Nine Tips for Intimacy with God
I’ve had the privilege of ministering to many people now. Solely by the grace of Christ, many of those people have been delivered, prophesied over, healed and/or touched by the power of the Holy Spirit but one thing remains…choice.
We can be prayed for 1,000 times by the most anointed ministers in the world but it ultimately is our choice to pursue a real relationship with the Lord.
If you want lasting transformation…receiving prayer ministry, attending church, discipleship and community groups, receiving deliverance, and so on all play an important role but they are not a substitute for one-on-one intimacy with the Lord.
People often have marked moments in their faith history but learning to abide in Him daily is the key to lasting transformation.
I did not always know how to do this, so here are some things I’ve learned over the years you may find helpful.
Avoid putting your time with the Lord in a box. We should absolutely have uninterrupted one on one time with the Lord but don’t let that regimen stop you from including Him in the other parts of your day. Some of my favorite moments talking to God are often while I’m driving in the car, cleaning, going for a walk, or working out at the gym. We don’t have to isolate intimacy with Him to sitting in our prayer closet. He is with us all the time so acknowledge Him in everything you do as much as you can.
Rest and don’t do all the talking. I used to think my prayer time was over after I read the Word, worshipped, and prayed out loud. I’d spend a short time listening, but it was often uneventful because I was striving to hear something. When I learned to enter rest after I prayed (waiting quietly from a place of peace, not worry or striving) I began having encounters with the Holy Spirit. He began speaking to me as I rested in His Presence. Now I often have the most impactful interactions when my verbal prayer time is done because my heart is completely at rest.
Humble yourself before the Lord and allow Him to search your heart. God loves a humble heart willing to receive correction, healing, and direction. This is not something to be afraid of, but to value in our relationship with God.
Be quick to repent. Don’t allow your shortfalls to create separation between you and the Lord. He’s eager to forgive you. Run to Him.
Don’t just pray with the intent for answers. Any good relationship in your life likely doesn’t just consist of a question and answer time. Seek to know the heart of God and be open to hear what He wants to talk about.
Pursue encounters and Presence. You don’t have to experience the manifest Presence of God only at a conference or church service. I’ve had some of the most supernatural, life-changing encounters with the Holy Spirit all by myself. If you don’t know how to do this…simply keep asking the Lord for His Presence and draw near to Him in worship and praying scripture. He loves to answer prayers like these.
Be undignified in your passion. There’s a reason David was a man after God’s heart. He worshipped God with His entire being, dancing before the Lord without any shame. Real intimacy means being able to be completely yourself and unashamedly passionate. I often dance before the Lord singing in tongues in my alone time and it’s something the Lord loves and encourages me to do with Him.
Be relentless in your pursuit. Intimacy is not built in a day. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel something every time you pray. Just keep pursuing the Lord with all your heart and you will surely fall in love.
Studying the Word is a form of intimacy. Jesus is the Word made flesh and to know Him is to know His Word.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list and just one of these tips alone will not likely give you the depth of intimacy I hope you are looking for. However, if you are to do all of these on a regular basis you will certainly grow in your love for Christ, connect with His heart more, and deepen your relationship with Him.
