getting to know him

From the day I was saved and filled with the Spirit, I believed the Bible. Most of what I believed I did not understand and I never thought I ever would. But my mentors who taught me the Word appeared to be very confident in knowing God's Word. I grew up in a "religious church" that never used the Bible, they had their own book that was their interpretation of the Bible. l really enjoyed being taught the uncompromised Word of God and things within me began to change.
Jump ahead thirty-nine years and now I have become fully persuaded of what God is speaking to us. I know that faith comes from hearing and hearing. Furthermore, there are levels of faith. Some have little faith, some just have faith, but some have great faith. I know people who can quote the Scriptures perfectly but they have no faith. They talk a good game but they can't play well. I know other folks who can't quote the Scriptures very well, but they have great faith. How do we get to the place where knowledge of the Word produces spiritual results?
Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
The first time I read this Scripture, it sounded like the reason we seek after God is to collect the rewards. This did not sound very spiritual to me, it sounded like God was enticing us to follow Him by giving us treats like you would a dog. I had the wrong mind set concerning the Word of God and I didn't know a better way to believe. I have since learned that you must renew your mind in order to use any faith you may have.
Philippians 3:10 I gave up all my worldly achievements so I could know (perceive, feel) Christ personally, experience His power and share in His suffering, and even die so I could experience the resurrection from the dead.
If we want to have "great" faith we must get to know Jesus on a very personal level. It's one thing to know what someone says but it's quite another to know the one who said it. People who know the Word and are sold to it know the one who spoke it. If you study the Word you are doing something good, but if you get to know the one who said them you will be doing something better. I diligently seek God because He loved me when I was a rank sinner and if He wants to reward me that's His business. God loves me and I love Him, He will bless me with things that will cause me to praise and worship Him all the more.
Romans 12:2 Don't fit into the mold of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will know every level of God's will.
Renewing our mind means we stop thinking like the people in the world and begin to think like Jesus would think. If we think like He thinks, it's because we have the mind of Christ. In every situation of our life we will know what Jesus would do because we have gotten to know Him. The better you know Him, the better your faith will work. Knowing the Word is good, but we must know the author. When you know Jesus, you then will know why He said what He said. He is not a man that He should lie, it's all good.