Category: Intimacy with God

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Getting the Bride Ready for Jesus

The Church – the collection of all faithful followers of Jesus – is pledged in marriage to the very Son of God, and one day, perhaps very soon, we will experience the fulfillment of that promise (see Revelation 21). But since it is a promise, is there anything for us to do while we are waiting?
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A normal bride would be busy planning the wedding, to be sure. But in addition to all of the details of sending invitations, choosing colors, and selecting venues, she would be doing her best to make herself beautiful for her husband to be (and all those witnessing her at the wedding). It’s not uncommon for a bride to go on a diet, spend time at the gym, try to find just the right hairstyle, find a person skilled to help her with her makeup, and of course be sure to have the perfect dress, along with shoes and jewelry to complete the look.

How can the church make Herself beautiful? I think that Isaiah 62 gives us some ideas. In an extended metaphor, the prophet is speaking from God’s perspective about Jerusalem. But what is Jerusalem in this metaphor? We see in Revelation 21 that the new Jerusalem represents the Church. And in Isaiah 62, especially verses 4 and 5, we see Jerusalem being promised as a bride to God. We can therefore use this passage in Isaiah to help us understand what the Lord wants to happen leading up to the great wedding.
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You’re Not Weird, You’re Rare: Embrace It and Value It

by Pastor Tim Thomas

I spent a large part of my life trying to be someone else, because I didn’t particularly like who I was. But I’ve come to realize that I was looking at myself through lenses that could only provide a distorted picture. Once God healed me from a deep-seated issue of rejection , I was able to more readily take in the truth that God had been speaking to me all along: that he loved me as I was, with all my seeming imperfections and weaknesses; that he made me as I am intentionally, and that it was meant not only for my good, but for the good of others; and that he wanted me to embrace who he created me to be, so that his purpose in this creation could be revealed in light rather than hidden in the shadows.
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I would say to anyone reading this, that if you don’t feel loved, special, and with purpose for your life, you either need healing at some deep places in your life; or truth spoken to you and then embraced to replace what you are now believing; or both.

For me, healing came through the ministry of some friends one evening as they prayed with me. It was a God-appointed time. What changed me was a vision that God gave me of him carrying me in his arms when I was a baby at an orphanage before I was adopted. He spoke to my heart something that I didn’t even know I needed to hear – that he never abandoned me, but was always with me, watching over me, caring for me. That picture set me free from believing I was rejected and deserving rejection. I was healed on the inside, and I started believing my worth. And once I was healed, I was more readily able to receive God’s love and the love of others.

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Communion is Like a Magnificent Diamond Engagement Ring from Jesus

There are a number of places in the Bible that suggest that the Church is the Bride of Christ. Consider Revelations 19:7-8 “‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people)” (ESV). This suggests that God’s people, the Church, represent “her” in the passage, and their righteous acts, “the fine linen”, is their bridal gown.

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As I was pondering during my run before church the nature of the relationship between a believer and Christ, I was challenged by how when people are moving towards marriage, they pursue each other. They treat their relationship as important and they devote their heart, their affection, their time, and their focus to the other person. No woman wants to marry a disinterested suitor! No man wants to marry a woman who treats him as insignificant.

Yet I wonder how Jesus feels about it when we fail to pursue him — when he only gets the leftovers from our time and affections. Does he still feel valued and loved by us? Would he still want to marry us? Is he still our First Love — our love above all other loves? I pose these questions not to cause us to worry about our salvation, but to cause us to take stock of our lives, and perhaps lead us to make changes that will allow us to pursue him as a person who is preparing for one’s own wedding and life together forever.

Kamagra 100 mg benefits one by causing enhancement of the sexual urge, persistence, and pfizer viagra tablets also frequency of the intercourse. Even a 20-year-old guy may buy professional viagra have problem keeping erections during the time of lovemaking. Despite direct advertising to consumers on television, it can only viagra on sale be prescribed by a doctor. Anxiety, Depression and Stress – An erection actually starts from the brain, which signals the penile organ for an erection Anxiety – Performance anxiety can stop the brain from releasing those hormones and neurotransmitters that signal viagra in usa the penile organ for an erection. God’s affection for us is constant, so we don’t have to worry that his love for us fluctuates as much as our love for him sometimes seems to. He is Faithful and True! He loves us with an everlasting love. He calls us dearly loved!

As we think about coming to the communion table, we realize how much he has pursued us. Communion is like an expensive and magnificent diamond engagement ring. He didn’t want to offer us something of little cost. It cost Jesus all he had. He paid for it with his very life. And yet he gave his life freely, because that is the kind of love he loves each of us with. As we partake of his body and blood, we receive his beautiful gift to us — a pledge of his love for eternity as our Bridegroom. And as we receive this pledge — this magnificent diamond engagement ring — we once again say “yes” to his love, and refresh our own passion for him.

