Chapter 2.
Seeing God Beyond Our Misperceptions.
I understand that for some, the idea of being intimate with God or getting to know Him on
a deeper, far more personal level can feel overwhelming, even frightening.
There's a natural human response that arises when we find ourselves in the presence of
the Almighty, an acute awareness of our own shortcomings, our inadequacies, our unworthiness,
our insufficiency, and this realization can be paralyzing.
For many, it perpetuates a distorted view of God that is far from His true nature.
Even among believers who should know better, misleading suppositions persist.
Too often, God is presented as little more than a stern, distant future, an old man on
the throne who is impossible to please, is on the constant watch for our failures, is
eager to condemn, is perpetually angry and dissatisfied with our performance, no matter
how hard we try.
But God is not Zeus, He's not waiting to throw lightning bolts at you or dispense corporal
punishment for your indiscretions.
Others just mistakenly think of God as someone who is indifferent to their plight and far
less interested in the details of their lives than in seeing if they measure up.
Misperceptions like these are not only inaccurate, they're outright falsehoods and lies, distortions
of God's character built on human fear, limited understanding, and centuries of poor religious
tradition.
God already knows your every failing and shortcoming.
He's not waiting for you to get yourself together on your own because, frankly, He knows you
can't and He doesn't expect you to.
Humanity has always struggled to grasp the nature of the divine.
In our imperfect comprehension, we attempt to create God in our own image.
Throughout history, mankind has fashioned gods of wood, stone, and imagination, gods
who reflect our flawed understanding of divine power, justice, and control.
Even as Christian believers, we can fall into this trap, projecting our fears, doubts, and
human expectations onto God.
We seek to confine Him to a framework we can comprehend, shaping Him into someone who aligns
with our finite view of how things should be.
But here's the issue.
Our natural perception of God is inherently flawed, and because of this, we risk missing
the truth of who He is and what He desires for us.
When you align yourself with the Spirit of God and surrender to His divine wisdom, your
limited perspective is replaced with heavenly insight.
The Holy Spirit opens your eyes to truth that cannot be perceived in the natural.
You begin to see not only God's immeasurable glory, but also His boundless love and complete
acceptance of you just as you are.
And in that love, He gently raises you to greater heights.
You come to understand that God is not looking for perfection.
He's not waiting to condemn you or tally your failures.
Instead, He is actively working within you, transforming you from the inside out.
As you grow in spiritual awareness, you realize that any righteousness you achieve is not
your own doing, but the work of God within you.
He makes you perfect in Him.
It is His Spirit, alive and active in you, that elevates you to His higher standard,
enabling you to live a life that reflects His heart.
His love and acceptance are not earned, they're freely given.
And through His Spirit, He accomplishes in you what you never could on your own.
This is the God we serve, not distant, not angry, not unreachable, but a loving Father
who draws you closer to Him, heals your wounds, and shapes you into the person He created
you to be.
The nature of an infinite God.
By His grace, I've come to understand that the fullness of God's mysteries can only be
revealed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and only on His terms.
God is not discovered through mere human deduction or intellectual pursuit.
He makes Himself known to those who seek Him.
But true comprehension and acceptance of the divine truths of His nature is only possible
through the faith that He provides and by the abiding presence of His Spirit within
us.
As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2,
No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those
who love Him.
But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things 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 know God.
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.
God's vastness and the fullness of his goodness simply cannot be discerned through casual
observation or mere human understanding.
Yet in his great love and mercy he has made himself known in ways that even the simplest
of hearts can comprehend.
He is revealed in the world around us, leaving no one without a witness of his glory and
power.
Romans 1, verses 19 and 20 confirms this, since what may be known about God is plain
to them, because God has made it plain to them.
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, his external power, and
divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that
people are without excuse.
When Moses asked God who he was, God revealed himself as I AM, Exodus 3, verses 13 and 14.
This declaration transcends time and space, revealing an ever-present, eternal God who
defies human understanding.
God is the creator of all that is.
He is the Alpha and the Omega, the self-existent, self-sustaining One.
He did not come from something else, and there is nothing outside of him that gave him his
being.
By him, through him, and with him, the universe exists and is held together.
Simply stated, apart from God, nothing could exist, not even time itself.
As creatures bound by time, this truth is particularly difficult to comprehend.
Everything we experience is constrained by time, our births, our deaths, and every moment
in between.
Time is the framework through which we view our entire existence, yet God is not constrained
by time, for time itself is his creation.
He existed before the beginning of all things and will continue long after this world has
passed away.
He is not before or after as we understand it, he simply is.
God the Almighty is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
That is, he is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present, existing everywhere and
in all things at all times.
