ACQUAINTANCE
WITH GOD
In this season, God sought for men
who will seek Him intimately and passionately. God desires acquaintance,
friendship and companionship with us; but this He cannot and will not do
outside our volition and consent. From generation to generation, God seek fellowship
with men. One of the reasons God created man is for Him to have contact with man through
fellowship (acquaintance). This we can see evidently in the Garden of
Eden when He (God) used to visit our then parents (Adam and Eve) at the cool of
the day for fellowship. The bible says that, “And the heard the voice of the
LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (Genesis 3:8, KJV).
Even after God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, His agenda to fellowshipping
with man was not scuttled. For we see God having habitual fellowship with Enoch
years later such that through that communion, he (Enoch) was taken to heaven. The
bible confirms this when it says, “And Enoch walked (in habitual fellowship)
with God; and he was not, for God took him (home with Him)” (Genesis 5:24, AMP).
Indeed, God calls us into deep acquaintance with Him.
The ‘goodies’ of this life are only
accessible by acquaintance. Who you acquaint yourself with in this life will
determine what becomes of your life. Your association determines your
acceleration. We live in a dispensation where many of us are drawn into
acquaintance with things or people that don’t matter to our destiny. Also, many
people have acquainted themselves with a mindset and disposition that ‘rules
out’ the faithfulness, love, mercy and grace of God in their lives, all because
of the present trials and predicaments they seem to be passing through. What a
terrible and wrong disposition to have on God during the times to trial and testing!!!
The irony of it all is this: the FARTHER
you are from AGREEING with God, the FARTHER you will be from LIVING a life of
PEACE, JOY and COMFORT. Not only that, the FARTHER you will be from ENTERING the
‘GOOD PACKAGES’ that are available in Christ Jesus. Wait a moment!!! Are
you giving up on what God has promised you? Are you seeing your eyes shifting
from waiting on the LORD for help? Are you already contemplating whether the
sure words of prophecies upon your life will never come to limelight? Have
doubts beginning to settle in your heart concerning the credibility of God? Are
you seeing yourself getting tired of studying God’s Word and praying? Are you
seeing yourself yanking-off from both personal and corporate fellowship because
the ‘good’ you envisaged to come your way hasn’t come yet? Have you noticed that
the life of compromise is now gaining control of your life, because of a little
shift in your focus from God? Are you seeing yourself always acting based on
the opinions and voices of friends or people around, as against the voice of
God? Can you see how yoked you are with sin and sinful habits just because to
you God has not showed up? Can you see how you are silently in the heart
doubting God’s plans and purposes He has promised to bring you into? All of these
show how not acquainted you are with God.
Many years ago, a man was in a great
dilemma because of the trials and troubles that suddenly befell him, but one of
his friends cautioned him seriously to acquaint now himself with God. The man’s
named was JOB, and his friend’s name was Eliphaz the Temanite. The counsel of
Eliphaz to Job during the moment of his trials was this: “ACQUAINT now thyself with HIM
(agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will) and be at PEACE;
by that (you shall prosper and great) good shall come to you” (Job 22:21, AMP). You see!!! You can’t really be at peace when
you don’t acquaint yourself with God. Anything or anyone that you draw into
acquaintance with other than to God Almighty has the possibility of making you living
in quarrel with God. The Living Bible renditions says, “Quit
quarrelling with God! Agree with him and you will have peace at last! His favor
with surround you if you will only admit that you were wrong” (Job 22:21).
When your position about a matter conflicts with the position of God, it is
deemed necessary for you to acquaint (Submit, subject, yield) with God’s
position. The question therefore is this; what is this acquaintance with God?
Acquaintance
with God simply means agreeing with God, especially to His
will and position at all times and in all places. It entails conforming to
God’s will through daily and unbroken fellowship with Him. It suggests total
submission to the Lordship of Christ. To acquaint with God has to do with me
putting myself on daily basis in a right relation and standing with God; not
arguing with Him in any way but yielding myself to Him. It connotes knowing God
intimately and deeper. It also means not having quarrels with God. Indeed, I am in
a serious quarrel with God if I am not at a disposition of acquaintance with
Him. Realistically, whatever a man achieves in life; be it in wealth, riches,
houses, assets, cars, etc., outside acquaintance with God CANNOT be counted as
blessings in the sight of God. Abram (Abraham) the son of Terah in the bible was
such a man who went outside acquaintance (alignment) with God to give birth to
Ishmael despite the fact God said unto him that his heir will come forth out of
his own bowels. But, when the time for God’s promises concerning the seed to
come was passing away, he (Abram) acquainted with the voice of his wife Sarai
(Sarah) to sleep with Hagar, the Egyptian maid of Sarai (Sarah). After the
birth of Ishmael, came the birth of Isaac thirteen (13) years later. Yet, when
God was to tempt Abraham in sacrificing one of his sons, it was Isaac that God
happened to recognize as his true son (heir) to establish the covenant. Though Ishmael
was Abraham’s son, he wasn’t counted as the promised son in the sight of God. The
bible says, “... take now thy son, THINE ONLY SON ISAAC, whom thou LOVEST, and get
thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him here for a burnt offering upon one
of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2, KJV). The
question to ponder upon is this: Was Isaac the only son of Abraham when God
gave him this instruction? Nothing achieved outside the government and will of
God is counted as a blessing in His sight. If so, are there blessings associated with being in acquaintance with God? The
answer is yes.
