I Am Pursuaded
Key Thought | True faith is not built on what we know about God but on truly knowing Him.
I Am Persuaded
“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” – II Timothy 1:12 NKJV
In the midst of great suffering, imprisoned and facing execution at the hands of Nero, Paul pens these words to a young Timothy.
At this time, Paul was in his 60s, and Timothy was likely in his early 30s. Of all the letters Paul could have written and of all the people he could have addressed, he chose to write to a young man.
Paul’s faith remained strong until the end, and this verse declares that truth with such clarity and confidence. The phrase “for I know whom I have believed” is a profound statement and testimony of Paul’s personal intimacy with Christ, not just his public ministry.
Here are three thoughts about true, authentic faith and how it is always anchored in knowing Him, found right here in this one verse:
1. Faith rests in Him.
The greatest evidence that I truly trust Him is that I rest in Him. So often, I’ve found myself anxious, worried, and restless, and I’ve come to realize those are all signs of places in my heart where I don’t fully trust Him.
Please hear me: you can’t trust Him if you don’t know Him. So many today don’t truly know Him. We haven’t spent the time to. We often know Him through someone else’s revelation, feeding on what others have learned, but we haven’t personally come to know Him ourselves.
2. Faith abides in Him.
This is the key to faith. The more I abide in Him, the more I receive revelation of Him. Learning about Him is part of the journey, but it must not end there, because learning about and knowing are two very different things.
In my opinion, many have learned about Him but have never come to know Him deeply. In Exodus 19, the people of Israel came to Mount Sinai to receive the word of the Lord. Yet when the moment came, they sent Moses up the mountain because they were afraid to draw close to God. They were satisfied with a man’s filtered revelation and never pursued a personal one.
Today, all are welcome in His presence. All are invited to know Him, to know the deep things of the One who has called us to Himself.
3. Faith cannot be separated from Him by anything.
“I am persuaded,” Paul wrote. His mind was made up. His heart was steadfast in this truth: that God is God, and being God means that if He said it, I can trust it completely.
It’s interesting that so many want to hear Him but don’t necessarily want to know Him. Often, we struggle to trust what we think we’ve heard from God; because how can we, if we don’t truly know Him? Assumptions are the great shortcut of true relationship. In our busyness, we settle for the “CliffsNotes version” of God and never experience the richness of who He is.
I’ve been serving Jesus for well over 30 years, and I’m only now beginning to understand what it means to know Him. Words can’t describe the joy that rises in my spirit when I write those two simple words: know Him. What I can promise is that there is more to this God, and to what He invites us into, than we could ever imagine.
Part of eternity itself will be the endless discovery that we will never come to the end of Him.
“For I know whom I have believed.”
Paul, in his 60s, had believed in God for many years; but in this season, he came to truly know Him.
Prayer | Lord, help me to move beyond simply knowing about You to truly knowing You. Teach me to rest in You, to abide in You, and to trust You completely. Let my faith be anchored not in my understanding but in who You are. Amen.
Journal | Where in my life am I anxious or restless because I’m not fully trusting God? What steps can I take this week to spend more time knowing Him personally rather than just learning about Him?
I Am Persuaded
“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” – II Timothy 1:12 NKJV
In the midst of great suffering, imprisoned and facing execution at the hands of Nero, Paul pens these words to a young Timothy.
At this time, Paul was in his 60s, and Timothy was likely in his early 30s. Of all the letters Paul could have written and of all the people he could have addressed, he chose to write to a young man.
Paul’s faith remained strong until the end, and this verse declares that truth with such clarity and confidence. The phrase “for I know whom I have believed” is a profound statement and testimony of Paul’s personal intimacy with Christ, not just his public ministry.
Here are three thoughts about true, authentic faith and how it is always anchored in knowing Him, found right here in this one verse:
1. Faith rests in Him.
The greatest evidence that I truly trust Him is that I rest in Him. So often, I’ve found myself anxious, worried, and restless, and I’ve come to realize those are all signs of places in my heart where I don’t fully trust Him.
Please hear me: you can’t trust Him if you don’t know Him. So many today don’t truly know Him. We haven’t spent the time to. We often know Him through someone else’s revelation, feeding on what others have learned, but we haven’t personally come to know Him ourselves.
2. Faith abides in Him.
This is the key to faith. The more I abide in Him, the more I receive revelation of Him. Learning about Him is part of the journey, but it must not end there, because learning about and knowing are two very different things.
In my opinion, many have learned about Him but have never come to know Him deeply. In Exodus 19, the people of Israel came to Mount Sinai to receive the word of the Lord. Yet when the moment came, they sent Moses up the mountain because they were afraid to draw close to God. They were satisfied with a man’s filtered revelation and never pursued a personal one.
Today, all are welcome in His presence. All are invited to know Him, to know the deep things of the One who has called us to Himself.
3. Faith cannot be separated from Him by anything.
“I am persuaded,” Paul wrote. His mind was made up. His heart was steadfast in this truth: that God is God, and being God means that if He said it, I can trust it completely.
It’s interesting that so many want to hear Him but don’t necessarily want to know Him. Often, we struggle to trust what we think we’ve heard from God; because how can we, if we don’t truly know Him? Assumptions are the great shortcut of true relationship. In our busyness, we settle for the “CliffsNotes version” of God and never experience the richness of who He is.
I’ve been serving Jesus for well over 30 years, and I’m only now beginning to understand what it means to know Him. Words can’t describe the joy that rises in my spirit when I write those two simple words: know Him. What I can promise is that there is more to this God, and to what He invites us into, than we could ever imagine.
Part of eternity itself will be the endless discovery that we will never come to the end of Him.
“For I know whom I have believed.”
Paul, in his 60s, had believed in God for many years; but in this season, he came to truly know Him.
Prayer | Lord, help me to move beyond simply knowing about You to truly knowing You. Teach me to rest in You, to abide in You, and to trust You completely. Let my faith be anchored not in my understanding but in who You are. Amen.
Journal | Where in my life am I anxious or restless because I’m not fully trusting God? What steps can I take this week to spend more time knowing Him personally rather than just learning about Him?
We'd love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments what God is speaking to you as you read these devotionals. If you haven't already subscribed to receive our devotional emails right to your inbox, hit the subscribe button below and invite your family and friends to subscribe as well! Thank you for being a part of our Opendoor Devotional Community. We appreciate you!
No Comments