DOES GOD EXIST?

Does God exist? Is it possible to know God? Is it even possible? If so, what does it mean to experience God? How would we know if we did? Did man create God or did God create man? In this special edition, of the Ray Sanders Leadership podcast, Ray shares his thoughts on knowing God from his sunny vacation spot in Florida.

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
00:32 Contemplating the Existence of God
01:35 Ways God Communicates with Us
02:26 Experiencing God Through Creation
04:19 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hello, everyone. I'm Ray Sanders, and welcome to this
special edition of the RaySanders Leadership Podcast. I'm
coming to you from one of mymost happy places on the planet.
I'm down in Rosemary Beach inFlorida having a vacation and a
time of getaway, but I wanted toconnect with you and touch base
with you based upon some of thethoughts I'm having while I'm

(00:30):
here on vacation. The thoughtis, is it really possible to
know God?
Did man create God or did Godcreate man? What does it mean to
experience God, especially in abeautiful place like this with
this ocean slapping at the beachhere in my background? Is it
even possible? How will we knowif we could know God and if we

(00:55):
did? You know, it's been saidthat we can reach God through
prayer, meditation, certainlyscripture, and through his
creation.
But if we really think about it,God is love. And if God is love,
when we see love, we see God. Sothe question is, when we

(01:18):
experience love, are weexperiencing God? I believe we
are. Do we limit God by what wesee and do, and do we put him in
a box?
You ever felt like you put Godin a box? If he wanted to to
communicate to us, could he? Youknow, I feel like there's at
least 3 ways that God can speakto us. Without question, he

(01:42):
speaks to us through his word,he speaks to us through worship,
and he speaks to us through theworld. You see, I barely believe
that if we seek him, we willfind him.
If we look for God, we'll findhim. We can look for him in his
word. If we take the time to doa daily devotion, spend some

(02:02):
time in the scriptures, Ibelieve that He really will show
up and that He will speak to usthrough the the very ancient
scriptures that are out there. Ialso believe that He'll speak to
us through worship, and He'llspeak to us through the arts and
music and prayer and things likethat. And even a church service
as we try to worship him, hewill actually speak to us.

(02:23):
It's a dialogue. It's not just amonologue. And then there's days
like today where I think thatGod will just speak to us
through his creation. He'llspeak to us through his
creation. As I look out acrossthis beautiful ocean, I can't
but wonder how it was created.
What's the design behind it all?Did it just happen? And then I

(02:46):
think about the fact thatthrough the world, through not
just through his creation, butthrough his creatures, there's
people like my wife and my kidsand people I work with that God
oftentimes will speak to methrough the very creation that
he has put together by knittingme and others together as human
beings. And it certainly speaksto the world through

(03:06):
circumstances. I've had thingshappen that I just thought, wow.
That was a real God week. And asI opened my eyes and I opened my
ears and I tuned into hischannel and his frequency, it's
kinda like this spotting scope.I bought this spotting scope
recently, and I've been comingto the beach for more than 20

(03:27):
years and this is the first timethat I've used this spotting
scope. As you might imagine, asI've used this spotting scope
and I've turned it out towardsthe ocean and out towards the
beach, I'm beginning to seethings in a whole new way. So I
wonder if that might be how Godis trying to speak to you and
me.
If we search for him, if we seekhim, if we keep our eyes and

(03:51):
ears open, will we find him?Will he communicate to us? Is it
it possible? Is it possible toexperience and know God? I think
it is.
I think it is possible. As Ilook out across this ocean and I
look to the skies and I look toall that's here, I can't help
but think there's more to itthan just me. There must be a

(04:15):
creator. If I will seek him, Ithink I will find him. I don't
know where you're at today.
I don't know what you're doing.I don't know if you're still at
work and you're driving intowork or you're at the gym
working out. I don't know whatyou're doing. But something
tells me if you open your eyesand your ears, you will find God
and you will experience Him. Andin doing so, you will experience

(04:35):
His love.
Keep your eyes out for Himtoday. I think he's
communicating. Are youlistening?