Having, Receiving, and Remembering the Knowledge of God Brings Life and Victory!

Dan A. Rodriguez Articles, Books, and Podcasts

Having, Receiving, and Remembering the Knowledge of God Brings Life and Victory!

The Bible says that the Lord redeems our lives from destruction! (Psalms 103:4) If that is true, and it is, then why so much destruction on the planet? I don’t know about you, but I had questions like this early on my walk with the Lord. It took me years to resolve some of the questions. This article does not address every question you may have, but it draws some lines in the sand via the Scripture. It will open your eyes to start seeing the answers in the Word of God.

Here we go.

In Christ Jesus, we have been redeemed from every curse that came into this planet as the result of the fall of the first man Adam. If you have questions about all that very clear truth in the Bible, then please listen to the first 10 podcasts in my series The Plan of Redemption. Also, listen to my podcasts on our Redemption from the Curse. That is the ONLY way to get answers. Listen to the Word and align yourself with it. Don’t argue with Scripture. Learn from it and apply it to yourself.

The redeemed of the Lord are supposed to be speaking their redemption! (Ps. 107:2) There are many redemption truths that should be a part of what you say. Instead of believing and speaking doubt and unbelief about what circumstances dictate, speak the Word! You must know what is included in the redemption provided by God through Jesus so you can apply it to yourself.

Here is a good Scripture to start with.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become curse for us… (Galatians 3:13)

We are redeemed from the curse that was pronounced upon those that break God’s commandments or laws according to Deuteronomy 28:15-68. We are redeemed from every curse listed there and elsewhere in Scripture. That list ends with an ALL-INCLUSIVE verse that includes even those curses not mentioned in that curse of the law. (Deuteronomy 28:61 ff.) Everything evil is under the curse. There is nothing good under the curse, and there is nothing bad under God’s blessings in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. God is the author of all that is good, and Satan is the author of all that is evil. We are redeemed from all the destruction brought into this planet by THE destroyer, the devil! (See John 8:44, 10:10; Revelation 9:11; 1 Corinthians 5:5; Job 2:7.) We are redeemed from every aspect of death NOW. (Hebrews 2:14; Romans 5:17)

The only part of our redemption we cannot get while alive on this earth is the resurrected body like the one Jesus had after He was raised from the dead. That could change any minute when the trumpet sounds, we are caught up to meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds and we are changed and transformed in the twinkling of an eye! (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:53-57) Yes! Glory to God!

Satan is doing everything he can to destroy and take over, but God has His people in the earth that will not let it happen. The people of God trust in their God and in what Jesus did for them, and they keep the devil at bay! Truly, it is the real church being salt and light that has kept this world full of hate and darkness from being completely consumed.

…Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (Matthew 16:18b NASB)

Jesus said that the gates of hades (death, destruction, the curse, evil, sin, darkness, the devil’s domain, and kingdom) WILL NOT prevail or win against the church! We are MORE than CONQUERORS in Christ! (Romans 8:37, 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:57) We are to be triumphant while on the earth.

Once the church, the restraining force of God on the earth is removed, then, and only then, will all hell break loose on this planet. The man of sin, the antichrist, and his attempt at world domination, can’t even start until the church is out of here! (2 Thessalonians 3:1-12) When we (the real Church) are taken to be in the presence of the Lord via a great catching away (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18), that will signal the final hours for Satan and his followers before Jesus comes back to the earth to rule and reign for 1,000 years!

As I have heard several preachers say, “Read the back of the book. We win!” Victory is ours in Him, but victory and overcoming faith is ours now! (1 John 5:4) We have already been delivered from the authority of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son and we have been given authority and power over ALL the works of the enemy! (Colossians 1:13; Luke 10:19; Mark 16:17; James 4:7; Ephesians 6:10-18)

The question then is WHY are so many believers not enjoying the overcoming life Jesus bought and paid for? Why are so many being plagued by destruction? There are numerous answers to that question, but we want to emphasize three answers in this article that clear the air of most doubts. Are U Ready 4 (or the 3 of) them?

Let’s begin.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being a priest to me. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I will also forget your sons, even I. (Hosea 4:6)

I hear the first part of that verse mentioned by some pastors and preachers, and that is good, but there are additional instructions in the rest of the verse. Though that verse was spoken in the negative, there is much to learn here on the positive side, if we will receive it.

