{"id":4085,"date":"2022-10-25T22:54:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T02:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=4085"},"modified":"2023-02-27T22:19:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T03:19:25","slug":"kept-day-and-night-even-when-we-feel-unprotected-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-3-3-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=4085","title":{"rendered":"Enjoying Unhindered Intimacy with God"},"content":{"rendered":"

Identifying and Eliminating what Hinders our Fellowship with the One Who Made Us.<\/h2>\n

The Story<\/span><\/h3>\n

Could a former addict, who lost his job and almost his family, now enjoy unhindered intimacy with the Creator of the universe? You might not think so, but think again.<\/p>\n

A couple of months ago, at a Saturday morning men\u2019s breakfast, a brother, I\u2019ll call him George, shared about his life of addiction, which held him captive for many years. Tearfully, George shared how tough love, accountability and God\u2019s grace transformed his life. With a gleam in his eye, he declared that he now enjoys unhindered intimacy with God.<\/p>\n

Those of us who were at the breakfast were very thankful for George\u2019s honest vulnerability. It took great courage to admit his weakness, but we all saw how in his weakness, Christ showed Himself as strong. Too often men hide behind thin veneers of outward goodness, while inside, joy withers and souls dry out.<\/p>\n

Men need to be brave enough to talk about deeper subjects than sports, cars, and fishing. That morning, George’s vulnerability led to more meaningful, transformative connections and conversations.<\/p>\n

We men need to fight for this level of openness. It starts with our own courage to stop hiding and talk about our struggles. This is the gift George gave us that morning.<\/p>\n

Since then, I’ve explored\u00a0George’s phrase, “unhindered intimacy,” and would like to share what I’ve discovered.<\/p>\n

Intimate Fellowship<\/span><\/h3>\n

What is intimate fellowship?<\/p>\n

God is faithful, through whom you were\u00a0called into\u00a0fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (I Corinthians 1:9<\/strong>).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Our fellowship involves a deep association with Christ, a community with Him and a joint participation.<\/p>\n

But what hinders our enjoyment of this intimate fellowship?<\/p>\n

The Hinderances<\/span><\/h3>\n

Distractions<\/span><\/h4>\n

These days, they are far too many screens to capture our attention. Even in our times with God, they cry out, offering politics, sports, TV, short video reels and the like. These and other distractions invade our souls with noise and crowd our minds. We tend to suffer from a lack of intentional solitude.\u00a0<\/p>\n

May we be less like Martha and more like Mary. Less bothered and worried about what we do and more resting in the Lord as we love and serve.<\/p>\n

38<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named\u00a0Martha welcomed Him into her home.<\/em>\u00a039\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>She had a sister called\u00a0Mary, who was\u00a0seated at the Lord\u2019s feet, listening to His word.\u00a040\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>But\u00a0Martha was distracted with\u00a0all her preparations; and she came up\u00a0to Him\u00a0and said, \u201cLord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.\u201d\u00a041\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>But the Lord answered and said to her,\u00a0\u201cMartha, Martha, you are\u00a0worried and bothered about so many things;\u00a042\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>but\u00a0only\u00a0one thing is necessary, for\u00a0Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her\u201d (Luke 10:38-42<\/strong>)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

False Affections<\/span><\/h4>\n

We were created with an eternal hole in our hearts which only God can fill.[1] But, we tend to dedicate our lives trying to plug the void with temporal, fragile, fleeting pleasures. We are tricked into thinking these false affections, such as substances, porn, gluttony, achievements, possessions, and even human relationships, will quiet our longing souls.<\/p>\n

The truth of the matter is the these impostures only hinder our intimacy with our Creator. We can’t depend on any earthly thing, including our closest relationships, to make us feel okay. God alone must be our Highest Joy.<\/p>\n

You have put\u00a0gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound (Psalm 4:7<\/strong>).<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Guilt and Shame<\/span><\/h4>\n

The guilt and shame of sin can make us feel unlovable and unworthy. As we pursue holiness, we can never depend upon our own strength to become like Jesus. Depending on God’s Holy Spirit within us is how transformation happens, not by our own strength.<\/p>\n

Similarly, we can never depend on our own righteousness as the entrance into intimate fellowship with God. Any misunderstanding of the efficacy of Christ\u2019s sacrifice for our salvation clouds us with guilt and shame, which hinders our approach to Father God.<\/p>\n

We must not allow the enemy to hide God\u2019s love and forgiveness from us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/sup>If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all\u00a0 (I John 1:9 <\/strong>NASB).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (Romans 8:1<\/strong>).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus says that the more we are forgiven, the more we love.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>46\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>You (Simon) did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.\u00a047\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.\u201d\u00a048\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Then He said to her,\u00a0\u201cYour sins have been forgiven\u201d (Luke 7:46-48 <\/strong>NASB).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Doubt of God\u2019s Love and Care<\/span><\/h4>\n

