Jump to content
IGNORED

Intimacy with God


Not me

Recommended Posts


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  510
  • Topics Per Day:  0.23
  • Content Count:  3,178
  • Content Per Day:  1.46
  • Reputation:   3,344
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  04/06/2018
  • Status:  Offline

Knowning God personally is that which the human heart craves for. Whether people acknowledge it or not.  All things,  but this,  will never satisfy. It is this one and one relationship with our Creator that is the only thing that will satisfy our hearts. It is in that intimate fellowship with Him that we come to know that we know Him and also we come to know that we are known by Him.

Scripture says;

“to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” 

For it is “lie” that is that which we are being freed from, so that we might know the truth and walk in it.  It is the doubts and fears of our own understanding or lack thereof that causes us trepidation. It is not having faith or understanding in God or in His promises that causes our hearts to fear. But it is for us to “work out”. But it can and will be “worked out”only to the degree a believers heart is after it. For God gave Christ to mankind. Man may have as much or as little of Christ as he would have. For it is the New Creation that God is interested in bringing  to maturity. A Christ being formed in each believer to the degree the believer would have Him. Would to God that we would be satisfied with nothing else but “all of Him and nothing of us.” For it is self or Christ, these are the two fountains that a man gets to choose from. He may have as much of one or as little of one as he would choose.  For only Christ, or the amount of Christ that has been formed in the believer has standing before God. For it is “Christ in us” or the New Creation being manifested in and brought to maturity in the believer that pleases God. Would to God that as His body we would long and our hearts cry out before Him that Christ would be formed in us in all reality and all truth in real time. Blessing to all that call upon His name and love the Lord Jesus with a pure heart. 

Much love in Christ, Not me

  • Loved it! 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  79
  • Topics Per Day:  0.02
  • Content Count:  1,177
  • Content Per Day:  0.31
  • Reputation:   826
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  10/04/2013
  • Status:  Offline

2 minutes ago, Yowm said:

In this day of many Christ's, false Christ's, new age Christ's and other deceiving spirits etc., we need to be sure that the "Jesus' we are having 'fellowship' with is the Jesus of the Bible.

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
(2Co 11:3-4)
 

And how are we to be sure? Words are cheap, amen? We can have all our doctrines correct but still miss heaven. Is not the real acid test godly lives and spiritual fruit, assuming that our foundation is scripturally correct? We must remember that on the day of judgment, many will come having resumes full of all sorts of Christian works, with many good things anong them. . But Jesus told them that He never knew them.

Do we know a lot about Christ, or..... do we know Him with an intimate love that wants nothing less than to please and serve Him, with our lives, our thoughts our actions all bringing glory to Him? 

Blessings, Yowm, 

Gideon

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Senior Member
  • Followers:  4
  • Topic Count:  41
  • Topics Per Day:  0.02
  • Content Count:  686
  • Content Per Day:  0.30
  • Reputation:   221
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  12/16/2017
  • Status:  Offline

34 minutes ago, Not me said:

Knowning God personally

I like to know God this way.

Jeremiah chapter 22 verse 16

He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  510
  • Topics Per Day:  0.23
  • Content Count:  3,178
  • Content Per Day:  1.46
  • Reputation:   3,344
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  04/06/2018
  • Status:  Offline

13 minutes ago, john1 said:

I like to know God this way.

Jeremiah chapter 22 verse 16

He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.

Yes, this is a call for the  doing of righteousness.

For righteousness is the will of God. And a manifestation of that (righteousness) is what we are called to. 

Much love in Christ, Not me 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  79
  • Topics Per Day:  0.02
  • Content Count:  1,177
  • Content Per Day:  0.31
  • Reputation:   826
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  10/04/2013
  • Status:  Offline

17 minutes ago, john1 said:

I like to know God this way.

Jeremiah chapter 22 verse 16

He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.

What a great verse. However,  we can read that and the devil would like us to assume this means that we get to know Him by doing good works such as those listed. But if we are rightly dividing the word, we understand that those actions follow our knowing Him. They are natural results of abiding in Him. 

