We can say we know the baker because he bakes our bread but do we really know him? We can say we know the cashier because he checks out our groceries, but do we really know him? We can say we know Jesus because he’s a refiner, he’s a transformer, he’s a deliverer, but do we know his hand of refinement, transformation, and deliverance?
Intimacy with God
James I (J. I.) Packer
Knowing God is more than knowing about Him; it is a matter of dealing with Him as He opens up to you, and being dealt with by Him as He takes knowledge of you. Knowing about Him is a necessary precondition of trusting in Him, but the width of our knowledge about Him is no gauge of our knowledge of Him.
A W Tozer
Paul Wilcox
Once I was praying and asked God to tell me about myself. He said you are like an oil lamp. Your body is the vessel, filled with oil, and the oil is the Holy Spirit. The wick is the Word. Trim the wick each day, cut off the old ashes of yesterday, pull up the wick (read some more to meditate on) for a bright flame. The flame is the Light of Christ, The Living Word, Jesus Himself. You are alive in me, and I am alive in you. Fire. Holy Fire. Illumination, warmth, joy, discernment, driving away darkness, yes, let there be Light.
Dan McCollam
In Psalm 46:1 He is called “an ever-present help in times of trouble.” It is the nature of God to stay fully present to every individual who desires His attention. As we lean in to Him, we learn to live in that part of His nature within us! Enjoy Emmanuel. “God with us, God in us, God for us in every situation.” Abiding in God, refusing to worry about time, and living in the now, bends the constricts of time and improves the quality of life.
John Mark Comer
Jesus came out of the wilderness with all sorts of clarity about his identity and calling. He was grounded. Centered. In touch with God and himself. From that place of emotional equilibrium and spiritual succor, he knew precisely what to say yes to and, just as importantly, what to say no to. Hence: as the Gospels go on, you quickly realize the quiet place was top priority for Jesus.
Jack Frost
When Christians value the Father more for what He can do for them than for intimacy and love, they eventually begin to seek to fulfill their own selfish desires rather than enjoy the relationship they have with God. Then, in order to fill the void that has been created, they seek comfort or identity in one or more of the counterfeit affections—power, possessions, position, people, places, performance, or passions of the flesh. This vicious cycle can continue until they realize that what they are lusting for will not satisfy them and that they have an unmet need for love and intimacy that only Father God’s embrace can fulfill.
Sally McClung
Robby Dawkins
The Lord wants to be pursued. He searches for people whose hearts are fully devoted to Him to share His secrets with, to share His glorious presence with, to reveal Himself to. Nothing matters like the Presence. Not position, not applause of men, not the fame of this world. None of it matters. Pursue the Presence and never let something else satisfy.
A W Tozer
The presence and the manifestation of the presence are not the same. There can be the one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His presence. On our part there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work it is to show us the Father and the Son. If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face.