Better Together

An Intimate Relationship with God - Episode 1087

August 26, 2025 | S7 E1087 | 52:34

God loves YOU! He desires a deeply personal connection with us that can't be earned—only received. We get to be fully seen, fully known, and unconditionally loved. He invites us to experience rest, acceptance, and belonging in His arms of grace. | TBN Prayer Line: 714-731-1000

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Better Together | An Intimate Relationship with God - Episode 1087 | August 26, 2025

The key to experiencing intimacy with god is to
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Understand how much we are loved.
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Throughout scripture, god compares us to a bride,
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Beautiful, pure, eager to meet her beloved.
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Come on, we need to talk about this.
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♪♪
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So i don't know if you guys remember, you probably do, in
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Genesis 11, the story of the tower of babel.
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Yeah. right.
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And it's when people come together with all this ambition
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And this a lot of talk on.
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We're going to build this,
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We're going to make a name for ourselves.
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And obviously god didn't like that.
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It was a gathering based on ambition and sin.
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Pride, right.
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And they eventually became scattered.
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And i think what's beautiful is that years and years and years
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Later, what sin scattered the holy spirit gathered.
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Right? and in acts two, when people gathered not to make a
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Name for themselves but to obey jesus,
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When people gathered not to just be productive, but to wait
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For the holy spirit.
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And when the holy spirit breathed on the 120, in the
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Upper room, there was the first church.
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And i think it's a beautiful reminder how church was not
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Meant to be this empire building productivity machine.
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We're not just meant to be some do gooders that come together
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Every sunday to pat each other on the back of how good we've
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Been, but it's meant to be a body gathered by the presence
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Of god.
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Wow. you know, and i shared a little bit of my story last
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Time about how really what drew me to the church was just how
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The gathering was honoring, worshiping, and experiencing
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The presence of god.
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And i mean, i'll never forget those first few worship
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Services that i've been a part
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Of thinking, whoa, this is interesting.
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Like we keep saying the word blood.
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We people are raising their hands.
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Uh, there are people crying, you know, and but i think what
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Kept drawing me in and what really just marked me was just
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How i felt like there's there's a presence here.
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Wow. you know, and this presence is not of this world.
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And this presence is kind and loving and seems to linger with
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Us even when we mess up.
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You know, and so i want to talk about how as a church, really,
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We can't take out the part where we're meant to be a
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Gathering of people that are intimate with the presence of
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God, but sometimes we forget that, right?
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So, i don't know.
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Let's unpack that. what do you guys think?
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So you had mentioned earlier that you walked into church as
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A new believer, and we're hearing a lot of words that
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Might feel foreign.
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I call it christianese, like it's another language that
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You're just like, why is everyone saying these words?
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And they all know each other? yeah.
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So one of the images that i'm always mindful of when new
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Believers come into the church is when we read scriptures like
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Revelation, like, ah, the church is parallel to the
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Bride of christ.
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Now why, of all the images that could be used, of all the
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Metaphors, of all the algorithms that could be used,
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What parallels the relationship that jesus has with the church
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Is that of marriage?
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I know that might feel foreign.
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It might feel a little weird, but why is that?
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If you really parse it back, we're going to an old testament
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Principle of covenant. yeah. that's good.
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It is a commitment, and a covenant is a choice.
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So when we are paralleled as the bride of christ, it's
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Because we're choosing to be in covenant with god.
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So i had said in yesterday's program, this challenge that i
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Heard another pastor say, give god a year.
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I want to kind of add to that and add to the complexity, the
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Layers, the nuances of being
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The bride of christ and giving god yourself.
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We had mentioned that
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It is a choice that we had this invitation.
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Both you and i had this invitation to choose jesus.
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So in giving a year to god, what does that look like, in
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Choosing to be in covenant with god?
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It's not going to church for 60 minutes on a sunday.
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It's not listening to a
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Christian podcast or doing a devotional.
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It is absolute surrender and submission daily to what
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Jesus calls us to.
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So in what we eat and what we think and what we say, and
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Where we go and what we touch and what we say, are we
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Submitting that to a relationship with the lord?
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And the reason why there's this parallel of like bride and
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Groom is i'm choosing to love you.
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I'm choosing to trust you. i'm choosing to submit to you.
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You need to know that god desires an intimate
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Relationship with you.
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It's not based on your performance.
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It's not based on following all the rules.
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It's not based on being good enough.
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It's the fact that god loves you so much that he did
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Everything to pursue you, to have relationship with you.
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And there's freedom in that because most of us feel like we
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Have to be something for god.
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And i think when we actually have true intimacy with jesus,
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We recognize,
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Like, i'm enough and he's enough.
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And just settling into that keeps us from striving, keeps
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Us from working hard to accomplish.
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It just helps us rest in the fact that we are loved by god.
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And when you truly know how loved you are by god, you begin
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To live your life in a way that reflects that.
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So with this understanding of us choosing the lord, us being
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The bride of christ-- i know feels weird to say. somebody out
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There is like, that's weird.
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It might sound a little weird, but now with the context of
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Covenant, how does that change our relationship, our
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Perspective with the church?
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And i love that thinking about the covenant, because i've
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Always heard it
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Compared to a contract, a contract is something that can
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Be broken, but a covenant is something that is forever.
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So when you look at it from the perspective of the groom, it's
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The groom that's pursuing the forever covenant with you.
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It's the groom that's pursuing the bride, that's desiring the
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Bride, that's saying, i want all of you for me.
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And it's such a beautiful picture when you think of
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Yourself as the bride that's being pursued and thinking,
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There's absolutely nothing i
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Could do that would break this covenant.
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There's absolutely nothing i could do to fall out of favor
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With the one who pursues me and loves me.
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There's absolutely nothing i could do where i would lose
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Favor with him, and i--
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So it is, to some people, maybe christianese or weird to say
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Bridegroom and and the bride of christ.
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And what does that mean?
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But when you talk about metaphors, there could have
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Been the metaphor of, of it being a military commander and
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A soldier, and he's just all he wants from you is your hard
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Work, and all he wants from you is to obey and to get in line
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And all he wants from you.
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And yet he didn't choose a metaphor like that.
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He chose the metaphor of bride and groom.
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The groom who is so enamored with you he is saying, i want
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You forever, i want you.
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And so it is our privilege and honor to be chosen by him.
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So then, of course, we want to develop an intimate
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Relationship with him.
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And what that means, intimate relationship,
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Okay, is that that's a weird thing to say.
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Is that imagery weird? no, it just means that my heart
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Is fully connected to his heart.
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And i want, i want to love the things he loves.
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I want to do the things he asks because i'm connected forever
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In my heart to him.
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When i think about being pursued by jesus, i think about
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How some of us might have been running from god for a long
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Time, and we are invited to surrender our running shoes,
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Because while we've been running from god, he's been
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Running after us and before we chose god, he chose us.
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And so just know that even though we have tried to hide
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From god, run from god, he's been running after us.
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He pursues us and he won't stop chasing after us.
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He loves us and he wants to be
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In a close relationship with us.
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I love that because my, my
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Husband and i have been married
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It'll be 24 years at the end of, um--
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Woo!
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And, um, and i just think we've known each other for
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Longer than that.
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We dated for four years before we got married.
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And so, like, more, more than
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Half of our life, we've been together.
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But there's just something beautiful about a relationship
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That has that longevity.
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And there's something about growing to just learn and to
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Know one another more, which is, i think, what you're
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Describing when you describe intimacy. it's like, i know the
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Deepest parts of kerry's heart and he knows mine.
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And we know that because we've spent time connecting on those
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Things and we've spent time talking about those things.
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And so i can finish his sentences and he can finish
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Mine because there's that connection and that
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Relationship there.
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So when you talk about the bride of christ, i'm
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Immediately thinking about, yeah, like when you do think
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About it as a marriage, it's such a beautiful picture of
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Growing in relationship with jesus where you know him, you
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Know what moves his heart.
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You know what he loves, you know what pleases him.
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And you don't want to do things that are not pleasing
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To him, like you,
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You love, and you honor that relationship and simultaneously
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Like find peace and identity and knowing that he loves you
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In the same way and is pursuing you in the same way.
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So that's when i hear bride of christ,
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That's the beauty that i think of in that the the picture of,
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Wow, like there's a closeness
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That's available for each of us.
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I love that picture of god pursuing us.
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I think about when i started dating my now husband, guy,
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I was not the perfect girlfriend.
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I remember when he first told me he loved me.
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Month three. okay.
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Took me out to a nice restaurant.
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I know he saved up for a long time to take me out to it.
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Put his arm around me and said, i'm in love with you.
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And i looked at him and i said, thank you.
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Yeah, i was not the perfect girlfriend.
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I needed time to process.
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Yeah. that's good.
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I had to call my girlfriends, text my girlfriends like,
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Are we in love?
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Um, i wasn't the perfect girlfriend. when we got engaged,
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I wasn't the perfect fiance.
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I had, like, learned how to now, you know, change my
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Schedule and my work life.
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Now i'm planning a wedding.
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Um, and i didn't do it perfectly.
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Like i remember, i set aside
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One work week to plan my wedding.
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No you didn't.
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That was the time i allotted.
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I was like, from this day to this day, this is what i'm
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Going to plan it all.
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And that was when i did it.
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I learned later that other people spent, like, months in
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Time, and i wasn't perfect--
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Yeah. that's true.
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You're like--
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You're like, actually, you saved yourself.
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This was i was like, oh, this is how i'll be efficient.
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To me, it was like, wise.
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And then i remember when we got
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Married, it wasn't the perfect bride.
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There were just things i didn't know.
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Like i didn't even know i was
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Supposed to take the next week off.
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I didn't know. my wedding dress i got at a thrift store.
00:11:15.831 --> 00:11:19.735
Well, first of all, praise god, $90.
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That's baller on a budget.
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Like in another state, when i was speaking at a church on my
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Way there, i was early and i stopped at a thrift store and
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Bought this dress.
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I like, had like a handful of
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Flowers i bought from down the street.
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Like, there was so many things
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That made me not the perfect bride.
00:11:34.283 --> 00:11:38.587
And yet i was the love of his life.
00:11:38.587 --> 00:11:41.223
And when i got married, a guy, i was not the perfect wife, but
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I was already a wife. that's so good.