How do we know this is true? 1Corinthians 13. We are told that we can give all we have to the poor and still be clanging cymbals. There is no substitute for prayer. I think we have a negative connotation about prayer. I did. It seemed a one sided affair for most of my life. I was down here on earth, straddled with sins I hated, and He was holy and in  Heaven. My ‘closeness’ with the Lord depended upon how I felt at that moment. Prayers seemed like work, and the payoff never seemed to match the effort. 

And why did I feel like that? Because prayer, in my mind, was simply another religious work I needed to become proficient at, to please Him. But when I had my awakening those many years ago, and I finally accepted that it really was no longer me .... the old me..... who was alive, but was really Christ united with me as the new man, all of a sudden, prayer became vibrant and real, rich and rewarding. No longer was it either groveling and asking for forgiveness, nor reciting a long list of wants/needs. 

It is an opportunity to enter the Holiest of All and fellowship with God. He longs for that, and when we really believe that, everything changes. 

Blessings,

Gids

Edited by Gideon
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  510
  • Topics Per Day:  0.23
  • Content Count:  3,178
  • Content Per Day:  1.46
  • Reputation:   3,344
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  04/06/2018
  • Status:  Offline

36 minutes ago, Yowm said:

In this day of many Christ's, false Christ's, new age Christ's and other deceiving spirits etc., we need to be sure that the "Jesus' we are having 'fellowship' with is the Jesus of the Bible.

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
(2Co 11:3-4)
 

This is so true Yowm.

This is why having a strong personal relationship with Christ is so vital. As you have said in the passed and you say here again that someone might be having a relationship with someone or something other than Christ. So the question would be, how do you know? 

Scripture says; 

“By their fruits shall you know them”

much love in Christ, Not me 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Mars Hill
  • Followers:  17
  • Topic Count:  18
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  13,256
  • Content Per Day:  5.40
  • Reputation:   1
  • Days Won:  62
  • Joined:  07/07/2017
  • Status:  Offline
  • Birthday:  03/25/1972

3 hours ago, Yowm said:

In this day of many Christ's, false Christ's, new age Christ's and other deceiving spirits etc., we need to be sure that the "Jesus' we are having 'fellowship' with is the Jesus of the Bible.

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
(2Co 11:3-4)
 

And that is some real scary shoes to be in .   DID you know in this generation I hear more talk about love , intimacy , a relationship with JESUS .  WHICH WOULD BE TRUE .

IF the majority of those teaching this , WERE NOT connected to a JESUS that does not resemble the JESUS of the BIBLE .      YES yowm,  I fear too  for many souls

that they have been deceived by another gospel , another image of JESUS .   WHILE it speaks of love and good works ,  IT DENIES the BIBILCAL CHRIST  .

THAT IS SO SCARY and they KNOW IT NOT .   We better OPEN them BIBLES and start FEASTING FAST ,   or many will be deceived . and many already are .

Not naming anyone here .  but just naming all those big churches that talk like that .    OH , its all about a relationship,   WHICH it is ,  ONLY THEY KNOW NOT JESUS AT ALL.

they have a relationship with a created concept OF JESUS and mystic prayers that make em feel GOOD .    all sorts of sorceries and they call it prayers .   THAT is terrifying for them .

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Junior Member
  • Followers:  1
  • Topic Count:  12
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  82
  • Content Per Day:  0.04
  • Reputation:   41
  • Days Won:  0
  • Joined:  06/02/2018
  • Status:  Offline

When I was 16, I  endured an epic faith crisis.  Through church leaders, I encountered the spiritual shallowness of prominent church leaders.  Through diligent Bible study, I sought greater intimacy with God, but instead was appalled by perceived errors in Scripture.  The gifts of the Spirit exercised in my church struck me as the product of psychological manipulation and wishful thinking.  No one ever endured a more prolonged passionate longing for God to make Himself real than me in those days.  Then I made the  fateful decision to give God one last chance.  I attended a weeklong series of camp meetings in eastern Manitoba.

