Forget What You Know

In the movie Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, a young boy nags Chan about all the legendary Kung Fu moves that he wants to learn. Annoyed, Jackie Chan begins to fill the cup in the boy’s hands with hot water to the point of overflow. With burning hands from the spilling water, the boy urges Chan to stop, telling him that his cup is already full. To this, Jackie Chan responds, “exactly, how can your cup be filled if it is already full?”

How can your cup be filled if it is already full? It can’t. It must first be emptied. The young boy needed to forget about all those fancy moves he had heard about and seen and practiced in the mirror as a kid, and he had to be willing to learn from scratch. Then and only then, could the young boy move forward and learn the art of Kung Fu.

Many of us pray that God will use us according to His will. We constantly proclaim a desire to be used as vessels for the Kingdom. However, when we are met with the process of forgetting what we know, we sometimes throw in the towel. How could God possibly ask me to let go of the knowledge that has cost me plenty of blood, sweat, and tears? Just like that? All those years of schooling, and all those experiences that shape my thinking? You just want me to toss it out, just like that?

It’s truly a heavy task that might make us wonder how all-knowing God actually is. I mean, if You knew You were going to ask me to toss away years of experiences, why didn’t You just step in and stop me from wasting all that time? Although these questions and concerns may appear valid,  when I look at Scripture, I quickly realize how short-sighted these claims are. 

Let’s take Moses for example. Remember when God told Moses to remove his sandals because he was on holy ground (Exodus 3:5). If you are not familiar with this story, I encourage you to have a read (Exodus 2-4). God’s request to Moses is quite interesting. I mean, churches for the most part don’t take that command literally. Otherwise, we should all be in church barefoot. So if it’s not really about the shoes, heels, or sandals we have on, what is it that God calls us to remove when we encounter Him in such a way? Could there be a deeper message hidden within this seemingly simple command?

Moses’ sandals had been through some things. They’d seen a lot of places, touched many ground types. They were probably with him in Pharaoh’s house and as he was making his initial getaway from Egypt. Basically, in all the places that Moses stepped, he learned some things and saw some things that added to his overall knowledge and understanding. And perhaps, his sandals were a representation of all that acquired knowledge. What if God didn’t really care that Moses was wearing sandals on holy ground? What if God’s focus was all that Moses knew or better yet, thought he knew? What if God was really saying, “Moses, forget everything you know, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Moses was probably the worst person for the mission God was calling him to embark on. Think about it. Here’s someone who grew up in Pharaoh’s courts, who knows the ins and the outs of keeping Egypt running. If anyone knew how impossible it would be to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, it would be Moses. He of all people understood that those Hebrew slaves had become a major source of economic stability for Egypt. Nevertheless, God was commissioning him to embark on mission impossible. But first, Moses would need to forget all that he knew. He needed to realize that yes, “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

This is far from easy. Maybe God is calling you to a career path that makes no sense. Maybe God is calling you to take a step of faith that feels like a huge gamble. Maybe God is calling you to say goodbye to some people who you feel indebted to. Maybe God is calling you to a task that you consider yourself inadequate to accomplish. Maybe God’s call is falling on deaf ears because you know too much, or at least, you think you do, and you’d rather hold on to that knowledge than trust Him.

In the gospel according to John, Jesus invites Philip to follow him. Excited, Philip runs to his brother Nathanael and tells him that he has “found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45) At first, Nathanael is unable to receive this news; “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46) That was the curse of many of the Israelites. They “knew” too much and could not accept Jesus as who He said He was, God sent and God Himself (John 30:30).

"But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." - Galatians 1:11-12

My prayer is that we do not make the same mistake. I pray that we do not “know” so much that we miss an opportunity to be utilized by God for work that is beyond us. I pray that we do not “know” so much that we allow our logical hesitations to get in the way of God’s plan for our lives. I pray that we do not become so concerned with facts that we miss the truth. I pray that we do not become so consumed by academic knowledge, that we unknowingly reject revealed knowledge brought by the Holy Ghost. I pray that we do not become addicted to evidence-based theories that we ignore faith based revelations. I pray that our religious upbringing, whatever it might be, does not get in the way of us coming to terms with the truth that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

For many, that last one may have stung a bit. And you might think to yourself, there is no way I can come to terms with that. There’s way too much to lose. I would bring shame to my family, they would disown me, and I’d literally lose everything. God is no stranger to great cost, and the potential loss you might experience for choosing to follow Him. It was with great cost that He gave us the opportunity to choose Him. As sharp as it might be, I pray that you are encouraged by this truth; “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life FOR MY SAKE will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)

With God, what appears to us as loss turns out to be gain, so take a chance. Forget what you “know”, walk by faith, and receive revealed knowledge, true wisdom, and divine understanding. Put aside your doubts and hesitations, then come and taste and see for yourself, that the Lord is good. 

Peace and Love,

David