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Now let's jump in. As a Christian, you want to know God as well as possible, don't you?
Well, guess what? There's a big difference between knowing about God and truly knowing Him. Let's get to know Him together. Coming up right now on the Clear Read Today Show. You're listening to Clearview Today with Dr.
Abadan Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill. I'm John Galantis. Welcome to the Clearview Today Show. We're glad you're joining us here, especially if today's your first time.
We want to say welcome, Dr. Shaw. Welcome to the studio. I'm ready to talk about God. Amen.
Let's do it. I can't think of a better subject, right? I mean, of all the things we could talk about, might as well talk about God. Amen. We want to hear from you guys, especially if today's your first time ever listening to the show.
Go ahead and text today. That's T-O-D-A-Y to 252-429-6069. That's 252-429-6069. And you can also click join the family. It's in the description of this podcast right there.
It's going to send you to our mailing list, and you're going to get a letter from Dr. Shaw every single week, as well as a free gift. Dr. Shaw, I always enjoy the conversations that we have on the Clearview Today Show, but this conversation that we began about knowing who God is and getting to know Him more has been especially impactful. As we were talking the last time, it almost struck me like, hey, let me introduce.
Introduce you to my dad. You really like him. He's a cool guy. He does a lot, and I think you'll really enjoy getting to know him. Yeah.
You know, what we believe about God impacts directly. We believe about ourselves, and what we believe about ourselves directly impacts what we believe about others. And it's not just about belief, it's about. Action It's about behavior. How I treat myself.
is based on how I see God and how I see myself is going to impact how I treat others.
So this is a very practical subject. It's not just ethereal, abstract. Let's just dig into the theology of Of ontology or something, you know, we're gonna figure out God's natures, the communicable and the incommunicable attributes, and all that. No, no, it's very practical. That's right, very practical, and it's a practical thing because people are practical people.
And at the end of the day, if you're listening to this, it's because you have a true desire to get to know God better, right? Right. You want it to impact your life in some way, right?
Well, we've talked about this on the show before, but everything that you believe about God impacts every other area of your life. If God is the foundation and He holds our being together, He's that's going to impact and inform the way that we treat people, the way that we work, the way that we play, the way that we rest. I mean, it's the undergirding for all the relationships that we have. Even if you don't believe in God, that's true. Yeah, what you think you don't believe, right?
What you believe. And also, what you don't believe, what you fail to believe. Even if you don't believe there's a God, guess what? That opinion about God shapes how you see people. It shapes how you see the world, your worldview.
It shapes everything about you.
Well, think about Job and the Bible. I would say the oldest book, most scholars believe that. Job faced trauma of the most difficult kind as he lost not just his wealth, his livestock, his servants. But his family. And his response is: the Lord gives, the Lord takes away.
Why in the world would he say something like that? In fact, the better question is. How could he say that? where he could say that because he truly believed In the sovereignty of God. That no matter what Satan was doing, and I believe Job understood that.
Job knew that this was not happening out of happenstance. I believe Job wrote the book of Job.
So he knew something deeper, something more powerful, something In the spiritual realm, there was a battle going. And He said what he said because he knew that ultimately everything that was happening to him was coming through the hands of God. Satan was not ultimately in charge. God was. How does that change our view of our day to day lives, the minor inconveniences to the major heartbreaks if we view God as in charge of everything?
Well, I mean, think about the problems that come. You have to then ask yourself the question, was this just a fact of life? Or was this just a an obstacle to overcome? Fact of life, nothing can be done. It is what it is.
Obstacle to overcome means by God's grace, by God's strength. We can overcome this. We'll be okay.
So, daily life, there are a lot of possibilities here once you know who God is, how powerful He is, how much He cares for us. All of that helps us live our daily lives.
Something else. It also shows Why people do what they do. Mm. And I'm particularly focussed on the mistakes they make or the sins they commit or the wrong paths they take. Think about Abraham.
you know, Leave his country, go to a land that I will show you. I will bless you. Through you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Those who bless you, I will bless. Those who curse you, I will curse you.
I mean, incredible promise given. But somewhere along the line he believed that that promise was only to him. and not to his wife Sarah. And somehow they were both convinced that as long as he has a child, then it'll be fine.
So he passes his sister off. his wife off as his sister.