God ORDAINS both TANGIBLE and INTANGIBLE BLESSINGS when
we acquaint ourselves with Him. Firstly, there is an overflowing and
overwhelming joy, peace and happiness in the bowels of our spirit (Intangible
blessings). The bible says, “ACQUAINT now thyself with HIM and BE AT PEACE”
(Job 22:21a). Peace can only be enjoyed in this life when I agree to
the terms and conditions of God. To be at peace with God is practically
impossible when I do my own will all the time as against God’s will and leadership.
I am suffering from lack of acquaintance with
God whenever I do my own will as against His will. Whenever my action leads
to the cessation of peace in my heart, it is possible that I have gone out of
alignment with God Almighty. I can hardly walk harmoniously with God if I don’t
agree with Him. No wonder the bible says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed”
(Amos 3:3, KJV). The second benefit would be that there is an overflow of
the tangible blessings of life. The bible says, “ACQUAINT now thyself with HIM…by
that (you SHALL PROSPER AND GREAT) GOOD shall come to you” (Job 22:21). True
acquaintance with God attracts God’s prosperity, greatness, riches and
goodness. The favours of God rest upon a man who acquaints himself with God. To
do well in my undertakings is necessitated by my acquaintance with God. Jacob the
son of Isaac was a man who missed encounter at Bethel when God seeks to
acquaint Himself with Him. He refused to succumb to calls for acquaintance because
of temporal needs such as bread to eat, raiment to put on, and safety to his
uncle’s house Laban. He gave God condition. The bible says, “And
Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way
that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come
again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God” (Genesis
28:20-21). His refusal to agree with God made him wasted over 20 years
in the house of his uncle (Laban). On his way back to meet with his brother
Esau unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom, he was greatly afraid and
distressed. He thought sending message to Esau about his wealth and blessings he
has outside acquaintance with God will solve the problem of his life. He
strategized by “…dividing the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds,
and the camels, into two bands,” (Genesis 32:7b) thinking that could
solve the problem of fear. It came to a point that after they had passed over
the ford of Jabbok one night with his two wives, two womenservants, and his
eleven sons, he sent them over the brook but for him, he was left alone. Another
opportunity availed itself for Jacob to acquaint with God as it was in Bethel
over 20 years ago, but through out the whole night until morning, Jacob refused
acquaintance. After a wrestle with Jacob to agree with God, the man (angel of
God) felt he should touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh as a memorial of
disobedience to acquaint with God, for he couldn’t prevail against Jacob. It
was after the dislocation that Jacob finally stood stanched not to let the man
(angel of God) go except he blessed him (Jacob). The question at this point to unearth is this: If Jacob was already
blessed, what sort of blessing does he need again from God at this point? All
the blessings that Jacob accumulated were counted as nothing until God changed
his named to Israel and blessed him there at Peniel. The bible says, “And
he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go,
except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said
Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as
a prince has thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.… And he
blessed him there.” (Genesis 32:26-28,29b). It was until Jacob acquaints
himself with God at Peniel through a genuine encounter that he became blessed,
and was at peace in heart to meet with his brother Esau. Your peace and blessings is
reliance on your acquaintance with God. In real sense, our CONFORMITY
into the person of Christ is dependent on our acquaintance with HIM. The MORE we acquaint WITH GOD, the SOONEST
we acquaint TO HIM. Acquaintance with God brings us into acquaintance to
Him. It
is in agreeing to the dealings of God over our lives that the possibility of becoming
like Jesus Christ would become possible. We CANNOT be disagreeing with
God always in the way we do things and still expect that we be at peace with
Him. We cannot be quarreling with God always on what he wants us to do and
still expect His good and blessings. We cannot be living outside the will of
God and still expect Him to bless our wrong ways. We cannot be operating
outside the government of God and still desires His hand over our lives and
endeavours. Yield to God wholly, and you will see yourself yielding increase in
life.
Truthfully, no matter how fanciful
your opinions, positions and dispositions are for living and doing the wrong things
you do, it is inconsequential, especially when God’s position correctly and
firmly stands. The reason for going contrary to the will and counsel of God for
your life is inconsequential for as long as God has given you a promise to hold
on to. In fact, God calls you to ACQUAINT NOW with Him in all matters of your
LIFE so that the good things He has in store and stock for you will not ELUDE YOU.
You can’t alpha (begin) something and expect God to Omega (end) it well for
you. God does not omega (finish) what He did not alpha (started) with you,
especially when you didn’t even invite Him in. You don’t begin a relationship, friendship, courtship, mentorship,
etc., outside acquaintance with God and expect that it end well in God.
Don’t assume that God has agreed with every step you confidently are threading
upon, seek to know if He is involved. Realistically, acquaintance with God
entails knowing God INTIMATELY and EXPERIENTIALLY. Knowing about God (Learning about
God) and Knowing from God (Learning from God) is far different from knowing of
God (Learning of God). It is in acquaintance with God that these three
realities are experienced concurrently. This is actually possible when we
cherish the SECRET PLACE (Studying God’s word daily and having an intense
personal Prayer life), CORPORATE FELLOWSHIP and YIELDING TO THE LEADERSHIP OF
THE HOLY GHOST. You will attract God’s blessings when you stop quarreling
(disagreeing) with God, and starts acquainting (agreeing) with Him (God) in all
things. Acquaintance with God does not only afford you the opportunity to conform
to His patterned son (Jesus Christ), but causes you to attract His peace, joy,
rest, goods, favours and blessings.
God
Bless You!!!
(Written
and Edited by Samson Okpanachi Daniel)