00:11:45.795 --> 00:11:48.864
And i think the term bride changed for me because i
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Realized, like i said yes to you and you said yes to me.
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And now it's not about me trying to be the perfect wife.
00:11:54.804 --> 00:11:59.241
I already am his wife. good.
00:11:59.241 --> 00:12:01.377
And now it's me learning how to be more of who i really am,
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How to be the best version of myself for him.
00:12:05.114 --> 00:12:08.017
But i don't have to earn it.
00:12:08.017 --> 00:12:09.118
I don't have to try to achieve it.
00:12:09.118 --> 00:12:10.119
I already said yes.
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So that's my man and i'm his woman.
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I am the love of his life, and he's been pursuing me and
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Pursuing me with my thrift store wedding dress.
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Yeah. and me only having three
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Days off work after the wedding.
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He knew that i came with all of this texture and messiness, but
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I was the love of his life.
00:12:26.035 --> 00:12:27.636
I think that's something that's important for us to know, when
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You put your faith in jesus, jesus's blood covers you.
00:12:29.138 --> 00:12:32.942
You are a child of god, and now you don't have to do anything
00:12:32.942 --> 00:12:35.945
To earn it or achieve it.
00:12:35.945 --> 00:12:37.046
Now you just have to become who you already are.
00:12:37.046 --> 00:12:39.481
You are already a child of god.
00:12:39.481 --> 00:12:41.483
So now you are invited into an intimate relationship where you
00:12:41.483 --> 00:12:44.954
Get to know each other and love each other and talk about the
00:12:44.954 --> 00:12:47.957
Hard things and the holy things and the not so pretty things.
00:12:47.957 --> 00:12:51.126
And now this is a deep and real friendship with all of
00:12:51.126 --> 00:12:54.697
Its layers and textures. it's not this to do list.
00:12:54.697 --> 00:12:57.766
It's not this thing you earn, it's falling in love.
00:12:57.766 --> 00:13:00.736
Have you fallen in love with jesus and allowed him to love
00:13:00.736 --> 00:13:04.473
You in the way that he wants to love you?
00:13:04.473 --> 00:13:06.275
What a beautiful picture.
00:13:06.275 --> 00:13:08.444
It's easy to feel far from god and to feel like he's not--
00:13:08.444 --> 00:13:12.181
You hear these words, like he's pursuing you, and it maybe
00:13:12.181 --> 00:13:14.984
Doesn't feel that way.
00:13:14.984 --> 00:13:15.751
You feel distant from him.
00:13:15.751 --> 00:13:16.819
I want to read to you.
00:13:16.819 --> 00:13:17.953
Isaiah 62:5 says, as the bridegroom rejoices over the
00:13:17.953 --> 00:13:22.258
Bride, so shall your god rejoice over you.
00:13:22.258 --> 00:13:26.629
The bridegroom doesn't just tolerate the bride.
00:13:26.629 --> 00:13:30.266
That's nowhere in scripture.
00:13:30.266 --> 00:13:32.034
The bridegroom is always pursuing, divinely loving.
00:13:32.034 --> 00:13:37.840
It's almost like a romance, if you will.
00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:39.909
Like what you would do to win over someone,
00:13:39.909 --> 00:13:44.013
That is how much he pursues you.
00:13:44.013 --> 00:13:45.681
So let me say this,
00:13:45.681 --> 00:13:47.116
It's a real feeling that you might be distant from god,
00:13:47.116 --> 00:13:50.486
But the truth is, god is never distant from you.
00:13:50.486 --> 00:13:53.489
So if you're feeling distant, i would maybe say, take a moment,
00:13:53.489 --> 00:13:56.692
Just step aside, maybe find a
00:13:56.692 --> 00:13:58.794
Quiet room and just say these words,
00:13:58.794 --> 00:14:00.863
God, i feel distant from you. i don't want to.
00:14:00.863 --> 00:14:04.533
So will you help me?
00:14:04.533 --> 00:14:05.801
Because i know if you get into the word, if you put on some
00:14:05.801 --> 00:14:07.903
Worship music, if you just settle your heart and just sit,
00:14:07.903 --> 00:14:11.006
Sit with him, i know you will begin to feel his rush of love
00:14:11.006 --> 00:14:15.010
Over you because he is a father who loves you.
00:14:15.010 --> 00:14:18.547
He is pursuing you.
00:14:18.547 --> 00:14:20.549
And so part of the feeling distant would be getting really
00:14:20.549 --> 00:14:24.753
Honest with what have you done
00:14:24.753 --> 00:14:27.022
In any way to distant your heart?
00:14:27.022 --> 00:14:29.825
Is there a feeling that god
00:14:29.825 --> 00:14:31.393
Hasn't shown up for you in some way?
00:14:31.393 --> 00:14:33.095
Is there a feeling of resentment that something
00:14:33.095 --> 00:14:34.663
Didn't go your way?
00:14:34.663 --> 00:14:35.831
Is there something you're holding back your love and
00:14:35.831 --> 00:14:39.134
Affection toward him?
00:14:39.134 --> 00:14:40.636
And if you can repent for that, maybe say, god, i have.
00:14:40.636 --> 00:14:43.472
I do feel like i've been frustrated at this thing.
00:14:43.472 --> 00:14:46.408
I believe it'd just be like, if you're in a relationship with
00:14:46.408 --> 00:14:48.911
Someone and you have that honest conversation, you're
00:14:48.911 --> 00:14:50.946
Going to feel this intimacy that you maybe haven't felt
00:14:50.946 --> 00:14:54.049
In a long time.
00:14:54.049 --> 00:14:55.484
So just just understand that this relationship with god is
00:14:55.484 --> 00:14:58.687
Always growing.
00:14:58.687 --> 00:14:59.855
Always. you're always learning, so don't give up on it.
00:14:59.855 --> 00:15:03.425
Keep pressing in because he's there and he loves you and
00:15:03.425 --> 00:15:06.462
He's pursuing you.
00:15:06.462 --> 00:15:09.631
God created us to be in community and we want you
00:15:09.631 --> 00:15:12.735
To join ours. that's right.
00:15:12.735 --> 00:15:14.169
So follow us on social media and join our conversation.
00:15:14.169 --> 00:15:18.540
Let's keep the conversation going.
00:15:18.540 --> 00:15:20.743
You can find the better together podcast on your
00:15:20.743 --> 00:15:23.078
Favorite listening platform.
00:15:23.078 --> 00:15:24.913
Subscribe today.
00:15:24.913 --> 00:15:27.149
Revelation 19:7 says, let us rejoice and be glad and give
00:15:27.861 --> 00:15:33.267
Him glory, for the wedding of the lamb has come and his bride
00:15:33.267 --> 00:15:37.271
Has made herself ready.
00:15:37.271 --> 00:15:39.206
We've talked a lot today about the bride and the groom, and
00:15:39.206 --> 00:15:42.543
That being the body of christ
00:15:42.543 --> 00:15:44.244
And christ coming for his bride.
00:15:44.244 --> 00:15:46.513
And whenever i read this, and i think about the wedding feast
00:15:46.513 --> 00:15:49.816
Of the lamb and the bride has made herself ready, it really
00:15:49.816 --> 00:15:53.453
Makes me reflect on what does it mean to make myself ready?
00:15:53.453 --> 00:15:57.624
Because i know he's coming for his bride and i want to be
00:15:57.624 --> 00:16:01.228
Someone who is ready.
00:16:01.228 --> 00:16:03.197
So when we talk about that, i want to encourage you with that,
00:16:03.197 --> 00:16:06.733
How you could prepare for that.
00:16:06.733 --> 00:16:08.635
I want to say find yourself serving in a church, find
00:16:08.635 --> 00:16:13.040
Yourself loving your family.
00:16:13.040 --> 00:16:15.676
Find yourself easily forgiving and loving unconditionally.
00:16:15.676 --> 00:16:20.214
I mean, there's a checklist of things i could give you, but i
00:16:20.214 --> 00:16:22.849
Know that whenever jesus set out for mankind to be
00:16:22.849 --> 00:16:27.254
Reconciled with him, the things that were on his heart were to
00:16:27.254 --> 00:16:31.258
Love unconditionally, forgive always.
00:16:31.258 --> 00:16:34.127
I mean, he hung on that cross for your sin.
00:16:34.127 --> 00:16:37.030
So he wants you to live in freedom.
00:16:37.030 --> 00:16:39.499
No shame in your life.
00:16:39.499 --> 00:16:41.235
So these are all ways that we can prepare, believing that
00:16:41.235 --> 00:16:44.438
Jesus is coming for us. it's coming for a pure bride.
00:16:44.438 --> 00:16:48.609
Set your heart on it. get ready for eternity.
00:16:48.609 --> 00:16:51.044
But do the work here while you can.
00:16:51.044 --> 00:16:54.548
There was once when i had a dream, and it was during my
00:16:58.118 --> 00:17:01.388
Youth pastor years, i think.
00:17:01.388 --> 00:17:03.357
And i mean, i was just so busy.
00:17:03.357 --> 00:17:05.525
And i mean, we were throwing a revivals, retreats, you know,
00:17:05.525 --> 00:17:10.163
All kinds of fun stuff for kids.
00:17:10.163 --> 00:17:12.099
And, i mean, i thought i was i was crushing it, you know,
00:17:12.099 --> 00:17:14.735
Because i was getting it all done.
00:17:14.735 --> 00:17:16.903
But i remember one dream that really arrested me for that
00:17:16.903 --> 00:17:20.240
Season was i had a dream where it was actually a wedding and
00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:23.844
It was my wedding.
00:17:23.844 --> 00:17:25.078
And in my dream, i was like, you know, finding the dress.
00:17:25.078 --> 00:17:28.215
I was, you know, and i was greeting the guests.
00:17:28.215 --> 00:17:30.250
I was, you know, approving the food.
00:17:30.250 --> 00:17:32.419
And we were already at the venue and it was a day of.
00:17:32.419 --> 00:17:35.789
And then somebody asked me in
00:17:35.789 --> 00:17:37.858
The parking lot, so where's the groom?
00:17:37.858 --> 00:17:41.595
And i go,
00:17:41.595 --> 00:17:44.064
Nobody-- nobody asked him to come.
00:17:44.064 --> 00:17:46.800
Nobody-- and, you know, i mean,
00:17:46.800 --> 00:17:49.169
Being like a type-a planner, i was like,
00:17:49.169 --> 00:17:51.638
The stress, right?
