You have to know someone intimately to be familiar with the desires of his or her heart.
And you have to be in close proximity to hear your friend express a quiet wish.
But it takes more than intimacy, and more than proximity, to move you to sacrifice your own priorities in favour of those of your friend.
Only love will move you to lay down your life.
Such was the love of three of David’s mighty men who were close enough to hear him say, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
Unbidden, the three warriors broke through enemy lines at risk of their lives to fulfil David’s wish. (2 Samuel 23:13-17)
How to Have Intimacy With The Holy Spirit
Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. (Romans 8:5)
There is a lot of talk about the Holy Spirit in Christian circles today.
Many of us have a great longing to see the Holy Spirit move, or for His power to be released to bring healing, deliverance, signs and miracles.
Kathryn Kuhlman once said,
‘There are literally thousands and thousands in the great charismatic movement who have never become acquainted with the person of the Holy Spirit, only with His gifts.’ [1]
And sadly, that statement is as true today as it was then.
So the question I am asking of you and myself today in response to this statement is, ‘Are you one of the many—the ‘thousands and thousands’—or one of the few?’
Many times we talk about ‘using’ the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
But there is another way of life possible—where we allow the Holy Spirit to ‘use’ us.
This way of living is only going to happen when we give Him leadership of our lives.
- When we so value His Presence with us, and the relationship that we have with Him, that we cannot bear for anything to come between us.
- When we are listening, ready for the sound of His voice
- When we have so become attuned to Him as a Person—to His desires and what grieves and pleases Him…
…that we will respond accordingly [2].
The Fellowship of the Spirit
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. (2 Cor 13:14)
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity—God living in and with us.
He is not merely an impersonal power. The New Testament reveals the Spirit to be a Person with will, mind and emotions.
As well as empowering us, the Holy Spirit communicates and fellowship with us. He guides, teaches, helps, assures and comforts us. [3]
The Holy Spirit is God up close and personal.
The Ungrieved Presence of the Holy Spirit
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph 4:30)
Many years ago I read the story of a Chinese scholar-turned-pastor called Hsi [4]. It made a lasting impression upon me.
Pastor Hsi ministered deliverance to a troubled young man called K’ong at a conference.
A missionary who saw Hsi minister in the power of the Spirit pressed a large sum of money into his hands, as a gift towards his ministry.
Hsi received the cash without praying as to whether or not he should accept it. Immediately he felt uncomfortable.
As he went to pray about the matter, Hsi heard cries as the demonised man became uncontrollable once more.
No longer fearing Hsi, the demons in K’ong taunted him, saying ‘You have no power to control me any more.’
Realising that his soul’s response to the money had affected his ability to minister in the Spirit, Hsi went to the donor and returned the cash. He confessed that the sudden possession of a large sum of money had ‘come between his soul and God.’
Immediately he went to where K’ong was causing the commotion and quietly commanded the demons to be quiet and leave—with immediate and effective results.
Pastor Hsi later summed up this painful lesson with the words,
‘The ungrieved presence of the Holy Spirit is more to be desired than abundance of gold and silver.’
7 Ways To Begin An Intimate Relationship With The Holy Spirit
Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love? (James 4:5, AMP)
I want to have the kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit that Kathryn Kuhlman experienced—and that Hsi valued.
If this kind of relationship with the One who is God present with you, the Holy Spirit, is what you want, here are some steps to help you move closer to Him:
1. Realise that such a relationship—fellowship with the Holy Spirit—is possible
2. Hunger and thirst for intimacy with Him
3. Learn all you can about the Holy Spirit. Study His role, purpose, names, likes and dislikes from Scripture
4. Pray—ask to know Him more and for Him to fill you
5. Make a decision to go deeper in your relationship with God—to be more available to Him
6. Desire sensitivity to the Holy Spirit—and begin to practice it
7. Allow God to put His finger on anything in your life that displeases the Holy Spirit—and deal with it
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Cor 1:21)
When I stand before the Father on that Day, He may ask me,
“What did you do with what I entrusted to you—your gifts and talents, your time, opportunities, relationships, and call?”
But there is another question He may ask that is currently challenging me:
“What did you do with the One I sent you?”
Notes:
[1] A Glimpse Into Glory, by Kathryn Kuhlman with Jamie Buckingham
[2] Recommended Reading: Romans 8
[3] Recommended Reading: John chapters 14-16
[4] From “One of China’s Scholars” by Howard Taylor
Related Post: 7 Ways to Grow in Intimacy with the Holy Spirit
Welcome to the School of Intimacy and Prayer
Would you like to grow in intimacy with the Holy Spirit in the context of prayer?- Does the thought of being empowered in prophetic prayer stir you?
A significant amount of the teaching on the School of Intimacy and Prayer is devoted to developing your relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The Enliven School of Intimacy and Prayer is an online video course that can be completed at your own pace, and you can find out more here.
© Helen Calder
Enliven Ministries: in the David McCracken Ministries family
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
thank you Helen. i v really learnt a lot.
