The Importance of Knowledge

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Anchor Scriptures: 2 Peter 1:5-7, 2 Peter 3:18

The importance of knowledge is obviously seen in the scriptures. Hosea 4:6 says, “My People perish for lack of knowledge”. Your problem is not the devil, your problem is ignorance. There is no demon anywhere, every man’s ignorance is his own demon. Knowledge is central in the Christian walk and particularly indispensable to spiritual growth. The believer discovers the mind of God through knowledge. But what is knowledge? Knowledge can be defined as the acquisition of relevant facts. And it takes facts to go fast in life and destiny. Knowledge is the awareness of all vital information that pertains to your life and area of interest. To be informed is to be equipped to perform and when you are not informed, you will be deformed.

2 KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE

There are basically two kinds of knowledge. They are:

Knowledge of Good

Knowledge of Evil ( Genesis 2:9)

THE SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE- Daniel 1:17, Psalm 94:10b

God is the source of good and godly knowledge while Satan is the source of evil knowledge. Good knowledge is not found in the secret chambers of the occult. It is derived only from God. Good knowledge can also be called divine knowledge, heavenly knowledge or spiritual knowledge. This kind of knowledge can be imparted through the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, through constant reading and studying of the Holy Bible, through the reading of inspired books and articles are written by anointed servants of God, through formal and informal education in Churches and Schools, etc. In the other hand, evil knowledge is acquired through evil association, secret cults, occults, night clubs, beer parlors, pool office, watching ungodly television programs, browsing and reading pornographic materials etc. ( See Psalm 1:1-5). Man has established his own wisdom and developed his own knowledge to suit his lustful desires (Isaiah 29:14, Rom 1:22, Job 21:14). Nevertheless, all these coming from a deprived man has worsened his condition and kept him in the grip of wicked forces. The end of the knowledge of evil is vanity. It is incapable of liberating man from the shackles of sin and its consequences ( Eccl 2:11).

THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE

The hungry heart will be satisfied with knowledge (Matt 5:6). It is a desire that triggers the search for knowledge (Prov 18:1, Isaiah 55:1-2). Indifference and lack of curiosity will breed ignorance. We should seek to know God with zeal, diligence, eagerness, yearning, and passion. Don’t pretend that you know when you don’t know. You need to have a teachable spirit. No matter what you know, there is still something you need to know. No one knows it all. We can expand our horizons in the knowledge of God. It takes humility to sit down and learn from others. One authentic proof of pride and arrogance is when no one is good enough to teach you. A humble man is apt to learn (Prov 1:5). It takes patience and determination to grow in knowledge.

3 ENEMIES OF KNOWLEDGE

There are three hardcore enemies of knowledge. They are:

Laziness

Pride

Distraction

Note: You must deal with them if you desire to grow in knowledge. Laziness makes one sleep when others are awake in the night reading and learning new things. The reason many people don’t read is not that they are busier than others, it is laziness. A lazy man will prefer to play around than to sit down and read one book. Laziness makes one a dummy in a world where knowledge and ideas rule the market. Pride is when no one is good enough to teach you. When you always find fault in everything, it is a symptom of pride. A man that is full of himself will never grow in knowledge. Distraction is an enemy of knowledge. When you invest your time and energy in things that are not relevant to your life and destiny, it is called distraction. Distractions are side attractions that tend to steal your focus and attention. Whatever you give attention to will determine the direction you will follow. Guard your attention and manage your focus.

KNOWLEDGE AND RESPONSIBILITY

Knowledge must be backed up with actions if we are to please God. Because we have been liberated from all the oppressions of Sin and Satan, it is now our responsibility to share the knowledge of Christ with the people around us, especially the unbelievers. We need to use the knowledge of God we have to dismantle Satanic forces and bring freedom to the captives ( 1 Cor 9:16). We must also be on guard, lest the rapture take us unawares and we be counted among the reprobates (2 Peter 3:13-14).

