I love it that God in His grace does not dictate the way we walk, talk and journey with Him. He is relational. And we can relate to Him in a way that is personal to us—or in the way that we most need to at any given time.
There are seasons in which God reveals Himself to us in a different capacity. When we receive that fresh revelation of Him, we get to know and love Him in a deeper way.
- And by [Holy Spirit] we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Rom 8:15b)
- ‘For your Maker is your husband…’ (Is 54:5a)
- ‘…I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.’ (John 15:15b)
When we most need a Friend, God is there for us. He is Father to the fatherless, Husband to the widow, and Deliverer of the weak. He is our warrior-King, our Shepherd, our Lord.
When one pathway to intimacy is closed for any reason—for example due to hurt or abuse or even cultural and social conditioning—there is always another open. [1] He is continually working to bring healing to us in order that we can know Him fully.
He wants you to know that He is safe. He is your protector, He loves you and you can trust Him.
Intimacy with Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit
The glory and mystery of God is that He is Three—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and yet He is One. We can walk and talk with Him as our Father, and we can also intimately relate to Jesus and to the Spirit. We can speak to Him as One—and we can also learn to distinguish the unique voice of our Father, of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is our guide to knowing God and to the way we can relate to the Father, to Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit.
In our intimacy with the Father, we relate to Him as our Father, our Abba God. (Rom 8:15) Our relationship with Him is one of a son or daughter with our Heavenly Father.
In our close relationship with Jesus we can know Him as Friend, Brother, Bridegroom, Beloved—as our King, Saviour, Healer and so much more. It will take more than our lifetime to discover all Scripture reveals that Jesus is, in relation to us.
Some of the ways we can intimately relate to the Holy Spirit include:
- As Comforter and Helper—the One who comes alongside us. (John 14:16)
- Our Teacher and Guide (John 16:13)
- The Anointing Who is within to lead us, but Who also comes upon us to empower (1 John 2:27, Acts 10:38, Luke 4:18)
- As our Prayer Partner (Rom 8:26)
- As God’s Intimate Presence with us (John 15:15-18)
There is More
We must never make the mistake of believing that if we have encountered God in one way, and had a significant revelation of Him in one aspect of His Personhood, that everyone else should relate to Him in exactly the same way.
And if you relate to God in one way that is significant to you, don’t feel intimidated or condemned because someone else has a different relationship with Him.
However, God will use your own personal revelation and experience of Him to impart something unique to others.
Your intimate walk with God will inspire others and cause them to hunger for more. Through your testimony, people will hear God’s invitation to go deeper in relationship with Him.
No matter how you have known and encountered God in the past, there is always more. As this year begins, God is inviting you to know Him more fully, and to walk with Him more closely.
Questions for reflection
- How do you mostly relate to God in this moment or season of your life?
- Is there a way of relating to Him that you have previously found difficult, in which He is bringing healing to you?
- Is the Holy Spirit stirring in your life to strengthen your relationship with God in a particular way?
- Can you sense God calling you closer, to know Him and spend time with Him as Father, Beloved, King, Friend—or in another way?
Notes:
1. ‘The Shack’ by William P Young is a great book to read if you can relate to experiencing trauma or abuse in a human relationship (or life in general) that has affected your ability to relate to God. Note it is a story-parable, not a teaching book.
Related Posts:
How to Have an Intimate Friendship with God
How to Discover Your Spiritual Pathway
How You can Have an Intimate Relationship with the Holy Spirit
7 Ways to Grow in Intimacy with the Holy Spirit
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries:
While driving home the other day, i came to a roundabout and and i sensed a stirring in my spirit as i read the business name of the car in front of me.
“Direct connect” we make moving easier.I was not sure at the time what God was saying so i put it on the back burner.When i arrived home i sat and chatted with my wife, and she said,” Mandy the rep from direct connect came to see me at work today”[my ears pricked up] “Whenever she comes to see me she always brings a gift, today it was a bar of chocolate”,”we had a laugh together as it had melted”.”The warning light had been on in her car indicating the battery needed changing,she had been putting it of ,3 times now”.”She had popped into the shop to buy lunch and the bar of chocolate,upon returning to the car it would not start, the battery finally gave out”.”By the time the sevice vehicle arrived to replace the battery,the chocolate had melted”.
A brief summary. If there is something in your life that you need to attend to or change,don’t put it off,as this will cause a delay and spoil the gift which you carry.This is one of the many ways God speaks to me,first one wat then another,[Job 33:14]
If my eyes are open and my ears are listening, i can see and hear more affectively, Blessings.
Wow, that’s awesome David, a real life parable, orchestrated by the Holy Spirit!
A great lesson, and also a reminder that we can be tuned in to the Holy Spirit throughout our daily life and be open to hear what God is saying to us.
I smiled when you mentioned God speaking to you through the name on the car as Holy Spirit often speaks to me through words and signs as I am going about 🙂
I feel really exited that the Lord has said that the Holy Spirit is pursuing us.This fits
in with what is happening in my life.I
experienced the Holy spirit’s prescience
but didn’t try to get to know him as I was
afraid it would take away my pursuit of
Jesus.Sound’s silly but I didn’t realise that
the Holy Spirit wanted to have a relationship with me.Then,one day I started to pray and I heard the Lord say
‘Welcome the Holy Spirit ‘.So I just told the Holy Spirit I welcomed him and every time I pray I do that.I am getting to know the Holy Spirit as my friend and helper
and I want to know him more.This has
transformed my relationship with Jesus
and the Father in every way.The Lord once said to me’the spirit desires intensly’
and i’m Starting to experience that but I
want more!About relationship and intimacy.At the time of the Toronto blessing The Father called me to join in
partnership with him to pray for what’s on his heart.I was getting to know Jesus,
and although I was praying for what was on the Father’s heart,I couldn’t cope with getting to know the Father too so I kept him at a distance.I thought he just wanted me to pray,like a praying machine!One day I was ill and couldn’t pray and told God that.I felt an inner
‘Caress’and heard God say’ I want you first before prayer’.Wow!God wanted me!So I started to pursue the Father .I have never forgotten that the Lord wants us first,he wants intimacy with us,before anything we can do for Him.I Hope this helps others.God the Father,Son and Holy Spirit,love you and want you first
before anything else.His desire is for you.