A close, intimate relationship with God is a choice. In this reflection from Dr. Stanley, he says we need the Holy Spirit for such a relationship. In Touch Ministries, 2010. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to www.intouch.org/watch
God wants you to have an intimate
personal relationship with him through
his son Jesus Christ that’s his ultimate
purpose for creating you and as we
discussed during the message you can be
a Christian and still not have a close
relationship with God intimacy depends
upon total openness and surrendered to
him and today’s letter is from a man who
wants a more intimate relationship with
God but he’s not sure how to do it so
Steve asked how do you submit yourself
to God fully how do I have a personal
relationship with him I would like to
begin a strong relationship with him
please help me
well Steve let me just say this there’s
a verse in scripture in Romans chapter
12 verse 1 that talks about this very
issue
Paul said I urge you brethren by the
mercies of God to present your bodies
that’s your total being a living and
Holy Sacrifice which is acceptable to
God well first of all if you want that
kind of relationship it’s a choice you
make it isn’t something that just
happens many people have been a
Christian a long time and have no
intimacy with God whatsoever it is a
definite choice you make when you say in
this email I want to have a personal
relationship an intimate relationship
with him it is a choice that you’re
making you must want to do it it must be
a desire that is strong because there
are many things working against that in
your life you say well how do I do that
in your strength you cannot it is the
work of the Holy Spirit and remember
this Jesus sent the Holy Spirit in order
to enable you and me first of all to
live a godly life to work in us and
through us and so we have him to help us
with their want with our desire with our
commitment with our choice and so he
will enable us as we strive and as we
attempt with all of our heart to deal
with the things in life that have kept
us from having that personal intimate
relationship then the Word of God is so
very important because here is where you
discover what it means and how to live
that godly life as you get instruction
for example from the Lord Jesus and from
the Apostle Paul as you read day after
meditating upon the Word of God and in
prayer asking God to show you to give
you God in some direction and what
you’ll find is this you’ll find that he
begins to just clean out things in your
life to do not belong there and the
emphasis of your life changes the
interest of your life changes and just
what happens the way that develops is
daily as we read God’s Word we examine
what’s going on in their life does this
fit does this fit is this drawing me
closer is this pulling me away and so it
is a process that you go through it’s
not going to happen all at once but it
can be absolutely definite when you say
God so work in my life that I can have a
personal intimate relationship with you
the cleansing is going to be the first
thing that begins to happen your
interest changes God begins to draw you
into a relationship with him and before
long you realize something has really
happened in my life well that’s all the
time we haven’t in touch this week and
we’re glad you joined us I trust that
the Holy Spirit will draw you into a
deeper more intimate relationship with
Jesus throughout 2010 the day’s message
was the beginning of our in-depth study
of the thirty life principles we’ll
continue next week with life principle
two it’s one that you’re probably very
familiar with and that is obey God and
leave all the consequences to him that’s
the only way to enjoy life at its very
best