THE REWARD OF KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge is a profitable Spiritual commodity. It has tremendous rewards. Now let's explore the importance of knowledge in the light of the Scriptures.

So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Proverbs 24:14

Some of the importance of knowledge are:

1. Knowledge guarantees Freedom- Prov 11:9, John 8:32

2. It gives Strength and helps you to do Exploits- Daniel 11:32

3. It gives Stability- Isaiah 33:6, Eccl 7:12

4. Knowledge gives Protection and defence- Psalm 82:5-7, Prov 2:11-12

Knowledge and Virtue

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Get Pastor Damian Alamba's Book: THE MYSTERY OF PRAYER: https://selar.co/tk7d

" And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge". 2 Peter 1:5

Today’s world is characterized by all kinds of vices that have eaten so deep into the fabrics of the society. Corruption in business and Government has become an acceptable way of life whereas immorality and wickedness strive to gain prominence in the lives of people. Opposition of evil has almost been stifled as people struggle to outdo one another in evil exhibition. It is in such a world that God is calling on you and me who are Christians to develop and maintain virtuous living consistently.

THE NATURE OF VIRTUE

It is very necessary for every Christian to know what virtue is. Essentially, Virtue is goodness; any particular goodness. This refers to moral uprightness, good actions and excellent behavior. Paul, instructing the Philippians- “If there be any virtue think on these things” (Phil 4:8), put a challenge to them to centre their minds on commendable actions to practicalize them. Also virtue stands for Courage, that resolution and energy which enables the Christian to overcome every hazard of life. It is said that the cardinal virtue are prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice while the theological virtues are faith, hope and love. But for the Christian, virtue is virtue. He must live a principled life, embracing all the admonitions of the scripture.

THE NEGLECT OF VIRTUE

One cannot develop virtue when his life has been surrendered to the flesh or Satan. Even in this day, to many Believers the Holy Spirit would say, “You are yet carnal” (1 Cor 3:3). That is, “You are still not different from the World for you display the nature of unbelievers in every sense”. The scriptures also express surprise that many Christians have not taken one step towards maturity. They still rely on being taught how to repent and how to overcome instead of they being teachers of the word ( Heb 5:6). Moreover, they ignorantly accuse the devil of being the cause of their misdeed, while they forget that the Bible describes much of their sins as WORKS OF THE FLESH (Gal 5:19), and not the works of the devil. It is not just enough to say I have faith, because faith without works is dead and useless. See James 2:20

NECESSITY OF VIRTUE

The need for virtue cannot be overemphasized. The world itself is deprived ( Evil, wicked and corrupt). And the people are securely governed by fallen spirits (2 Tim 2:26, 1 John 5:18b). But the Christian has experienced emancipation from sin, self and Satan. Through spiritual advancement, the Holy Spirit patterns his life after Christ (2 Cor 3:18). Through the same advancement, the Christian ought to portray the life of Christ to the world (Gal 2:20). The world needs to see virtue in action in the life of every Christian.

HOW TO DEVELOP VIRTUE

Virtue is not a special gift for some special Christians. It is not wished, it must be developed, nurtured and groomed. Some of the ways to develop virtue are:

1. Live in total submission to God and the Holy Spirit (Rom 6:13, Gal 5:22).

2. Submit to the Brethren in love (Phil 2:3-4, 1 Peter 5:5).

3. Submit to the word of God which regulates our behavior towards those outside the church (Rom 15:2-3, Heb 12:14).

Conclusion

While explaining the importance of knowledge, we have seen that Knowledge and virtue are like two Siamese twins. Every Godly knowledge goes together with Virtue. To have virtue and ignore knowledge is like driving a car without engine. Knowledge and virtue must mix Together to produce a complete Spiritual reform in a believer. And to have virtue, you must be born again first and patiently follow God as He takes you from one stage to another stage in your walk with Him. Spiritual maturity is not a one day work. It is a process and continues throughout our lifetime as Christians. Invariably, a Christian must endeavor to grow in the knowledge of God. But knowledge without good works is useless. God bless you.

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