[ I ] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention
of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him:

     The knowledge God wants us to have of Him is not a mere awareness of Him.
     Many are aware there is a God but do nothing about it.

     The knowledge He wants us to have of Him is more than knowing because we
     heard someone else talk about it. This is like hearing how to get saved but never
     actually receiving it for yourself.

     He desires for us a knowledge of Him that is more than an experiential knowledge
     where you are personally acquainted with Him. That's like hearing and believing it
     to the end you receive salvation for yourself but that is as far as you go with it.

     Instead, Paul prayed we would be given spiritual wisdom and revelation in the
     clear and exact knowledge of Him. This kind of "knowledge expresses a more
     thorough participation on the part of the knower with the object of knowledge;
     a knowledge that has a powerful influence on the knower" [from a Critical
     Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, Bullinger].

     This knowledge is like hearing, believing, then acting on the knowledge to get
     born again and then manifesting what you received, demonstrating your
     witness to others in a powerful way.

     Knowing God exactly and clearly and personally comes not just from attending a weekly
     Bible study, listening to someone else preach on tapes nor from hanging out every
     month with some Christians. These things are all a necessary part of it but mostly
     this precise, exact knowledge of God comes from your own personal study time on
     a faithful, regular basis and your faithful application of the principles you
     learn. God will flood your understanding with His light. He will make it all clear
     to you as you stick with it.Amen.

-Carol Kenreigh