Chapter 9

HOW TO KNOW THE TRUTH

By
The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze

1. Pray For The Holy Spirit.
2. Pray For Spiritual Knowledge And Wisdom.
3. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
4. Have Quiet Times For Yourself.
5. Spend Time To Meditate (To Think).
6. Learn From Somebody Who Knows.
7. Rise Above Religion, Culture, Tribe And Differences.
8. Use The Right Measurement Scale.
9. Read Wide.
10. If Necessary, Work Alone.
11. Know The Characteristics Of Truth.
12. Ask questions.
13. Do Not Hesitate To Make Correction.
14. Investigate Your Beliefs And Practices.
15. Search For The Truth.
16. Turn To Life In Spirit And In Truth.
17. Associate With Those Who Do The Right Thing.
18. Avoid Foolishness.
19. Learn From Those Who Know The Truth.
20. Become An Enlightened Teacher Of Truth.
21. Spirit Is The Way.
22. Avoid Stagnation And Complacency.

1. Pray For The Holy Spirit.
   There is nothing you can do if the Holy Spirit is not present. God commences all His duty assignment by first giving the Holy Spirit to the person who will do the work. Without the Holy Spirit you can do nothing. For example, read about Jesus:
   
   1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
   Because the LORD has anointed Me
   To preach good tidings to the poor;
   He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
   To proclaim liberty to the captives,
   And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
   2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
   And the day of vengeance of our God;
   To comfort all who mourn,
   3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
   To give them beauty for ashes,
   The oil of joy for mourning,
   The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
   That they may be called trees of righteousness,
   The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
   Isaiah 61:1-3
   
   Even at creation, the first to come down was the Spirit that will do the work of creation,
   
   1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; Genesis 1:1-4
   
   When Moses was about to build the tabernacle, God endowed an artesian with the spirit of creativity.
   
   Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 5 in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. Exodus 31:1-5
   
   After Jesus commissioned the disciples to spread the Gospel of salvation, He directed them to wait until the Holy Spirit comes to lead and empower them, and it was so.
   


2. Pray For Spiritual Knowledge And Wisdom.
   ...
   


3. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
   It is the Holy Spirit that will guide to the right places, teachers, opportunities, etc, where you can learn the truth.
   


4. Have Quiet Times For Yourself.
   Silence is the abode (Dwelling Place) of God. Silence is the guardian of wisdom.
   


5. Spend Time To Meditate (To Think).
   The more you mediate, the more you know about what you meditate on.
   


6. Learn From Somebody Who Knows.
   The worst thing that can happen to a person is to have an ignorant reverend as a teacher.
   


7. Rise Above Religion, Culture, Tribe And Differences.
   The religions and churches are different shades of Truth. Why not learn the Truth itself? This is wiser.
   


8. Use The Right Measurement Scale.
   An inaccurate yardstick can not give you a good measurement. The right and complete scale is the Holy Spirit, who is both omniscient and omnipresent. In areas of controversy, pray the Holy Spirit to lead the way.
   


9. Read Wide.
   A wise man will use the little light he has to gain more light.
   


10. If Necessary, Work Alone.
    It is better to walk alone, abiding by the Truth, than to follow the ways of ignorant masses. A wise man does not accept praises from the spiritually blind multitudes.
    


11. Know The Characteristics Of Truth.
    A good knowledge of the characteristics of Truth will help you discover when you are moving in the right direction or not. They shall help you determine what is right or wrong.
    


12. Ask questions.
    It is your right to ask questions. The more questions you can ask, the more you know. Should a thing happen,
    
    Ask yourself:
    What is happening?
    Why does it happen?
    How does it happen?
    When does it happen?
    Where does it happen?
    And with time
    Yourself will know-
    If you so insist.
    


13. Do Not Hesitate To Make Correction.
    If at any time you discover that an old belief or practice is not proper, do not feel ashamed to correct yourself. It is only a fool who will continue to follow a road that leads to the wrong destination.
    


14. Investigate Your Beliefs And Practices.
    Many teachings and commandments of God have been turned upside down. Therefore, conduct confirmatory tests on your beliefs and practices.
    


15. Search For The Truth.
    Majority are not searching. They are pleased to remain ordinary members of one religion or another. That is pretended peace and deceit of the enemy. Again I say, "Search for the Truth."
    


16. Turn To Life In Spirit And In Truth.
    The ways of God is different from the ways of man, and His thoughts are different from the thoughts of man. You cannot learn the Truth by following worldly ways.
    


17. Associate With Those Who Do The Right Thing.
    A thousand errors never make one right thing.
    


18. Avoid Foolishness.
    It is better to investigate all things, and then to choose the right ones, than to remain in the wrong place and perish forever.
    


19. Learn From Those Who Know The Truth.
    Only those who know the way can lead the way. Likewise, only those who know the Truth can teach the Truth. By knowledge you cross over from ignorance, which is darkness, to Truth that is life everlasting. Hence, you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.
    
    By knowledge
    you cross over from ignorance,
    which is darkness,
    to Truth that is life everlasting.
    


20. Become An Enlightened Teacher Of Truth.
    Nobody can give what he does not have, and no one can teach what he does not know. To teach about God and Life, you must first learn from somebody who actually knows.
    


21. Spirit Is The Way.
    You are not the flesh you think you are. You are not the body which you always see. You are a spirit, which indwells the body. That is why you are the image of God. God is spirit. Therefore, you are spirit. You are the word of God that came down from Heaven, to dwell among mankind. Because you are the word of God, you are God in a special manifestation.
    
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:1-5
    
    Just as Jesus is the Incarnate Logos, yourself is also the incarnate logos. The only difference between you and Jesus is size and capabilities; just as a drop of water is different in size from the mighty ocean, and yet the two have the same nature; and just as a spark of fire is different in size from the wildfire, and still the two are one!
    
    Learn to worship God in spirit and in truth. Spirit is the way, the truth and the life. Become interested in spiritual side of life.
    
    “I am the Way, the Truth and Life.”
    


22. Avoid Stagnation And Complacency.
    It is stagnation when you are not having spiritual experience. It is also stagnation when you are not growing in spirit. You are not growing in spirit:
    • If you are having fornication in dreams,
    • If you often see an old or dilapidated house,
    • If things are always pursing you about,
    • If you find yourself marking time or running on the spot,
    • If you are often wearing black or worn-out dress,
    • If your motor or engine is old and useless,
    • If angels appear to you as old and wretched man or woman,
    • If you are talkative,
    • If you cannot easily forgive and forget an offence,
    • If you easily get angry,
    • If you consider your religion as the best,
    • If you do not offer selfless services to others around you,
    • Etc.
    You are complacent if these conditions manifest and you still claim to be among the righteous and religious ones.