00:17:51.638 --> 00:17:52.973
Like, why did anyone call him? why didn't--
00:17:52.973 --> 00:17:55.309
Why i didn't even think about it?
00:17:55.309 --> 00:17:56.677
Right. and i woke up and i remember feeling this,
00:17:56.677 --> 00:17:59.079
Like this, this holy fear in me.
00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.449
You know, wondering, man, is
00:18:02.449 --> 00:18:03.750
This what we sometimes do with church?
00:18:03.750 --> 00:18:07.120
You know, where we're trying to throw a wedding without the
00:18:07.120 --> 00:18:11.725
Groom, you know, ignoring his presence.
00:18:11.725 --> 00:18:14.494
But you can't be a bride without the groom.
00:18:14.494 --> 00:18:16.930
And i think that's really poignant how, you know, we were
00:18:16.930 --> 00:18:19.399
Given that identity.
00:18:19.399 --> 00:18:20.901
The church is given the identity of a bride.
00:18:20.901 --> 00:18:23.103
But that cannot be possible without the groom, right?
00:18:23.103 --> 00:18:27.507
But sometimes i think we we get so caught up in being the bride
00:18:27.507 --> 00:18:32.312
In the sense of like, all the, you know, the festivities of
00:18:32.312 --> 00:18:35.682
What it what it takes to be one, right?
00:18:35.682 --> 00:18:37.684
All the preparations, all the program building, all the busy
00:18:37.684 --> 00:18:40.520
Schedules, you know, and sometimes we get really caught
00:18:40.520 --> 00:18:43.957
Up and becoming really just busy, good people
00:18:43.957 --> 00:18:48.328
As opposed to just lovers of god, you know, and
00:18:48.328 --> 00:18:53.500
Acknowledging his presence.
00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:55.268
And i think the beauty of a church gathering is that you
00:18:55.268 --> 00:18:59.639
Could practice the presence of god together as a body.
00:18:59.639 --> 00:19:04.111
And when you look in the book of acts, when you look in the
00:19:04.111 --> 00:19:07.381
New testament, you see, i mean, when a gathering comes together
00:19:07.381 --> 00:19:12.386
To pray, when a gathering comes together to worship, to really
00:19:12.386 --> 00:19:17.124
Acknowledge the holy spirit, the region shakes, you know?
00:19:17.124 --> 00:19:21.261
Like the the environment around them cannot remain the same.
00:19:21.261 --> 00:19:25.298
Right? and i think we do a lot,
00:19:25.298 --> 00:19:27.467
Right, to try to be impactful churches.
00:19:27.467 --> 00:19:30.237
Right. we do a lot to try to do a lot of good things.
00:19:30.237 --> 00:19:34.040
But i think when we forget the groom, it could-- i don't know.
00:19:34.040 --> 00:19:37.677
There's a lot of implications to that.
00:19:37.677 --> 00:19:39.846
Yeah. that's what moses said,
00:19:39.846 --> 00:19:41.481
Right. we've been reflecting on this a lot lately within our
00:19:41.481 --> 00:19:44.518
Church, just talking back to when moses was having
00:19:44.518 --> 00:19:47.788
Conversation with god and he was like, god, don't send me
00:19:47.788 --> 00:19:50.624
Unless your presence goes with me.
00:19:50.624 --> 00:19:52.125
With me like, don't, don't, i don't want to go.
00:19:52.125 --> 00:19:54.227
I don't want anything.
00:19:54.227 --> 00:19:55.162
I don't want to do all the things.
00:19:55.162 --> 00:19:56.263
I don't want to reach the promises
00:19:56.263 --> 00:19:58.064
If your presence doesn't go with me.
00:19:58.064 --> 00:20:00.167
And i think that's got to be what we constantly return to,
00:20:00.167 --> 00:20:02.869
Because it's so easy to get caught up in the doing and the
00:20:02.869 --> 00:20:06.807
Planning and the things. i mean,
00:20:06.807 --> 00:20:09.276
For us as leaders in the church.
00:20:09.276 --> 00:20:11.778
Like there's lots of things that need to be done, and
00:20:11.778 --> 00:20:15.148
There's strategy involved and there's the planning that goes
00:20:15.148 --> 00:20:17.818
Into it and the preparation and all of that.
00:20:17.818 --> 00:20:20.187
But at the end of the day, if we don't all come with a hungry
00:20:20.187 --> 00:20:23.590
Heart for the presence of god, what meaning does it even have?
00:20:23.590 --> 00:20:27.093
I love that you took us on that journey, because i think that
00:20:27.093 --> 00:20:29.696
His presence is what changes everything.
00:20:29.696 --> 00:20:32.833
Because god's presence is always with you.
00:20:32.833 --> 00:20:35.836
You could develop an intimacy with the presence of god by
00:20:35.836 --> 00:20:39.840
Sitting with him.
00:20:39.840 --> 00:20:41.107
Now, how you do that is, first you want to acknowledge him,
00:20:41.107 --> 00:20:45.212
Just simply acknowledging him
00:20:45.212 --> 00:20:47.080
Just as you would acknowledge someone that walks into a room.
00:20:47.080 --> 00:20:50.317
As you build that acknowledgment,
00:20:50.317 --> 00:20:52.586
You also start to build that awareness.
00:20:52.586 --> 00:20:55.188
Then you start to become more aware of the fact that he is
00:20:55.188 --> 00:20:58.492
With you, that he loves you,
00:20:58.492 --> 00:21:00.160
That he is kind, that he is near.
00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:02.496
And so practice acknowledging him.
00:21:02.496 --> 00:21:04.331
When you are driving,
00:21:04.331 --> 00:21:05.532
Practice. practice acknowledging him when you're
00:21:05.532 --> 00:21:07.801
Doing your devotional, when you are taking care of your
00:21:07.801 --> 00:21:10.537
Children and build that awareness that god is truly
00:21:10.537 --> 00:21:14.541
With you.
00:21:14.541 --> 00:21:15.842
And even if you cannot go find holy ground, you are carrying
00:21:15.842 --> 00:21:19.613
Holy ground wherever you are because of the holy spirit.
00:21:19.613 --> 00:21:23.650
We don't want to be too busy doing the jesus thing that we
00:21:23.650 --> 00:21:26.920
Miss jesus himself.
00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:28.788
Yes, and i think that's easy to do because it can feel noble.
00:21:28.788 --> 00:21:32.993
It can feel like obedience.
00:21:32.993 --> 00:21:34.728
Yes.
00:21:34.728 --> 00:21:35.762
It can feel like you're honoring god, but you're
00:21:35.762 --> 00:21:38.565
Missing him, the person.
00:21:38.565 --> 00:21:40.567
And i'm weary of that.
00:21:40.567 --> 00:21:41.835
I'm weary of that of church leaders, myself included, of
00:21:41.835 --> 00:21:45.539
How easy that can be.
00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:46.573
And sometimes doing it without even noticing.
00:21:46.573 --> 00:21:48.375
Like i'm obeying god more than i'm spending time with god.
00:21:48.375 --> 00:21:51.378
And you know, a big thing we want to do as christ followers
00:21:51.378 --> 00:21:54.948
Is reach other people, reach
00:21:54.948 --> 00:21:56.750
The lost, see souls saved, disciples made.
00:21:56.750 --> 00:21:58.685
We want to reach a lot of people, and that's a goal in
00:21:58.685 --> 00:22:01.655
Our lives and in our churches.
00:22:01.655 --> 00:22:02.956
But i, i strongly feel in my own life, like i feel one
00:22:02.956 --> 00:22:07.260
Reason why so many people outside the church are far from
00:22:07.260 --> 00:22:11.031
God is because so many people inside the church are far from
00:22:11.031 --> 00:22:14.868
God, and we need to have a real one-on-one relationship with
00:22:14.868 --> 00:22:18.705
Jesus ourselves.
00:22:18.705 --> 00:22:20.540
We need to spend time with jesus ourselves.
00:22:20.540 --> 00:22:23.043
We need to surrender our sins to jesus ourselves and know
00:22:23.043 --> 00:22:26.880
What he is like for real.
00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:29.282
And then we can show a watching world what he is like.
00:22:29.282 --> 00:22:33.553
But we don't want to be people that are just really good at
00:22:33.553 --> 00:22:35.355
Talking about jesus, but not good at sitting with jesus.
00:22:35.355 --> 00:22:39.192
So that's something that's on the forefront of my mind a lot.
00:22:39.192 --> 00:22:42.429
As a leader, as a pastor,
00:22:42.429 --> 00:22:44.531
Lord, help me always make sure that this is on the forefront
00:22:44.531 --> 00:22:48.535
Of my mind, that i know you first before i'm trying to make
00:22:48.535 --> 00:22:52.205
You known, right?
00:22:52.205 --> 00:22:53.206
It's so good that you're saying this.
00:22:53.206 --> 00:22:54.708
I mean, like, i was even going to ask, you know, if somebody's
00:22:54.708 --> 00:22:57.410
Watching and they're saying, give me practicals of what does
00:22:57.410 --> 00:23:00.313
It look like when you say intimacy with god?
00:23:00.313 --> 00:23:02.649
How do i cultivate an intimate relationship?
00:23:02.649 --> 00:23:04.951
And my husband and i are working with young adults
00:23:04.951 --> 00:23:06.686
At our church.
00:23:06.686 --> 00:23:07.954
And it's so interesting because i do, you know, a bible in a
00:23:07.954 --> 00:23:11.958
Year reading plan and i love it.
00:23:11.958 --> 00:23:14.794
It's awesome.
00:23:14.794 --> 00:23:16.062
But the lord convicted me that it became a little bit of a
00:23:16.062 --> 00:23:19.132
Check off list for me, because i have to get through that
00:23:19.132 --> 00:23:21.601
Day's reading.
00:23:21.601 --> 00:23:22.836
And so and it's a lot because it's usually a psalm or a
00:23:22.836 --> 00:23:24.704
Proverb, and it's an old and a new testament.
00:23:24.704 --> 00:23:27.273
And so it's a lot.
00:23:27.273 --> 00:23:28.708
And so before i know it, and that's taken 20 minutes and
00:23:28.708 --> 00:23:31.878
Then i've got things to pray for or whatever.
