As Christians it is expected that we gain knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, the Bible. We need to know what pleases God, how we're to live and how we should worship Him. 

Is there such a thing as too much knowledge? Can knowledge keep us, as believers, from living out the truth of God's Word? Yes, I say Yes, too much knowledge can leave us empty in other places. Too much knowledge can be a hindrance to living out what we know in a godly way.

I've been blessed and fortunate enough to start out my Christian life among believers who were quite knowledgeable when it came to the Bible. I learned many things, even the deeper things of scripture. For that I'll forever be grateful because it kept me from a watered-down Christianity, and it kept me from following wrong doctrine. But I've also seen how some who bore this knowledge seemed to be more in-love with it, (the knowledge) than the Lord's people. I saw the insensitivity towards others and the pride that put others beneath them. I've observed how others were looked upon and how they were treated. 

From time to time, many years later, I still see this type of behavior whenever I rub shoulders with the Lord's people. I'm not referring to one particular church or gathering. I see it on the whole in places I've fellowshipped. This is unfortunate. Failure to live out what we say we know is a handicap, in my opinion. It's just information that we've stored up and pull out when we want to challenge someone or prove a point.

Knowledge without understanding with the love of God can be injurious. This type of thing turns people off. One can tell when they are loved by a fellow believer. It comes across lovingly with compassion with empathy. Even if that believer has sinned and have fell from grace, when spoken to by another Christian who exhibits humility and love, he or she will be open to hear the correction, or the rebuke which can lead to restoration. Knowledge alone cannot accomplish reaching a person's heart. 

The Bible tells us that "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). Knowledge in itself inflates one's ego. It yields arrogance and pride. 

If we say that we have knowledge of the Word of God, we should also have the love of God to accompany what we know. Here's a couple of basic examples. When we've heard that a fellow believer is grieving due to a loss, we ought to reach out to them with the love of God, whether it is shown by sending a card, a phone call, or visiting them in their home. If it is a material loss, it may require giving to help them. In this they can see for a truth that the things you've previously preached, or shared operates in truth by your deeds. In situations where a believer is going through trials and you get wind of it, again, depending on your previous relationship with them, you can reach out to them to encourage them, to support them, or to hold out that umbrella over them as the rain falls hard upon them. Don't just tell them you're praying for them. Yes, they need your prayers, but if you are in a position to do more than that, do it. It is hypocritical to say we are knowledgeable of God's Word and ignore fellow believers in their hour of need. This in itself is sin.

God is not interested in the amount of knowledge we possess. He is interested in how we are living out what we know. There's an adage that says, "I don't care how much you know; I only want to know how much you care."

We are not responsible for the negative things that have happened to us in this life. More than likely, you and I were born into situations that we had nothing to do with. We were the innocent babies and children at the mercy of our parent's decisions and actions.

Many have had unfortunate circumstances in their childhood that shaped their personalities and altered their thinking. Their view on life has been skewed. As they grew into young adulthood, the view through the lens of a problematic upbringing has changed the path their lives would have taken had it not been for the dysfunction.

When an individual, who has come from a dysfunctional family situation becomes a Christian, that in itself is a miracle. God performs miracles like this every day. He is to be praised. Salvation is needed for all no matter what you were born into. But when you come from bad stock, or a bad family environment, the challenges you now face can be difficult. There is so much to unlearn and there is so much to heal from.

God can heal you emotionally, but you must do the work necessary for that to take place. I will use myself as the example. I came from a dysfunctional family situation that left scars upon my heart and life that were horrific. When I surrendered my life to God, I thought that would be the end of my sorrows. It was only the beginning. There was a lot of healing that needed to take place in order to get free of the chains that had wrapped itself around my heart and life.

There are conscious decisions that have to be made in order for change to take place. I had to admit to myself that I had been injured emotionally, physically and mentally. I had to admit that I had pain that was interfering with my ability to function healthily as a believer. I had to admit that I needed help to unpack my baggage. Those are not easy things to admit to oneself. Often people justify their deficits. When you get to the point where you look yourself in the face and face what's in the mirror, you are now ready for God to step in and bring healing.

There are things that become engrained in us from childhood, that the longer we live with the negative behavior, the harder it will be to overcome them. I started following Christ in my early 20's and that is when I started to lay that heavy burden down. I began dealing with the pain of my childhood. The more I read the scriptures and learned about other dysfunctional families in the Bible, I knew there was hope for me.

Prayer is a powerful tool, so use it! I began to spend more and more time talking with God and pouring my heart out to Him. I asked the hard questions and sought Him for the answers. The more I opened up those secret places to the Lord, the more comfort and help I received from Him. It took time, as all relationships do, but in time, slowly but surely, God touched me in those places that needed healing and closed up those wounds. I had to also make some hard decisions concerning my family. I had to choose separation for the sake of myself. We can heal, but if we continue to go around an infectious environment, we will re-wound ourselves and create new pain.

God wants us to be healthy and whole. We have to be willing to do the work on ourselves and trust God's Word in the process. Some Christians hide behind all sorts of things and lie to themselves and to others as they live out one life publicly, while suffering in silence privately. I've known some who have been so wounded and scarred by their upbringing that they used other things to compensate for their childhood losses. This led them into sinful lifestyles by choice. The truth of it was that all their lives they were looking for acceptance and love. Why did they not find it with Christ? They failed to do the work and what would be required of them for complete healing. Instead, they kept their scars a secret and nursed their pain year after year in behavior patterns that were ungodly.

I want you, my dear reader, to be mindful of one thing; Jesus knows your sorrows and your pain. He is well aware of your past and your childhood. He knows what you were born into. He saw what happened to you. He wants to heal you and use you and your story for His honor and glory. Please don't hide behind church activity, ministry, your talent or your gifting thinking that you will be alright. You want to get FREE of the past hurt and pain. Open up to God fully and seek His healing by praying constantly and sitting at His feet. Let Him enter into those dark spaces of your heart, those secret places, those hurtful experiences and all its pain. May God grant you the peace you need and the healing so you can be a healthy Christian.

Verses:
"Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." {Matt. 11:28}

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. {Prov. 17:22

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  {Jeremiah 29:11}