How much stock do you put in old expressions?
Here’s one that’s often used: “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.”
I suppose on rare occasions what you don’t know can’t affect you, but generally just the opposite is true.
What you don’t know can hurt you, and probably will.
The Lord, through the prophet Hosea, had these words to say:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”(Hosea 4:6 ESV).
Notice the Lord said, “My people…” are destroyed (cut off, cut down, brought to silence, undone). Destroyed because they don’t know what they should know.
Oh, we know some things. We carry around a ton of information in our heads . Stuff like baseball stats, how certain football players are performing, what our favorite movie stars are up to, and which restaurants are considered the best in the area.
We know where to go to catch the biggest crappies, hunt the meanest bears, and get the best cup of coffee.
Yeah, God’s people are fairly knowledgeable about things which interest us; yes, we are.
There’s nothing wrong with knowing some of those things, but if we don’t know the words of life, God’s word, how can we truly live?
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. James told us to count it all joy when we are tested. We read those words and think, huh? That’s not possible!
But He tells us how to do so, and why it’s important. “For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:3 ESV)
If we don’t know the testing of our faith produces steadfastness, we won’t have the proper attitude at the time we need it most; and we’ll not finish well.
What we don’t know can hurt us.
Peter had a similar word. He warned us about our adversary, the devil, whom roams about looking for a way to have us for a meal. But with the warning he gives us the solution:
“Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:9 ESV)
Not knowing others around us are experiencing the same attacks can make it seem like we’re all alone, and we’re fighting a losing battle.
So we quit fighting, stop resisting.
What we don’t know can hurt us.
Below I’ve listed 10 things we’ve been given to know; things we can use to help us walk humbly and victoriously with our God.
Things we can and should know:
1. Secrets of the Kingdom – Matthew 13:11
2. Truth which sets us free – John 8:32
3. The voice of the Shepherd – John 10:4,14
4. The Spirit of Truth – John 14:17
5. Suffering produces endurance – Romans 5:3
6. Sin has no dominion over us – Romans 6:6,9-11
7. We are God’s temple – 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19,20
8. Unrighteous won’t inherit kingdom – 1 Corinthians 6:9
9. Labor in the Lord is not in vain – 1 Corinthians 15:58
10. We can have eternal life – 1 John 5:13
What we don’t know can hurt us.
So maybe it would be a good idea to spend some time finding out all God wants you and I to know.
I only listed about a third of the things the Bible says we can, and should know. I encourage you to grab a good concordance, look up the word “know”, or phrases such as “we know”, and dive in.
And when you find something, how about passing it on? Comment below and share it with me and others who read this post.
After all, we need to know these things. Because…
…what we don’t know can hurt us.
Jan Grace 