Now, in some ways, in technicality, she was his half sister. But wait. She was so much more than that. But what he believed about God Now create a two. Two sons, Ishmael, And then Isaac.
You see What you believe about God is impacting us to this day. He thought God only was going to work through him. Yeah. Yeah. And that God was limited in his plan, and that he could not.
In a sense, resurrect Sarah's womb. I got to come to God's rescue to make sure this plan gets out of the way. Yeah, we got to help God out. We got to help God out. See, that makes Abraham a lot more.
God helps those who help themselves. That's right. That's right. I think Abraham did say that. You know, it's funny because a lot of us look at Abraham and go, Abraham, what's wrong with you?
You know that's not God, but we do the same thing. We try to come to God's presence. Absolutely. We try to make sure, like, okay, God's trying to do this, so I got to act first. Or, or in our prayers, instead of saying, God, would you answer this?
We add the little tagline. But even if you don't. Yes. Yeah. It's your will.
If it's your will. Yes. It was your will of saying, God, we left the back door open for you. Just in case. In case you want to preserve your reputation, Lord.
Slip out. You can. Right. Because you know what? Really, I'm saying, God, is I really don't think you're going to come through on this.
Yeah. Yeah. Hey, hey, friends. Hey, friends at home who are listening. God doesn't need you to preserve his reputation.
Just in case you were unclear on that, God, the creator of the universe, doesn't need you to look out for his reputation. That's right. He said, What are the times when God doesn't answer? I pray. For a jet plane, that I wanted a jet plane in my backyard by the end of the week.
Well, then then according to your will his will, this is your will. That's right. Right. It has nothing to do. With the will of the triune God.
This is you wanting something that is absolutely ridiculous.
So you didn't get it. And it doesn't mean that God didn't answer. It just means the answer was no. That's right. The goal that we have, Dr.
Shah, to get to know God better. It seems like when you've got your. Hands off the steering wheel. All right, well, what's the most obvious solution?
Well, you read the Bible. And it is the most obvious solution that we don't do, that we don't implement. People say that, like, I want to get to know God better.
Well, are you in the Bible? I mean, well, I can. Yeah, I try. What I think about God is, to me, to me, he's very loving. Like, he, he cares about me.
He wants to see me do good. I think I've heard someone say that to you in a conversation. You were like, are you reading the Bible? To me, God is. I was like, wait a minute.
Yeah, that wasn't the question. That was not the question that was asked. You've got the answer manual right there. You've got it in your face what he's like. It's like, well, I mean, I know, but in my opinion.
Who has the time? No, no. Yeah. Our goal is to derive Who God is, that information from scripture, from the word of God. From the Bible.
That's our goal.
So, in this series, which may last, I don't know, a couple of months, we're going to come back to scripture after scripture after scripture.
Now, there are times we're going to deal with just one scripture, but. In this particular study, it'll be more like a systematic theology where we will bring. scriptures from different parts of the Bible to bear on one doctrine at a time. And there may be like three episodes per doctrine or maybe four. I don't know.
It all depends on what we're covering and the questions that we get. But Needless to say, this subject is essential. For several reasons. I want to give some reasons that I did not get to do last episode. Number one, getting to know God.
is in needed pursuit. It needs to happen. It is not optional. I got saved. Is there a series on money management?
Yes, there is, but Your first responsibility should be to figure out who is the one who saved you. I got saved and I need to be set free from addiction and I got so many problems, man. I have struggles growing up and I had a rough upbringing and I have addiction issues and I have, you know, I'm going through marital problems and I need some information on how to raise my children. All that is great. But your primary goal should be I want to know the one.
Who saved me? Explain to us why that's important, Dr. Sha. If I'm pursuing God, that's a good thing. Even if my motivation is a little bit selfish, I just want to fix these problems in my life.
Why is the motivation behind getting to know God so critical for us?
Well, number one, you know. Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah chapter 9, verse 23: Thus says the Lord. It means this is God Himself speaking. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Nor let the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me.
That I am the Lord. exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight. Says the Lord.
So, God is pleased when we get to know Him. He is pleased.
So, you want to please God? start wanting to know him. Who are you? Do you think? How do you see me?
What do you want from me? What do you expect from me? What have you done from me? And what do you want me to do for you?
