How Bad Do You Want It?

How bad do you want it? 

I’m talking about an intimate relationship With God. We all want to experience his presence, but are we willing to put in the time it takes to develop that relationship? Are we willing to alter our habits so that our behavior is in line with His word?

God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

We long to hear His voice, receive His counsel and feel His Holy Spirit in us, but we are running too fast, overwhelmed by the busyness and noise of this world to take time to slow down and quiet ourselves long enough to hear Him speak.

In Psalm 46:10, God encourages us to “Be still and know that I am God.”

When was the last time you stepped away from your hectic schedule, your electronic entertainment and your stressful workplace just to get alone with God? No distractions, just you seeking God with your whole heart.

He promises that if we will do that, we will find Him. We will experience His presence. He will speak to our hearts and we will recognize His voice.

As believers, we are only as close to God as we truly want to be. We must make our relationship a top priority. We must take time to read His word consistently. We must speak to Him in prayer, praise and worship Him, acknowledge Him as the LORD of our lives. That means allowing Him full access to every area of our lives, allowing Him to change those things in us that need changing and seeking with the predetermined intention of obedience.

So, my friend, if you long for a closer relationship with God, He’s only a quiet moment away. He is waiting, eager to commune with you, but it’s up to you to initiate the conversation. Find your quiet place and give yourself time to really open up to your Lord and you will experience an intimacy you never knew before.

Here's God’s promise…

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

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Restoring Intimacy with God

 "Draw near to God and He 

will draw near to you..." 

James 4:8 (NKJV)

I read these words in my morning devotional...

"Sometimes, the reason we lack intimacy with God is that we're in hiding. We might be hiding because of sin in our lives that we don't want to give up. Often, we are hiding because of a distance we've allowed as a result of something difficult we're experiencing. We allow distance because we're questioning God's love, his goodness, or his trustworthiness."  (Debbie Causey - North Point Community Church)

We all long for intimacy with God and why at times He seems so far away. Could it be that we are the ones who have distanced ourselves from Him, all the while craving intimacy with our Heavenly Father?

At some point, we have to decide whether the sin we don't want to acknowledge, much less give up is worth the lack of connection we feel to God. We will have to decide if distancing ourselves from God (perhaps unknowingly because He didn't "perform" in the way we wanted Him to) is worth the aching of our hearts to be close to Him.

Intimacy with God is the cry of every Believer's heart, but it's seldom God who has stepped back. Today, let's search our hearts and see if there is something that we have allowed to come between us, something that needs to be ripped out at the root, so that we are once again free to enjoy intimacy with the One who loves us above all else.

The Father says if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.

Take Him at His word.

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Help - My Faith is Fading!

Have you ever felt like your faith is fading? Like the tighter you try to hold on to God, the more his presence seems to slip away? You know he's there, but you can't quite connect with him like you used to. Sound familiar?

First let me say, that this is common. It doesn't necessarily mean you have "lost your faith."  What it does mean is that something has interfered. It could be sin, busyness, troubles, heartbreak, unforgiveness, etc...or it could be the most common cause of all - neglect.

All relationships suffer when we neglect to nurture them. Friends drift apart when they don't talk very often. Spouses lose intimacy when they get too busy to spend time together. It doesn't mean you don't still care about one another, it just causes a feeling of distance between you.

So what's the cure? Simple - carve out some time to spend alone with God daily. Shut out the world, turn off your cell phone, close Facebook and simply sit with God. Read his word and allow him to speak to you from it. Share your heart with him in prayer. Write down impressions, verses or answers that come to you in those intimate moments.

You'll find your awareness of God refreshed and enjoy moment-by-moment fellowship with Him throughout your day.


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