THE SECRET TO INTIMACY WITH GOD 

Part 2

By David Woodbury

When we have come to the place of knowing just how welcome we are in God’s intimate presence, we need to address our own perception of inner-reality. One of the most obvious questions will be our perception of whether or not we feel worthy to be in this intimate relationship? If we go back to our key verse we can understand that not only is this activity in the spiritual realm, it is also an activity of complete and absolute honesty. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24 - NLT). In our desire for comprehensive intimacy with God, there can be no subterfuge or deception; we must come in an attitude of complete and total honesty.

That creates a real challenge for us, for deep inside us we know that there are things in our lives that are decidedly unchristlike and we feel uncomfortable in this intimate relationship knowing they are there. However, if we are to worship God in truth, we have to accept their presence and find a way to deal with them. Nothing will spoil our sense of intimacy more than feelings of guilt, unworthiness etc. and the reality is they exist, and we need to confront them and find a sense of freedom from them if we are to appreciate intimacy with God.

Any reading of Paul’s writings reveals a man who struggled with his condition before God. In Romans 7:14-25 we discover a very human Paul wrestling with his very human situation. He says things like:  I want to do what is right, but I can’t …  I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. However, when he gets to chapter 12 he is coming to grips with his situation: So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus (Romans 12:1). He has come to the place of understanding, that through the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus, these feelings and emotions that would hinder him are null and void since in the eyes of God he is free from any condemnation.  

For our own sense of intimacy, we need to understand how Paul has arrived at this place. In verse 12 he gives us the key to resolving our feeling of guilt and unworthiness within this intimate relationship with God.  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (Romans 12:12 – NLT)

The bottom line in all this is the fact that, save offering the totality of self as a living and holy sacrifice; there is nothing we can bring to this intimate relationship.

Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring,
Naught as an offr'ing to Jesus, my King;
Only my sinful, now contrite heart.
Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.

We know, when we have finally come to this place we are safe and secure, since deep within us we sense, like King David: The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.  You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Psalm 51:17 – NLT)

When Paul entreats us to give our bodies to God, he is embracing the totality of our being, body, mind and spirit, all our thoughts, no matter how unholy they may be, all our actions, no matter how inadequate and sinful they may be. His reference to a living sacrifice encompasses the whole gamut of our existence; the good, the bad, the ugly. We must get away from the concept that we can only offer to God the good of our lives. If that is the case then the sacrifice is not truly a living sacrifice since it holds back part of our being. It is only when we have been willing to offer to God every fragment of our lives; the good, the bad, the ugly that the sacrifice becomes truly a living sacrifice; the kind he will find acceptable. The reality is that God wants us to surrender the garbage of our lives that he might transform us into a new person by changing the way we think. (Romans 12:2 – NLT)

In dealing with the things in our lives that engender feelings of guilt, unworthiness etc. we need to understand that this world we live in impacts our spiritual existence more than we are aware of. Much is spoken and written these days about the church being culturally relevant to the society in which it exists, which is part and parcel of the evangelical mission of the church. However, all too often we have bent over backwards to accommodate the atheistic culture that surrounds it; sometimes to the point of completely blurring the demarcation between Christian ethics and conduct, and carnal, worldly behaviour. In The Message translation is a very astute warning for us: Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. (Romans 12:2 – The Message)

We need to be aware that this transformational living is of necessity a process, rather than an event. We deny our humanity and circumvent the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives when we expect this transformation to be an instant event. There may well be times when the Holy Spirit enlightens us in a particular area of our lives and it may seem like an instant transformation, but it is all part of learning to know God’s will for us. As good teachers know; learning is a process and will always take time. It is intentionally taking the time to learn what is good and pleasing to God.

Our attitude of heart, mind and spirit, is central to embracing this intimate relationship with God. The reality is that, as human beings, all too often we don’t really want to change some of our attitudes, and our resistance robs us of the enjoyment and fulfilment of kingdom living. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about transformational living; transformed from a sin-based attitude to a kingdom-based attitude and the transformation of the attitude of heart, mind and spirit is crucial if we are to live fully in this intimate relationship with God.

Video meditation: All my days and all my hours (Click on or cut and paste link)
https://youtu.be/nLzgiuzRWEA