Consider the following portions of scripture:
Phil. 3:10- “That I may know him…”
2Tim. 1:12- “For I know whom I have believed…”
Eph. 2:13- “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
In this era, staying ‘connected’ has become big business… with all the devices- Smart phones, Blackberries, Androids, Tablets etc. and with the social networking facilities- Facebook, WhatsApp, 2go, twitter, BB messenger and so on… All these give us instant access to ‘friends’ and family; those we know and those we do not, some beneficial and others detrimental! But how much time do we actually spend to build meaningful relationships; how much effort do we invest in connecting with God?
WHAT IS INTIMACY?
Intimacy is a detailed knowledge of someone resulting from a close personal relationship with the person. I want us to note that intimacy has two major components:
1. Close Personal Relationship: This is as a result of
TIME SPENT TOGETHER
It takes effort to find the time and energy to connect with God on a regular basis - just as it does with any relationship that matters. The truth is we can find time to be alone with God on a daily basis, but we have to be intentional. Think of it as though you're scheduling an appointment on your calendar to meet a friend. Spending time in God's Word isn't about gaining more knowledge. One thing we understand in this information age is how to absorb a set of facts, but our faith is more than a set of beliefs. It's about getting to know Someone as real as the person next to us, yet as mysterious as the universe (see Psalm 25:4).
COMMUNICATION
Communication is an important aspect every healthy relationship, including our relationship with God. There are three (3) basic forms of communication with God-
I. Telling- He already knows everything you’re experiencing, but He wants you to trust Him with your heart. Be honest about what you’re going through, thinking, and feeling. Talk about what excites you and what disappoints you, what makes you happy or sad. Tell Him you love Him, you’re thankful for Him, and you praise Him for who He is and what He does.
II. Asking- God wants us to ask Him for what we need, because it builds our trust in Him. No matter how big or small the need is, it matters to Him! We can ask for help, strength, provision, and guidance. He tells us, “Call on me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” Jeremiah 33:3 MSG
III. Listening- Communication is a two-way thing; we aren’t meant to do all the talking. God wants to communicate with us too! In John 10:27 NLT Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” Here Jesus identifies Himself as a shepherd, and we are His sheep. Our growing relationship with Him helps listen for and identify His voice. You may experience it as a whisper to your heart as you spend time with Him. It can be through scripture, when a passage seems to come alive to you as you read it.
OPENNESS
Wonderful and even miraculous things begin happening to you as you open up to God, as you accept the Truth that God's power is present, available and real. God is ready to refresh, revitalize and revive you in every phase of being. Being open with God can turn each ordinary day into a deepening spiritual journey for you. This sounds easy, but to some people, it can be really challenging; there are three keys to developing openness with GOD: You must see Him as He is—you must know His character, you must see yourself as He sees you, and you must be willing to accept His invitation to father you daily.
SHARED INTEREST
Matthew 16:23-24 "But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” How intimate we will be with God is directly proportional to how much shared-interest we have with Him i.e our alignment to His will and our commitment to His work. This principle of shared-interest functions as a positive feedback mechanism. The more aligned we are to God’s will and the more committed we are to His work, the greater our spiritual ability becomes, to make right choices that put God’s interests ahead of our own.
2. Detailed Knowledge
According to Romans 1, we knew true things about God (limited things, but still true things) and we refused to honor and treasure those things. EG: I’m anxious today. It’s not because I don’t know that God is a good provider; it’s because I don’t see fit to acknowledge Him as provider. If we reduce knowing God (in a deep relational sense) to knowing things about God, then we’re going to find ourselves producing disciples that look like demons – who have perfect knowledge of God but refuse to treasure Him.
Knowing things about God is part of it. You cannot worship and follow an unknown God. You cannot trust true things about God if you don’t KNOW true things about God. You must lock God’s truth away in your heart and eat His Word because that is the only way to know the truth of who He is, but it cannot stop there.
Knowing God is not just what we know about God, but how we respond to what we know about God. It’s treasuring what we know about God, being hungry for more of Him, not as an academic pursuit, but as a person who can be known.
A VIVID EXAMPLE
One man in the Bible that demonstrated a high level of intimacy with God is King David, the sweet psalmist; in fact, God called him a man after His own heart! (Acts 13: 12). One of his psalms, Psalm 63: 1-8 gives us a vivid picture of his consuming passion for God.