Dear Helen,
It is my greatest desire and longing to see the Lord face to face. Although I try to spend lot of time with Him, sometimes I find it difficult to focus because of distractions as I am working in a private firm here in Mumbai in India. My desire is to work for the Lord.But I have to work and earn my living and in this job there are lot of struggle,warfare and distractions. I am praying for a mighty spiritual and financial breakthru so that I can focus on Lord and spend lot of time with Him. I accepted the Lord in 2005 and I have not yet been baptised in the Holy Spirit.I also have a strong intense desire for the gift of discernment to see in the spirit realm. Pls join with me in prayer for all these to happen in my life and for mighty spiritual and financial break thru so that I don’t have to depend on anybody but God.There are no good local churches here who teach us and train us in all these things.Parvati
I recommend this Shulamite Society page on Facebook. Markus Davidson is a pastor of church in TX with emphasis on preparing to be the Bride of Christ. Emphasis on intimacy with Him in the Song of Solomon. He has written two books, Becoming the Beloved and Breaking the Seal.
Hi Mary Ann, the book looks interesting – is it available as an eBook?
Sorry I removed the link as because it’s a closed group I cannot review it (to ensure we can recommend it to our readers).
Hi Parvati, thank you for leaving the message. God has given you the hunger to see His face and spend time with Him. It sounds as though you have a desire to be baptised in the Holy Spirit but do not believe that you have received this yet. I encourage you to believe that Jesus has already given you the Spirit and receive the fullness of the baptism by faith, begin to thank and praise Him for it and the full manifestation of God’s Presence and power will be released in your life.
Sometimes it can be hard to earn for a living but I believe God uses and blesses the work you are doing. The Bible says, ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.’ (Col 3:23-24)…so you are already working with and serving God and can experience His Presence and intimacy with Him during those times you are working with Him. Don’t be in a hurry for change but expect God’s Presence where you are. He will lead you in His time, should you have a call to full-time ministry. I do agree with you in prayer, that you will receive breakthroughs in your life and for increase in your faith.
i like these and i need more of it
esp.everyday manna as email
I seriously hunger & thirst for intimate relationship with God, Jesus & Holy Spirit
I have been advised by Christian friends to seek the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
And I would like help and guidance as to how best I can do this.
I have recently survived a heart attack, 5 months ago, during that time others I know have been called home, I believe God has a purpose for me and am determined to find it.
I’ve been a Christian for nearly 50 years but am determined to walk in God’s way but would like help and direction.
The answer is seeking to Know Him and Love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your physical strength, as in seeking to fulfill and obey the Greatest Commandment. He will come to you and invite you into His Secret Place if you search for Him with all your heart and get lovesick for Him. When you know and experience His love this way, you can then love others as you yourself are viewed and loved by God, which fulfills the second greatest commandment.
Hi Eric, desire and having a hunger is the best place to start, but I think I’m hearing you ask, what are some practical ways to do this? What does it look like?
You are seeking increased sensitivity to Him as a person, this means developing your ability to hear His voice, and to respond to Him. Sense His nearness, know what is on his heart.
Be open to the many different ways that He speaks, find the special times and places that you best connect with God. Develop sensitivity by journaling or finding another way to record what He may be saying to you. You are right, God does have a purpose for your life and the highest one is relationship with Him. You have a wonderful opportunity to be an example of a man walking with God. Be powerfully blessed in the journey and feel free to leave any questions here.
https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2015/01/27/10-ways-you-can-hear-gods-voice/
https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/07/05/how-to-discover-your-spiritual-pathway/
https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/category/journaling/
Hi Helen,
You seem to have been able to read between the lines and understand what I’m trying to say, I’m quite a tactile/practical person and that may be why I struggle a bit with the Holy Spirit. Also in my early years I was brought up in the Brethren where the Holy Spirit was not talked about much. I believe in Him! I believe He is in me! I am totally committed to the trinity. When I think of God I can conjure a picture of an awesome, might God on His throne, I can easily picture Jesus sitting talking to his 12 friends and the various people we hear about in the bible, but I can’t seem to get a picture of the Holy Spirit and that is what makes it hard to have fellowship with Him.
When I prepare a talk for church I can feel God (Holy Spirit) suggest to me the way the talk should go and what I should say but I tend to feel this is God speaking to me not the Holy Spirit. I have made a conscious decision that I will make myself available for whatever God has in store for me, by whatever method He wants to use to give it to me. I want to get rid of all the prejudices that I have build up over the years, (to know Him and the power of His resurrection).
I’ve gone into a bit of a ramble as I do sometimes, my enthusiasm takes over. Thanks again for your help and for taking the time to reply to me.
God bless
Eric
Hi Eric, thank you for leaving your thoughts, I really appreciate it. In fact, it has set off a whole morning today of thoughts and prayer regarding developing intimacy with the Holy Spirit – from the practical viewpoint. I will certainly be sharing more on the blog on this topic in the near future.
The Bible shares the basis for relating to the Holy Spirit, and especially relating to Him in His role – you reminded me of this article I wrote a while back which you may find helpful in this regard: https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2014/01/14/relational-pathways-to-intimacy-with-god/
what i have experienced is this,when I am intimacy with the holy spirit there are some certain things I wouldn’t do,not that i can’t do it but not allowed to do it by the holy spirit.Even when am chatting with friends,spending more time ,i do hear him telling me to log out and go and pray.I am not wearing ear ring,weavon etc not that i dont like it but its a warning from holyspirit.Though i want to be more deep.
Hi Chiddima, developing the kind of sensitivity you mention is a wonderful place to start
I yearn for an audible. Response from the holy spirit is that asking too much
Hi Jamal, I think it is always great to hunger for more of God, His manifestations and gifts. But highest and best to hunger for the Person of the Spirit Himself, however He chooses to manifest, even His still small voice will delight our hearts.