God Is!: Dare to Believe

By Dr. Jo Anna c Watson

This generation has seen more scientific discoveries and an increase in greater intellectual knowledge than ever before. As a result, a worldview has immerged that puts its faith in human potential, intelligence, and self-gratification rather than in God. This generation is also witnessing a greater increase in biblical prophecy being fulfilled along with an increase of supernatural phenomenon.

Is it possible that God, because of His extreme love for humanity, is zealously declaring that He is the Creator who holds all power and authority over life, death, time, and seasons? Is it possible that this may be the last generation before our Messiah returns?

Each of us has a worldview, and that worldview is very important because it determines our behavior. Our behavior, which influences how we think, feel, and act, is guided by what we believe to be true about God. Such truth is very important because it affects our goals, relationships, our peace of mind, and our destiny, as well as the destiny of our nations.

It is my desire to posit that truth is a personal knowledge of God and the truths in the Bible are relevant today, for it has all the answers to life, death, time, and our future. What you believe about God and the Bible will determine your destiny. Only dare to believe!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512721843

Dr. Jo Anna c Watson

Jo Anna Watson, as a missionary in Uganda, has learned to know God’s extreme love. As a result of her intimate relationship with God, she writes and teaches God’s truths with confidence, power, and authority. Jo declares that repentance brings revival and is an advocate for Israel and for the restoration of Christianity’s Hebraic roots. www.touchingheartsint.org

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Copyright © 2016 Dr. Jo Anna Watson.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-2185-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2186-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2184-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015919756

WestBow Press rev. date: 1/4/2016

CONTENTS

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 A Theory Of Everything

CHAPTER 2 Top Ten Intellectual Minds

CHAPTER 3 A Case for God

CHAPTER 4 In The Beginning

CHAPTER 5 Let There Be Light

CHAPTER 6 Evidence For The Bible

CHAPTER 7 God’s Treasures Uncovered

CHAPTER 8 Biblical Prophecies Being Fulfilled

CHAPTER 9 Hebraic or Biblical Worldview

CHAPTER 10 The Need For A Redeemer

CHAPTER 11 The Triune God

CHAPTER 12 Let Faith Arise

Conclusion

Reference Bibliography

Unless otherwise indicated all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked CJB are taken from The Complete Jewish Bible. Copyright © 1998, David H. Stern. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AB are taken from The Amplified Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

To the triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, reveals Himself to humanity through the written Word of God, the Bible, through the personal word of God; His Son, Jesus our Messiah; and through His beautiful and magnificently created universe.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I acknowledge Dr. Cliff and Julie Pash, founders and directors of ATK International. ATK Nakivumbi Church is one of four ATK churches located in the villages of eastern Uganda. I have worked with the ATK ministry on a part-time basis since 2011. The rest of my time I spend writing and ministering to others inside and outside of Uganda. Thank you, Dr. Cliff and Julie for inviting me to be part of your ministry; I have learned so much.

For more than a year, I have lived in a small, two-room (bedroom and sitting room) apartment in the ATK Nakivumbi Church compound. It is quiet, and I can look through my window or sit on my veranda and breathe in the natural beauty of God’s creation. At night, because there are few if any lights in the area, I can see the vast array of stars and the moon shining so brightly when the night sky is clear. This is a great place to write. Thank you, Dr. Cliff and Julie Pash.

INTRODUCTION

Over the centuries, the universe and its association with humanity have fascinated many people, including myself. People have many questions about how and when the universe, time, and life came into being. Did they have a beginning, or have they always existed?

If they had a beginning, when did life and, more important, human beings begin? Why do human beings live on planet Earth rather than another planet? And will everything come to an end one day?

These questions lead us to more personal questions. Why am I here? Am I here by chance? Does my life have meaning and purpose? Is there life after death?

I propose that these questions actually lead all of us to the greatest question of all: Does God exist? If God does exist then begs the question, did He create the universe and everything in it, including human beings? Is this God, the One True God described in the Bible?

