Intimacy with God
Friends, greetings in Jesus Name! Today, I will be sharing with you what I title, “Intimacy with God”. The Almighty God desires our uninterrupted fellowship with Him on a daily basis. Right from the Garden of Eden, He visited Adam in the cool of the day to have intimate fellowship with Him. Adam’s fellowship with God flourished until Satan disrupted it. But God didn’t give up. He made a provision through His Son – Jesus – to restore that lost intimacy. Today God may not come down physically to us as He did with Adam, but He virtually lives in us as His children, and thus, desires to have constant fellowship with us. What guarantees God’s stay and presence in us is our genuine fellowship with Him without sinning against Him. Remember, Satan also desires to have fellowship with man. And his fellowship always results in sin that leads to death as we can see today.
What is intimacy? In literal meaning, intimacy is the experience of closeness. It occurs when two people are open to each other and reveal their true feelings and desires. Thus, our intimacy with God goes beyond emotional connection. It is spiritual! “For God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Really, intimacy is a process – not an instant. It takes place over time and is not stagnant. In fact, any kind of stagnation in a relationship kills intimacy. Therefore, our intimacy with God is meant to be an ongoing adventure for a lifetime. Someone may ask: How do we build intimacy with God? Just desire to be in His Presence. David said, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, to behold the [a]beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4). You see, God longs for our fellowship with Him, for we are created for His glory. The fact remains that He cannot force Himself on anybody. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Therefore, you must first make the move to draw near to Him. God’s outstretched arm is ever opened to receive us whenever we draw near.
Unfortunately, it is our lifestyle of sin that puts God far away from us. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” And because God longs for our intimate fellowship with Him, He says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” In other words, irrespective of our fallen state, God’s mercy is still available if only we turn towards Him. A man or woman in an intimate relationship with God is never far from divine revelations. In this present economic crisis, where many seem confused without direction, it is your intimacy with God that makes the difference. Having intimacy with God enables you to see what others cannot see. “For God reveals His deep secrets to those that fear Him and abide in His Presence” (Psalm 25:14). And when men are saying they are cast down, you will say, there is a lifting up (Job 22:29). Therefore, as you go this week, I encourage you to grow deeper in God through fellowship in prayer, study of the word, worship and praise, and spending quality time in His presence. Hallelujah! Have a Blessed and Fantastic Week. With Love, Elvis!