Intimacy with God
This is intimacy, heart to heart, mind to mind, soul to soul. This sounds like what
God said in (Deuteronomy 10:12-13) “and now, Israel, what does the Lord Yahweh
your God require of you, but to reverence the Lord Yahweh your God, to walk in all
His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord Yahweh your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord Yahweh, and
His statutes, which I command you this day for your good”? God created us for
intimacy with Him. Intimacy with God is reached when we learn to understand the
very heart of God.
David was known as a man after God’s own heart. David wrote many of the Psalms
in which he showed that he had intimacy with God (Psalms 5:1-3) “give ear to my
words, O Lord Yahweh, consider my meditation. Hearken to the voice of my cry, my
King, and my God; for to You will I pray. My voice shall You hear in the morning, O
Lord Yahweh; in the morning will I direct my prayer to You, and will look up”. David
spent much time with God.
Psalms 23 David says “the Lord Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes
me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores
my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You
are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before
me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord Yahweh for ever”.
Psalms 27:7-8 David says “hear, O Lord Yahweh when I cry with my voice; have
mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, seek you My face, my heart
said to You, Your face, Lord Yahweh, will I seek”.
In Psalms 103:1-5,17-18, David writes “bless the Lord Yahweh, O my soul, and all
that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord Yahweh, O my soul, and
forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your iniquities, who heal all your
diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving
kindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that
your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The mercy of the Lord Yahweh is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that reverence Him, and His righteousness to
children’s children. To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His
commandments to do them”.
The Lord is with us, as close as we want Him to be, and as long as we will let Him
be. He says that He will never leave us or forsake us. This is a vow of permanent
intimacy with us. We can experience an intimate relationship with God.
Let’s look at Enoch, He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life
(Genesis 5:22-24) “and Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three
hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were
three hundred sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not;
for God took him”.
Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on the earth at the time.
He followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him. God told Noah that
He was going to send a flood upon the earth, and told him to build an ark, giving him
instructions, and thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did
he (Genesis 6:9-22).
Moses was intimate with God, as he went before God, talking face to face with Him,
his face would shine when he would return to camp.
We too can have intimacy with God, Jeremiah 29:12-13 says “then shall you call
upon Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will hearken to you. And you shall
seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart”. Psalms
145:18-21 says “the Lord Yahweh is near to all them that call upon Him, to all that
call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that reverence Him; He also
will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord Yahweh preserves all them that
love Him; but all the wicked will He destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the
Lord Yahweh; and let all flesh bless His holy name for ever and ever”.
God made Israel His wife, that is a sign of intimacy (Hosea 2:16-20 says “and it shall
be at that day; says the Lord Yahweh, that you shall call me, my husband; and shall
call Me no more my Lord. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth,
and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day, will I make a
covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with
the creeping things of the ground; and I will break the bow and the sword and the
battle out of the earth; and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth you
to Me, for ever, yea, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and
in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and
you shall know the Lord Yahweh”. The word “know” signifies intimacy; remember
the Bible says “Adam knew his wife and she conceived”.
We are espoused to Jesus (II Corinthians 11:2); Paul says “for I am jealous over you
with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ”.
God reaches out to us, offering an intimate relationship; as intimate as husband and
wife or father and child, a commitment that is forever, a love relationship such as we
have never known before. Ephesians 5:23-27,32 which says “for the husband is
the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior
of the body. Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in every thing. Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the church and gave Himself for it. That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word. That He might present it to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church”.
Jesus Himself had intimacy with the Father, many times the Bible tells us that He
went alone to talk with His Father. And in John 8:26-29 Jesus said “I have many
things to say and to judge of you; but He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the
world those things which I have heard of Him. They understood not that He spoke
to them of the Father. Then said Jesus to them, when you have lifted up the Son of
Man, then shall you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My
Father has taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me, the
Father has not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him”.
Jesus tells us how we can achieve our intimacy with the Father (John 14:20-23) “at
that day, you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He that
has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me, and he that loves
Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.
Judas said to Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us,
and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, if a man love Me, he will
keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our
abode with him”; and in (John 15:7-12,16) “if you abide in Me, and My words abide
in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you. Herein is My Father
glorified, that you bear much fruit, so shall you be My disciples. As the Father has
loved Me, so have I loved you; continue you in My love. If you keep My
commandments, you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s
commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken to you, that My
joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment,
that you love one another, as I have loved you. You have not chosen Me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go, and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father, in My
name, He may give it you”.
Jesus told a parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) “then shall the kingdom of
heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were
foolish took, their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and
slept. And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom comes; go
you out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose; and trimmed their lamps. And
the foolish said to the wise, give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the
wise answered, saying, not so, less there be not enough for us and you, but go you
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and
the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, lord, lord, open to
us. But he answered and said, Verily I say to you, I know you not. Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man comes”. We are
to be the wise virgins, ready to go in when our Master returns, and being intimate
with God will accomplish this.
Jesus sends “to the angel of the church of Ephesus write; these things says He that
holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks. I know your works, and your labor, and your patience, and how you
can not bear them which are evil; and you have tried them, which say they are
apostles, and are not, and have found them liars. And have borne, and have
patience; and for My name’s sake have labored, and have not fainted.
Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love.
Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of its place,
except you repent. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:1-5,7). We have to keep our love alive,
by staying focus on Jesus. Matthew 5:8 says “God blesses those whose hearts are
pure, for they will see God”. Intimacy involves coming to God with a clean heart and
pure motives.
