Knowing Jesus intimately

[reformedct]

I have been paying a lot of attention to David and his relationship with God. What passion! What zeal! His soul was consumed and desperately love-sick for God. If he couldnt feel the prescence of God his soul was ravaged. Have any of you all got to this point of relationship with God? My Christianity has been dry and focused on keeping commandments, which is all good, but i think i have missed the most important thing, to feast on my God, at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore and fullness of joy.

If you would like to share any tips or testimonies to really knowing Jesus in a way that inspires passion and zeal by all means please share!

[theBelovedDisciple]

I have been paying a lot of attention to David and his relationship with God. What passion! What zeal! His soul was consumed and desperately love-sick for God. If he couldnt feel the prescence of God his soul was ravaged. Have any of you all got to this point of relationship with God? My Christianity has been dry and focused on keeping commandments, which is all good, but i think i have missed the most important thing, to feast on my God, at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore and fullness of joy.

If you would like to share any tips or testimonies to really knowing Jesus in a way that inspires passion and zeal by all means please share!

I love the Psalms.. and if you were to meet David.. he would be a normal person just like you and I....

As a young Chrisitian I had a yearning and a strong to desire to 'know' the One who Set me free and Delivered me in 1994...

My Experience is that He took me down a path that I did not 'know' He would take me..it was a path that included much suffering, rejection, ridicule, public mocking, and false accusation.. brokeness and very humbling circumstances.... Did I grow and get closer to Him.. Oh Yes... Did I walk perfectly thru those times without mistakes.. no.. But He was there to pick me up and He carried Me most of the time.. upon His Broad Scarred and Striped shoulders...

Today I 'know' He ordained those situations... knowing my hearts desire was to get close to Him.. for me this is the way He did it.. Its made me stronger today and trusting in Him in everything... and I 'know' Him today and there is nothing that can separate me from Him.... This place also brought me to the 'foot of the Cross'.. and He Revealed to me just how Great the Victory was there.. thru His Humility and Obedience..

If you want to 'know' Him more.. I would suggest.. and this is just my .02.. look to the Cross.. and Look to the One who hung on it.. Alot of the time.. we tell ourselves.. we can do it on our power... but if you look to the Cross and are seated at the base of it... The Cross and God will tell you .. You can't do it on your own... but if You Trust in what I've done for you... then I'll call you My Friend.. Its a very humbling place.. I know today had I been alive at Jesus's Crucifixtion.. I would of been just like John.. standing at the foot of it.. probably weeping.. but 'knowing' in my 'heart'.. that He promised.. that He would 'rise' 3 days later...

Pauls desire was to 'know' nothing more than Christ and Him Crucified..

When seated at the foot of it.. You will Grow closer to Him.. and understand the Great Victory He had there.. and How much He has done for you...

It will purge out the 'i can do it ' on my own attitude out of people and repalce it with...


Yes Lord... Here I am....... where can you send Me with your
Message..

[Indueseason]

I love the Psalms of David!! How he understood what its like to have more passion in your heart for God than you know what to do with! He knew what it felt like to thirst and pant for the Lord, just as the deer pants for the water (Psalm 42) Sometimes I feel crazy to have such a passion for my glorious Lord, then I turn to the psalms and feel normal again! No wonder the Lord said he was a man after His own heart, what love, what worship, what adoration!! David knew and loved God and didn't care who knew it!

2 Samuel 6:

12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. 14 Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

He knew the Lord! Thats all it took! He studied His word and his understanding of the character of God grew. He also saw His faithfulness and mercy in his own life, and that just filled his heart with thankfulness and adoration!

IMO, you cannot abide in Christ and not adore Him! Wow! I stand in awe of His love and faithfulness every day! I covet my quiet times, when it's just me and the Lord! When I open His word and He shares Himself with me! Man, just the thought gets me excited! My favorite Psalm is 63, its like David saw into my heart!



Psalm 63
A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Ok, so I'm ranting, sorry I can't help myself with this subject! I would suggest you do a study on the character of God, then really meditate and dwell on these truths. Once those truths really hit your heart, you heart will be singing worship songs to the Lord forever more!!! Worship and adore the Living God for He is worthy of so much more than we give!

blessings

[reformedct]

these posts have been beautiful! if only Christians would stop arguing over such minor things and that we would all gaze on a terrifying, glorious, loving, merciful, awesome, and powerful God!

i want to know God in a way that gets me excited! ive been in too many churches where it is so dull and dry and everyone is sitting still with a sour look on their face. Ive observed how us men act when we are watching the Super Bowl. Isnt God bigger, better, and more amazing than a Super Bowl? Looks like my worship and knowledge of God needs to grow deeper!

i mean, look at the apostles. they get nearly beat to death and they get up FULL OF JOY??? they get thrown in prison and SING SONGS TO GOD? these are MEN we are talking about! Men who worked normal trade jobs, fishing and such. Paul says he counted everything as rubbish for the sake of knowin Christ. They went through shipwreck and persecution. I hear it is reported hat Peter even asked that they not crucify him upright but rather upside down because he was not worthy to die like his Master.


