Intimacy with God
Posted in Everyday living, Faith, Fellowship, Love on Mar 12, 2020
“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” Matthew 11:28-30 (TPT)
Reading this scripture alone is so refreshing. Read it again and enjoy it. However, this was Jesus speaking to the 'unregenerate.'
We have come to Christ. He has received us and we are one with Him. We have cast our cares on Him and so, our lives are constantly refreshed. Glory to God! Christ is our Oasis in this world that sometimes, feels like a desert and we know His ways. He is easy to please. It is not difficult to please the Father. In fact, He is already pleased with us because of Jesus.
Don't make it mechanical. It's like spending time with your spouse. In the midst of all the distraction and the chaos, it is important to deliberately create time for each other and you also make every time you have together count.
The first thing I want to establish in enjoying intimacy with the Father is that 'it is easy' It is easy to constantly bask in His presence and enjoy fellowship and intimacy with Him. There are no steps to take, to come to the Father. If you are in Christ then you and the Father are one. Hallelujah! God is pleased with you. You need to believe this and act like it is true because it is.
Why? He loves you and wants to spend time with you beyond your own desires. Let's look at some New Testament verses.
Hebrews 10:19-22 (TPT)
And now we are brothers and sisters in God’s family because of the blood of Jesus, and He welcomes us to come into the most holy sanctuary in the heavenly realm—boldly and without hesitation. For he has dedicated a new, life-giving way for us to approach God. For just as the veil was torn in two, Jesus’ body was torn open to give us free and fresh access to him! And since we now have a magnificent High Priest to welcome us into God’s house, we come closer to God and approach him with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from him. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience. Now we are clean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out!
Because of the blood, He welcomes us boldly without hesitation. We must remain bold in His presence. There is no condemnation. His body was torn to give us free and fresh access. We have a High Priest Jesus who has welcomed us into God's house; we can talk to Him fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance.
Self-condemnation is what keeps many from enjoying intimacy with our Father but you are clean, unstained and presentable to God inside out. We have been freed from an accusing conscience.
Hebrews 12:22-24 (TPT)
By contrast, we have already come near to God in a totally different realm, the Zion-realm, for we have entered the city of the Living God, which is the New Jerusalem in heaven! We have joined the festal gathering of myriads of angels in their joyous celebration! And as members of the church of the Firstborn all our names have been legally registered as citizens of heaven! And we have come before God who judges all, and who lives among the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect in his eyes! And we have come to Jesus who established a new covenant with his blood sprinkled upon the mercy seat; blood that continues to speak from heaven, “forgiveness,” a better message than Abel’s blood that cries from the earth, “justice.”
Take note of the tenses in the above scripture; ‘we have already come near’, ‘we have entered’, ‘we have joined’, ‘we have been legally registered’. It is not going to happen one day. Right now, we are in Christ Jesus. Yes! Just as the veil was torn in two and gave the Jews access, Jesus’ body was torn in two and I walked on Blood right into my Father's arms. Now I have access.
Romans 5:1-2 (TPT)
Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us. Our faith guarantees us permanent access into this marvellous kindness that has given us a perfect relationship with God. What incredible joy bursts forth within us as we keep on celebrating our hope of experiencing God’s glory!
A way has been made and it is by faith that we come. Not by our works but by faith in the blood of Jesus. Our faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus guarantees us permanent access into this marvellous kindness. We have permanent access; we have a perfect relationship with God. Can you imagine that? A perfect relationship. We should all enjoy intimacy with God.
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