Our goal is to be receivers of the promises of God and do the Word so that we get demonstrations of God in our lives. (1Corinthians 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:5) We believe in the POWER of the gospel, not just the words of it! (Romans 1:16) We are those that trust Him through His Word to us, and desire demonstrations of it. We do not have a form of godliness (religious tradition) and deny the power of it! (2 Timothy 3:5) NO! Signs (evidence) are to accompany all true believers as they minister to other people and as they live in God’s Word. (Mark 16:17, 18) It is not just victory for us, but victory in Christ for those hurting around us as we minister in God’s power and love as the Lord leads us by His Spirit.

Destruction can be avoided. Notice the three things in Hosea 4:6 that led to destruction:

1. Lack of knowledge
2. Rejection of knowledge
3. Forgetting knowledge.

Lack of knowledge is not referring to human knowledge but to the knowledge of God and spiritual things. A lack of knowledge of spiritual things is a sure way into a world of hurt. Ignorance is NOT bliss on any level, physical, or spiritual.

Lack of knowledge can kill someone even on a natural level. How many people have been hurt, maimed, or even killed because of using machinery they did not understand and were not trained to use? Here are a couple of examples of what I mean.

Attempt to fly an airplane or drive an 18-wheeler without some knowledge and practice, and a disaster could easily be the result! I know that is true, because I have been trained in the past on both. Training is essential in those machines, or we will read about the ignorant one in the obituaries!

That is true in the things of the Spirit. We need knowledge and training. Practice is essential.

Not correctly understanding what a piece of equipment is for can also be disastrous.

If you think a toaster is for water storage, well, you figure it out! If you think all machinery functions based on what you know about a dishwasher, surprise, surprise! What you know about a coffee brewing machine will not fly a plane or drive a car. We know this about natural things. That is why people go to school to learn skills and to be trained properly in their field. What a horse trainer knows about horses will not work in the operating room or in aerial combat in an F-35! Training as a lawyer will not make you a world class chef, and just because one trained as a veterinary does not mean that you are trained as an astronaut!

Understanding, training, and learning must be gained in each area that you plan to function in. The world of the spirit is not different in that respect. There are areas of the spirit world that you will be called into as a believer that will demand training and development, but some areas of growth are the same for all believers to be able to “navigate” around in the world of the spirit.

There are general practitioners and there are specialists. Think about that. All children are taught to read and write and do basic math, but not all children are mechanical engineers! All children take some form of physical Ed. in school, but not all are Olympic contenders! It is the same in the things of God. There are some things we all need to learn in Christ, and we must all develop in, but not everybody will function in the same way or do the same things in the Body of Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-28; Ephesians 4:11-13; Romans 12:4-10.)

The Word of God is the instruction manual of the world of the spirit, and the Holy Spirit is our guide in the unseen realm. These are constants that remain the same. No believer has a clue as to what to do on their own, and they have no understanding without the Word and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into all truth. (John 16:13) Jesus said the Word of God is truth and that His words are spirit, and they are truth. (John 17:17, 6:63) Get it? Faith, which is trust and obedience to God, His Word, and His Spirit, and practicing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24) are indispensable ingredients for functioning in the spirit or in the realm of the kingdom, that is the rule and reign of God. (See 2 Peter 1:1-11.)

Many are attempting to do spiritual things without any understanding of what they are doing. As an example, many think all prayer is the same and that there are no rules in prayer. Read the following paragraphs, and then try to tell me that no rules apply.

The prayer prayed in faith is the only kind answered by God. Believing you receive the answer BEFORE you see it, making sure you have forgiven others when you pray, and so on, are essential to answered prayer. (Mark 11:24, 25, James 5:14, 15; James 1:5-7) That is a basic principle that affects all prayer to God.

Petition prayer is to be addressed to God the Father, in the Name of Jesus. (John 16:23; John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15) Compare that to other kinds of prayer such as intercessory prayer (prayer for others), and consecration prayer like Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. (Romans 8:26; Matthew 26:3ff.) Different kinds of prayer are different in application, and the rules are different for each. You cannot say the ignorant statement that “prayer is prayer” or “God hears all prayer”. No, there are different kinds of prayer and different rules. Mix them up and your prayer life will be a mess and go unanswered.

