It’s often said: “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” And sometimes, that’s true. But in most cases, what we don’t know is hurting us more than we realize.
A report from the American Enterprise Institute points to a lack of education as a major cause of poor health and financial stress, proving that ignorance comes at a high price!
Scripture agrees. In Hosea 4:6, God says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Our lack of knowing doesn’t just lead to temporary difficulties—it can lead to destruction.
But Romans 8:28 gives us hope through knowledge: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
When we truly know God—the Source of all knowledge—we overcome the destruction caused by our lack of understanding. And as we grow in this knowledge, we discover four essential truths about God: He knows, shows, grows, and bestows.
To overcome our lack of knowledge, we must first understand God knows better than we do, and surrendering to this knowledge brings freedom. But ignoring it, like the rich young ruler in Mark 10, leads to great sorrow.
After claiming he had kept all the commandments, the ruler asked Jesus what he still lacked. Jesus responded: “’One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” (Mark 10:22)
But the man didn’t do it. Instead of trusting God’s knowledge and obeying Jesus’ instruction, he walked away sadly, eventually finding the cost of clinging to his own understanding far outweighed the cost of surrender.
To overcome a lack of knowledge, we also must understand God shows—He shows His will to those who seek Him. Like Abraham, we are often called to take steps of faith without knowing every detail. God told him: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)
Go, and I will show. Seek, and you will find. God’s guidance comes as we seek Him and walk in obedience to what He speaks!
Then, we must understand God grows us for the calling He invites us into. Spiritual growth and sanctification are essential parts of experiencing the good Romans 8:28 speaks of. Through salvation, God counts us as righteous. Through sanctification, we become righteous—transformed to reflect Christ.
Finally, we can trust that when we live like this, God bestows blessings and purpose on us. His plans for us are always for good, leading us into a better life that we could ever create on our own.
Friend, no matter your past, God has an incredible future for you. So surrender to what He knows, seek all He’ll show you, and grow in Him both through salvation and sanctification. When you do, He will bestow upon you the fullness of His goodness!