00:23:31.878 --> 00:23:33.713
It's like i'm on to the next thing.
00:23:33.713 --> 00:23:35.248
And the lord was like, i've missed just sitting with you.
00:23:35.248 --> 00:23:39.519
I've missed just you and i having conversation that hasn't
00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:46.192
Been about getting through.
00:23:46.192 --> 00:23:48.161
So then i'm with the young adults at our church, and we
00:23:48.161 --> 00:23:51.364
Were going through a bible study, and one of the girls
00:23:51.364 --> 00:23:54.000
Said, she just got so stuck on this one verse.
00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:57.570
So we just stayed on that verse and she said, you know, it's
00:23:57.570 --> 00:24:02.776
Kind of refreshing that-- i mean, she's 22.
00:24:02.776 --> 00:24:06.646
It's refreshing that we're spending this entire time
00:24:06.646 --> 00:24:09.315
Together just going over this one verse.
00:24:09.315 --> 00:24:12.152
We're so used to kind of just throwing the scriptures and
00:24:12.152 --> 00:24:14.754
Keeping it going and digesting it, and it's like, okay, how
00:24:14.754 --> 00:24:18.825
Are we in our intimacy with god?
00:24:18.825 --> 00:24:21.261
Are we cultivating that by sitting in his presence?
00:24:21.261 --> 00:24:24.431
We don't like to sit still for long.
00:24:24.431 --> 00:24:26.066
We're a busy people. we've got things to do.
00:24:26.066 --> 00:24:27.767
We've got our check off list.
00:24:27.767 --> 00:24:29.035
Okay, but what if it looked like finding one scripture and
00:24:29.035 --> 00:24:32.439
Asking the holy spirit, what do you say about that scripture to
00:24:32.439 --> 00:24:36.509
My life right now?
00:24:36.509 --> 00:24:38.344
What do you say? is there something applicable?
00:24:38.344 --> 00:24:41.081
I can-- from this,
00:24:41.081 --> 00:24:42.348
Do i walk out of here and do something with this?
00:24:42.348 --> 00:24:45.652
And then you go into the school system or into the grocery
00:24:45.652 --> 00:24:48.922
Store or to the coffee shop.
00:24:48.922 --> 00:24:50.356
And that verse comes back to mind.
00:24:50.356 --> 00:24:53.093
And he says, see that girl over there?
00:24:53.093 --> 00:24:55.995
She's hurting.
00:24:55.995 --> 00:24:57.097
Why don't you go encourage her with the scripture
00:24:57.097 --> 00:24:58.565
We talked about today?
00:24:58.565 --> 00:24:59.766
These are the things, the practical ways that you will
00:24:59.766 --> 00:25:02.736
Begin feeling intimate with him
00:25:02.736 --> 00:25:03.937
Because you feel partnered with him.
00:25:03.937 --> 00:25:06.473
You're walking it out with him day by day.
00:25:06.473 --> 00:25:09.476
You're not just, okay, i got all my scripture in today, and
00:25:09.476 --> 00:25:12.045
Now i'm going--
00:25:12.045 --> 00:25:13.079
It's actually becoming a part of who you are.
00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:15.849
You're listening, you're learning, you're digesting, and
00:25:15.849 --> 00:25:18.518
You're walking it out. then you feel close to him.
00:25:18.518 --> 00:25:21.254
You've experienced something with him, and you've seen the
00:25:21.254 --> 00:25:23.523
Power of god move through you into someone else's life.
00:25:23.523 --> 00:25:26.593
And when you do that, and you start seeing the light come on
00:25:26.593 --> 00:25:29.262
In their life because of something that you shared,
00:25:29.262 --> 00:25:32.499
Now you have an experience with the lord and you're like,
00:25:32.499 --> 00:25:34.501
That's a high. i want that again.
00:25:34.501 --> 00:25:36.603
I want that again. i want to feel that again.
00:25:36.603 --> 00:25:38.705
And you're drawn back to the word.
00:25:38.705 --> 00:25:40.073
I just love those practical ideas because i've been a
00:25:40.073 --> 00:25:42.776
Believer for a long time, and i still am convicted by the holy
00:25:42.776 --> 00:25:47.247
Spirit of like, i'm not a to do list, blynda.
00:25:47.247 --> 00:25:50.316
I'm not just a checkoff.
00:25:50.316 --> 00:25:52.519
You know, i think one of the most beautiful things we can do
00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:54.721
As believers is to slow down the pace of our busy lives and
00:25:54.721 --> 00:25:59.392
Learn what it looks like to just sit with god.
00:25:59.392 --> 00:26:02.662
A lot of us have a hard time sitting in silence.
00:26:02.662 --> 00:26:05.565
A lot of times our thoughts run away with themselves.
00:26:05.565 --> 00:26:07.734
But if we could just pause and set all of the thoughts, all of
00:26:07.734 --> 00:26:11.671
The worries, all the concerns aside and say, god, what do you
00:26:11.671 --> 00:26:15.241
Want to say to me today, here's what i know.
00:26:15.241 --> 00:26:18.244
God wants to speak to you.
00:26:18.244 --> 00:26:20.113
And the bible says that we are his kids, and his kids
00:26:20.113 --> 00:26:23.049
Recognize his voice.
00:26:23.049 --> 00:26:24.684
And when you slow down your life long enough to just sit
00:26:24.684 --> 00:26:28.655
And to focus on what god wants to say to you, i promise he
00:26:28.655 --> 00:26:31.491
Will meet you with peace.
00:26:31.491 --> 00:26:33.893
He will meet you with strength.
00:26:33.893 --> 00:26:35.528
He will meet you with love.
00:26:35.528 --> 00:26:37.430
He will meet you and confirm your identity in him.
00:26:37.430 --> 00:26:39.699
There's really something so beautiful about it.
00:26:39.699 --> 00:26:41.901
So if you're struggling with the idea of sitting and being
00:26:41.901 --> 00:26:45.171
Still with god, can i just encourage you put some
00:26:45.171 --> 00:26:47.807
Worship music on, fix your attention on who he is.
00:26:47.807 --> 00:26:50.977
If you're really struggling with your thoughts, start
00:26:50.977 --> 00:26:53.213
Telling him how grateful you are for him.
00:26:53.213 --> 00:26:55.882
Because once you get that attitude of gratitude in your
00:26:55.882 --> 00:26:58.451
Spirit, i'm telling you it's going to shift the atmosphere
00:26:58.451 --> 00:27:00.753
Of your heart and it's going to prepare you for what god wants
00:27:00.753 --> 00:27:03.756
To lean in and speak to you today.
00:27:03.756 --> 00:27:06.559
I love that you're challenging us to really think about this
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:09.028
Practically, because i think we could end at the point of being
00:27:09.028 --> 00:27:11.831
Inspired, like, oh, i love jesus more.
00:27:11.831 --> 00:27:13.867
But really thinking about, okay, how can we do this as
00:27:13.867 --> 00:27:16.502
A church body?
00:27:16.502 --> 00:27:17.737
You know, when god created humanity in genesis one, right?
00:27:17.737 --> 00:27:21.007
When he breathed life into us, he also gave us a commission to
00:27:21.007 --> 00:27:24.043
Go and be fruitful over all the earth.
00:27:24.043 --> 00:27:26.679
Right? but the first thing adam and eve had to do was rest.
00:27:26.679 --> 00:27:30.850
Right? rest with god.
00:27:30.850 --> 00:27:32.418
And then when jesus was commissioning the christians in
00:27:32.418 --> 00:27:36.256
Acts one, he said, now wait.
00:27:36.256 --> 00:27:40.226
So it's for every commission to
00:27:40.226 --> 00:27:42.328
Be productive and to bear fruit,
00:27:42.328 --> 00:27:45.164
There was a call to rest with god, and then there was a call
00:27:45.164 --> 00:27:49.535
To wait for god.
00:27:49.535 --> 00:27:51.871
Right. and there was just something about encouraging us,
00:27:51.871 --> 00:27:55.408
Commanding us even,
00:27:55.408 --> 00:27:57.343
Don't run ahead. right.
00:27:57.343 --> 00:27:59.379
The garden was meant to be fruitful from this communion
00:27:59.379 --> 00:28:04.651
Between god and adam and eve.
00:28:04.651 --> 00:28:07.620
The church was meant to be fruitful from a communion with
00:28:07.620 --> 00:28:12.292
The holy spirit.
00:28:12.292 --> 00:28:13.860
And now we live in an age where we're just trying to grow our
00:28:13.860 --> 00:28:16.930
Gardens and our churches while being strangers with god.
00:28:16.930 --> 00:28:20.366
Yeah. you know, i think there's just something about god
00:28:20.366 --> 00:28:23.603
Asking us to,
00:28:23.603 --> 00:28:24.637
To rest with him, to wait for him.
00:28:24.637 --> 00:28:28.775
Are we a people that are willing to tarry in his
00:28:28.775 --> 00:28:32.111
Presence? or do we feel uncomfortable with that moment
00:28:32.111 --> 00:28:36.149
Of silence, that moment of stillness, you know, are we are
00:28:36.149 --> 00:28:39.252
We people that are willing to rest in his presence?
00:28:39.252 --> 00:28:42.889
Um, are there rhythms of that in our church that allows for
00:28:42.889 --> 00:28:46.893
The productivity to come from intimacy?
00:28:46.893 --> 00:28:49.595
Do you think some of that is in those moments where you're
00:28:49.595 --> 00:28:52.432
Resting and you're still and
00:28:52.432 --> 00:28:54.033
You're still communing with him,
00:28:54.033 --> 00:28:56.169
People have a hard time understanding how to hear him,
00:28:56.169 --> 00:28:58.972
And they feel like, i don't hear you.
00:28:58.972 --> 00:29:00.373
I don't know if i feel you.
00:29:00.373 --> 00:29:01.841
They're looking for a feeling.
00:29:01.841 --> 00:29:02.842
They're looking for something.
00:29:02.842 --> 00:29:04.277
And so because that's an uncomfortable thing and they're
00:29:04.277 --> 00:29:06.980
Unsure, they move on past it.
00:29:06.980 --> 00:29:09.282
They try to find something that feels more tangible?
00:29:09.282 --> 00:29:12.118
It's uncomfortable.
00:29:12.118 --> 00:29:13.586
It's when we have a discomfort with mystery.