This is the relationship i want with God. i want what these guys had. i just pray that i can get there soon by Gods grace

[Brother Mark]

I have been paying a lot of attention to David and his relationship with God. What passion! What zeal! His soul was consumed and desperately love-sick for God. If he couldnt feel the prescence of God his soul was ravaged. Have any of you all got to this point of relationship with God? My Christianity has been dry and focused on keeping commandments, which is all good, but i think i have missed the most important thing, to feast on my God, at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore and fullness of joy.

If you would like to share any tips or testimonies to really knowing Jesus in a way that inspires passion and zeal by all means please share!

Amen!!!! Intimacy with God is what we were created for. It's not only David, but Asaph and many others. God is looking for those that will worship him in spirit and in truth. All too often we focus on the mind for truth and completely miss the spirit part. God told Abraham "I am your exceeding great reward". Unfortunately, most of us have no clue what that means.

To know God is to love Him. We know about him like we know about Abraham Lincoln. But God has called us to KNOW him. Once we know him, then we cannot help but sing about Him and enjoy His presence.

Grace and peace,

Mark

[Brother Mark]

This is the relationship i want with God. i want what these guys had. i just pray that i can get there soon by Gods grace

Brother you have it. It just hasn't been awakened in you yet. But we have all things pertaining to life and Godliness. Seek to know God and lay aside all preconceived ideas. Jesus came to make those that are blind see and those that see become blind. Get blind and dumb before God and watch him show you great and mighty things! Worship him with your soul (emotions), mind, strength (joy), and heart (inner being). It will happen when you really know God's heart.

What an exciting post! When I read your post I just about had a fit, the good kind.

[Equipped_4_Love]

i mean, look at the apostles. they get nearly beat to death and they get up FULL OF JOY??? they get thrown in prison and SING SONGS TO GOD? these are MEN we are talking about! Men who worked normal trade jobs, fishing and such. Paul says he counted everything as rubbish for the sake of knowin Christ. They went through shipwreck and persecution. I hear it is reported hat Peter even asked that they not crucify him upright but rather upside down because he was not worthy to die like his Master.

This is the relationship i want with God. i want what these guys had. i just pray that i can get there soon by Gods grace

You know what's weird, but so encouraging?! In spite of the zeal and the all-consuming passion of the early disciples, according to Jesus, we are more blessed than they:

John 20:29
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I can completely relate to Beloved_Disciple in this matter. It seems like much of my walk with the Lord has been plagued with internal suffering and heartache. I haven't really experienced persecution from the outside, but I have experienced what seems to be a lot of inner turmoil.

Even so, I have this hungering to draw closer and closer to God, and the closer I draw, the more I hunger for Him.....it's as though I can never draw close enough to God to satisfy my inner longing, which can be discouraging sometimes.

Sometimes, it seems as though the closer I draw to God, the more my suffering is magnified. This creates a real dependency on Him, which is very scary for me, because I have real abandonment issues. As we know that all things work together for good, the only thing I can conclude is that God is using this for some higher purpose.

[daughter]

Love is not just a feeling, it's actions as well. I've had times in my Christian walk (coming up to three years, so I'm not the most experienced Christian in the world) when I've been absolutely filled with love for Jesus, completely crushed by awe at what He's done.

And I've had times when I've gone numb, and haven't been able to feel anything.

All I know is to keep seeking Him. When I'm dry, I still seek Him, when I stumble, I still seek Him.

I've been studying psalm 119 in depth, and it truly helps to know that such a one as David had to beg God to keep him on the right path. Keep pleading with Him. He will draw near to you.

My own experience is that it was when I was most crushed, most abject, that I've felt His presence most. And there have been times when I could almost plead with Him to back off, because the glory is too heavy... I don't know if that makes sense. Then, when it is gone, I miss it.

He gives us tastes and glimpses now, and sometimes we do have to go through a spiritual desert before He'll pour out His glory on us.

