Going Deeper

Many believers desire to have a deeper intimacy with their Heavenly Father but are not sure how to do so. Today I want to discuss how we can get to know Him on a much deeper level. First, we must seek Him. The bible says “draw near to me and I will draw near to you (James 4:8), so when we seek Him, He will come. One way to seek Him is through prayer. Make time every day to be still and humble yourself in the quiet. Learn to sit in the stillness and listen for His voice. His voice is gentle and peaceful. If during our prayer time all we do is present Him with a laundry list of things we need, we will not be in the right spirit to hear from Him. We must be willing to be quiet and listen. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). If you are a parent and your earthly children only talk to you when they need something, how would that make you feel? 

Another way to draw close to Him is by reading His word. But not just reading the text but by understanding the heart of the text and the tone it which it was written. The more understanding we have of the word of God, the more we discover His character. Imagine you heard a rumor that someone you know very well said something completely out of character for them. You might respond by saying “that doesn’t sound like him/her,” well you would only know that because you know that person well. If we have a good understanding of the word of God, we will have a good idea of His character, so when we hear voices (in our mind or spirit) we will be able to determine whether it was from God or not. If you feel God is speaking to you about something, ask yourself how you feel about it. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33) so if it brings confusion, question it. He also will not speak to you in a condemning tone, if there is condemnation, or a “check” in your spirit, it may not be from Him. God’s word will bring peace even while disciplining us. So, if someone gives you a word of knowledge and it does not bring peace, then I would disregard it, or pray about it and if it is from God, He will confirm it in your spirit or send someone else to tell you so that you have confirmation it was from Him. A spoken word from God will never contradict the written word. 

One of the best ways to draw closer to Him is through worship. Worship comes in all shapes and sizes, but true intimacy is done in the Spirit (John 4:23-24). If you desire to be more closely acquainted with Jesus, you must be willing to be broken. Brokenness comes through humility, and not caring what others think. If we are unwilling to show emotion, we will never be able to tap into His presence completely. He is worthy of our worship and when we allow the walls of our hearts to be broken so He can enter, we cannot help but get emotional.

When I first learned how to worship, I was at a spirit filled church for the first time, my mind thought ‘these people are nuts” but my heart said, “this is what I have been looking for.” The more I attended church there I slowly felt more comfortable and began to be more animate. First, I would slightly raise my hands to about waist high. Then I would hold them a bit higher, eventually I did not care anymore and raised them to the sky (He deserved it). I would cry and cry because His love was entering my heart, it was liberating. Sadly, some do not allow themselves to get emotional and miss true intimacy with Christ. Others think that raising our hands or shouting out is just “showing off” but showing off what, that we love Jesus? I mean, we raise our hands and clap at sporting events, isn’t that showing off? We buy apparel of our favorite sports teams to “show off” who we support, so why would showing off our love for Jesus be different? If we are willing to get emotional and animated about a meaningless sport or concert, how much more worthy is Jesus of our praise and worship?

I promise you that if you allow yourself to step out of your comfort zone, you will be rewarded with more of His presence. He will wrap His love around you if you are willing to humble yourself and let Him. If you want to be free from sin, bondage or need healing, learn to worship Him, for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor 3:17). If you attend a spirit-filled church pay attention during worship, you will notice people swaying side to side, that is the Spirit, the Spirit has a supernatural flow and when you submit to Him, you will feel Him. I urge you to allow yourself to be moved by the Spirit and you will taste His goodness. He wants to set you free, but He will never force Himself upon you.  

Your Father in heaven loves you with an everlasting love and He made worship for you. He does not need our worship, He is not having an identity crisis. Angels sing over Him daily, He knows who He is. Worship is for us to experience His personality in our heart of hearts. God bless you.