At first, I thought I'd made a big mistake.  The services in the large outdoor amphitheater seemed shallow.  I tarried at the altar after the services to seek God's face, but found myself resisting the temptation to succumb to an emotional  catharsis fueled by wishful thinking.  Then on Tuesday,  I went for a 7 mile walk on a country road, during which I poured out my doubts and emptiness to God.  I was on the brink of agnosticism.  In desperation I promised God that if He made Himself real to me, I'd be willing to pay any price to serve Him with all my heart.  After my long walk, I was famished, and so, I went to the camp cafeteria to eat.  But then I was inspired by the unprecedented impulse to fast instead and put my meal money in the evening offering.  I  was bored by the evening service and at its conclusion I went forward, alone, to seek God at the front.  I waited and waited, depressed, expecting nothing, and determined not to conjure a false mystical experience.

Then it happened.  I felt a warm breeze, which at first I thought was a natural breeze coming off the nearby lake.  I soon realize that this was the supernatural breeze of a Holy Spirit outpouring.  I found myself involuntarily speaking in tongues at the top of my voice.  More importantly, I was engulfed by wave after wave of liquid love, each more powerful than the last.  This became so intense that I feared it would kill me!   At 0ne point it seemed like my mind was on the verge of ceasing to exist and be absorbed into God's mind!  It was hundreds of times more intense an experience of divine tenderness, sweetness, affection, and power than I have ever experienced before or since.  The lights had been dimmed, but a spectator would later tell me she watched in awe as my face glowed radiantly in the dark.  A Lutheran pastor took it upon himself to interrupt me and tell me that he didn't believe in speaking in tongues, but I simply touched him gently on the forehead and he just exploded in tongues!

God spoke to me through this experience, saying, "You crave answers to many questions, but right now answers aren't good for you.  They will cause you to live too much in your head.  What I want you to do is just live the big questions until they lead you to the center of my heart."  Almost immediately, my grades dramatically improved and at graduation I was awarded scholarships for having the highest GPA in the province of Manitoba.  The Spirit had assured me of this honor in the days after my experience.  I also received the gift of "the word of knowledge," which I often exercised.  More importantly, I fell in love with the Jesus I was disillusioned with and, after my BA, pursued an MDiv (Princeton) and doctorate in NT, Judaism, and Greco-Roman culture (Harvard), so that I could live the big questions just as God commanded me.  Hardly a day goes by when I don't draw spiritual nourishment from the memory of that magical life-changing day, even though I long ago severed all ties with Pentecostalism over doctrinal differences.  I'm sobered by the realization that, were it not for that fateful appointment with God, I probably would no longer be a Christian.

  • Praise God! 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  510
  • Topics Per Day:  0.23
  • Content Count:  3,178
  • Content Per Day:  1.46
  • Reputation:   3,344
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  04/06/2018
  • Status:  Offline

6 hours ago, Yowm said:

When it comes to spirits, we can't see their fruits but we can test their words against God's Word.

  True, thank you for your insightful response. 

6 hours ago, frienduff thaylorde said:

And that is some real scary shoes to be in .   DID you know in this generation I hear more talk about love , intimacy , a relationship with JESUS .  WHICH WOULD BE TRUE .

IF the majority of those teaching this , WERE NOT connected to a JESUS that does not resemble the JESUS of the BIBLE .      YES yowm,  I fear too  for many souls

that they have been deceived by another gospel , another image of JESUS .   WHILE it speaks of love and good works ,  IT DENIES the BIBILCAL CHRIST  .

THAT IS SO SCARY and they KNOW IT NOT .   We better OPEN them BIBLES and start FEASTING FAST ,   or many will be deceived . and many already are .

Not naming anyone here .  but just naming all those big churches that talk like that .    OH , its all about a relationship,   WHICH it is ,  ONLY THEY KNOW NOT JESUS AT ALL.

they have a relationship with a created concept OF JESUS and mystic prayers that make em feel GOOD .    all sorts of sorceries and they call it prayers .   THAT is terrifying for them .