If we are ignorant of the Word or God's promises, the sacrifice of Jesus, and how to lay hold of our blood bought rights, then we will have some serious problems receiving from the Lord. One facet of the cure to ignorance is knowledge that comes alive powerfully from God's Word in your heart. (1 Corinthians 2:7-11; John 16:13) We should trust the Lord for “daily bread” from His Word. There is no substitute for spending your own time with the Lord, in the Word, and in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into all truth today as you approach His Holy Word. Ask Him to breathe on the Word He leads you to, so that Word can go deep into your heart, and begin to produce power in your life.

One form of prayer is the ever-important prayer in other tongues. (See Mark 16:17-18 and 1 Corinthians 14:1-3, 14, 15.) Every believer has a God-given right to speak to the Lord with tongues in prayer. It is a form of prayer unassailable by the devil, demons, and crazy people! When you speak in tongues you don’t speak to people BUT to God! It is the sign of the initial Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it should be done daily! (See Acts 2:4, 38, 39, 10:44-46, 19:1-6, and Jude 1:20.) Paul spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthians put together. (1 Corinthians 14:18) Never allow anyone to forbid you from praying in tongues, UNLESS you are interrupting the pastor at church! (See 1 Corinthians 14:39, 40.)

When the Holy Spirit moves on the Word is when miracles happen, just like at creation. (Genesis 1:2, 3) The Holy Spirit is in you if you belong to Christ. (Romans 8:9-11, John 7:37-39) He is waiting for the Word to take it, breathe on it, and produce the power necessary to bring it to pass in your life! Remember these words: “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think, according to the power that is at work in you.” (Ephesians 3:20) Will you cooperate with the Holy Spirit? Will you invite Him to bring life to the Word of God you study today? (John 6:63)

Hosea 4:6 reveals why it is that some people live in destruction as we started to show you. It is not a mystery. Let’s read it again:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being a priest to me. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I will also forget your sons, even I.

We know that the thief is the devil, and he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) Jesus came that we might have life and that more abundantly, so we can live above the stealing, killing, and destroying of the enemy! Jesus defeated the enemy through His sacrifice and resurrection. (1John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14, 15) That glorious victory has been passed on to us through Him and through His Name! (Romans 5:17; Philippians 2:9, 10; Mark 16:17, 18)

Again, lets answer the question:

WHY is it that so many are living without these powerful realities in their lives though they have been provided for us through Jesus?

The first problem to be solved that Hosea records is a lack of knowledge from the Word. That is not “book” knowledge, nor is it even the lack of memorization of many Scripture verses. If you don’t have a working knowledge in your heart, some understanding of our inheritance and victory in Christ, then you will be lacking in the knowledge of God, and Satan can run over you. (Colossians 1:12, 13; 1Corinthians 15:57) I am referring to a heartfelt and heart engraved knowledge of God that comes out of you without hesitation. The clue to getting rid of a lack of knowledge is spending time in the Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to make the Word real and alive to you.

Notice the second reason for destruction having a place in people's lives: “Because you have rejected knowledge.” That is even worse than a lack of knowledge, or ignorance of spiritual truth and its application. The first is ignorance of our rights and privileges in Christ and a lack of being a doer of the Word.

Rejecting knowledge is hearing the Word, refusing to believe it, and rebelling against it. It is being so entrenched in tradition or anti-Biblical thought, even though one hears the truth of the Scripture, that one rejects it because it violates your tradition, upbringing, or thinking on the subject. Sometimes, the Word of Faith and Truth may violate what you have believed and heard all your life at a local ignorant church!

Here's the danger of unbelief and tradition.

Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God....So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:12, 19)

No one can participate in any promise of God if they reject it. In other words, rejecting the knowledge of God (His Word or divine promises) will keep one out of God's promises.

Please read and study Hebrews chapter 3 and 4.

The children of Israel had the promise of entering the rest of the promised land with all its many blessings. Only those that believed the promise of God and refused to accept the bad report of the majority were the ones that entered the promised land. (Numbers chapters 13 and 14.)

For sure, we can apply this today with all the bad news floating around. What is the cure for rejecting God's knowledge? Repentance, and the acceptance of His Word in humility, and a receiving and trusting in Him according to His promises are all a part of the cure! (See also James 1:21-22.)

For some people, the TRADITION of men is their number one problem. They hold their traditional ideas closely to their hearts and minds and refuse to believe the Word though they hear it, and sometimes, though they see a demonstration of it right before their eyes. Not even Jesus had success in ministering healing where His ministry was not accepted, or where they refused to believe the Word.

