God Wants an Intimate Relationship With You

Every morning, noon, or night you bow your head to pray; what do you say?

Jehovah Jireh, I need money?

Give me a good job?

Kill my enemies?

Or God abeg?

This isn’t to say it is wrong to do all of the above (except the third one, though 🤐). But if your prayer life is only active when there is a problem or you need something from God, there is already a critical problem.

See, the Lord’s Prayer, which is the prayer Jesus first taught His disciples to pray, goes thus:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,

Lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil,

For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and glory,

Forever.

I need you to ponder on each line. Think about how you could bring them home. And you’ll find that by the time you take each of these lines and make them heartfelt – upon a clear understanding of scriptures – you find Jesus hinting at intimacy with the Father.

If You Were Your Friend?

Sometimes, we lose sight of the loving relationship we can have with God and we only go to Him when we have a need. If this is you, don’t worry, I’m not condemning you. I’m just here to remind you that God did not bring us into His family by the death of His Son, only for us to come and fill our stomachs and pockets.

Imagine you had a friend who always only called when they had a dire need. They may try to show concern by exchanging pleasantries, but at the end of the day, the discussion always ends at their request. 

How would you feel when your phone rings and this person is at the other end of the line?

Satan Is Not Our Focus

Spiritual warfare is real – no doubt. As a believer, there would always be a need for you to rise in authority against the devil and his doings. But your prayer life must not be a response to what the devil is doing.

Listen, Jesus did not die for you to start fighting the devil. He has already fought the devil, made a public show of him, and has won the victory for you. You are meant to receive this victory and exercise yourself in it. You are not winning it. You are living in the victory of Jesus!!

So, your prayers should not be to pay attention to the devil and his actions. Instead, you are to pay attention to God and His agenda on the earth. In the process, you’ll always catch and rebuke the devil even before he and his allies act!

God Is

Prayer should be a medium to listen for the Father’s heartbeat and desire to do His will. It should be a platform to learn of Him and encounter Him on different dimensions. And hey, your reasons for wanting such encounters should never be to prove a point to your fellow man or to have something deep to post on social media. 

The reason a lot of people are beginning to doubt the existence and sovereignty of God is that they probably have always related to God from a transactional point of view. I praise and worship Him; He blesses me. I do work for Him; He shields me from the devil. I pay my tithes; He gives me more money.

But as soon as they get those things for which they approach God, that feeling of not needing God starts to pop into their minds. So it also becomes easier for them to agree with people who try to discredit God.

I also believe this is why marriages and relationships fail so woefully in this generation. You make me happy; we stay together. You meet my needs; I love you. No intimacy, no baring of souls, no vulnerability. And when needs are not met, separation drifts in.

But this isn’t what God wants.

According to the good pleasure of His will, He accepted us in the beloved Eph 1:6

God wants you to go to Him in adoration of His works, His ways, and His Word. He wants you to know you are loved so you can respond to His love. Your Father wants a loving, intimate relationship with you! Yes, He does!!

Practical Tips to Start This Lifelong Love Affair with God

Want to embrace and respond to God’s love in a place of intimate fellowship with Him? Try these tips. They work!

Talk to God Randomly

Walking on the street and a random thought crosses your mind? Turn that thought to God. Ask Him what do you think? How do you think I can do better? Why do I feel like this? Is there something you don’t like about this thought?

You don’t have to wait till you get to your room or church to talk to God. He is living inside you, for Christ’s sake! Ain’t that the most beautiful thing to know about the Person you want to get intimate with 😍 😍?

You may not hear an audible answer the first few times you do this, but with time, you’ll see God pointing out His own answers to you. It is not in His nature to turn down a gesture of intimacy from those He died to draw near. I promise!

Let Him Fill Your Day

Don’t be scared or ashamed of being called ‘churchy’ or ‘too spiritual.’ Always find a way to bring God into your day. Sing songs to Him from your heart. Talk about Him to someone. Ponder on His faithfulness in your life. You’ll find your heart drawing to Him when you do this – the same way you start to fall in love during talking stage.

Talk to God About Your day

The same way you would talk to your partner at the end of the day, narrating how what that woman said made you angry and how that boy thought he could take you for granted, talk to your Father.

Bring every emotion you felt (and feel) to Him, baring them and stripping them of all the self-righteous clothing other men may see. Tell Him, ‘ah, I got angry. Oh, and I wish I had slapped her. But I’m grateful You held me.’ Yes, God wants to relate with you on such level!

Sing Songs That Lead You Into Worship

…the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom 8:7

Now when you want to love on God in the place of prayer, your flesh will fight back – trust me on this one. At that point, you may start to struggle with focus. Don’t worry. It is typical of the flesh. That’s why it’s to be subdued.

To enjoy fellowship with God in prayer, you can usher yourself with songs. Songs that speak to your soul about the nature of God. Songs that drive home God’s promises and their fulfillment in your life. Melodies that make you realize how good God truly is. When you find your song for the moment, stay with it.

Catch the Spirit’s Promptings

Can you picture a man trying to get his wife to get intimate with him in the quiet of their matrimonial home?

Yeah?

The Holy Spirit can be like that too. Wooing us into intimacy. You’ll find Him dropping those thoughts in your Spirit; sometimes, songs and sounds will begin to come out of you unplanned. Please, if you ever notice the Holy Spirit doing this, stop what you’re doing, and go. Follow Him to that secret place. Sings those songs aloud – if possible. Give room for deep to call into deep. You’ll be fulfilled you did.

I said all these to say…

Sometimes, just go into God’s presence, leaving your prayer list at the door. Trust me, nothing is more refreshing than that. And do not forget that your Heavenly Father also knows you need the things on your list.