00:29:13.586 --> 00:29:17.023
I mean, mystery in god is a good thing.
00:29:17.023 --> 00:29:19.025
That means he's god.
00:29:19.025 --> 00:29:20.293
If he makes sense to us fully, that doesn't mean he's god.
00:29:20.293 --> 00:29:22.495
You know, the fact that he's infinite should leave for some
00:29:22.495 --> 00:29:26.032
Room for mystery, right?
00:29:26.032 --> 00:29:27.200
But i think when we are uncomfortable with mystery and
00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:31.671
We try to fill in the lines with our own narratives and we
00:29:31.671 --> 00:29:35.008
Try to run with it,
00:29:35.008 --> 00:29:36.242
That's kind of when we start,
00:29:36.242 --> 00:29:37.777
Okay, turning off the lights, being like, forget it.
00:29:37.777 --> 00:29:40.013
You know, like closing our bibles.
00:29:40.013 --> 00:29:41.647
Like, forget it. he's not talking to me.
00:29:41.647 --> 00:29:43.016
When we start to interpret silence as he's rejected me,
00:29:43.016 --> 00:29:47.186
When we interpret waiting as, oh, he doesn't want to talk to
00:29:47.186 --> 00:29:50.690
Me, he's dismissing me.
00:29:50.690 --> 00:29:52.058
He's overlooking me.
00:29:52.058 --> 00:29:53.559
I think the challenge is to
00:29:53.559 --> 00:29:56.429
Interpret the mystery biblically.
00:29:56.429 --> 00:29:59.799
Yeah. according to what the bible
00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:02.068
Says god is, which is he's our father.
00:30:02.068 --> 00:30:05.038
He's our bridegroom.
00:30:05.038 --> 00:30:06.506
He loves us and is interpreting the mystery with truth and also
00:30:06.506 --> 00:30:11.544
Having some comfort with the mystery.
00:30:11.544 --> 00:30:14.714
There was a time when a mystery of unanswered prayer really
00:30:14.714 --> 00:30:18.518
Drew me closer to the presence of god.
00:30:18.518 --> 00:30:20.653
And this was when my second born, who is also my only son,
00:30:20.653 --> 00:30:25.158
He was going through a lot of health complications for the
00:30:25.158 --> 00:30:28.361
First three and a half to four years of his life.
00:30:28.361 --> 00:30:32.265
I mean, he was allergic to everything.
00:30:32.265 --> 00:30:35.001
Almost everything.
00:30:35.001 --> 00:30:36.369
And i mean, it took two hours to put him to bed.
00:30:36.369 --> 00:30:39.839
He was always wearing double socks on his hands and his
00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:42.475
Feet, and i was crying out to
00:30:42.475 --> 00:30:44.977
The lord for years for his healing.
00:30:44.977 --> 00:30:48.247
And i remember one evening i was putting him down to bed,
00:30:48.247 --> 00:30:51.117
And it was going into the second hour in the dark with
00:30:51.117 --> 00:30:54.720
Him screaming and crying, because unless i'm holding him,
00:30:54.720 --> 00:30:57.890
He would scratch himself to the point of having open wounds.
00:30:57.890 --> 00:31:01.761
And i remember this anger started to come out of me
00:31:01.761 --> 00:31:06.132
Because i just did not understand.
00:31:06.132 --> 00:31:07.767
I was so fed up with unanswered prayers, and i remember
00:31:07.767 --> 00:31:12.505
Something came out of me that i didn't expect to come out of
00:31:12.505 --> 00:31:14.807
Me, which was this comment, this saying, i said, is this
00:31:14.807 --> 00:31:18.811
Funny to you? to god.
00:31:18.811 --> 00:31:21.080
I know, like eerie, right?
00:31:21.080 --> 00:31:22.315
But then it was just this sadistic, dark, angry sentiment
00:31:22.315 --> 00:31:27.253
That i was hiding beneath my religious proprieties.
00:31:27.253 --> 00:31:31.190
I didn't know that it was within me.
00:31:31.190 --> 00:31:33.626
But in that time of just staying in the dark with my
00:31:33.626 --> 00:31:36.629
Crying child, it came out of me.
00:31:36.629 --> 00:31:38.931
And can i tell you, i felt the
00:31:38.931 --> 00:31:41.200
Presence of the lord fill that space.
00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:44.437
And in my heart god showed me what grace really is.
00:31:44.437 --> 00:31:49.909
He showed me his kindness in such a tangible way, where i
00:31:49.909 --> 00:31:54.380
Wept through the night as i was holding my son, and eventually
00:31:54.380 --> 00:31:57.783
My son fell asleep.
00:31:57.783 --> 00:31:59.252
But i remember walking out of that room, having felt like i
00:31:59.252 --> 00:32:03.389
Got to know him a little better.
00:32:03.389 --> 00:32:06.692
Out of my four,
00:32:06.692 --> 00:32:08.261
Um, i have one--
00:32:08.261 --> 00:32:09.929
It's always the middle.
00:32:09.929 --> 00:32:11.297
You know, it's one of my middles,
00:32:11.297 --> 00:32:13.900
Like, i noticed she's been going through a phase where
00:32:13.900 --> 00:32:16.435
She's not as eager to talk about jesus.
00:32:16.435 --> 00:32:19.038
She's not as eager to open up her bible and i go, what's
00:32:19.038 --> 00:32:22.341
Going on, baby girl?
00:32:22.341 --> 00:32:23.809
And in our conversations,
00:32:23.809 --> 00:32:25.811
What was revealed was she was sharing,
00:32:25.811 --> 00:32:28.281
Well, god didn't answer this one prayer and it was really
00:32:28.281 --> 00:32:31.784
Important to me, and i just don't know why.
00:32:31.784 --> 00:32:34.887
I have to keep praying, you know?
00:32:34.887 --> 00:32:37.156
And first of all, i'm thinking, oh my goodness, you're nine.
00:32:37.156 --> 00:32:40.092
You know, how did we get so deep when you're nine, you know?
00:32:40.092 --> 00:32:43.262
But i think it's just that's the perfect example.
00:32:43.262 --> 00:32:46.999
And that's where it starts.
00:32:46.999 --> 00:32:48.100
It's when we take these moments of mystery.
00:32:48.100 --> 00:32:51.070
Like, why didn't he answer?
00:32:51.070 --> 00:32:52.471
Yeah. why?
00:32:52.471 --> 00:32:53.172
Why didn't he say something?
00:32:53.172 --> 00:32:54.874
Why didn't he stop that from happening?
00:32:54.874 --> 00:32:56.709
Why didn't he heal me?
00:32:56.709 --> 00:32:57.677
Why didn't he? why, why, why?
00:32:57.677 --> 00:32:59.378
You know, and we start to turn that around and place our own
00:32:59.378 --> 00:33:02.515
Narrative on it, instead of bringing that to god and and
00:33:02.515 --> 00:33:06.252
Seeing it as an invitation to go deeper into his presence.
00:33:06.252 --> 00:33:10.423
The beauty of going deeper into god's presence,
00:33:10.423 --> 00:33:12.925
We see this modeled in the psalms right with david, is
00:33:12.925 --> 00:33:15.795
That he had all of those moments with god that like,
00:33:15.795 --> 00:33:18.631
Lord, where were you in that situation?
00:33:18.631 --> 00:33:20.700
And my enemies are all trying to kill me right now, and i
00:33:20.700 --> 00:33:23.536
Want to drown in a bed of my own tears.
00:33:23.536 --> 00:33:25.238
I mean, he had all the the roller coaster of emotions, but
00:33:25.238 --> 00:33:28.641
Every psalm of lament is followed by a psalm of praise,
00:33:28.641 --> 00:33:31.611
Because he just took a moment to acknowledge that there are a
00:33:31.611 --> 00:33:34.714
Lot of why questions.
00:33:34.714 --> 00:33:35.982
There are a lot of things that i don't understand and i may
00:33:35.982 --> 00:33:38.551
Not have answers to.
00:33:38.551 --> 00:33:39.986
But god, i will praise you, but god, you will save me.
00:33:39.986 --> 00:33:45.424
But-- he just kept rehearsing his trust in god.
00:33:45.424 --> 00:33:48.261
It wasn't that immediately the situations changed, and i think
00:33:48.261 --> 00:33:51.564
That's a beautiful picture of intimacy with god
00:33:51.564 --> 00:33:54.000
Is just being able to pour out your heart.
00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:57.203
I even called my husband on the way over here this morning
00:33:57.203 --> 00:34:00.840
Because y'all, i was driving too fast because of traffic and
00:34:00.840 --> 00:34:04.577
I hit a curb and i was just like, so mad at myself and
00:34:04.577 --> 00:34:08.948
Worried that i damaged our car.
00:34:08.948 --> 00:34:10.483
And i just called him, and i was like, all the emotions
00:34:10.483 --> 00:34:12.685
Were coming up.
00:34:12.685 --> 00:34:13.719
I was so frustrated and he just listened, right.
00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:15.421
I just think the lord's the same way.
00:34:15.421 --> 00:34:16.789
He wants to hear our heart, like all the things we're
00:34:16.789 --> 00:34:19.425
Processing, the emotions that are going on, and god loves it
00:34:19.425 --> 00:34:22.061
When we come to him and we share our heart, even if it's
00:34:22.061 --> 00:34:24.397
I'm angry with you, god, like you didn't answer the prayer
00:34:24.397 --> 00:34:26.966
That i was asking and i don't understand why, because i had a
00:34:26.966 --> 00:34:30.236
Really good plan.
00:34:30.236 --> 00:34:31.337
I've said that a lot to the lord.
00:34:31.337 --> 00:34:32.538
My plan was a good plan,
00:34:32.538 --> 00:34:33.506
And god's like, yes, and mine are better.
00:34:33.506 --> 00:34:35.341
Um, i had some suggestions. yeah, i had some really
00:34:35.341 --> 00:34:37.777
Good suggestions there, but i think that god can handle that.
00:34:37.777 --> 00:34:40.680
He can handle when we're angry.
00:34:40.680 --> 00:34:41.914
He can handle handle when we're, when we're just depressed.
00:34:41.914 --> 00:34:45.151
He can handle when we have all the questions.