He could do no work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly ones (Gr. “those with minor ailments”) and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went around the villages, in a circuit, teaching. (Mark 6:5, 6)

It did NOT say that He wouldn't do works of power there. It said that He COULD DO NO work of power there, except on those people with minor ailments. No blind eyes or deaf ears were healed that day. Why? The implication is He wanted to do great miracles, but the unbelief was thick and heavy, and it stopped the flow of God's healing power. Look also at the same incident in another gospel account.

And He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:58)

The fix “rejecting knowledge” NEVER reject His willingness, His power, or His Word. Open your heart, mind, and hands! Receive in Jesus' Name!

So, we see that lack of knowledge of our rights and privileges in Christ can be devastating, but rejection of the Word of God and His promises can be even worse, as we have seen.

Making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have delivered. And you do many such things. (Mark 7:13)

TRADITION of men is a very real danger to Christians. If one holds tradition as LAW instead of accepting God's Word as the truth, it will make the Word of zero value in the life of that person. The Word of God that is not honored and received will have NO effect in the life of that person. The opposite is true. The Word that you do accept, embrace, and honor in your life, will have a powerful effect on your life.

“No effect” in Mark 7:13 above, from the Greek text means to render void, deprive of force, and authority. (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon)

Do you realize what that is saying?

The traditions of churches, people, ministers, and pastors that violate God's Word and promises, are depriving and making void God's Word from having any force or authority in people's lives.

Oh man, talk about something devastating for people, that is IT!

According to John 1:1-3, God and His Word are ONE. Here is the shocking statement I am making from the Greek text of Mark 7:13:

The tradition of men deprives God from using his power and authority in people's lives.

Tradition that rejects the clear teachings of God's Word concerning healing and deliverance (Matthew 8:16, 17 -Isaiah 53:4, 5; 1 Peter 2:24), prosperity and wealth, (Deuteronomy 28:1-14, 8:1-20; 2 Corinthians 8:9), the anointing (1 John 2:20, 27), the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and tongues (Acts 2:4, 38-39, 10:44-46, 19:6; 1Corinthians 14:1-14), the miracles, signs and wonders of God through us (1 Corinthians 2:4; Mark 16:15-19; John 14:12), divine protection (Psalms 91), and so many of God's other promises, those damnable traditions are depriving God from using His power and authority in His own people's lives! Talk about the height of arrogance and pride, that is certainly it! Not only that, but it is blasphemous to deprive God of using His glory and power because we are so set in our religiosity that we refuse to allow Him to move in our midst! OMG! Tradition that rejects the Word is the same kind of pride and arrogance that Satan has had, and we know what that has gotten him!

We pray that today that you are delivered from all the traditions of men, women, ministers, and churches that reject the truths of God's Word. If you go to some dumb traditional dead church, GET OUT before you die with the rest of the dummies sick, broke, and disgusted! You may go to heaven in that miserable condition just as the beggar did in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31), but you missed so much that was available for you NOW in this life. (Mark 16:15-20; 10:29, 30; 1 Timothy 6:17-20)

We believe that today a new day has dawned in your heart and life to trust and obey the Lord and REJECT the traditional ways of the dead churches or even those churches with a little life in them. Jesus came for us to have life, and that MORE abundantly. (John10:10) He has ABUNDANCE of life on His mind for us, and not just a little.

Thank God for His Word and ALL His divine promises that set us free from the corruption, or destruction, that is operating in this world! (2 Peter 1:2-4)

What about the last part of Hosea 4:6 that refers to forgetting knowledge and the danger that poses to the believer?

Forgotten knowledge is a tricky one.

Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip… I now write to you... which by reminder I stir up your sincere mind to remember the words having been spoken before by the holy prophets, and the command of the Lord and Savior by us, the apostles... (Hebrews 2:1; 2Peter 3:1, 2)

Forgotten knowledge is whatever revelation from the Word you have received and acted upon, but time has passed, and you have let it SLIP. That can also lead to destruction. The subtlety here is that you drift away from the promises of God back into unbelief, and don't even realize it. We need to go back periodically and refresh ourselves on the truths of God's Word that we already know and have lived upon before today.

The above is the reason we MUST meditate (mutter or speak in soft tones- though it can get louder at times) in the Word of God during your day and night. That is speaking during the times you are awake. See Joshua 1:8 and Psalms 1:1-3.

