upside down thinking

I have been talking to quite a few people recently about how we might truly come to know God more intimately and how we might seek and find Him. Several of these people have also been struggling with doubts and wondering how to get through these doubts. These conversations have revealed to me that we so easily fall into the trap of trying to find God and know God in our own wisdom and strength. It does not work. The key verse for this is 1 Corinthians 1:21: "God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom." The larger context of this verse is also telling and important:


1 Corinthians 1:18-25: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

As Jesus, Lord of all Creation, draped himself in humanity and allowed himself to be beaten, mocked, and killed by the powers and authorities, this "plan" seemed very "weak" and "foolish". But this "foolish and weak" plan of God has more power to set us free from our biggest problem-sin and ourselves- than the greatest of human strength or wisdom ever could! No matter how enlightened we become, no matter how much knowledge or how many degrees we have, no matter how much we discover about ourselves, we will NEVER be free from our sin unless we see our need and receive this "foolish" plan of forgiveness and salvation that was purchased for us by Jesus. It is ever more apparent to me why this plan would be foolishness to those who do not think they need or want a Savior.

Jesus shows by the Way of the cross just how different the power structure of his Kingdom is: "weakness" from submission, sacrificial giving, radical love, and humility is the greatest strength, wisdom, and power in God's economy. On the cross, it seemed like Jesus was being defeated by the powers that be, but in reality, as Colossians 2:15 tells us, "HE disarmed the powers and authorities, and HE made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Wow! The great reversal! Satan might have thought that this was going to be his greatest victory as Jesus was handed over to be crucified, but it was his greatest defeat!

1 Corinthians 2:6-7, 10-16 also says something powerful about the difference between God's wisdom and human wisdom and how we cannot know Him or come to Him in our own wisdom:

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began...The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except [by] the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned...But we have the mind of Christ."

This passage is expressing the same sentiment as 1 Corinth 1:21: that we cannot come to know God in our own wisdom and that we need the Spirit to understand spiritual things and God's thoughts. This is a very powerful passage to me.

So how do we come to know God then? I want to look at our part in this reunion with God and some of the ways that we must seek Him (I emphasize some of the ways because I am not trying to give an exhaustive list!), because without His Spirit giving us new spiritual life, eyes, ears, and the ability to believe and repent, we are utterly helpless to come to God on our own. First and foremost, God must reveal Himself to us and give us the Spirit as we receive Jesus. We are as helpless to come to know God on our own strength and wisdom as a virgin is of conceiving a child! When an angel comes to Mary and tells her she will have a Son of the Most High whose Kingdom will never end named Jesus, Mary replies, "How can this be!? I am a virgin!" And the angel replies, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." In addition to being an incredible miracle of how our Lord Jesus was conceived, this also paints a spiritual parallel of how we are to be before God. When He tells us that we can come to Him and be completely righteous, holy, conformed to His likeness, and restored to Him, our response should be, "how can this be!!? I am an impure, unholy, wicked person!" To which He tells us, "the Holy Spirit will come upon and inside of you." Without this first help, we are helpless to come to and know God.

However, with God's grace and Spirit, we must do something to seek Him with all of our heart. But how we seek is important. We can only come to know Him by aligning ourselves to the WAY that He tells us we can come to know Him. We cannot come to know Him through whatever means we want, just like a car cannot run on just anything you give it. There are certain "spiritual laws" at work that we must align ourselves with if we want to know God. I picture God as a rushing waterfall and myself as an empty bucket that thirsts to be filled, and I need to align myself (through the power of the Spirit) underneath the flow of the water by putting on the heart postures that He tells us to. God has been reminding me and teaching my heart a few of these heart postures that position us (not earn us) underneath the waterfall of Himself:

1. Fearing him
2. Humility and poverty of spirit
3. Obeying His commands
4. Walking by faith (trust and dependence)
5. Yielding to Him wholeheartedly/surrender/submission
6. Thankfulness

The pages of Scripture are FILLED with verses to support this, and I could write so much on each of these postures of the heart, but I will choose the verses that have been most powerful to me of late and try to be brief.

1. Fearing God:

The first necessary posture of the heart to come to know Him intimately (and to live a life pleasing to Him) is fearing and reverencing Him, for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". When we have a high view of God and a fear of Him, we are humbled. We naturally realize how sinful and small we are and how foolish it would be to try to live independently of Him. When we have a fear of God, we have an attitude that says: "You are God and I am not. Thus, you are the ultimate definition and definer of truth and reality, not me. I must yield and align myself to you and become completely moldable in your hand so that you can reveal yourself and truth to me as you know yourself to be, not as who I might think you are. I will not put you in a box for you are uncontainable. I exist only to make you look gloriously beautiful. Who am I that you are mindful of me!" Nothing captures this heart better than the end of Job!

Job 38:1-4: Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. (many more incredible questions that follow which you should read!)

Job 41: Then Job replied to the LORD : "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

I think Job's heart here is simply beautiful. Here is a man who gets a glimpse of just how amazing, mighty, and powerful God is, and he is immediately struck with fear and reverence for Him, which leads to utter humility and repentance.

Another incredible passage that strikes the fear of the Lord into me is the doxology at the very end of Romans 11: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."

