depends on His mood."

God Is Always in a Good Mood

I'm here to tell you God is ALWAYS in a good mood. He is good. Yes, He despises sin, but He doesn't despise you. He LOVES you. He's jealous for you. I don't have time to remain in regret, to think about guilt, shame, or condemnation! Why? Because I am so consumed by the way that He loves me! It's so powerful. The whole Bible has to do with how much He loves you.

I hope that by the end of this devotional, you are consumed with God's thoughts for you. I hope you will be consumed with His love for you, His mercy for you, His tenderness toward you, His eye that's constantly on you that never looks away—His GAZE. God has billions of people on this earth, and He looks at every one of them individually every day, all day, and He never looks away. If you would just connect with that, you will behold Him and never be the same.

Jesus came to reveal the Father, He told us that eternal life is knowing the One true God. Being born again is essential to unlocking your potential because you can't step into potential unless you do what's essential. The essential piece of Christianity is that you must be born again. Your spirit becomes one with Holy Spirit. And all the junk that was tied up to your soul gets kicked out by Holy Spirit. (Photo via Flickr)

Once this happens, you start to fellowship with the LIVING, Word of God, and find out what God thinks about you so that when you hear what the world says about you, it doesn't matter because you know what the Father says about you. And you set up your home within Him, and He sets up His home in you, and you have peace that surpasses all understanding. He guards your heart like an umpire making the calls: Safe! Out! Home run! Foul ball! And you start to enter into relationship with the Father where you actually pray and know that He hears you, where you actually get to love Him in the place where He responds with His love, goodness, and mercy.

Governed From the Inside, Out

When I fall in love with Him, and He sets up His home inside of me, the Bible no longer becomes a theory, but becomes an internal reality that governs me from the inside of my heart. His Word is ALIVE, and Hebrews 4:12 says it's living and active, sharp and powerful. It comes in and divides my soul from my spirit. Now my born-again spirit man is one with God and gets it. My brain doesn't understand it because it's still in rebellion. Faith comes by hearing, and as I read, I hear, and as I hear, faith grows in me.

He wants you to be an instrument of righteousness, a weapon of the Lord: A sword in the Master's hand that you can use to cut up any devil that comes your way. Any lie that comes at you, there's no possibility that it sets up a home in you. Psalm 138:2 (NKJV) says, "...For You have magnified Your word above all Your name." His Word becomes the very thing you love. You don't need a teacher to teach you or a pastor to pastor you when it comes to fellowship with the Word. You need your own relationship, intimacy, hunger, and thirst for righteousness so that you can be filled and overflowing and so that you can say, "That's MY King!"

Your King sacrificed His life to come and live inside of you so that you could be full of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not food or drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (see Romans 14:17). Where does the Holy Ghost reside? Inside of you! That means that the Kingdom is in you, around you, and in the midst of you. But if we don't know "That's my King," what do we really know?

We know anger, hurt, gossip, and all of a sudden, we allow the things that matter least to matter most. And we've walked away from the very truth that can set us free. You've been called to a greater life than that. You've been called into a greater life than sitting idly by. You are part of His story. And if you see who you're created to be and who He is in you, all of a sudden, you will make history. You will live a life as one who is burning for Him and who will leave a legacy.

From Orphan to Adopted

The orphan mindset says, "You're not worthy." Why? Because the orphan doesn't know the Father. What changes the mentality of an orphan? Adoption. Because once they're adopted, they have a father! God takes His robes of righteousness and clothes you in them. He takes His covenant ring and places it on your finger. He says, "Once you were lost, and now you're found. You were dead, and now you're alive. You were blind, but now you see." Your old mindset says, "I'm not worthy." But if you're not worth it, why did Heaven pay such a high price for you?

Your value is determined by the price God paid for you. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16, NKJV). THAT'S your value. We think according to man's mindset: We reap what we sow, right? But what if God sowed His Son like a seed into the earth so that you and I can reap what He sowed? That's grace! (Photo via Pixabay)

God really wants to teach us how to love, man. You need to become like Him because, "...as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17, NKJV). What's He saying? Well, God is love so He's called us to be love. I'm telling you today, believe Him. Behold Him. Become a son or a daughter who tenaciously goes after Him and loves Him. It'll completely change you, and it will change the world around you. There's no greater joy than truly knowing Him.

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Todd White
Lifestyle Christianity
Email: click here
Website:  www.lifestylechristianity.com

Todd White is the founder and president of Lifestyle Christianity, located in Watauga, Texas. Lifestyle Christianity began in 2014 as the evangelistic ministry of Todd White. Todd became a Christian in 2004 when he had a powerful salvation experience. Todd was a drug addict and atheist for 22 years. He was at the point of suicide when God came into his life and set him free. As a new Believer, Todd began sharing the simplicity of the Gospel of the Kingdom and what Jesus Christ accomplished at the Cross. It was common for Todd to see dozens of people healed as he shared Christ's love for them throughout his normal everyday life. Since that time, Todd has been passionately pursuing his call to see people fully walking in their identity in both the purity and power available in Christ. Lifestyle Christianity desires to see people walk in their God-given identity. Gripped by the simplicity of the Gospel and what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross, our heart is to see people brave the waves of fear and share the love of Jesus everywhere that they go.

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