00:34:45.151 --> 00:34:47.820
Our job to be intimate with him is just to share it, like to
00:34:47.820 --> 00:34:51.891
Pour it out and then to say, like david did, but god,
00:34:51.891 --> 00:34:55.828
I will trust you.
00:34:55.828 --> 00:34:57.396
But god, i know you have good plans for me.
00:34:57.396 --> 00:35:00.032
And i think that that place of surrender and trust is truly
00:35:00.032 --> 00:35:03.736
What what he's looking for.
00:35:03.736 --> 00:35:05.271
And it's embracing the mystery because that's what
00:35:05.271 --> 00:35:07.373
Trust is about, right?
00:35:07.373 --> 00:35:10.209
I think every season is an opportunity to fall in love
00:35:10.209 --> 00:35:13.946
With jesus in a fresh way.
00:35:13.946 --> 00:35:16.148
As long as you endure the valleys, the mountaintops, the
00:35:16.148 --> 00:35:20.419
Confusing times, the mysterious times, there's always something
00:35:20.419 --> 00:35:24.523
New to discover about god,
00:35:24.523 --> 00:35:26.759
As long as you go through those seasons with jesus.
00:35:26.759 --> 00:35:31.597
Join the conversation on our bettertogether youtube channel.
00:35:31.597 --> 00:35:35.167
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00:35:35.167 --> 00:35:39.148
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00:35:39.148 --> 00:35:39.271
I know when i reflect on my life, if there has been a
00:35:42.808 --> 00:35:45.511
Season or a time where intimacy has been harder for me,
00:35:45.511 --> 00:35:49.815
Truly, i could probably narrow it down to,
00:35:49.815 --> 00:35:52.351
I don't think resentment and intimacy can coexist.
00:35:52.351 --> 00:35:55.988
And so i know i've had times in my life i've had to process
00:35:55.988 --> 00:35:59.358
Some resentment.
00:35:59.358 --> 00:36:00.626
And it could have been maybe that humankind is what hurt me,
00:36:00.626 --> 00:36:03.729
But i still feel like god could have stopped it or whatever.
00:36:03.729 --> 00:36:07.900
Somehow there was some expectation i had of my life or
00:36:07.900 --> 00:36:12.471
Of god that didn't happen.
00:36:12.471 --> 00:36:14.240
And i grew a seed of resentment.
00:36:14.240 --> 00:36:16.375
And when, when i was able to water that resentment and let
00:36:16.375 --> 00:36:19.779
It grow in my life, there's a direct correlation to a lack of
00:36:19.779 --> 00:36:23.249
Intimacy in my life.
00:36:23.249 --> 00:36:24.517
And so i know i've had to come to a place where my cry and
00:36:24.517 --> 00:36:29.221
Desire for intimacy has required me to look at the
00:36:29.221 --> 00:36:32.691
Resentment i feel, and i've had to die to it.
00:36:32.691 --> 00:36:35.628
There's an entitlement we actually live by.
00:36:35.628 --> 00:36:37.963
We don't even understand it.
00:36:37.963 --> 00:36:39.432
But there's an entitlement we feel to resentment.
00:36:39.432 --> 00:36:42.067
We feel like, we feel like we have a right to it because
00:36:42.067 --> 00:36:46.806
We've lived our life the way we think we should.
00:36:46.806 --> 00:36:48.941
And something bad happened.
00:36:48.941 --> 00:36:50.643
And i'm entitled to feel like that was unfair to me.
00:36:50.643 --> 00:36:53.679
And that was-- and all of that has to go.
00:36:53.679 --> 00:36:56.916
If intimacy is truly the desire
00:36:56.916 --> 00:36:59.218
Of your heart, you you have to pick.
00:36:59.218 --> 00:37:01.854
And it's hard to let go of that entitlement to resentment or
00:37:01.854 --> 00:37:07.259
That entitlement to it should have gone a certain way, or it
00:37:07.259 --> 00:37:09.995
Should be a certain way.
00:37:09.995 --> 00:37:11.263
But the reward is you get to know the groom in a way where
00:37:11.263 --> 00:37:15.668
Everything that was lost, he restores. every broken thing he
00:37:15.668 --> 00:37:20.773
Fixes, and it's not even necessarily maybe that you get
00:37:20.773 --> 00:37:24.477
That back, it's that you are more like him.
00:37:24.477 --> 00:37:27.546
You are in the likeness of him because of the intimacy.
00:37:27.546 --> 00:37:30.783
You're a reflection of him more.
00:37:30.783 --> 00:37:32.885
And that's what we have to desire as believers, that we
00:37:32.885 --> 00:37:35.488
Just look more like him.
00:37:35.488 --> 00:37:37.323
And to do that, though, requires that we let go of some
00:37:37.323 --> 00:37:41.961
Of the resentment that we maybe, if we're honest, we're
00:37:41.961 --> 00:37:44.897
Holding against him.
00:37:44.897 --> 00:37:46.966
A lot of times in church, we'll talk about intimacy with god.
00:37:46.966 --> 00:37:49.702
That might feel like a foreign concept.
00:37:49.702 --> 00:37:51.337
So i just want it to kind of demystify it a little bit and
00:37:51.337 --> 00:37:54.907
Make it simple.
00:37:54.907 --> 00:37:56.141
Intimacy with god is being known by god and knowing god.
00:37:56.141 --> 00:38:00.546
The only way that you're going to get to know a friend or a
00:38:00.546 --> 00:38:03.282
Partner or a spouse is to spend time with them.
00:38:03.282 --> 00:38:06.619
So i don't want to make intimacy with god feel like
00:38:06.619 --> 00:38:09.021
It's this faraway notion that's only reserved for uber
00:38:09.021 --> 00:38:11.457
Spiritual people.
00:38:11.457 --> 00:38:12.758
Intimacy with god is you getting to know him and him
00:38:12.758 --> 00:38:15.394
Getting to know you. why is this important?
00:38:15.394 --> 00:38:17.863
When we go through our daily challenges as we go through life
00:38:17.863 --> 00:38:20.766
We don't want our feelings to dictate how we respond.
00:38:20.766 --> 00:38:23.903
We want god to dictate how we live.
00:38:23.903 --> 00:38:26.305
The only way that you're going to know who god is is to
00:38:26.305 --> 00:38:28.607
Spend time with him, yes, through the act of prayer.
00:38:28.607 --> 00:38:31.143
That's communication.
00:38:31.143 --> 00:38:32.244
Prayer is simply conversing with god.
00:38:32.244 --> 00:38:34.313
And how do you know god?
00:38:34.313 --> 00:38:35.548
You read his word.
00:38:35.548 --> 00:38:36.949
Take five, ten, 15, 20 minutes a day and read god's word.
00:38:36.949 --> 00:38:41.754
Now that might feel overwhelming.
00:38:41.754 --> 00:38:43.322
Start with a devotional.
00:38:43.322 --> 00:38:44.590
Start with a verse, a chapter, a book, but start somewhere.
00:38:44.590 --> 00:38:48.060
In my favorite, i feel like this is the secret sauce that
00:38:48.060 --> 00:38:50.529
People don't talk enough about, is worship.
00:38:50.529 --> 00:38:53.632
You get to know god by putting him in his right place.
00:38:53.632 --> 00:38:57.269
The word worship is comprised of--
00:38:57.269 --> 00:38:59.004
It's an old english word
00:38:59.004 --> 00:39:00.372
Comprised of two words, worth, ship.
00:39:00.372 --> 00:39:02.841
What is god worth to you?
00:39:02.841 --> 00:39:05.377
Once you ascribe worth to god, then it's easy to worship him.
00:39:05.377 --> 00:39:09.114
We put god in his right place and we are reminded of our
00:39:09.114 --> 00:39:12.651
Right place.
00:39:12.651 --> 00:39:13.919
Get into god's word.
00:39:13.919 --> 00:39:15.487
Get into community.
00:39:15.487 --> 00:39:16.755
Commune with him through the act of prayer, and worship him
00:39:16.755 --> 00:39:19.124
Because if he is worth it, then worship.
00:39:19.124 --> 00:39:22.461
Those things are going to develop a mighty fine
00:39:22.461 --> 00:39:24.396
Relationship with you knowing who god is.
00:39:24.396 --> 00:39:27.866
I think it's a beautiful posture shift.
00:39:27.866 --> 00:39:30.302
What you're talking about trusting god, this intimacy
00:39:30.302 --> 00:39:33.606
With god as you wrestle about god, wrestle with god versus
00:39:33.606 --> 00:39:37.876
What you were talking about, about sometimes the need to be
00:39:37.876 --> 00:39:40.613
Productive or sometimes like worshiping productivity, which
00:39:40.613 --> 00:39:43.882
Can be so weird for some of us because some of us might think
00:39:43.882 --> 00:39:45.851
The closer i get to god like, the more productive i'll be.
00:39:45.851 --> 00:39:48.887
The closer i get to god, the
00:39:48.887 --> 00:39:50.122
More i'll do and the more i'll build.
00:39:50.122 --> 00:39:52.257
And i want us to be very careful that we don't allow the
00:39:52.257 --> 00:39:55.260
Enemy to have any victory in our lives by taking our
00:39:55.260 --> 00:39:57.963
Obedience, our desire to be obedient, something that's a
00:39:57.963 --> 00:40:01.266
Good thing about us, and distorting it and making it the
00:40:01.266 --> 00:40:05.137
Thing that we worship, right?
00:40:05.137 --> 00:40:06.839
We don't want to worship the calling more than we worship
00:40:06.839 --> 00:40:09.041
The one who calls us.
00:40:09.041 --> 00:40:10.676
And i think we need to be very careful when it comes to being
00:40:10.676 --> 00:40:12.811
Productive for god, because if we're not careful, we will be
00:40:12.811 --> 00:40:16.448
Very good at being productive
00:40:16.448 --> 00:40:18.717
While producing all the wrong things.
00:40:18.717 --> 00:40:21.186
I'm not saying that you won't produce anything.
00:40:21.186 --> 00:40:22.988
I'm saying you might build some really beautiful castles
00:40:22.988 --> 00:40:25.524
Worshiping the wrong things.
00:40:25.524 --> 00:40:27.226
You might build some really beautiful altars worshiping
00:40:27.226 --> 00:40:29.361
The wrong things.
00:40:29.361 --> 00:40:30.529
We need to be very careful at what we are worshiping.