Now, of course, there's nothing we can do for God other than what God is already enabling us to do. But those should be our questions because they put a smile on God's face when you say, Hey, I want to know you. I mean, think about it in your own personal lives. If somebody genuinely is your friend, genuinely, they want to know who you are. Like, what do you like to eat?
Or what kind of movies do you like? What kind of music do you like? Or what's your favorite Bible verse? You know, those kind of things. Why do you want to know that?
What about a person who just sits there and talks about themselves? You like Man, that person he just. Went on and on and on and on about himself or herself. Yeah. But think about somebody You know, not in a creepy way, but genuinely is concerned w with who you are.
And okay, well, that's pretty amazing.
So so you were born there and then you and then you do and then you lo love painting.
Okay, that's pretty cool. Or you love playing golf. Yeah. That's amazing. Or you like arts?
Okay, so Mm-hmm. You know, well, do you go to any shows? Or have you been in a theater? You know, those kind of questions. You feel like, man, this person cares about me.
You feel safe. Around that person, you feel. A sense of connection with them.
So, also God. Yeah, absolutely. You know, that's something that, as leaders and as pastors, and as ministry people. Should be second nature to us, right? That we know our people.
But a lot of times we get so caught up in the how of what we do, managing week to week to week that we forget to do that. At Clearview, that has become a big priority for us over the years: is the getting to know our people, remembering their names, talking to them. And over time, it helps those people, just like you said, Dr. Shah, to trust you.
So, also with God, you know, we're quick to do it, I think, with people because we're like, that's a priority. But with God, we're like, well, I've guessed I've got all the time in the world. God already knows me.
Well, even in a ministry setting, why is it a priority? Why is it a priority that we know our people?
Well, because these are people that God has gifted us to lead, to shepherd, to care for. And these are people who are created in the image of God. That's my brother in Christ. That's my sister in Christ. God created them uniquely, and I need to love them because God loves them.
That's right. I mean, it's very practical. But unfortunately Getting to know God is a neglected pursuit. and is because of our sin. One reason we don't seek God as much as we should is because the sin sin of selfishness or self focusedness is so pre eminent that we only think of our My needs, my wants, my pains, my hurts, my desire, my goals.
My ambitions My healing I mean, it's all me. Right. Dr. Shaw, what are some things that we can do to battle or to counteract the self? I was going to ask if this is a recent development, but then I thought about Cain and Abel, and then I was like, well, maybe not.
Maybe it's not a recent development. What are some things we can do to fight self? I mean, scripture, again, scripture, scripture, scripture, see. What the Bible has to tell us about getting to know God. I'm gonna give you another scripture right here.
This is coming from the book of Daniel. The wisest Person in Persia. In Daniel chapter 11, verse 32, it says, Those who do wickedly. Against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery? But the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.
So. Why are things happening the way they are happening, and people don't care to know about God? It's because of wickedness. You know what does that say about us? Because we're called to bring the light of Christ to all people.
You know what I mean? And I think there are people who don't know Christ who genuinely want to know God, right? I think that's where maybe, I mean, Dr. Shao, you can maybe. Speak to this a little better.
You grew up in the East where people are looking for God in all sorts of weird, mystic, weird ways. But even though they don't know Christ, there's this desire in them to get to know God. And it's sad because. It's not possible. You can't, how can you get to know God?
Apart from Christ. By looking inward or looking around you. And so you've got all these people with false peace. And it's weird because I think a lot of us look at it and go, well, hey. If it works for them, go for it.
Yeah. And that's not Accurate because it doesn't work. Right, right. I guess what I'm saying is there's a desire in, I think, every single heart. To get to know God.
Yeah. And it's a desire that, as Christians, we're called to take the light out there. And I think a lot of Christians are. A lot of churches have great, great missions-minded stuff. But It's not doing as well as it could be.
Yeah, you've made this point before, Dr. Shah, but people, you know, in looking at different religions around the world, Christianity is the only one where. God comes to us. God seeks a relationship with us. Everything else is about humans getting to God, doing these sacrifices and these rituals and keeping these laws and whatever, whatever.
But ultimately, they fall short because those gods, little G, those gods are man-made. They're crafted so that we can fit God into a box.
Well, the God that we worship, the God that we serve, doesn't fit into a box. Yeah. people searching God, you know, Augustine, Augustine Or was they was You know. I don't I won't even call him a pagan. I mean, he was just An unbeliever.
