THE POWER OF INTIMACY WITH GOD (II)

Last week, we started a two-part series on the Power of Intimacy with God. Today we will be taking the concluding part of the series. God is loving and friendly; He is our refuge, defence and advocate. He understands us like no other person. No one is like Him in temperament and character. He is everything we can ever desire in the world. Jesus said: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ (Matthew 22:37 NIV). Our desire in this life must be to know God and to be intimate with Him.

INTIMACY IS COVENANT RELATIONSHIP
Covenant results from an intimate relationship with God. There is Adamic covenant, the covenant with Noah and there is the Blood covenant, of which we are all partakers today. However, there is a personalised covenant with God. Intimacy with God earns us a comprehensive communication that yields divine covenant. God will surround us with favour and give us sound wisdom to do His will; he will surpass any blessing that man can give to us. He will give us in abundance. Intimacy makes us covenant children.

INTIMACY MAKES PRAYER PLEASURABLE
Many people have claimed that they find it difficult to pray; some say they don’t know what to say after fifteen minutes of prayer. However, prayer becomes a ‘love affair’ when we truly desire God and are intimate with him. It becomes very easy to go into the Father’s presence knowing that you are going to have an intimate discussion with Him. This kind of prayer is a dialogue, a conversation between two people and not a monologue. It is truly a satisfying experience with God. Psalm 17:15 says, ‘But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.’ (HCSB). Intimacy makes us see God as the only one who has power to give us everything we need.

INTIMACY IS TRANSFORMATIONAL
One of the dynamics of Christianity is that as we continue to behold the glory of Jesus; we are gradually changed to become like Him. We are daily being transformed to be like him. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, ‘But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (NKJV). Paul admonished us to be imitators of Christ. ‘Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved…’ (Ephesians 5:1-2 NASB). Jesus as well said we should learn of him (Matthew 11:28-30). When we are intimate with God, our lives and attitudes would change.

One of the qualities we get when we become like God is his love. The more we get to know God, the more His love overshadows us. Our heart gets filled with the love of God. We become compassionate when we get to know God; we become kind, lovely and sweet. We receive a large heart and become selfless. We are empowered to freely act out the love of God towards others. Love is the fulfilment of the law. When we show love to people, we feel fulfilled. Love bears all things and hopes all things. Love does not seek for himself alone. It has no evil intentions. You can be like God and act in love because love is perfect and does no evil.

Intimacy with God remains the key to a victorious Christian life. When we engage God in quiet, secret deliberations, we are infused with His likeness and are empowered to love the way He does. This love helps us to overcome evil with good. When we are good and tender, people pray for us and bless us. We create good lasting memories with them and we are further emboldened to tell them about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we receive grace to be intimate with God in Jesus name.

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