That does sound scary. Sounds like a need for prayer.

much love in Christ, Not me 

 

Edited by Not me
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  14
  • Topic Count:  510
  • Topics Per Day:  0.23
  • Content Count:  3,178
  • Content Per Day:  1.46
  • Reputation:   3,344
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  04/06/2018
  • Status:  Offline

7 hours ago, MadHermit said:

When I was 16, I  endured an epic faith crisis.  Through church leaders, I encountered the spiritual shallowness of prominent church leaders.  Through diligent Bible study, I sought greater intimacy with God, but instead was appalled by perceived errors in Scripture.  The gifts of the Spirit exercised in my church struck me as the product of psychological manipulation and wishful thinking.  No one ever endured a more prolonged passionate longing for God to make Himself real than me in those days.  Then I made the  fateful decision to give God one last chance.  I attended a weeklong series of camp meetings in eastern Manitoba.

At first, I thought I'd made a big mistake.  The services in the large outdoor amphitheater seemed shallow.  I tarried at the altar after the services to seek God's face, but found myself resisting the temptation to succumb to an emotional  catharsis fueled by wishful thinking.  Then on Tuesday,  I went for a 7 mile walk on a country road, during which I poured out my doubts and emptiness to God.  I was on the brink of agnosticism.  In desperation I promised God that if He made Himself real to me, I'd be willing to pay any price to serve Him with all my heart.  After my long walk, I was famished, and so, I went to the camp cafeteria to eat.  But then I was inspired by the unprecedented impulse to fast instead and put my meal money in the evening offering.  I  was bored by the evening service and at its conclusion I went forward, alone, to seek God at the front.  I waited and waited, depressed, expecting nothing, and determined not to conjure a false mystical experience.

Then it happened.  I felt a warm breeze, which at first I thought was a natural breeze coming off the nearby lake.  I soon realize that this was the supernatural breeze of a Holy Spirit outpouring.  I found myself involuntarily speaking in tongues at the top of my voice.  More importantly, I was engulfed by wave after wave of liquid love, each more powerful than the last.  This became so intense that I feared it would kill me!   At 0ne point it seemed like my mind was on the verge of ceasing to exist and be absorbed into God's mind!  It was hundreds of times more intense an experience of divine tenderness, sweetness, affection, and power than I have ever experienced before or since.  The lights had been dimmed, but a spectator would later tell me she watched in awe as my face glowed radiantly in the dark.  A Lutheran pastor took it upon himself to interrupt me and tell me that he didn't believe in speaking in tongues, but I simply touched him gently on the forehead and he just exploded in tongues!

God spoke to me through this experience, saying, "You crave answers to many questions, but right now answers aren't good for you.  They will cause you to live too much in your head.  What I want you to do is just live the big questions until they lead you to the center of my heart."  Almost immediately, my grades dramatically improved and at graduation I was awarded scholarships for having the highest GPA in the province of Manitoba.  The Spirit had assured me of this honor in the days after my experience.  I also received the gift of "the word of knowledge," which I often exercised.  More importantly, I fell in love with the Jesus I was disillusioned with and, after my BA, pursued an MDiv (Princeton) and doctorate in NT, Judaism, and Greco-Roman culture (Harvard), so that I could live the big questions just as God commanded me.  Hardly a day goes by when I don't draw spiritual nourishment from the memory of that magical life-changing day, even though I long ago severed all ties with Pentecostalism over doctrinal differences.  I'm sobered by the realization that, were it not for that fateful appointment with God, I probably would no longer be a Christian.

Blessings to you! Thank you for your testimony. Yes God is good and He longs for His children to have that close personal relationship with Him.  So that we as believers might know Him in all reality and all  truth.  Keep pressing into Him, that He might be formed in your innermost being. 

Much love in Christ, Not me 

 

Edited by Not me
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...