How many times have we heard or thought,\u00a0 “How could a loving God allow this or that to happen?”<\/p>\n

After all, didn\u2019t Paul say:<\/p>\n

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28<\/strong> NASB).<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But what is our good? Is it pleasant circumstances? Is God’s purpose for us to live a comfortable life? The verse below gives us the answer.<\/p>\n

For those whom He\u00a0foreknew, He also\u00a0predestined\u00a0to become\u00a0conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the\u00a0firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29 <\/strong>NASB).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

God\u2019s purpose for us is to make us more like Jesus.<\/p>\n

In the verses below, Paul despaired even of life. But, he saw God at work for His greater purpose of causing Paul to trust God and not himself.<\/p>\n

8<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>For\u00a0we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our\u00a0affliction which came\u00a0to us\u00a0in\u00a0Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;<\/em>\u00a09<\/sup><\/strong>indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (II Corinthians 1:8-9 <\/strong>NASB).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In Conclusion<\/span><\/h3>\n

Because of Christ\u2019s sacrifice on our behalf, we have been given the ability to have unhindered intimacy with Almighty God.<\/p>\n

To enjoy our fellowship:<\/p>\n

We must fight distractions and pursue unhurried time alone with God.<\/p>\n

We must not allow any affection to supplant God as our Highest Joy.<\/p>\n

As we follow Jesus, we must not allow guilt and shame to discourage us from communing with God.<\/p>\n

We must remember the power of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf to take away our sin and grant us His righteousness.<\/p>\n

We must not forget that God is at work to give us the freedom and joy of being like Jesus.<\/p>\n

Hallelujah.<\/p>\n

[1] Ecclesiastes 3:11<\/p>\n

Please Check out the new Cola City Podcast<\/a> . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child.<\/p>\n

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God\u2019s nearness in the midst of life\u2019s adventures.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Novels by the Author:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Rob Buck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?\u00a0\u00a0Beyond Time<\/a><\/p>\n

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family\u00a0Hope Remains<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Identifying and Eliminating what Hinders our Fellowship with the One Who Made Us.<\/p>\n

The Story<\/p>\n

Could a former addict, who lost his job and almost lost his family, now enjoy unhindered intimacy with the Creator of the universe? You might not think so, but think again.<\/p>\n

A couple of months ago, at a Saturday morning men\u2019s breakfast, a brother, I\u2019ll call George, shared about his life of addiction which held him captive for many years. Tearfully, George shared how tough love, accountability and God\u2019s grace transformed his life. With a gleam in his eye, he declared that he now enjoys unhindered intimacy with God.<\/p>\n

Those of us who were at the breakfast were very thankful for George\u2019s honest vulnerability. It took great courage to admit his weakness, but we all saw how in his weakness, Christ showed Himself as strong. Too often Christian men hide behind thin veneers of outward goodness, while inside, joy is killed and souls are dying.<\/p>\n

Men need to be brave enough to talk about deeper things than sports, cars, and fishing. George’s vulnerability led to more meaningful, transformative connections and conversations.<\/p>\n

We men need to fight for this level of openness, and it starts with our own courage to stop hiding and to speak about our struggles. This is the gift George gave us that morning.<\/p>\n

The words “unhindered intimacy” resonate and I want to explore them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2585],"tags":[2588,2587,1866,2554,423,2107,616,873,218,2489,783,2161,341,1689,760,1746,1160,408,48,1600,610,2593,297,2586,18,2431,2591,86,978,134,7,32,99,2563,162,2592,199,161,2590,725,2257,85,1557,2266,609,2478],"class_list":["post-4085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-joy-of-communing-with-creator-god","tag-accountability","tag-addiction","tag-being-loved-by-god","tag-complete-satisfaction","tag-courage","tag-courageous","tag-delight","tag-delight-in-god","tag-depending-on-christ","tag-discipleship-rhythms","tag-distracted","tag-distractions","tag-ecclesiastes-311","tag-encourage","tag-encouragement","tag-false-affections","tag-flow-of-the-holy-spirit","tag-fruit-of-the-spirit","tag-grace","tag-greater-purposes","tag-guilt","tag-hallelujah","tag-heart","tag-hinderances","tag-holy-spirit","tag-i-corinthians-19","tag-i-john-19","tag-ii-corinthians-18-9","tag-intimacy-of-the-lord","tag-john-155","tag-joy","tag-killing-our-joy","tag-love","tag-love-first","tag-luke-1038-42","tag-luke-746-48","tag-mary","tag-mary-and-martha","tag-openness","tag-psalm-47","tag-romans-81","tag-romans-828","tag-romans-828-29","tag-romans-829","tag-shame","tag-vulnerable"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4085"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4606,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions\/4606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}