02/10/2026
There is a difference between saying “I believe God” and being able to say “I know Him for myself.”
Tonight on An Hour of Truth, Brian and Pastor Brian unpack the journey from believing to knowing—and what happens when somebody else’s testimony is no longer the only foundation for your faith.
In John 4:39–42, the Samaritans initially believed in Jesus because of the testimony of the woman at the well. But after coming to Jesus, making room for Him, and hearing Him themselves, their language changed:
“Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves…” — John 4:42
Her testimony was the doorway—but eventually, they needed their own encounter with Jesus.
That raises an important question for every believer:
Is my confidence in God primarily based on what other people have told me—or have I developed my own history with Him?
Tonight we explore the progression:
FAITH → BELIEF → EXPERIENCE → TESTIMONY → KNOWING
We’ll discuss how another person’s testimony can become a corridor into faith, why we shouldn’t remain dependent on borrowed faith, how making room for God deepens relationship, and why trials and obedience often become places where what we believe is transformed into something we personally know.
We’ll also ask:
• What is the difference between believing God and knowing God?
• Can someone spend years in church while still living primarily on borrowed faith?
• Can parents introduce their children to God without being able to know God for them?
• How does belief become lived experience?
• Why do trials sometimes deepen faith while other people become bitter through them?
• How do we go through difficulty with God, rather than merely going through difficulty?
• What role does obedience play in developing our own testimony?
• How does yesterday’s experience with God affect tomorrow’s crisis?
• And how can someone begin developing their own history with God?
📖 Key Scriptures:
John 4:39–42
Romans 10:17
James 1:2–4
Romans 5:3–5
2 Timothy 1:12
Daniel 11:32
Tonight’s central thought:
Don’t despise borrowed faith. Just don’t stop there.
Your mother’s testimony can introduce you.
Your father’s faith can inspire you.
Your pastor’s experience can encourage you.
But eventually, you need history with God for yourself.
Yesterday’s experience becomes today’s testimony—and today’s testimony becomes tomorrow’s reference point.
Until eventually, like Paul, you can say:
“I know whom I have believed.” — 2 Timothy 1:12
Join us as we move beyond simply knowing what others have said about God and ask what it means to know Him for ourselves.
AN HOUR OF TRUTH
God’s Word. Pure Truth. Real Impact.
🗓️ Every Thursday
⏰ 7:00 PM CST
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