This crucial question also leads us to another important question. If God is the Creator of everything that exists, as described in the Bible - is the Bible true. Is the Bible the powerfully inspired Word of God, written by the Spirit of God?

With the increase of knowledge and the advancement of science over the years it has become a well-established fact that at some point the universe, time, and life began. Therefore, if the universe, time, and life had a beginning, the answer to our questions of how, when, and why they began and by whom are very important.

As I pondered the existence of the universe, however, my curiosity was directed not so much at how or when the universe, time, and life were created but rather who created them and why. An unexplainable peace came over me as I considered the God of the Bible to be the Creator, even when I was a young girl. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained. What is man that you are mindful of him, and the Son of Man that you visit him (Psalm 8:3–4)?

Peace within my soul allowed me to see beyond what I could see, as I beheld the heavens, sun, moon, and stars. In school, we learned about creationism and evolution, including the big bang theory. Yet, somehow, I had an inner sense that only the God of the Bible was capable of creating such a complex and wonderfully magnificent yet, mysterious universe, including planet Earth, where you and I dwell.

As time went on, I became more and more fascinated in who God is. This fascination launched me on a quest to know the God of the Bible personally. I wanted to understand what the Bible says about God. Why is God so mindful of me? The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us … He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great (Psalm 115:12–13).

My search led me to know that God, Elohim, is the Creator of the universe and humanity. I also believe that God, in His sovereignty, purposefully created and specifically designed planet Earth for His special creation of the Adamic race to live, occupy, and to take dominion over.

From the time I was a young girl, I have never changed this belief, even when life’s distractions, uncertainty, and difficult circumstances tried to persuade me to believe differently. When I was in my thirties and began to read and study the Bible seriously, I found the truths within it to substantiate my belief that God is!

Recently I watched the movie, A Theory of Everything. To my surprise, I felt the Spirit of God whisper to me, "I AM the single answer to everything! I was so intrigued that I watched the movie a couple of times. Each time, I heard the Spirit of God saying, I AM the single answer to everything."

Then, a verse in the book of Hebrews came to my mind: But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out) (Hebrews 11:6 AB).

A Theory of Everything documents the life of British cosmologist and physicist Stephen Hawking. The film is based on the book Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Hawking’s first wife, Jane. Hawking is considered to be one of the greatest intellectual minds of this generation. The film invited me into Hawking’s world, as he pursued his education and career. However, the film emphasizes that Hawking, now in his seventies, continues in his ambitious desire to look for a single theory that explains everything, without acknowledging God.

As a one who knows God intimately—and trusts in Him, that the Bible is His powerfully inspired Word to humanity, and in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus our Messiah—I posit to you, dear reader, that God is the single answer to everything. The Bible, written by the Spirit of God, has the answers that will unlock all the mysteries of the universe, time, and life. Only dare to believe!

CHAPTER ONE

A Theory Of Everything

I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe, as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.—Wernher von Braun, pioneer rocket scientist¹

As I understand it, the purpose of science and the scientific method is to find the truth that best answers the many questions human beings have about our universe, time, and life. People are constantly looking for truth. However, what we choose to believe is truth will determine whether our questions are answered satisfactorily.

A well-known truth is that theories cannot be proven. However, they can be supported with mathematical calculations, testing, and more theories. Furthermore, theories can be disproven and thrown out, as some ought to be.

A Theory of Everything opens with Stephen Hawking’s journey at Cambridge University, where he pursued a doctorate in physics. Shortly after he began his studies, Hawking was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and given only two years to live. Amazingly, he is still alive today. Every person I know who has been diagnosed with this terminal disease has died within the two-to three-year allotted timeframe.

For many years, Hawking has communicated by using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device, much like a telephone answering machine.² To me, the fact that Hawking is still alive and able to communicate is a God miracle! As one who believes in the power of