I mean, he just lived the life. He enjoyed life. He was in sexual immorality, drinking, you name it. He was caught up in all those things. His mother was a believer.
who prayed for him. and did everything she could to to to get Augustine to come back to God. And of course in time Her prayers were answered. And Augustine gave his life to Christ, and And it was amazing. His testimony is quite amazing.
If you ever want to read a book that will. That will deeply speak to you is his collection of writings called The Confessions. And and take some time to read it. It's quite amazing. It's like this is this somebody was writing this sixteen hundred years ago.
Wow, that's crazy. But one statement he made that I'm sure you have heard it in sermons or read it in books. He said Talking to God, he said, You have made us for yourself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in you. I've heard that.
God has made us for Himself, and our hearts are restless. Until they find their rest in him. And the rest that we find is the rest of knowing him and trusting him. Yeah. I think about like the people here in the West, you know, the people who are constantly searching for something deeper or some means of escape, especially people who drink, people who do drugs, people who do like hallucinogenics.
Like a lot of people, they'll tell you This is just to feel good. It's not to feel good, it's to escape, but escape to where? Yeah, then know that there's something deeper than this life. The numbing or the distraction is what they're after than dealing with their present reality.
Well, yes, but it's also like it's also like It's, I'm trying to escape from something, right? The all the pain of this world. But what we're not talking about is where are you trying to escape to? Yeah. There's a spiritual existence, there's a spiritual reality that you are searching for, and you may not be aware of it, but you don't just escape from somewhere, you're escaping to something.
There's some, there's something better, right? But is there something to that, Dr. Shaw, that we all kind of have this innate sense of like there, there's got to be something more or something better? Is that an evidence of anything within us?
Something more or something better like got out there. Yeah, which I mean or just like this present life, these sufferings that I'm going through, there's gotta be something better on the other side. There's gotta be some reason behind it all. There's gotta be some depends on how. the you know, we learn the truth.
Some people they have been taught the wrong truth or lie, I would say, but they they think this is all there is to it in this life. Or in the life to come, they will just Hopefully Escape The coming back, the reincarnation, like it is in Hinduism, in certain brands of Hinduism. Or if they get on the other side, maybe they can become one with this. force this divine And just cease to exist.
So, a lot of people have a lot of wrong ideas about what's coming up. This is where getting to know God is important, is critical. No matter how sincere you are in believing something that is wrong, you are still sincerely wrong. Yeah, that's right. It's not just that you're sincere, so it it'll be okay.
No, you're sincerely wrong. Jesus tells us In his high priestly prayer, this is in John 17. that getting to know God is critical. It is it makes us human.
Okay, it says in John 17, Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, The hour has come glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this is the eternal life that they may Know you. The only true God in Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
So. Salvation Coming to Jesus?
So that you can be saved? is the first step towards knowing God. I remember that story you told me about your dad going up in the mountains. You remember he saw all the monks and stuff? I remember that story.
The way you told it to me, the real humanity, what made me think of it was when you said the search makes us human. The humanity of looking for something different, looking for something beyond, right? There's got to be something in this great beyond. Yeah. And how different it looks, not only across generations, but just on different sides of the world.
Like your dad going up into the. Do you want to just tell that story? Yeah, of course.
So, this is in that time period when my dad was searching for truth. And he began to go to different pilgrim sites and pilgrimages, I guess you can say. But he wasn't going as a pilgrim. He was going to g he was going to those sites so he could ask the so called masters and teachers and the gurus and the sadhus The questions of life that he was struggling with. Had he left Islam by this point, or is he questioning?
He's questioning.
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. But I would say, for all practical purposes, he is done with this. He's checked out.
Yeah, because he knows that Islam doesn't have the answers. It is full of contradictions. It is just a hodgepodge of nothing. Right. So he's already.
checked it off his list like I grew up this way My family is this way. I will have tons of benefits if I stay this way. But I can't do this anymore. Because to do this is to lie to myself.
So, Islam, a big X.
Now he's going to other places like. Buddhism other religions like Buddhism. And so he so he Goes out. Still living at home? Still living at home, but as it's kind of traveling.
Gotcha. Gotcha. So he's doing all this searching kind of in secret until since the family had money, since they were educated and knew how to travel, this was sort of like, okay, you're going, where are you going? I'm going to go to this place. Oh, okay.