00:40:30.529 --> 00:40:33.465
We need to make sure that jesus is the center of our lives, the
00:40:33.465 --> 00:40:37.202
Lord and leader of our lives, and make all of our obedience
00:40:37.202 --> 00:40:40.739
And worship about him, not about our own gratification,
00:40:40.739 --> 00:40:45.477
Our own ego, or trying to come off like we're serving jesus.
00:40:45.477 --> 00:40:49.114
We want to really, actually,
00:40:49.114 --> 00:40:50.616
For real, be serving jesus christ.
00:40:50.616 --> 00:40:53.085
I think that we have overindexed coming out of the
00:40:53.085 --> 00:40:55.954
90s and early 2000,
00:40:55.954 --> 00:40:57.856
We have-- i'm a cultural purveyor.
00:40:57.856 --> 00:40:59.591
I just love taking the pieces and synthesizing them together,
00:40:59.591 --> 00:41:02.428
And they tell the story of where culture and christianity
00:41:02.428 --> 00:41:04.596
Truly are at.
00:41:04.596 --> 00:41:05.698
I think that we did such a good job on indexing and
00:41:05.698 --> 00:41:08.267
Overindexing on the word of god and spiritual disciplines,
00:41:08.267 --> 00:41:11.704
We've lost the beauty of spiritual disciplines, but it's
00:41:11.704 --> 00:41:14.506
Coming back in.
00:41:14.506 --> 00:41:15.674
But what we're not telling people is it's not just do
00:41:15.674 --> 00:41:19.178
Spiritual disciplines, because what's happening is people are
00:41:19.178 --> 00:41:22.181
Like, i read my bible, i went to church, i gave 10%.
00:41:22.181 --> 00:41:25.551
You know, i'm in a small group,
00:41:25.551 --> 00:41:26.819
Community group, discipleship group.
00:41:26.819 --> 00:41:28.654
I'm doing these things. right.
00:41:28.654 --> 00:41:30.222
But if you take a look at their
00:41:30.222 --> 00:41:31.190
Fruit, it's not matching the effort.
00:41:31.190 --> 00:41:34.093
So for me, i'm like, i would rather have you spend time
00:41:34.093 --> 00:41:39.331
Developing cultivating fruit rather than just ticking
00:41:39.331 --> 00:41:42.101
Something off of your religious box.
00:41:42.101 --> 00:41:44.369
Right? and right now what
00:41:44.369 --> 00:41:45.704
I'm begging the flock that the lord has entrusted me to,
00:41:45.704 --> 00:41:48.173
I am begging people,
00:41:48.173 --> 00:41:49.608
If your fruit doesn't match the efforts of your disciplines,
00:41:49.608 --> 00:41:53.112
Then we're overindexing on our disciplines.
00:41:53.112 --> 00:41:55.481
I don't care if you're giving 10%.
00:41:55.481 --> 00:41:56.882
If you're stingy and not generous at your core, then
00:41:56.882 --> 00:41:59.785
It's actually contrary to
00:41:59.785 --> 00:42:01.286
New testament biblical theology of giving.
00:42:01.286 --> 00:42:04.523
So i feel like our disciplines have to match our fruit.
00:42:04.523 --> 00:42:07.226
And if we're off in one of those then that's an indication,
00:42:07.226 --> 00:42:10.162
It's a heart issue.
00:42:10.162 --> 00:42:11.630
So intimacy with god should be
00:42:11.630 --> 00:42:13.332
A reflection of following jesus.
00:42:13.332 --> 00:42:15.701
And the fruit that comes out of my relationship with jesus
00:42:15.701 --> 00:42:19.304
Should be that that is blessing other people.
00:42:19.304 --> 00:42:21.807
Amen. the fruit of the spirit,
00:42:21.807 --> 00:42:23.909
Love. joy. peace. patience. kindness.
00:42:23.909 --> 00:42:26.678
Goodness. faithfulness. gentleness. self-control.
00:42:26.678 --> 00:42:28.147
Okay. vacation bible school kid.
00:42:28.147 --> 00:42:29.715
That's right.
00:42:29.715 --> 00:42:30.582
I feel like i needed to say them all.
00:42:30.582 --> 00:42:31.884
I feel like if those things are not evident in our life, then
00:42:31.884 --> 00:42:34.453
It's a, it's a testament that
00:42:34.453 --> 00:42:35.821
We're missing intimacy with god.
00:42:35.821 --> 00:42:37.790
Because if we're actually close to god, we're becoming more
00:42:37.790 --> 00:42:40.359
And more like him.
00:42:40.359 --> 00:42:41.994
And that is the fruit of a spirit-led life.
00:42:41.994 --> 00:42:44.363
And so i love that you pointed that out, because that's one
00:42:44.363 --> 00:42:47.199
Way to evaluate, right,
00:42:47.199 --> 00:42:48.367
Our lives is to go, okay, lord, how am i doing
00:42:48.367 --> 00:42:51.270
In the love department?
00:42:51.270 --> 00:42:52.738
Like, how am i doing in the joy department
00:42:52.738 --> 00:42:55.107
And like just leaning in to go,
00:42:55.107 --> 00:42:57.242
I want more of you, lord?
00:42:57.242 --> 00:42:58.944
So that that can be a reflection of my life to
00:42:58.944 --> 00:43:00.779
The people that experience me.
00:43:00.779 --> 00:43:02.781
I want them to experience jesus through me.
00:43:02.781 --> 00:43:05.517
I think knowing we're already loved, and god wants us to come
00:43:05.517 --> 00:43:09.621
Into a space where he can love us and we can receive his love.
00:43:09.621 --> 00:43:13.425
I think that's so important when we miss a day of
00:43:13.425 --> 00:43:16.428
Talking to god,
00:43:16.428 --> 00:43:17.696
Don't go into the next time with all this guilt and shame.
00:43:17.696 --> 00:43:20.065
Go in love and grace that god
00:43:20.065 --> 00:43:22.267
Already has for you and receive it.
00:43:22.267 --> 00:43:24.436
That's the best thing you can do is embrace the love that god
00:43:24.436 --> 00:43:27.539
Already has for you.
00:43:27.539 --> 00:43:29.675
I mean, i think that's a beautiful reminder that these
00:43:29.675 --> 00:43:32.144
Spiritual disciplines, it's not just a to do list, but it's
00:43:32.144 --> 00:43:35.347
Just tools to behold the one.
00:43:35.347 --> 00:43:39.084
And if there's no beholding, right, if there's no sense of
00:43:39.084 --> 00:43:43.455
Awe or even a fear of god, right, that's growing because
00:43:43.455 --> 00:43:48.293
Of those spiritual disciplines, then we're just doing stuff
00:43:48.293 --> 00:43:51.864
Without the one.
00:43:51.864 --> 00:43:53.198
Like we're we're kind of leaving him out of the picture.
00:43:53.198 --> 00:43:55.901
You know, like when you look in acts, it says the church
00:43:55.901 --> 00:43:58.103
Started to grow because of fear of god started to grow, you
00:43:58.103 --> 00:44:00.772
Know, start to spread.
00:44:00.772 --> 00:44:02.040
And i wonder, have we sometimes minimized our spiritual
00:44:02.040 --> 00:44:06.411
Disciplines to just be like, i read it, i sang it, i wrote it,
00:44:06.411 --> 00:44:11.683
I did it, instead of
00:44:11.683 --> 00:44:13.318
I saw him and i heard him, and now i know him,
00:44:13.318 --> 00:44:18.156
You know.
00:44:18.156 --> 00:44:19.391
And it's when everything's overflowing from a knowing of
00:44:19.391 --> 00:44:22.794
God, that's when true intimacy starts to happen, you know?
00:44:22.794 --> 00:44:26.832
And i think sometimes we miss the fear of the lord with all
00:44:26.832 --> 00:44:31.169
Of that, you know, like the ones that are explicitly called
00:44:31.169 --> 00:44:35.340
Friends of god in the old testament,
00:44:35.340 --> 00:44:37.643
Um, they also explicitly showed a fear of the lord.
00:44:37.643 --> 00:44:41.914
There was a correlation between intimacy and a fear of the lord
00:44:41.914 --> 00:44:45.350
And or an awe respect, a wonder, right?
00:44:45.350 --> 00:44:49.788
A marveling, you know, and i wonder, when's the last time we
00:44:49.788 --> 00:44:53.091
We chose to take the moment to marvel at the lord?
00:44:53.091 --> 00:44:57.195
I like that you said it like that, because i do find in the
00:44:57.195 --> 00:45:00.032
In the church world, too, people, when they hear fear of
00:45:00.032 --> 00:45:02.601
God, the immediate response can
00:45:02.601 --> 00:45:04.670
Often be, yeah, i'm afraid of him.
00:45:04.670 --> 00:45:06.204
Like, right.
00:45:06.204 --> 00:45:07.506
Yeah. like kind of get struck with lightning if i don't live
00:45:07.506 --> 00:45:09.207
My life right.
00:45:09.207 --> 00:45:09.942
And i just--
00:45:09.942 --> 00:45:11.376
You put it into such great perspective.
00:45:11.376 --> 00:45:12.945
But i wanted to repeat it for the listener.
00:45:12.945 --> 00:45:15.414
Like the fear of god is not,
00:45:15.414 --> 00:45:17.416
I'm afraid of what god's going to do to me, or i'm afraid that
00:45:17.416 --> 00:45:19.952
I'm not going to be good enough because that's not it.
00:45:19.952 --> 00:45:22.788
You guys said earlier already, you said i was already a bride,
00:45:22.788 --> 00:45:25.791
And the bride of christ, like you are loved.
00:45:25.791 --> 00:45:27.693
You are chosen.
00:45:27.693 --> 00:45:28.994
Like there there doesn't need to be the fear of, oh my gosh,
00:45:28.994 --> 00:45:32.130
Am i going to be good enough?
00:45:32.130 --> 00:45:33.765
But no, the fear of god is an awe.
00:45:33.765 --> 00:45:35.901
It's a wonder.
00:45:35.901 --> 00:45:37.202
It's a the king of kings, the lord of lords, the creator of
00:45:37.202 --> 00:45:40.806
The heaven and the earth, that he chose me.
00:45:40.806 --> 00:45:43.875
He loves me.
