WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF ACKNOWLEDGING GOD?

The most life-changing truth in living an abundant life is acknowledging God in every situation. God for the most part goes unacknowledged. Although He daily loads us with benefits(Psalm 68:19), we all fail to acknowledge Him and His goodness by giving Him thanks.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

The Need to Acknowledge God

No one likes being taken for granted. Whether it is no acknowledgment for a meal, a thank you for a birthday gift, holding the door for someone, or countless other unacknowledged courtesies.

There is a beautiful truth from Solomon's wisdom: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. If we take the time and initiative to acknowledge God, there is a wonderful promise to us, He will direct our paths.

God deserves to be acknowledged, not only for answered prayers, but for what He did for us by sending His Son, and the incredible price He paid with His suffering and death on the cross.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” -II Corinthians‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

After decades in the ministry, this is one of the most essential truths the Lord has ever revealed to me. Here is the fact. God goes unacknowledged by the majority of people—both unbelievers and believers. I believe we are to make a concerted effort to acknowledge and show appreciation for all things He does, —whether great or small.

Just think about His goodness. Before He created man, He provided all that we would need, all the food and all life(Genesis 1), and the resources on the earth that have been provided for man since the beginning of creation. Genesis 1

What about our very beings? He wants us to experience pleasure. He has given us the ability to touch and feel. Think about your tastebuds. God could have created us without them and we would have tasteless food. But He wanted us to enjoy food. And He wants us to have pleasure in all areas of our lives.“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalms‬ ‭16:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” I Timothy‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Acknowledge God’s Creation

And think of the beauty that He has placed around us. The older I get the more I appreciate the beauty all around us that God has created. My wife and I cannot help but acknowledge God’s creation,—-beautiful clouds, rainbows, trees, sunrises, and sunsets. David acknowledged God’s creation, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalms‬ ‭19:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” Psalms‬ ‭8:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yet sadly many live without acknowledging God for anything. They go through life taking Him for granted,—with no acknowledgment of Him or His blessings. My entire life changed when I saw this truth, “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” There are two times to acknowledge God: when you experience a blessing and are in trouble and don’t know what to do.

God is waiting for the whole world to acknowledge His Person and His goodness. Ultimately, every single person will, because “every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess.” (Romans 14:11) Our most significant acknowledgment should be the price He paid to give us eternal life. Many don’t understand the extreme penalty of our sin, and what it cost to redeem us. As Merriam Webster’s song goes, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon the cross…”

Because of God’s compassion, He had a plan far before the fall of man. He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭13:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God’s invitation is for man to acknowledge Him.

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Now here’s the exciting part. It’s acknowledging Him to save us and entering into a lifestyle of acknowledging His goodness. Life can be abundant and full. (see John 10:10)

Nothing compares to the ongoing experience of the reality of simply acknowledging Him. It is truly an adventure because I’ve learned the more we take the time and the initiative to acknowledge Him, the more we will see His mighty hand in our lives.

And by the way, the words of Jesus.

“Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.” Matthew‬ ‭10:32-33‬ ‭NET‬‬

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This is an excerpt from my new book, “Joyful Expectations, How Acknowedging God Changes Everything.”

Please go to my website, to order a copy. www.stevesampsonministries.org