As well as Isaiah 55:7-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Thus, we must repent of our arrogance which tempts us to test God and sit in judgement of Him, thinking he owes us something. We must repent of reducing God into our image and thinking He is confined to the same set of "rules" and limitations as another human being. We must repent of thinking we can or should be able to figure Him and His agenda completely out. We must repent of thinking that "from man, through man, and to man are all things", for "from God, through God, and to God are all things". We are just dust of the earth with life and breath and everything upheld by Him alone! Thus, we must humble ourselves and let Him lift us up if He so desires.

This is the first way to come to know God

2. Humility and Poverty of Spirit: The second "spiritual law" regarding coming to know God is that a humble spirit puts us beneath the waterfall of God's blessings and communion with Him.

When I searched verses with the word "humble" on biblegateway.com, there were 71 verses that came up, and I am sure there are countless more using slightly different words to iterate the same kinds of truths: 1. God's grace, truth, wisdom, love, filling, Kingdom, blessing, etc. flows down to the humble. 2. God humbles, mocks, brings down the proud and he exalts, lifts up, honors the humble. 3. God hears the prayers of the humble, but turns a deaf ear to the proud. 4. God has radical mercy on people who humble(d) themselves (where if they had not humbled themselves, they would have been destroyed or punished). 5. God gives rest and his easy yoke to the humble.

Here are a few of the verses that really jumped out at me:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:5)

"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4)

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12 and Luke 14:11)

"Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. (2 Kings 22:19)

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.[or heart posture]. (2 Chronicles 7:14-15)

God crowns the humble with salvation, sustains the humble, and gives grace to the humble, (Psalm 149:4, Psalm 147:6, Prov. 3:34)

The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring low the pride of all glory and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. (Isaiah 23:9)

In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 29:18-19)

Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)

"At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 'All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?' At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble." (Daniel 4:34-37).

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).

I don't feel like I need to add much more to these verses:)

3. Obedience:

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

I often like to substitute the word "me/I" (pertaining to Jesus) for "the truth" in this verse, because Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So that would read: "Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know me and I will set you free." Obedience does lead us more into an experiential knowledge and intimacy with God, and vice versa this personal knowledge and intimacy breeds more obedience. This love/obedience cycle is seen all throughout 1 John. Just to show a few verses that stand out:

1 John 2:3-5: We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.

1 John 3:21-24: Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us [ie a clear conscience], we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.

1 John 4:12: No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another (obedience), God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:16-17: God is love. Whoever lives in love (obeying greatest command) lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

Awesome quote by Tozer pertaining to obedience awakening our spiritual faculties allowing us to better know and commune with God: "As we begin to focus upon God, the things of the spirit will take shape before our inner eyes. Obedience to the word of Christ will bring an inward revelation of the Godhead (John 14:21-23). It will give acute perception enabling us to see God even as is promised to the pure in heart. A new God-consciousness will seize upon us and we shall begin to taste and hear and inwardly feel the God who is our life and our all. There will be seen the constant shining of the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9)."

4. Walking by Faith (trust and dependence):

"We have in our hearts organs by means of which we can know God as certainly as we know material things through our familiar five senses? We apprehend the physical world by exercising the faculties given us for the purpose, and we possess spiritual faculties by means of which we can know God and the spiritual world if we will obey the Spirit's urge and begin to use them...But the very ransomed children of God themselves: why do they know so little of that habitual conscious communion with God which the Scriptures seem to offer? The answer is our chronic unbelief. Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things..." ~Tozer (Pursuit of God)

Faith is the gate entrance into God's Kingdom where we can be reconciled to God, be united with Christ, have fellowship with Him, and come boldly before His throne without guilt or blemish. God activates our spiritual senses through faith. A few verses that stick out to me on this:

Romans 1:17 says, "This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.'”

Ephesians 1:3 says that God has "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ", and we are united with Christ because of our faith.

Romans 5:1-2: Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.


5. Yielding to God wholeheartedly/surrender/submission:

Matthew 16:24-25: "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.'"

There is a weird paradox in God's Kingdom that we find our lives when we lose them, but we lose them if we try to cling to them. I can't say I have fully experienced this, but I pray, Lord, that you would show me the truth of this and empower me to lose my life and find it in you.

2 Chronicles 16:9: For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

6. Thankfulness:

We are commanded all throughout the New Testament to be thankful! Why is this? Thankfulness is one of the most appropriate and pure responses to the gospel and all that God has done for us. If everything laid forth in the Bible is true, which I believe it is, then the ONLY  response for us to have is pure and utter excitement, joy, and shouts of exuberant praise!!

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” I love how this verse links thankfulness with a fear of God. The Israelites lacked a fear of God, so they were quick to grumble and complain against God and their leaders. After all that God had done for them, and all the ways he had been faithful and gracious to them, their grumbling was an ugly stench to him.


Thankfulness is also a safeguard for our faith and greatly impacts the lens through which we are seeing all things. In Philippians 3:1, Paul says, "Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith." When a grumbling, complaining heart overtakes us, we begin to see all things through a grumbling and complaining lens. When we put on a thankful heart, it begins to positively affect how we view all things. As a masters in counseling student, I have come to learn that cognitive therapy is one of the most effective forms of therapy, and it essentially targets the thought life and the lens through which someone is viewing the world, themselves, and everything else. It is no surprise to me that psychology research overwhelmingly agrees with the notion of Romans 12:1: that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds...though what psychology research might not know yet is that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds in conformity with God's Word...this is why we need to read (over and over again) and know the Word of God, because it gives us a standard of truth to align our thoughts with.