Dear Lord, help us cast aside all of the insignificant things from our lives — the baubles and distractions, that we might respond to your pursuit with the attention and passion you deserve. Help us love you with our whole beings, as you love us! Amen.

I didn’t have notes for the communion meditation from Harvest Church in Hampstead today, so this was the best I could do, since a number of people mentioned how it touched them.

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You Can Learn to Know Which Voice is God’s — A Quote by Richard Foster in “Sanctuary of the Soul”

“You know how we are able to distinguish between human speakers by the quality of their voice, the spirit in their voice and, of course, the content of what is being said? It is much the same with the divine voice. The quality of God’s voice is one of drawing and encouraging. The spirit in God’s voice is all grace and mercy. And the content of what is being said is always consistent with what God has said before — we have a huge biblical witness upon which to test our leadings.”

— Richard Foster, “Sanctuary of the Soul”
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Prayer of Brother Lawrence for God’s Presence in the Midst of Working — A Quote by Brother Lawrence in “The Practice of the Presence of God”

“‘O my GOD, since Thou art with me, and I must now, in obedience to Thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy Presence; and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance, receive all my works, and possess all my affections.’ As he proceeded in his work, he continued his familiar conversation with his Maker—imploring His grace, and offering to Him all his actions.”

— Brother Lawrence, “The Practice of the Presence of God”
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Bridegroom Fasting — A Quote by Mike Bickle in “The Pleasures of Loving God”

“Have you ever felt that you just could not stand to go on living without more of Jesus Christ in your life? I have. It’s for such seasons of spiritual hunger that God has given us the Bridegroom fast. It is a fast that enlarges our capacity to receive freely from the Spirit of God. Instead of having an external purpose such as averting a crisis, this kind of fasting changes us on the inside…”

“Fasting to get God to pay attention to us is just one example of legalism because the motive is rooted in a misunderstanding of God’s grace. We should fast because we know God enjoys us and because we want our hearts to receive more of Him. That is grace-empowered fasting.”

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Books on Learning to Hear from God

I have read many books on the topic of learning to hear God’s voice (learning to be led by the inner leading of the Holy Spirit). I thought it would be helpful to include a brief list here.

I would like to start by recommending a book by one of my all-time favorite authors, John Eldredge. The book deals with the practical side of a lifestyle of trying to hear from God. It is called “Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You”. Incidentally, my favorte book by John Eldredge deals with various matters of the heart in relationship with God, and would possibly be helpful for people trying to learn to walk intimately with God. It is called “Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive”.

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Levels of Relationship Metaphors Used for Us and God — A Quote by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge in “Sacred Romance”

“The Scriptures employ a wide scale of metaphors to capture the many facets of our relationship with God. If you consider them in a sort of ascending order, there is a noticeable and breathtaking progression. Down near the bottom of the totem pole we are the clay and he the Potter. Moving up a notch, we are the sheep and he the Shepherd, which is a little better position on the food chain but hardly flattering; sheep don’t have a reputation as the most graceful and intelligent creatures in the world. Moving upward, we are the servants of the Master, which at least lets us into the house, even if we have to wipe our feet, watch our manners, and not talk too much. Most Christians never get past this point, but the ladder of metaphors is about to make a swift ascent. God also calls us his children and himself our heavenly Father, which brings us into the possibility of real intimacy — love is not one of the things a vase and its craftsman share together, nor does a sheep truly know the heart of the shepherd, though it may enjoy the fruits of his kindness. Still, there is something missing even in the best parent-child relationship. Friendship levels the playing field in a way family never can, at least not until the kids have grown and left the house. Friendship opens a level of communion that a five-year-old doesn’t know with his mother and father. And ‘friends’ are what he calls us.”

“But there is still a higher and deeper level of intimacy and partnership awaiting us at the top of this metaphorical ascent. We are lovers. The courtship that began with a honeymoon in the Garden culminates in the wedding feast of the Lamb. ‘I will take delight in you,’ he says to us, ‘as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will I rejoice over you.'”

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Prayer for God to Draw Us Closer — A Quote by A.W. Tozer in “The Pursuit of God”

“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

— A. W. Tozer, “The Pursuit of God”, Kindle location 216
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The Lens By Which You Read the Bible and Understand God

Is sin the main story of the Bible — the main story you tell yourself about the nature of your relationship with God — or is it love?

This is not a trick question, but one of the most important questions you will ever ask yourself. The way you answer determines how you will live your life. Don’t just ask your head, ask your heart as well. We often answer with our heads, but live from our hearts.

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