Intimacy is defined as extreme closeness, friendship, and familiarity. God did not create relationships to be robotic, and lifeless. He created relationship to be intimate, real, authentic, fully alive, and ever growing. Our goal every day should be to grow in intimacy with God. To not just be in relationship with God, but to be in INTIMATE relationship with Him. We should cry out in our hearts to God, “Into me see oh God! Intimacy oh God! IN-TO-ME-SEE-OH- GOD!”
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
-Psalm 139:23-24
At the root of intimacy is vulnerability and at the root of vulnerability is courageous honesty. Intimacy and vulnerability require an unveiling of the heart, soul, and spirit. It’s an “un-doneness” that’s not cloaked in shame, but cloaked in love, openness, and a desire for genuine connection. God is real and so is His love. If we want our relationship with Him to be real, we must spend REAL intimate time with Him. WE must be REAL aware about His continual love, protection, and presence.
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me. Your right hand will hold me fast.”
-Psalm 139: 7-10
The bible says, “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Gen 1:27) God was so intimate with man (Adam) that He spoke to Adam directly and God’s presence was with Adam every day in the garden. There was complete transparency and vulnerability between them. (Read Genesis Chapter 1-3) So, I have a question for you. When is the last time you had face to face time with God? Not Facetime with your family, friends, or significant other, but REAL FACE TIME & SOUL TIME WITH GOD. Was it today? This week? Last month? Last year? Never? Have you allowed life and its distractions to get in the way of your intimacy with God? Has other things and people stolen the affections of your heart? If you are struggling with your intimacy with God, I want to leave you with a few tips that can help foster a greater intimacy with your Maker.
1. Obeying the Gospel and Becoming a Christian
We have all sinned and as a result our sins separate us from God. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) The Gospel story of Jesus coming down to die on the cross for the sins of the world, created a way for us to be intimately and eternally connected back to God. Through obedience to the Gospel, we obtain remission of our sins by the powerful work and grace that Jesus did on the cross of calvary (John 3:16-17). It is through hearing (Rom 10:17), believing (Mark 16:15-16), repenting (Luke 13:5), confessing (Rom 10:9-10), and being baptized in water (Acts 2:38) (1 Peter 3:21), that we gain access to the Father and forgiveness of our sins. We become fellow heirs with Christ. At any time, as faithful Christians, we can talk to the Father and He will hear us. “The prayers of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) For those of you who have already been baptized for the remission of sin and are Christians, never forgot the beautiful blessing of what it means to be a Christian and just what God’s love has done for you.
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
-Romans 6:3-4
2. Acknowledge, Confess, & Repent of Sin (Every day)
Sin serves as a barrier to intimacy with God. Why? Because sin separates us. “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2) God is holy and therefore we must be holy. (1 Peter 1:16) Whenever we live in a state of sin or have unrepented sin harboring in our lives, it serves as a barrier, an intimacy barrier. For Christians, if we confess and repent and “walk in the light, as God is in the light, the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) The barrier of sin will be cleansed and removed, and we will be free to have that intimacy our hearts so desperately crave for. There is nothing more freeing, beautiful, and wonderful then living with a clear and clean conscious because of true sincere obedience and fellowship with God. When our consciouses are clear and we know we are walking in step with God’s word, it will allow our intimacy with the Heavenly Father to thrive.
“But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
-1 John 1:7
3. Set aside time every day to talk to God and study His word
With any relationship the only way to grow in continual connection is to spend time. “So, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom 10:17) We must spend time getting to know God through His word and allow Him to communicate with us through His word. “The sum of your word is true, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” (Psalm 119:160) We must spend time talking to God in prayer and communicating with Him what is on our hearts. When we spend time doing this, it will build our trust, our bond, and our faith in God which will add to the development of our intimacy with Him.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
-1 John 5:14
4. Stay in constant awareness of His presence
Be intentional about inviting God into every moment of your day. “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths.” (Psalm 5:21) As a Christian, understanding that you are not walking this journey alone is a comforting fact. God is with you. “For God has said, I will never leaver you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5) Do not allow life and its challenges or distractions cause you to forget this. You have a God who is with you, who loves you, and who is here to help you.
“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?
-Psalm 8:4
5. Feed your mind and soul with things that point you to God
What we allow our eyes to see, our hearts to ingest, and our minds to dwell on, plays a huge factor in our intimacy with God. We cannot expect to stay close to God while indulging, looking at or doing things that pull us further away from Him. We must feed ourselves with things that will continue to cultivate our intimacy with God.
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
-Psalm 119:11
In conclusion, continue to be real with yourself and real with God. God knows us. He sees the real us. We do not have to present our “false selves” to Him. If you’re struggling in your relationship with God right now, tell Him! Be honest with Him! Seek Him! Christianity is not about presenting a false since of perfection to God or to others. It’s about receiving God’s love and seeking to be perfected day by day by His perfect love. He loves you and wants to be in intimate relationship with you. Intimacy is about authenticity. Intimacy for a Christian is based on the truth found in God’s word and in His will. Continue to cry out, “Into me see oh God! Intimacy oh God!” God loves you! Be encouraged!