Have you ever received a revelation or deep-rooted understanding from the Word that delivered you from a bad situation in the past? When was the last time, after that victory, that you went back and spent time in the Word in that area? Have you let that area falter and slip? If you have, today is a good time to get back to it again.

Now, don't get anxious in this area. That is not going to help you, but the HELPER (or Comforter) can and will help you in this if you will look to Him. (John 14:26, 15:16)

See the 7-fold definition of the word Comforter in the Amplified Bible. One definition is HELPER. The Holy Spirit will bring back to your memory those things you need to refresh yourself about in the Word. Trust Him to do it. He knows what area of the Word you need to be studying and rehearsing silently, and sometimes out loud. That is meditating in the Word. (Joshua 1:8) Allow Him to show you, and He will! Trust Him today to LEAD and to GUIDE you into ALL truth, and He will do it! (John 16:13)

Don't miss this podcast because it answers pressing questions as to WHY some people receive from the Lord and others do not, and what that has to do with the will of God. You will be surprised at the answers according to the Scripture.

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Get A Call to Return: Restoring The Roots of Our Relationship With Jesus as an ebook, softcover, or hardcover book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook, Westbow Press, or order it through your favorite bookstore.

From the Back Cover:

A Call to Return—Restoring the Roots of Our Relationship with Jesus explores the depths of the Scriptures to excavate, refine, and lift up its words of power, revealing deep truths that will radically change the lives of believers. By tapping into this rich vein of biblical insight, Dan Alan Rodriguez offers Christians the insights to enable them to set out upon paths of discipleship that follow Jesus closely and that lead to profound experiences of His presence and power.

Drawing upon the author’s study of first-century Judaism and Christianity and resting upon a diverse array of sources steeped in the foundational texts of these traditions, the twelve chapters of A Call to Return address a series of interlocking topics: a prophetic call to return; the revival of lawlessness; the revival, purpose, and preexistence of God’s commandments; the church’s commandments and their connections to faith, grace, and good works; the association of works of the law to Jewish tradition and ceremony; holiness; the fear of the Lord; each believer as a temple of the holy; and the meaning of loving the Lord Jesus.

If you have a sense that Jesus’s message and ministry are calling you to embark upon a walk with Him that might take you away from all in Christianity that requires no accountability or responsibility before God, then A Call to Return—Restoring the Roots of Our Relationship with Jesus is the right book for you to read. It will give you the keys for understanding and responding to the Lord’s call to return to Him and to follow where He leads.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:29 NASB).

The PDF of the entire book is free of charge! Use this link to go to the page and download it. Be mightily blessed!

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Faith that Receives the Grace of God is so important for you and me right now! There is an abundance of strange teaching in the area of grace. Grace has become for many a proposition "sin all you want without accountability", and a "do-nothing to receive from God." Grace for many is a rejection of Biblical moral commandments, and for others it is a denial of the words of Jesus. Grace, when it is in its right place Scripturally, is beautiful, abundant, and powerful, but it can be misused and misapplied. Unfortunately, grace is often taught wrongly. Instead of amazing grace, it has become gross, devilish, pseudo “grease” and not the Blood-bought-grace taught in the New Testament! This book was written so the Biblical perspective on faith and grace could be clearly presented by using verses in their context and according to the intent of the writers of the New Testament. If you have questions in this area, this free 266-page book is for you. Download the free PDF file here.

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Tres Días y Tres Noches en el Corazón de la Tierra debe ser una parte necesaria en la vida de todo Cristiano. El libro enseña específicamente acerca del sacrificio de Jesús. Esto incluye la cruz, resurrección, y especialmente lo que tomó lugar durante las horas en que el espíritu de Jesús dejó Su cuerpo, y cuando su cuerpo fue resucitado de entre los muertos. El mundo tiene sus héroes, pero lo que Jesús hizo por nosotros lo hace el Supremo y Máximo Héroe y Conquistador de todo el universo. La derrota de Satanás, y la potestad dada a la iglesia en el Nombre de Jesucristo, fueron actos sin igual en la eternidad. No te pierdas este libro GRATIS. Ninguna película ha mostrado el verdadero sufrimiento del Maestro en el Calvario y en el centro de la tierra. Prepárate para una aventura gloriosa. Descarga el libro PDF completo usando este eslabón.