Intimacy With Christ

(written January 9th, 2007)
Sunday morning I was getting ready for church and I realized that I'd forgotten to read my Bible. Well there wasn't time so I grabbed "My Utmost For His Highest" it's always sitting by my bed. I thought "I'll just read the section for today, then I'll have a some Bible anyway." Well, I read it, and proceeded to think about it then whole rest of the day. It was really quite thought provoking.

January 7 -Intimate with Jesus

Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me? - JOHN 14:9

These words are not spoken as a rebuke, nor even with surprise; Jesus is leading Philip on. The last One with whom we get intimate is Jesus. Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One Who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (see Luke 10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come - "I have called you friends." Friendship is rare on earth. It means identity in thought and heart and spirit. The whole discipline of life is to enable us to enter into this closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we know Him? Jesus said, "It is expedient for you that I go away"- in a relationship, so that He might lead them on. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to step more intimately with Him. Fruit bearing is always mentioned as the manifestation of an intimate union with Jesus Christ.

(John 15:1-4). When once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely, we never need sympathy, we can pour out all the time without being pathetic. The saint who is intimate with Jesus will never leave impressions of himself, but only the impression that Jesus is having unhindered way, because the last abyss of his nature has been satisfied by Jesus. The only impression left by such a life is that of the strong clam sanity that Our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.

(The underlined part is what spoke the most to me.)

At church two different people both spoke about fortifications in our lives. Fortifications
that are held by Satan and the only way to conquer it was with God. O.k. kinda. I'm not relaying it correctly. This is what I wrote in my notebook: There are places in our souls that are fortifications can only be conquered by God. We have to submit ourselves to him and let him into those/that place in our soul. So, that's had me thinking for a while....