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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Eddie Lawrence.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

Knowing God is not reserved for pastors, theologians, or lifelong churchgoers. It is something every person was created for. But how do we actually grow in that knowledge? There are three foundational ways: through His Word, through His works, and through His ways.

Why Knowing God Matters More Than You Think

Charles Spurgeon, known as the Prince of Preachers, was one of the most gifted ministers of the 1800s. Yet he battled severe depression, chronic illness, and deep personal pain. He was not struggling because he lacked faith or prayer. He was a deeply godly man who simply faced hard seasons.

In the middle of one of his darkest moments, a woman approached him and told him that a sermon he had preached three years earlier had saved her from taking her own life. That encounter broke him open with gratitude. His testimony was that his afflictions became some of his greatest teachers.

Spurgeon learned the ways of God. And when things stopped making sense, he knew God was still reliable, still faithful, still trustworthy. That kind of confidence only comes from truly knowing God.

How Do You Know God Through His Word?

The Bible is not just a religious text. It is God-breathed. As Paul wrote, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Hebrews 4 describes the Word as living and powerful. It is like a hammer that breaks rocks into pieces and like a fire that burns up everything that needs to go. Through Scripture, God speaks directly to you.

Think of it this way. Before cell phones, if you were in a long-distance relationship, you found a way to hear that person's voice. You ran up the phone bill. You wrote letters. You did whatever it took because you wanted to connect. The Bible is how God connects with you. It is His love letter, His voice on the page.

What Happens When You Anchor Your Life in the Word?

Martin Luther is a powerful example of what happens when someone takes the Word seriously. As a Catholic monk in the 1500s, he studied the book of Romans and encountered something the Spirit was showing Him that contradicted what the Church was teaching. Salvation was not earned through rituals and sacraments. It was received by grace through faith.

He stood before the most powerful religious and political leaders of his day and said, "I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything. Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me."

Years later, when people tried to give Luther credit for the Reformation, he deflected it entirely. He wrote, "I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's Word. Otherwise I did nothing. The Word did everything."

That is the power of Scripture. Imperfect people who carry God's Word can see souls saved, marriages restored, and lives completely transformed.

Practical Ways to Grow Through the Word

  • Anchor your Spirit in the God-breathed blueprint, not your shifting emotions. Faith is not a feeling. "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17)
  • Feed on the Word daily to keep faith alive. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)
  • Do not just read it. Believe it. Eat it. Let it become part of how you think and live.

Can You Know God Through His Works and Miracles?

Jesus Himself pointed to His works as evidence of who He was. "Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves." (John 14:11)

Even Nicodemus, a Pharisee, recognized it. He came to Jesus at night and said, "No man can do these works that you do, except God be with Him." (John 3:2) He did the math. Only God could do what Jesus was doing.

God is not handcuffed in heaven. He is El Shaddai, the Almighty. He has power. He can do more than sympathize with your situation. He can move in it.

The Story of Smith Wigglesworth and Resurrection Faith

Smith Wigglesworth was not a polished preacher. He was a plumber who got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. But God used Him to work extraordinary miracles.

One of the most remarkable accounts involves his friend Mitchell, who had died from tuberculosis. Wigglesworth arrived at the home after his friend had already passed. He cleared the room, got on his knees beside the body, and began to pray. He felt tremendous resistance. He prayed through it. He pulled the man up against the wall and rebuked death in the name of Jesus. He did it again. And then Mitchell opened his eyes, took a breath, and walked across the room completely healed.

Wigglesworth was a man of the Word and a man of prayer. He only moved when he sensed the Father's leading. And when that faith rose up, he knew he had his green light from God.

Miracles Are Signposts, Not the Destination

Here is an important caution. If you receive a miracle of provision and you focus only on the provision, you miss the point. The works of God are like road signs pointing you toward the destination. They point to the Savior. They point to His goodness, His faithfulness, and His glory.

Do not become a spectator who just wants to see something happen. Let every work of God draw you closer to God Himself.

What Does It Mean to Know God Through His Ways?

There is a deeper level of knowing God that goes beyond reading about Him and even beyond witnessing what He does. It is learning His ways through time spent with Him.

Moses understood this. He prayed, "Show me now your way, that I may know you." (Exodus 33:13) He wanted more than miracles. He wanted to understand how God thinks and moves.

Isaiah 55 reminds us that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. We cannot live the Christian life doing things our own way. We need revelation from the Word, obedience to that Word, and then the experience of watching God work. Over time, that process teaches us His ways.

E.M. Bounds and the Power of the Secret Place

E.M. Bounds was an attorney turned chaplain who served during the Civil War. After the war, he felt called back to Franklin, Tennessee, where he had witnessed some of the bloodiest fighting. He oversaw the proper burial and identification of hundreds of fallen soldiers and then became the pastor of a small church there.

Every morning he rose at 4 a.m. and spent three to four hours on his knees in prayer. He gathered men weekly to pray over the city. They prayed for over a year, believing for revival.

He wrote, "The church is looking for better methods. God is looking for better men. What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use. Men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men."

That small church eventually grew to over 500 people as revival broke out. Not because of programs or strategies, but because people learned to do things God's way.

Trusting God When You Cannot Trace His Hand

Learning God's ways means you can remain steady in the storm. You can stand strong when everything around you says it is over. Because you know that Jesus gets the final say. When He said "It is finished," He meant it.

You can trust God's heart even when you cannot trace His hand.

Life Application

This week, choose one intentional step toward knowing God more deeply in each of these three areas. Open your Bible and read it not just as information but as a conversation with God. Pay attention to where He is working around you and let those moments point you back to Him. And carve out time in the secret place, even if it is just fifteen minutes in the morning on your knees before the day begins.

The challenge is simple but not easy: move from the spectator seat into the secret place.

Ask yourself these questions as you go into the week:

  • Am I building my life on the Word of God or on how I feel in the moment?
  • When I see God work, do I let it draw me closer to Him, or do I stop at the miracle itself?
  • Am I spending enough time with God in private to actually learn His ways, not just know about Him?

Knowing God is not a destination you arrive at. It is a lifelong journey through His Word, His works, and His ways. And it is the most worthwhile pursuit of your life.