For several years now my wife Joanna has been following the devotional plan outlined in her good friend Mardi Collier’s book, What Do I Know about My God? She has used this plan to start a devotional notebook for several of her friends to encourage them to get to know our God. She has even given out notebooks to the girls in her classes when she was teaching school. I highly recommend this book for both men and women. Below is an introduction from Mardi Collier.
What Do I Know About My God?
This is a start to a list of the characteristics of God that will help you in your study of beginning to know Him. It is vitally important to study Who our God is and have a knowledge of Him because it is the very foundation of our Christian faith. Every decision we make in our “every-day lives” should be impacted by what we believe about our God. Satan is the father of lies, and he wants us to believe lies about God, while the Bible teaches us the truth about God. Unless we study God’s Word and learn the truth about God, we will easily believe the lies of Satan instead of the truth about God. (Ex: If a loved one is seriously ill, I can either believe that God doesn’t love me and isn’t in control, or I can believe that God always loves me, hears my prayers, is always in control and wants me to grow to be more like Christ through this trial.)
I want to share a project that has helped me to begin to know God and to change my thinking about life. Purchase a loose-leaf notebook (so you can add pages as needed). Using this suggested alphabetical list of some of the characteristics of God put one characteristic at the top of each page. Start reading through the book of Psalms, and every time you come across a verse about God, write it under the appropriate category. Do this with any of your Scripture reading or any verses you hear about God. You will soon have a notebook full of truth about your God.
Any time a trial comes about your way, you need assurance or encouragement in your daily life, or you want help for yourself or someone else, ask the question, “What do I know about my God?” and your notebook full of Bible truth will be at your disposal. We often act according to our feelings (which are often wrong), but as we meditate on Who God is, and how it affects me daily, it changes our thinking and helps us respond to life biblically. Knowing God can mean the difference between victory or defeat, right choices or wrong, rest or distress, joy or depression! It’s also special to use the categories during your prayer time to praise God for Who He is. I number them and think about one each day and how it should affect my life. The next step is to memorize some of the verses and meditate on them until they become a firm part of your faith.
This study can be a tremendous blessing and help to you if you will take a few minutes a day to work on it. It’s overwhelming to see how good and great our God is!! This absolutely changed my life, and I hope it will be a help to you too!
- My God answers prayer. – Ps 55:16, 17; Ps 86:6, 7; James 5:16
- My God comforts me. – Ps 23:4; Ps 94:19; 2 Cor 1:3, 4
- My God is compassionate (cares, kind). – Ps 86:15; Ps 103: 11-14; Lam 3:22, 23
- My God is in control (rules, sovereign). – Ps 18:30, 32; Ps 115:3; 1 Chron 29:11, 12
- My God corrects me (punishes, chastens). – Ps 32:3-5; Ps.38; Heb 12:5-7
- My God is the Creator (creature, creation). – Gen 1; Isa 45:7, 9, 18; Ps 100:3
- My God delivers (trouble, distress). – Ps 34:4, 6, 7, 18, 19; Ps 50:15
- My God is faithful (doesn’t forsake). – Heb 13:5; Deut 31:6, 8; 1 Jn 1:9
- My God is my Father. 1 Jn 3:1; Matt 6:26, 32; Prov 3:11, 12; Eph 2: 18, 19
- My God wants me to fear Him (reverence, not to be afraid). – Psalm 111:10; Ps 6:3, 4
