What do you think Jesus wants?  That is all that matters what you have in your own head and heart about your savior.  We certainly do not wish to custom design God, in direct prohibition of the second commandment, but isn’t your relationship with God totally dependent upon what you believe about Him and yourself?  For instance, do you believe that the Bible is the inerrant, correct, infallible Truth, that was Holy Spirit inspired given to over 40 different writers but penned at His instruction and direction?  If not, what is the nature of your disbelief, can you remember the moment when you decided you didn’t believe?  Or, are you like most people that have never really studied, meditated and prayed about God’s Word, choosing to instead be shaped by what someone told you or worse yet could it be an excuse so that you don’t have to do the study work?  Did you suffer the poor, boring or inadequate teaching of someone without passion for Christ and His Gospel?

Let’s agree to be totally honest with each other and in so doing, I have to agree that having a relationship with Jesus without believing the Words He preached is definitely an obstacle.  Do you have the courage to test your belief and disprove the Bible or know enough about it to make a decision based entirely on your own discernment?  After all eternal salvation is between you and God, although I may encourage, assist, discuss, pray with you and for you, teach or preach about Jesus, you must invariably and inevitably make a decision for or against Christ by yourself.

I know the Lord, not that I fully understand Him, because He is so beyond my comprehension I cannot begin to express, but I know Him personally in my own walk.  His Word has never been wrong when put to the test in my life or the thousands of people with whom I have interacted.  He is faithful and true and never renegs or bails on His Promises.  Therefore, and I know this also empirically that if you genuinely seek Him He will answer you.  If you are like me at all, I thought I knew what was in the Bible, so I had an opinion based on some of my parents understanding, or misunderstanding, partly influenced by my friends, my laziness and a whole lot of disinformation from men and women desperately trying themselves to run away from God.  This unfortunately was often mentors, school teaches, respected writers or commentators and the like.  Honestly, I never took the time to read the book and find out for myself.  When I did my entire world transformed and I could no longer avoid the questions God was asking me.

For my Christian Brothers and Sisters, how did the Lord wish for us to approach the Gospel.  I find this passage from 2Timothy especially instructive in clarification; Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  Can I be approved in any work, even my daily job if I am ashamed at my knowledge of the job and its requirements?  Will others listen to me if I loosely handle my worldly job, never taking the time to investigate the specifics, techniques or unique directions incumbent to my labor?  Am I doing my best if I have just taken the word of multiple people on what is involved in success at my career?  How could I correctly teach another worker about my job if I did not know it well to be considered “approved”?  How could my boss expect me to teach someone else if I was ashamed and unsure of the “correct” instructive wording?  Worse yet, isn’t this what God wants us to do, shouldn’t that factor be enough to make us follow through?

That is what amazes me about folks who say that they don’t believe the Bible, yet they are unwilling to show me the inconsistencies that caused their disbelief.  Aren’t we talking about eternity?  If even the minutest possibility existed that I would be separated from God, my family and everyone I love for eternity, I assure you I would study that information seven ways from Sunday making sure I knew what was what, especially if I were looking for a way to deny it.  How then can we, knowing clearly that He expects us to study to an approved level, so that we are neither ashamed nor are we fumbling to tell/explain the truth, continue in our naivete, ignorance or unstudied position?  One word, sin.  Our sin continues to lure us, capture us, misdirect us, leading into the snares of abandon and the enemy.  Have you ever tried once to not do what you know you shouldn’t be doing.  It gets easier to resist doesn’t it, as God strengthens us through His Spirit?  Why then would we hold onto small pockets of rebellion?  When will we give in and truly want to know “God’s Will” for our lives, when will each of us surrender and let God finish what He started in each us?

I know you say that you do want to know His Will.  If you aren’t studying to show yourself approved, not being ashamed and rightly dividing the word of God then you certainly do not wish to know His will for your life.  I cannot count the times, Christians have told me that just wish that they knew God’s Will for their lives.  Yet, when I ask them what they believe God wants them to do they invariably tell me clearly what they think they should be doing, yet they haven’t taken any action.  Look we cannot expect God to tell us the entire story in one sitting, we must remain obedient to the directions He gives and then wait on Him for further understanding, guidance, reproof and blessing.  To these people I say that they do not wish to know God’s Will for their lives because then they would be faced with the overwhelming dilemma associated with being obedient to a Sovereign Authority.  My advice if you want to know God and know His Will for your life then try doing what you already know He wants you to do and wait for further revelation.  How about studying the Bible so that you aren’t ashamed and can show yourself approved to handle His Truth.

Praise You Lord for the Word that may instruct, grow, foster, nurture and support all who believe.  In Jesus Name.