Psalm 63: 1-8:
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
This passage shows us five (5) things about David and these are the basic principles of building intimacy with God
1. Yearning for God: God was his heart desire; He set his heart to seek God, and this he did right early, remember he killed Goliath at 17 (He was a teenager!) and before this time, he had built a solid relationship with God, such that he could challenge a giant. While others were protecting their lives, David was jealous for the dignity of God!
2. Personal Fellowship with God: In verse 2, David said he sought to see God’s power and Glory as he had seen in the sanctuary… In today’s language he sought to see the glory and power of God just as he had seen in Church. So, David too must have been doing quiet time!
Quiet time is a time set apart in a place of little or no distractions to commune with God and to allow God to commune with you on a daily/regular basis. This is best done early in the morning before your mind breaks into the turmoil of the day. Quiet time is extremely important. See Jesus’ Example in Mark 1:35, Luke 5:15.
3. A Strong Worship life: See his words in verses 3-5. True worship is what should ooze out of our lives 24 hours of the day; it is not just about singing… It is actually a lifestyle! Worship talks about the principles that your life subscribe to, which encompasses, but not limited to your use of words, the songs you sing, your way of life, your priorities, your boundaries, how you use your resources, your allegiance e.t.c.
4. Meditation: Meditate on His word, his law, his love, his precepts… See verse 6. Look at his words again in Psalm 119: 97-99.
5. Total Dependence on God: See verses 7 & 8; see also the admonition of his son, Solomon in Prov. 3: 5-7.
HINDRANCES TO DEVELOPING INTIMACY WITH GOD
In order to develop intimacy with God, here are few things you must avoid
1. Sin: It was sin that caused the initial separation of man from the ‘presence’ of (intimacy with) God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves from the presence of God (Gen. 3: 8-10). Eph. 2:13 shows us the state of a sinner… (far from God!). It doesn’t matter how often you go to church, you are far from God if you are living in sin; and come to think of it, is sin so pleasing that you should burn eternally in hell for it?
2. Guilt and Shame: Eph. 2: 12-13, 1Cor. 5: 17. Guilt is feeling bad about what you once did (in this case, when you were in sin) while shame is feeling bad about yourself for who you have been (in this case, when you were in sin). Guilt and shame about your past life and lifestyle are attacks of the devil to hinder your intimacy with God! So, you feel you are not worthy to approach God, not to talk of having a close relationship with him. When you gave your life to Jesus, the blood of Jesus brought you near to God, so stop living in guilt and shame of the past. Remember, Old things are passed away! Heb. 4:16 enjoins us to come boldly unto the throne of grace. John 4:36 says “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
3. Wrong perceptions of God: 1Tim 2: 3-4, Rom 5:8, Ezek. 18:32. You must know that God is a loving father, not one angry being waiting for time to be up so that he can send everybody to hell; he cares about you and wants to have a relationship with you. God is not a force, he is a person. Some people’s upbringing have made them to see God as someone that is only needed when you get into trouble… Things don’t need to get bad and go out of hand before you seek God!
4. Distractions: Luke 10: 39-41, 2Tim. 2:4. A little baby can abandon a bar of gold if you give him a toy that looks attractive. Don’t let the devil distract you from the GOLD of your destiny by giving you toys. Let nothing distract you from personal fellowship with God; don’t be too busy that you do not observe your quiet time. Don’t get entangled in the affairs of life!
5. Lack of Discipline: There are different forms and meanings of discipline, but the one we are talking of here can be described as a set of regulated activity, prescribed habit or self- enforced practice that brings you into intimacy with God. Discipline is forcing yourself to do something which may be uncomfortable or even miserable in the beginning. Discipline is simply doing something you ordinarily don't enjoy in order to achieve ultimate enjoyment.
After a prolonged period of adhering to discipline, it forms a habit, and if you are going to be separated from the masses, you must find some great habits that you must discipline yourself to do daily… Remember that old rhythm, Read your Bible, pray every day if you want to grow. It takes discipline to do it!
6. Fear of Commitment to God: Some people have defined how far they want to go with God… Their thinking is ‘What if God asks me to…’ That is a question the devil has put in their heart to deter them from getting intimate with God.
7. Pride and Self Sufficiency: James 4: 5-6: Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
8. Wrong Association: Don’t move with friends that encourage you to sin; don’t give in to peer pressure; it will take you far from God!
9. Emotions: God gave you your emotions so that you have human feelings not so that it takes over your life… e.g. you didn’t go to church on Sunday because your wife did not feel like going!