I'm not talking about anything charismatic, I'm just talking about reading the Bible, and weeping at every word, or praying and not being able to speak for His presence, not being able to get off the floor. Then there are times when you pray, and you feel like you're talking to thin air.

Keep on seeking Him, keep on shedding anything in you that is displeasing to Him, and just trust that He will come to you. He already has you in the palm of His hand.

[Indueseason]

I agree with with what theBelovedDisciple and Welder4Christ has said. My walk over the last twelve years has been a hard one. I have experienced rejection from those I love most, had major health issues and been forced to surrender all my material possessions more than once. I think I've probably spent more time in those twelve years in the refiners fire than anywhere else. Yet in that time the Lord has revealed Himself to me. His love and is faithfulness has became so clear to me! When I had nothing, I had Him and His loving hands carried me. I have truly learned that as long as I have Christ, I need nothing else!

That HE IS ENOUGH!!

With all the heartache and pain, I've seen miracles! I've seem His hand change and restore things in before my very eyes! It's been worth every minute! Oh how He is worthy of all our praise!

I am now in a huge refiners fire. I have lost my family and my health in just a few short months. Without the Lord there would seem to be no hope, but there is always hope with God! His righteous right hand is upon me and I'm safe in the Potters hand! I will trust in Him and Him alone, for He's never let me down before and His character will not allow it to happen now! My pain and suffering draws me closer to His glorious throne and that satisfies my need to know Him more! Oh to know Him more!!

When your completely dependant on God, then He will show Himself strong. After that all you can do is worship Him in adoration and surrender to His perfect will and plan! May He be glorified and magnified though my life!! What else really matters?

blessings

[Equipped_4_Love]

Hi, Indueseason;

I will be praying for you.

[Partaker of Christ]

Please bare with me, as this is a bit of a long post.

Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
Jer 1:10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

Before we can build and plant, we have to pluck up, break down, destroy and overthrow.

Christianity, is not a work of 'renovation'. It is not a work of improvements. Not a patching up of new cloth on old cloth, or new wine in old wine skins..

Behold I make ALL things new.

The right foundation has to be laid. Many try and build a new build on the old foundation. Many do not build a new build, they just try to renovate or improve what stands. Even others just build an extension to the old building.

Many many years ago my wife asked if I loved her. I said of course I love you, why do you ask?
She said that because I did not do ABC and XYZ, she doubted that my love for her was a deep love.
I assured that I loved her with all my heart. If she wanted me to do ABC and XYZ, it would not be a genuine love. I would be pretending a love that was not genuine love.

One day I was at home having some quiet time, and some of the beautiful songs that we sang in church were in my thoughts. Songs of how 'I love you Lord' with all my heart, what I would do and give the Lord etc: Then it struck me, that I was singing a lie. 'Do I really love you Lord' that much? The answer was a clear NO.
The Lord said "If you love me, you will keep my commandments"
Well, yes I loved the Lord, and yes (as best I could) I would keep His commandments. But the ABC and XYZ were not with a genuine love.

You see God wants' an honest heart, and with all honesty I admitted to the Lord, that I only loved Him so much. The ABC and XYZ was not a genuine love.

So, were am I going with this?
We all a finite people, who have different limits. I am a physically strong person. If Christianity was measured by physical strength, I would be a more useful Christian then many others. I am quite dim intellectually, and if Christianity was measured on intellect, I would be way down the line of usefulness. I am about mid height, and if Christianity was measured by our height, I would have some usefulness. The same with love. I have so much love, but others have a greater love then I, and others have less love then I do. Some people have a much stronger 'will' power then others. I have a weak will power.

The thing is, no matter how strong we are, how intellect we are, how tall we are, or how great is our love, we are all still very limited. God is not a hard task master like Pharaoh was. He does not ask us to build bricks without straw.

God, does not add to our strength. He does not add to our intellect. He does not add to our height. He does not add to our will power. He does not add to our love. God is infinite and without limits. He 'replaces' our strength, with His strength. He 'replaces' our intellect, with His knowledge and wisdom. He 'replaces' our love with His Love. He 'replaces' us, with Christ in us.

It is no longer I that lives, but Christ in me.

Just as the narrow gate is Jesus Christ, and only Jesus Christ, so the narrow path is Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ.

The gate is not Jesus Christ + I, and the way is not Jesus Christ + I.
It is 'Christ' in you, that is the hope of glory.

'I' must decrees, and 'HE' must increase. I recon myself dead.
To deny the self, is to disown the self.