00:45:43.875 --> 00:45:45.143
And it's even goes beyond an awe and a wonder to a reverence
00:45:45.143 --> 00:45:49.081
And a respect because god is holy,
00:45:49.081 --> 00:45:53.285
And it's like my husband described it the other day as
00:45:53.285 --> 00:45:56.388
His, uh, you know, his dad used to when he was really serious,
00:45:56.388 --> 00:45:59.491
He would be like, kerry lee robinson!
00:45:59.491 --> 00:46:01.460
You know, when your parent uses
00:46:01.460 --> 00:46:02.594
All three names and you're like,
00:46:02.594 --> 00:46:04.162
And you stand at attention and
00:46:04.162 --> 00:46:05.931
And there's something about that.
00:46:05.931 --> 00:46:08.033
Like, okay, i'm here because i respect the authority that
00:46:08.033 --> 00:46:10.936
You're bringing into the situation because you love me
00:46:10.936 --> 00:46:13.572
And you care about me, and you want to provide for me, and i
00:46:13.572 --> 00:46:16.241
Know that about you.
00:46:16.241 --> 00:46:17.376
And so i'm here bringing you my full attention.
00:46:17.376 --> 00:46:20.145
There's a little bit of a respect that comes with the
00:46:20.145 --> 00:46:22.314
Fear of god, too.
00:46:22.314 --> 00:46:23.248
Like i'm giving you my full attention.
00:46:23.248 --> 00:46:26.318
So i think that's a beautiful picture.
00:46:26.318 --> 00:46:28.754
And hopefully that's a helpful explanation for someone.
00:46:28.754 --> 00:46:32.324
I've heard it said that some can see the fear of god as i'm
00:46:32.324 --> 00:46:36.962
Afraid of him.
00:46:36.962 --> 00:46:38.163
I don't want to do anything against him, but that the
00:46:38.163 --> 00:46:40.265
Better way to see it is i don't
00:46:40.265 --> 00:46:42.134
Want to do anything without him.
00:46:42.134 --> 00:46:43.802
Oh that's good.
00:46:43.802 --> 00:46:45.237
And the fear that i would try to live any part of my life
00:46:45.237 --> 00:46:50.075
Outside of a relationship with him, that i would think that i
00:46:50.075 --> 00:46:53.979
Could even take a breath, much less schedule any part of my
00:46:53.979 --> 00:46:58.450
Day without without really feeling him near me--
00:46:58.450 --> 00:47:02.354
The nearness of god is for our good.
00:47:02.354 --> 00:47:04.923
And i just--
00:47:04.923 --> 00:47:06.224
I just think it's just a sweet thing to remember that the the
00:47:06.224 --> 00:47:09.928
Pursuit was from him to us, not from us to him.
00:47:09.928 --> 00:47:14.566
So good. that's good.
00:47:14.566 --> 00:47:15.934
The pursuit was from him to us.
00:47:15.934 --> 00:47:19.404
If you're in a season where you don't feel like you're close to
00:47:19.404 --> 00:47:21.540
God, i'm going to ask you because it's going to be
00:47:21.540 --> 00:47:23.041
One of two things.
00:47:23.041 --> 00:47:24.576
You're either not close to god because you don't trust god, or
00:47:24.576 --> 00:47:27.245
You're not close to god because you feel like he's departed.
00:47:27.245 --> 00:47:30.315
He's not near you.
00:47:30.315 --> 00:47:32.050
For both of those, i'm going to lovingly pastor you and tell
00:47:32.050 --> 00:47:37.689
You what i tell our congregation at revere church,
00:47:37.689 --> 00:47:41.059
What you put in is what you get out.
00:47:41.059 --> 00:47:44.062
You can have an honest conversation with god.
00:47:44.062 --> 00:47:46.231
Scripture refers to him as a heavenly father.
00:47:46.231 --> 00:47:47.799
You can go to your abba.
00:47:47.799 --> 00:47:48.800
You can go to your heavenly
00:47:48.800 --> 00:47:49.701
Father and have honest conversations.
00:47:49.701 --> 00:47:51.536
Let him know you feel far from me or i feel far from you,
00:47:51.536 --> 00:47:54.873
But that admission of what you need is the very first step in
00:47:54.873 --> 00:47:57.909
Cultivating an intimate relationship with god.
00:47:57.909 --> 00:48:00.011
Because he wants to hear you
00:48:00.011 --> 00:48:02.013
And i get it.
00:48:02.013 --> 00:48:03.281
If you're feeling far from him or if he feels far removed,
00:48:03.281 --> 00:48:05.484
Tell him that.
00:48:05.484 --> 00:48:07.119
Bring your lament.
00:48:07.119 --> 00:48:07.919
Bring your sorrow.
00:48:07.919 --> 00:48:08.653
Bring your sadness.
00:48:08.653 --> 00:48:09.721
He can handle it.
00:48:09.721 --> 00:48:11.123
Then after that, i'm going to encourage you,
00:48:11.123 --> 00:48:13.225
Don't run away from church.
00:48:13.225 --> 00:48:15.127
Get plugged into church. oh, yeah, yeah, sure.
00:48:15.127 --> 00:48:17.662
Bianca, you're saying that because you're a pastor.
00:48:17.662 --> 00:48:19.764
No, i'm saying that because i love you.
00:48:19.764 --> 00:48:21.633
If you're feeling far from god, be around god's people and
00:48:21.633 --> 00:48:24.669
Allow god to speak to you, even among his people, because god
00:48:24.669 --> 00:48:27.506
Can speak to you through his word, i firmly believe that's
00:48:27.506 --> 00:48:29.508
The best way to hear from god.
00:48:29.508 --> 00:48:30.842
But god could also speak to you through his people.
00:48:30.842 --> 00:48:33.512
God feels far to you. be around his people.
00:48:33.512 --> 00:48:35.747
Experience the presence of god in places that might
00:48:35.747 --> 00:48:37.582
Just surprise you.
00:48:37.582 --> 00:48:39.518
Ephesians 1:4 says, god chose us to be in a
00:48:39.518 --> 00:48:43.321
Relationship with him, even before he laid out plans for
00:48:43.321 --> 00:48:47.425
This world.
00:48:47.425 --> 00:48:48.960
And i love that because so often we can think, okay, i put
00:48:48.960 --> 00:48:51.429
My faith in jesus, and now i have to do all the plans and i
00:48:51.429 --> 00:48:54.599
Do all the things and this verse says he chose to be
00:48:54.599 --> 00:48:57.602
In a relationship with us first. before he laid out plans,
00:48:57.602 --> 00:49:01.273
God's first plan for your life was to be in a relationship
00:49:01.273 --> 00:49:04.075
With you.
00:49:04.075 --> 00:49:05.143
God's first calling in your life was to be in
00:49:05.143 --> 00:49:06.645
Relationship with you.
00:49:06.645 --> 00:49:07.479
And then there's other plans.
00:49:07.479 --> 00:49:10.148
But this is the first thing that you're called to do.
00:49:10.148 --> 00:49:12.851
So it's not--
00:49:12.851 --> 00:49:14.119
Sometimes we flip the order, we're like, okay, i'm going to
00:49:14.119 --> 00:49:16.021
Do all these things, and then
00:49:16.021 --> 00:49:16.755
I'm gonna try to make some time.
00:49:16.755 --> 00:49:18.557
And so i just love this reminder of like, actually,
00:49:18.557 --> 00:49:21.226
This is the order, come have a relationship with me.
00:49:21.226 --> 00:49:23.929
And then i'm gonna take you on some plans.
00:49:23.929 --> 00:49:26.198
That's a good reminder, i think, for all of us.
00:49:26.198 --> 00:49:27.999
So for those that are watching and maybe feel like i want to
00:49:27.999 --> 00:49:30.235
Be intimate with god, i just don't even know where to begin,
00:49:30.235 --> 00:49:33.038
I'm just going to pray for
00:49:33.038 --> 00:49:34.673
Those that are on this adventure.
00:49:34.673 --> 00:49:36.942
And intimacy is simply spending
00:49:36.942 --> 00:49:38.910
Time with someone that you love.
00:49:38.910 --> 00:49:41.313
The beautiful thing about intimacy is that so many of us
00:49:41.313 --> 00:49:44.883
Want to be known, want to be seen, and want to be loved.
00:49:44.883 --> 00:49:47.686
And here's god with an open invitation, inviting not just
00:49:47.686 --> 00:49:50.956
The holy or the select, but all of us.
00:49:50.956 --> 00:49:54.159
And he's saying, i see you, i love you, i want you, and i
00:49:54.159 --> 00:49:57.128
Want you to know me.
00:49:57.128 --> 00:49:58.797
And so i'm going to pray a prayer of blessing for those
00:49:58.797 --> 00:50:00.332
That are watching online and want to experience closeness
00:50:00.332 --> 00:50:02.534
With god spirit living god, i pray that you invade hearts
00:50:02.534 --> 00:50:05.804
And homes right now.
00:50:05.804 --> 00:50:07.072
I pray that you, for those that are seeking you, that you
00:50:07.072 --> 00:50:09.674
Reveal yourself to them, and there's a sense of being known
00:50:09.674 --> 00:50:13.078
By you that woos them and draws them in, that they desire to
00:50:13.078 --> 00:50:17.215
Desire you, that they want to want you, that they long to
00:50:17.215 --> 00:50:20.685
Long after you.
00:50:20.685 --> 00:50:21.953
I thank you, lord god, that you are going to hear the cry of
00:50:21.953 --> 00:50:24.422
Their hearts.
00:50:24.422 --> 00:50:25.690
Will you reveal yourself in supernatural and natural ways
00:50:25.690 --> 00:50:28.059
Right now to everyone who seeks you
00:50:28.059 --> 00:50:30.095
Because your word says, when we seek you, we will find you.
00:50:30.095 --> 00:50:32.964
So you be the glory.
00:50:32.964 --> 00:50:33.732
In jesus' name, amen. amen.
00:50:33.732 --> 00:50:37.535
Connect with us on social media and let us know how our team
00:50:37.535 --> 00:50:40.372
Can pray for you.
00:50:40.372 --> 00:50:43.108
Join our conversations anytime, anywhere.
00:50:43.108 --> 00:50:45.744
Download tbn+ to stream your favorite episodes.
00:50:45.744 --> 00:50:45.744

An Intimate Relationship with God - Episode 1087

August 26, 2025 | S7 E1087 | 52:34

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