By Pastor Joel – Open Heaven Christian Church
✝️ Understanding God Without Experiencing Him
There are many today who can open the Bible, read the words, and even explain their meaning — yet remain untouched by the transforming power those words written in the Bible carry.
They know the stories, the doctrines, and can quote the verses by heart — but have never walked with the God those pages they are reading reveal. They read read about love, but never get to a place in their life where they can walk in love, they can read about the miracles Jesus preformed, but never experience his healing, they can read about the peace God offers, but their life is filled with turmoil and fear of what tomorrow may bring.
It’s possible to understand about Jesus, and yet never truly know Him. The Lord wants us all to experience an intimate relationship with him as we understand what we read in the pages of scripture. The Lord wants us to go from head knowledge, to experiencing a personal relationship with him.
The knowledge we read about the Lord is not knowing the Lord, but when we can understand what we read about God in scripture and get to a place in our lives where we “keep” what we’ve learned and do it, we can then say we know him.
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” — 1 John 2:3
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” — Luke 6:46
Doing the will of God is not just quoting a bunch of scripture and saying we know the Lord.
The apostle Paul spoke of such knowledge when he wrote,
“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 2 Timothy 3:7 (KJV)
These are those who have studied Scripture but have never allowed its truth to pierce their heart. They read about faith and the miracles Jesus did, but have never trusted what they read to be true for today. They read about love, but have never surrendered to it. They read about freedom, but still live bound.
💔 The Danger of Head Knowledge Alone
Understanding the Bible without experiencing it is like standing beside a river, describing the coolness of the water — yet never stepping in.
It is like explaining the warmth of the sun to someone, but never feeling it on your own skin.
A person may know every verse about forgiveness, but still carry bitterness.
They may know every promise of peace, but still live in constant fear.
They may preach about salvation, yet never have felt the burden of sin lifted by Christ’s redeeming grace.
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” – John 5:39–40 (KJV)
The tragedy is not in reading the Bible — it’s in reading it without meeting the Author.
🔥 When the Word Comes Alive
Every believer in Jesus Christ must understand that the Word in the scriptures is making reference to Jesus. In the gospel of John we learn a truth that John declares unto us, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” – We as followers of Jesus must allow the “Word – Jesus” to come and dwell among us, we must allow the words we read written in the scripture to become part of our life or we will never experience the true life of God in our lives.
As Christians, we need to behold His glory to receive the grace and truth the Father has given. Grace and truth is given to us only by the Lord Jesus Christ.
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
When the Holy Spirit opens our hearts, Scripture is no longer just text — it becomes life and we become living, walking, and talking epistles – (letters like in a book) as the Apostle Paul taught in scripture.
“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”
When we understand this truth that we Christians are “living letters” written by God not with ink, but by the Holy Spirit working in us to transform us so we can walk in the light as Jesus is in the light!
Then Suddenly, the verse “The Lord is my shepherd” becomes a living reality and not just written words. The words we read are living, they jump from the page and into our hearts by the Holy Spirit as we allow and open our hearts to the Lord.
The words “Peace I leave with you” fill your storm with calm that surpasses all understanding.
And the declaration “Christ liveth in me” becomes your daily strength because Jesus is in you by the Holy Spirit of God.
This is what it means to move from knowing about God to experiencing God in your life.
It’s not enough to read of His power — we must live and walk in it.
It’s not enough to admire His promises — we must stand on them by faith in God.
It’s not enough to memorize His Word — we must obey it.
🙏 A Call to True Experience
If you find yourself reading the Bible but feeling distant, pray that the Lord will awaken your heart.
Ask Him not only to help you understand His Word, but to help you walk in it.
“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” – Psalm 119:18 (KJV)
Ask the Lord to intertwine your human spirit with the Holy Spirit and become one with the Lord God. As you study and read your bible allow the Holy Spirit to teach you the will of God so you can walk in what the Lord desires for your life.
The Bible was not merely written only to be studied — it was written to be lived.
When you meet Jesus personally, every verse becomes alive with meaning. The same Spirit who inspired the Word will bring it to life in you.
❤️ A Call to Salvation
If you have read the Bible but never experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ, today is your moment.
Salvation is not in knowing about Jesus — it is in receiving Him into your heart and life.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (KJV)
Pray sincerely:
“Lord Jesus, I have read about You, but now I want to know You.
Forgive my sins, come into my heart, and make Your Word alive in me.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and help me live what I have read.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” — 2 Peter 1:3
🌿 Final Reflection
The Bible is not a book to be merely analyzed — it is a living letter from the heart of God, written to be experienced by every believer.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” – Colossians 3:16
Let the Word of God move from your mind into your heart.
When it does, your life will never be the same again.
I pray this blog has inspired you to walk closer to the Lord!
I find that knowing God is physical work but spiritually satisfying. physically, I don’t want to do anything. If I don’t do anything, I don’t feed my spirit. If my spirit wins, it overpowers my physical self and gets fed.