Intimacy involves walking with God on a regular basis, following God’s will and
enjoying a close relationship with Him. Talking with God daily. Worshipping God
only, in spirit and truth. And rejoicing in God through Jesus Christ.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: June 8, 2010
This is intimacy, heart to heart, mind to mind, soul to soul. This sounds like what
God said in (Deuteronomy 10:12-13) “and now, Israel, what does the Lord Yahweh
your God require of you, but to reverence the Lord Yahweh your God, to walk in all
His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord Yahweh your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord Yahweh, and
His statutes, which I command you this day for your good”? God created us for
intimacy with Him. Intimacy with God is reached when we learn to understand the
very heart of God.
David was known as a man after God’s own heart. David wrote many of the Psalms
in which he showed that he had intimacy with God (Psalms 5:1-3) “give ear to my
words, O Lord Yahweh, consider my meditation. Hearken to the voice of my cry, my
King, and my God; for to You will I pray. My voice shall You hear in the morning, O
Lord Yahweh; in the morning will I direct my prayer to You, and will look up”. David
spent much time with God.
Psalms 23 David says “the Lord Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes
me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores
my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You
are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before
me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord Yahweh for ever”.
Psalms 27:7-8 David says “hear, O Lord Yahweh when I cry with my voice; have
mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, seek you My face, my heart
said to You, Your face, Lord Yahweh, will I seek”.
In Psalms 103:1-5,17-18, David writes “bless the Lord Yahweh, O my soul, and all
that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord Yahweh, O my soul, and
forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your iniquities, who heal all your
diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving
kindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that
your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The mercy of the Lord Yahweh is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that reverence Him, and His righteousness to
children’s children. To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His
commandments to do them”.
The Lord is with us, as close as we want Him to be, and as long as we will let Him
be. He says that He will never leave us or forsake us. This is a vow of permanent
intimacy with us. We can experience an intimate relationship with God.
Let’s look at Enoch, He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life
(Genesis 5:22-24) “and Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three
hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were
three hundred sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not;
for God took him”.
Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on the earth at the time.
He followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him. God told Noah that
He was going to send a flood upon the earth, and told him to build an ark, giving him
instructions, and thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did
he (Genesis 6:9-22).
Moses was intimate with God, as he went before God, talking face to face with Him,
his face would shine when he would return to camp.
We too can have intimacy with God, Jeremiah 29:12-13 says “then shall you call
upon Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will hearken to you. And you shall
seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart”. Psalms
145:18-21 says “the Lord Yahweh is near to all them that call upon Him, to all that
call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that reverence Him; He also
will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord Yahweh preserves all them that
love Him; but all the wicked will He destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the
Lord Yahweh; and let all flesh bless His holy name for ever and ever”.
God made Israel His wife, that is a sign of intimacy (Hosea 2:16-20 says “and it shall
be at that day; says the Lord Yahweh, that you shall call me, my husband; and shall
call Me no more my Lord. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth,
and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day, will I make a
covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with
the creeping things of the ground; and I will break the bow and the sword and the
battle out of the earth; and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth you
to Me, for ever, yea, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and
in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and
you shall know the Lord Yahweh”. The word “know” signifies intimacy; remember
the Bible says “Adam knew his wife and she conceived”.
We are espoused to Jesus (II Corinthians 11:2); Paul says “for I am jealous over you
with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ”.
God reaches out to us, offering an intimate relationship; as intimate as husband and
wife or father and child, a commitment that is forever, a love relationship such as we
have never known before. Ephesians 5:23-27,32 which says “for the husband is
the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior
of the body. Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in every thing. Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the church and gave Himself for it. That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word. That He might present it to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church”.
Jesus Himself had intimacy with the Father, many times the Bible tells us that He
went alone to talk with His Father. And in John 8:26-29 Jesus said “I have many
things to say and to judge of you; but He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the
world those things which I have heard of Him. They understood not that He spoke
to them of the Father. Then said Jesus to them, when you have lifted up the Son of
Man, then shall you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My
Father has taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me, the
Father has not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him”.
Jesus tells us how we can achieve our intimacy with the Father (John 14:20-23) “at
that day, you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He that
has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me, and he that loves
Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.
Judas said to Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us,
and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, if a man love Me, he will
keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our
abode with him”; and in (John 15:7-12,16) “if you abide in Me, and My words abide
in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you. Herein is My Father
glorified, that you bear much fruit, so shall you be My disciples. As the Father has
loved Me, so have I loved you; continue you in My love. If you keep My
commandments, you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s
commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken to you, that My
joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment,
that you love one another, as I have loved you. You have not chosen Me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go, and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father, in My
name, He may give it you”.
Jesus told a parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) “then shall the kingdom of
heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were
foolish took, their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and
slept. And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom comes; go
you out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose; and trimmed their lamps. And
the foolish said to the wise, give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the
wise answered, saying, not so, less there be not enough for us and you, but go you
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and
the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, lord, lord, open to
us. But he answered and said, Verily I say to you, I know you not. Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man comes”. We are
to be the wise virgins, ready to go in when our Master returns, and being intimate
with God will accomplish this.
Jesus sends “to the angel of the church of Ephesus write; these things says He that
holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks. I know your works, and your labor, and your patience, and how you
can not bear them which are evil; and you have tried them, which say they are
apostles, and are not, and have found them liars. And have borne, and have
patience; and for My name’s sake have labored, and have not fainted.
Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love.
Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of its place,
except you repent. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:1-5,7). We have to keep our love alive,
by staying focus on Jesus. Matthew 5:8 says “God blesses those whose hearts are
pure, for they will see God”. Intimacy involves coming to God with a clean heart and
pure motives.
Intimacy involves walking with God on a regular basis, following God’s will and
enjoying a close relationship with Him. Talking with God daily. Worshipping God
only, in spirit and truth. And rejoicing in God through Jesus Christ.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: June 8, 2010