Have fun. And be safe. Yeah. Yeah. He goes to this one place which was on the top of a mountain in in the near the Himalayan mountains.
I don't think it was like a Mount Everest or anything, but it was it was one of those Summits and he he went up there. And pilgrims come from all over And they will come And find some teacher, some sadhu, and they will sit by him, offer him some gifts, and offer him some. o some tribute or whatever. And he went to one. and this one had taken the vow of silence.
Mm. So what what does he do? He just sits there quietly. Not a word. What's the what's the reason for the vow of silence?
Is it just Try to find the truth means I have mastered the desire to speak.
Okay. People do all kinds of things. You know, in the West, we think, oh, we don't do that here. Yeah, they do. They're thrill seekers.
Mm-hmm. They will they will do things Recklessly, there are people who will. drink themselves. to no end. There are people who will do drugs Leave their family, leave their loved ones and be out on the streets.
I mean, yes, there are people who are seeking. That's just a form of seeking something that will help them escape. the struggles of life. To enter into a different realm. That's what they're doing.
So yeah, people do that here as well. Or they'll work extremely hard to build some business or some.
some vision they have of life.
So, people do those things. But in India, you can see it more starkly. When they do things, it's very right in your face. And again, not all Indians do that. There are people who do it.
And and there are sadhus there, gurus there who will stand on one leg? Until the other one is shriveled up. I think I saw something about someone who, like, he raised his arm and just for like 30 something years. Yeah, and his arm was stuck up there and completely shriveled up. And that's it.
Huh. They said, Well, what's with that? He's like, Can you do that? My answer would be, like, do I want to? Why would I want to?
That's what I was going to say. I was like, I'm guessing your dad did not find anything of spiritual value with this guy.
Well, he went up there and. His disciples were sitting around him. And some of my dad asked Him. Have you found it? Have you found the meaning of life?
And the disciples were like shh The Guru has taken a vow of silence. He will not answer you. And my dad's like, well, what is this? Have you found the meaning of life? How would we know that you found the meaning of life?
Now, he had also taken the vow to never cut his hair. Not my dad, but the guru. The guru, yeah, yeah. Not going to cut his hair. And he hadn't cut his hair for decades.
Wow.
So it was like really matted, long like treadlocks. Yes, yes. I mean, like, but not clean. Yo, no, dirty. Really dirty, dirty.
I mean, it's just. And and so he called my dad over, like, come closer. And when my dad came closer, he reached back. and he hit him with with his hair. Like whipped him in the face with his hair?
Like took it and just kind of threw it in his face. 'Cause it was long hair. Yeah. Had just been kind of bunched up on his head. Wow.
And he hit him it kind of hit you like almost like A rock. Was he mad or is it supposed to mean something? No, he was a little bit mad at my dad for daring to question. Uh-huh. But his answer was This is what I have.
Wow.
This is what I have. The whole point of being a guru or a teacher is so that you can teach other people what you learned.
Now, leave India and the East and this craziness alone. in America. In the West What what do you have?
Well, look at my fancy house. Look at my car. Look at my car. Look at my boat. Look at my you know, my my hobbies.
Look at my collection. Look at how I can you know, indulge in some some bad habit. Or I can commit adultery and and I have so many women or so many men, whatever. Yeah. What's the difference?
No difference at all. True. What they're saying is: look what I have achieved. That's right. And you look at that and go.
That's it? Yeah. If you get to know God, you'll find out your true purpose. For living. And if you don't know Jesus Christ, you can do that today.
Dr. Shaw, will you just lead a short prayer? Just tell this person who's listening, maybe it's the first time they've ever been on the show. How do I get to know Jesus? The simple.
Pray with me. Dear Jesus, Come into my life. I believe that you are God's Son. who came to save us. You gave your life on the cross for us.
I don't understand all. that I need to know, but I know this much. I need to know God.
So please. not only save me, but bring me to your Heavenly Father. In your name. Amen. Amen.
And if you prayed that prayer for the first time, we want to rejoice with you. That's right. We want to encourage you in your walk with God. Text in and let us know: 252-429-6069. We'd love to hear from you here at the Clear Vee Today Show and love to encourage you on your journey to getting to know God.
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So thank you for joining the family, and we can't wait to see you next time. That's right. We love you guys. We'll see you tomorrow on Clearview Today.