- My God forgives (cleanses). – 1 Jn 1:9; Ps 86:5; Ps 103:3, 12
- My God’s glory (majesty, exalted, King). – Ps 24:7-10; 1 Chron 29:11-13
- My God is good. – Ps 31:19; Ps 100:5; Ps 107:1; Rom 2:4
- My God is gracious (grace to me). – Ps 86:15; Eph 2:8, 9; 2 Cor. 12:9, 10; Heb 4:16
- My God is great (mighty, His wonderful works). – Deut 3:24; Jer 32:17; Ps 96:4
- My God guides me (leads, knows my way). – Ps 18:30, 32; Ps 37:5, 23; Prov 3:5, 6
- My God wants me to be happy (blessed). – Ps 128:1, 2; Prov 3:13, 18; Ps 16:11
- My God hates _________. – Prov 6:16-19; Ps 45:7; Prov 8:13; Num 11:1
- My God hears me. – Ps 34:4, 6, 15, 17; Matt 6:6; 1 Jn 5:14; Ps 66:18-20
- My God helps me. – Ps 46:1; Heb 13:6; Ps 40:17; Ps 121: 1, 2
- My God is holy (worship and exalt Him). – Ex 15:11; Ps 46:10; Isa 6:3
- My God is hope (gives hope). – Ps 42:5, 11; Ps 31:24; Col 1:27
- My God gives joy (gladness). – Ps 16:11; Jn 15:9-11; Ps 35:9; Ps 100:2
- My God is judge (just, convicts me). – Ps 9:4, 8; Deut 32:4; Jam 4:13
- My God knows all (my thoughts). – Job 42:2; Ps 139:1, 3, 4, 23, 24; Heb 4:13
- My God wants me to know Him. – Jam 4:8; Jer 9:23, 24; 1 Chron 28:9
- My God is my life (gives life). – Deut 30:20; Acts 17:25, 28; Lk 20:38
- My God is light. – Ps 27:1; Jn 1:7-9; 1 Jn 1:5-7; Ps 119:105
- My God loves ________ (delights in). Prov 15:8, 9; 11:20; Jer 9:24; 2 Chron 9:7
- My God loves me. Rom 5:8; 8:35, 37-39; 1 Jn 4:8, 10, 19; Jer 31:3
- My God wants me to love others. – Matt 22:39; Phil 2:3, 4; Prov 3:27; Jn 13:34, 35
- My God is merciful. – Ps 86:13, 15; Ps 100:5; Ps 103:8-17; Lk 6:36
- My God wants me to be obedient. – Deut 10:12, 13; Lk 6:46; Jn 14:15, 21, 24
- My God is powerful (omnipotent). – 1 Chron 29:11, 12; Eph 1:19, 20; Jer 32: 17, 27
- My God wants me to praise Him. – Ps 34:1-3; Ps 100; 1 Chron 16:8-10, 23-29
- My God preserves (generations). – Ps 31:23; Ps 37:28; Ps 33:11
- My God hates pride. – Prov 6:16, 17; Prov 16: 5, 18, 19; 1 Pet 5:5, 6; Jam 4:6-12
- My God protects (refuge, safety, keeps me, hides me). – Ps 4:8; Ps 91:2-15
- My God provides. – Ps 23:1; Phil 4:19; 2 Pet 1:3; Ps 34:9, 10
- My God is righteous. – Ps 92:15; Ps 71:16, 19; Jer 9:24; 1 Jn 3:7
- My God wants me to be righteous (godly, rewards, blesses me). – Ps 37; Ps 11:7
- My God is my rock (defends, foundation, fortress). – Ps 31:2, 3; Ps 71:3
- My God is salvation (redeemer, saves). – Matt 1:21; Ps 27:1; Ps 98:2, 3
- My God speaks (His voice). – Ps 29:3-9; Gen 1; Job 37:2-6
- My God is strength (gives strength). – Ps 28:7; Ps 93:1 Phil 4:3
- My God teaches. – Ps 25:4, 5, 8, 9, 12; Jn 14:26; Ps 27:11; Ps 94:10
- My God wants me to be thankful. Ps 100:4, 5; 1 Thess 5:18; Eph 5:20
- My God wants me to trust Him. – Psalm 34:8; Ps 56:3, 4, 9-13; Isa 26:3, 4
- My God is truth. – Ps 100:5; Deut 32:4; Ps 117:2; Jn 14:6
- My God is unchanging (everlasting, endures). – Heb 13:8; Mal 3:6; Ps 100:5
- My God uplifts me (hold me sustains). – Ps 3:3; Ps 17:5; Deut 33:27
- My God is wisdom (give wisdom). – Prov 2:1-6; Prov 8; Isa 55:8, 9; Rom 11:33, 34
- My God is with me (present, omnipresent). – Matt 28:20; Deut 31:6, 8; Isa 41:10
- My God gave me His Word. Ps 19:7-11; Heb 4:12; Ps 119:1, 2, 9, 11, 105
- My God is a God of wrath (anger). Ps 76:7-10; Ps 90:7, 11; Rev 6:17
Mardi Collier ministers alongside her husband,
Dr. Ken Collier, who serves as director of
THE WILDS Christian Camp in North Carolina,
This resource sheet used by permission from THE WILDS
Click on this link to view the Emergency Pack which will help you (or your friends) when you are going through a difficult time. They can also be a great encouragement for daily life. (Thanks Mardi Collier for compiling these and making them available).