Obtaining a glimpse of this reality is critical for understanding the nature of sin and its
profound consequences.
But first let me try to expand just a bit on these three aspects of God.
God is omnipotent.
He is all-powerful.
By his will and word, all things came into being and continue to exist.
From the complexity of human life, down to the smallest pebble by a nameless stream,
everything is sustained by him.
He is the source of all life and the creator of everything seen and unseen.
From the vast cosmos to the smallest atom, every part of creation testifies to his power
and creative design.
And yet, he is not limited to his creation.
God exists outside and beyond all that we can perceive.
As Isaiah 40, verses 25 and 26 so beautifully say,
To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Look at your eyes and look to the heavens.
Who created all these?
Who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name?
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
God is omniscient.
He knows all things.
From the beginning of time to the end of eternity, nothing escapes his sight and his plans are
perfect and complete.
He is intimately aware of every detail of his creation from the grandest galaxies to
the smallest thoughts of your heart.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4.13
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth.
And he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
Acts 17.26
And God is omnipresent.
He is everywhere at all times.
There is no place where he is not, and there is nothing that exists apart from him.
There is no corner of creation that he is not present.
His glory and presence fill all of creation, sustaining it by his will and power.
There is no place where you can escape his reach, no depth too deep, no height too high.
Psalms 139.7-10
Tell us, where can I go from your spirit, where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there.
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your
hand will guide me.
Your right hand will hold me fast.
God is not confined to a specific location in the sky.
stars, or in the galaxies. His dwelling place is not limited to heaven or some far-off incomprehensible
realm. God's presence is infinite and ubiquitous.
He is here, there, and everywhere, all at the same time. And it's by His sustaining
presence that the heavens, the stars, and the earth are held together, and apart from
His presence, all things would cease to exist. As the Apostle Paul writes, He is before all
things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1.17.
It is this truth that helps us understand why sin invariably leads to death. The death
brought about by sin is not merely physical death, what Jesus referred to as sleep. The
ultimate consequence of sin is the second death, the permanent, irrevocable separation
from God, which results in death of the soul and the end of existence. This is the eternal
separation, a fate far more devastating than any earthly death. This isn't a moral issue.
It's a law of existence. Apart from God, there is no life, no being, no subsistence. Sin
separates us from God, and separation from God truly is death. Yet, above all of His
divine characteristics, God is love. Though His power and majesty may be incomprehensible,
God is not distant or detached. He seeks to be deeply personal and profoundly engaged
with each one of us. And it is this love that many find the hardest to comprehend. His love
is not like the conditional, fleeting love we typically experience in this world. It
is the essence of His being and the foundation of all His actions. God's love is constant,
unchanging, unshakable, infinite, and unconditional. He loved humanity before the Fall, and His
love remained steadfast even after sin injured the picture. It was out of this unrelenting
love that He gave His only Son to redeem you, to pay the price for your transgressions,
and to restore you to Himself. God's love remains constant despite humanity's rebellion.
It was in love that the Father sent His Son to redeem us. It was in love that Jesus willingly
endured the cross to reconcile us to the Father. And it is in love that the Holy Spirit dwells
within us, guiding, comforting, and transforming us. Romans 5.8 tells us,
But God demonstrates His love for us in this, While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us. God knows you, loves you, and desires a relationship with you beyond anything you
can imagine. But the one thing that blocks your perception of this incredible love and
connection is sin. Sin separates us from God, not because He withdraws His love, but because
it blinds us to the truth of who He is. It distorts our understanding, making us doubt
His goodness, His presence, and His intentions. Yet even in this, God provides a way back
to Him through Jesus Christ. He made a way for us to overcome sin, to be restored to
intimacy with Him, and to step into the fullness of His love and purpose for our lives.
The most basic truth of the universe is this—God is. And this truth changes everything. It's
not a distant, abstract concept, but a life-altering revelation that invites you into alignment
with your Creator. As you embrace this truth, you will begin to see not only who God is,
but also who you are in Him and through Him. You will find your purpose, your identity,
and your destiny, because God is, and because He loves you, always.
This is our God, immeasurable, infinite, and uncontainable. Still, He invites us into relationship
with Him. He offers Himself to us not as a distant deity, but as a loving Father, a Savior,
and a constant companion. His love is the foundation of all that we are and all that
we are called to be. And it is through the Spirit that we are empowered to know Him,
to walk with Him, and reflect His love to the world.
Fortunately, God is not confined to our limited understanding. He makes Himself known to those
who seek Him. And when we align our hearts with His, we begin to see beyond the natural
and step into the fullness of who He is and who He created us to be. That is the beauty
and wonder of knowing God, a journey that will never end but only grow deeper and richer
as we walk with Him.