INTIMACY WITH GOD

"God longs to spend time with you."  I'll never forget these words!  An evangelist shared them while  praying for me many years ago standing in the front of the church at the First Assembly of God in Port Arthur, Tx.

In other words he was saying "God longs to be intimate with you."  But what does that word "intimate" really mean?

I think it can be best understood by looking at a few of the synonyms.  Belonging, closeness, inseparability, familiarity, nearness and chumminess.  

Through intimacy you discover you belong to God!  You're His child! 

Through intimacy you become secure because you learn there's nothing that can separate you from the love of God.  You become inseparable!  

Through intimacy you grow in the knowledge of God.  You become familiar with Him!

Through intimacy you realize God is near, especially when He seems distant.  But by faith you know He's near.   

Through intimacy you discover the chumminess of God.  Chumminess means "very friendly."  Through intimacy you discover that the Creator of this universe, your Heavenly Father, is very friendly and wants to be your friend!   

But here's another word for intimacy.  It's called time!  God longs to spend "time" with you.  God doesn't want to "make time" for you, He longs to spend time with you.  You're His desire, His priority!

"God longs to spend time with you."

An invitation is given!

"But now you have been united with Christ Jesus.  Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ."  (Ephesians 2:13)

"Come close to God,  and God will come close to you..."  (James 4:8)

Respond to the invitation today!  Recognize all that Jesus Christ has done for you and experience the intimacy of a loving Heavenly Father!  

How do we best respond?  "God, I long to spend time with You!"

One more benefit of intimacy with God.  You'll begin to DREAM.......AGAIN!  

More to come!

Ken

GOD, WHAT IS YOUR WILL?

God, what is your will?

The journey you take to discover God's plan and purpose can be one of ups and downs.  High expectations with answers that are less than you expected.  You walk down a road that you're sure God is leading you only to find a dead end.  All your friends have an opinion about what you should do so why can't you know what you're supposed to do?  It seems you can hear God's voice in other matters, why can't you hear God's voice when you need to hear it the most, the direction for your life?  Frustration seems to be your closest friend and being willing to wait is not an inner battle you always win!

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

If the answer is yes then it's possible you might hear this gentle voice in your heart raising a question you don't expect to hear.  "Do you want to know Me or do you want to know my will?"

It's been almost 25 years ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday.  After many years of running from God and living a very ungodly life I walked down the aisle of a small country church in Snyder, Tx. and recommitted my life to Jesus Christ!   Thank God for His grace and mercy!

There was a freshness and newness about my life.  It really was a fresh start, a new beginning.  I had read the Bible years before but now there was a renewed hunger to open my Bible and just read.

One morning as I opened my Bible, that had remained closed for so long, it fell to Psalm 63.  I began to read,   "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water."

This one verse of the life-giving Word of God exploded in my heart and I ended up memorizing the whole chapter.  I loved it and meditated on and quoted this passage of scripture on a daily basis.

One thing is certain and that is if you work the Word of God the Word of God will work in you.  There was such a passion in my heart to seek God and spend time in His presence that it was't long the call of God I received  at the age of 16 to be a minister was restored in my heart.

Now some 25 years later there are still times I have to ask God, "what is your will, what is your direction for this season of my life?"

Then I'm reminded of Psalm 63.  God, I want to know you, I seek you with all my heart.  Yes, more than I want to know your will, I want to know You Heavenly Father.  

Here's the cool thing.  The Bible tells us that those who "seek Him with all their heart, will find Him."   (Jeremiah 29:13)

And when you seek Him and find Him you find His will and you realize, it's all about intimacy.  It's all about being intimate with the Father!  He longs to spend time with you! 

John 10:27 -"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

Watch for my next blog that will expound on intimacy with God.  And it's my hopes this blog has planted a spark in your spirit that ignites a fire in you to seek the One who created you with all your heart, a heart He created!

Enjoying the journey!
Ken Woolf