Intimacy with God is not head knowledge of God. It is heart knowledge of who He is, His incredible love for you, what He’s done for you, how He sees you, and His wisdom and power that become real and alive to you throughout the day.
Even in the book of Daniel, we see that intimacy with God is the key to standing strong in uncertain times. When he prophesied future times of persecution, believers falling away and the defilement of all things holy to God, he stated that the people who knew their God (know Him intimately, that is, not just with head knowledge) would stand strong and be used mightily by God! “The people who know their God will display strength and take action” (Dan. 11:32).
When I think about intimacy with God, what comes to mind is experiencing a close connection with God that impacts every aspect of my life:
- I’m thinking what He thinks.
- I’m feeling what He feels.
- I’m speaking what He says.
- All throughout the day I’m dwelling on who He is, how much He loves me, what He’s done for me, how He sees me, how much He enjoys and desires to be with me every minute of the day.
- I’m allowing His love and how He sees me to permeate every thought, emotion, attitude, word and action of my day.
- I’m acting upon the wisdom of His Word and hearing His voice guide me.
- I’m aware of Him working in every little detail of my life.
- I’m seeing Him as my perfect Bridegroom, not just intellectually but emotionally and experientially.
- I’m aligning with His heart in all things.
Let’s take a look at why intimacy with God is your key anchor for standing strong and unshaken in these uncertain end times.
Intimacy With God Is Your Primary Purpose in Life
Life is really much simpler than we make it out to be. What do I mean by that? We make life so stressful and complicated by focusing on all we have to get done each day, the fears and the “what ifs,” all the things and people we wish we could change in our lives, families, communities, government and world in general. Then, on top of that, we add all of the technology that was intended to somehow simplify our lives. Instead, it has made us 100 times busier and more stressed out as a culture than we were 20 to 30 years ago! It used to be that when work was over at 5 or 6 p.m., it was over. Now we can never get away from it thanks to our modern conveniences of email, text and social media that carry with them the expectation of immediate response! It seems we are “on call” 24/7 to everyone and anyone’s request.
However, it is important to remember that the overload we all feel is not from God. He doesn’t make things complicated and high pressure for us. He’s not a God of confusion, but of clarity (1 Cor. 14:33). His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:30). God actually desires to simplify our lives, and contrary to many misperceptions we have of Him, He’s for us; He’s not out to crush us!
In fact, He’s made it clear that you only need to focus on one thing! In Luke 10:41-42, Jesus says, “you are anxious and troubled about many things”—That accurately describes me; how about you?—”But one thing is needed” (emphasis added). That “one thing” is intimacy with God, and again, it’s the key to standing strong in uncertain end times. {eoa}
The preceding is an excerpt from Excerpt Part 2 from Jeanne Nigro’s book, Unshaken: Standing Strong in Uncertain Times (Destiny Image, 2016).
Jeanne Nigro is a seasoned teacher, speaking at conferences, retreats, churches, congregations and professional organizations around the world, and through her television and radio programs, FACETS OF THE STONE. Her messages are relevant, practical and life-transforming whether she is bringing Old Testament truths to life, healing strongholds of the heart or preparing believers for Jesus’ return. She is passionate about leading her audiences to experience greater intimacy with God, mobilizing them out of fear, stress, apathy and frustration and into action and purpose in these uncertain times. Her blogs are regularly featured with the Messianic Times, Messianic Jewish Alliance of America and charismamag.com. For more about Jeanne, visit jeannenigro.com.
