Category Archives: Intimacy with God

Pentecost in Acts: Acts 3:11-26 Connection Restored

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After Peter declared to the paralyzed man to get up and walk in the name of Jesus, the people around saw him jumping, running and walking and praising God. The people who saw this were utterly astounded. Peter once again preaches to the crowd that gathered. He explained how the Jesus they had handed over to be killed had risen from the grave and there is power in the name of Jesus, the risen Lord.

“And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.” Acts 3:16 ESV

And concluded that repentance, turning from their wickedness to God so that Jesus may restore all things.

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” Acts 3:19-21 ESV

Jesus came so that what was lost, our relationship with God and our original design—us as God’s image bearer—could be restored. This comes through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, uniting us with Him. Our connection to God that was lost through sin is reconnected by the Holy Spirit’s filling of us. This connection gives us power and boldness to declare Jesus name over impossible and to see God work miracles in the lives around us!

May we repent, turning from our wickedness to God, and be filled with His Holy Spirit, connected to Him, so we too may bring glory to God in the words we speak and the deeds we do!

Reflections on John 17:13-26: That They All May be One

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We really don’t know what it means to live in unity, oneness. Back in the garden when Adam and Eve sinned, separation became all we knew and still is all we know. Sin separates us from God and others. Death separates us from loved ones. We live our lives very familiar with being separated from the ones we were meant to be in unity/ oneness with here and now. It may be physical separation, emotional separation, or spiritual separation. We know nothing but separation, but Jesus came to end separation.

In this section of scripture, Jesus is praying to the Father and speaks of something that as a sinful human being seems impossible, even scandalous to believe.

“that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:21 ESV

Jesus speaks of Himself being one with the Father and being “in” Him. Then He prays that we are in them, the Father and the Son. We are invited into a life where separation from God is no more. We are invited to participate in His nature and to be His representative here on earth. We are invited to such closeness to God that we are one with Him: Having His mind, the mind of Christ, Having His Spirit, the Holy Spirit connecting us to Him. It is all about relationship with God, which is fellowship or friendship.

We settle for far less than we were intended to have by living after ourselves (our flesh) and not God. We want our own ways and to follow our own paths. YET We have the greatest invitation of all, to be united in oneness with God and to go with Him.

Jesus longs for us to be in Him and to experience Him fully. May our hearts cry be the same!

Reflections on John 17:1-12 : To Know God

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“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”John 17:3 ESV

Jesus tells us what eternal life is. It is to know the Father and the Son! Jesus came to reveal the Father to us so we are able to know Him. Our job is to accept what Jesus said, to know He came from God He is His God’s Son, and believe it. We are to hope with confidence and expect Him to do what what He said He would do save us from our sins and enable us to walk in relationship with Him.

It is an easy thing to know “about” Jesus. Many have spoken words whether truth or not about Him. Knowing “about” Jesus does not make us a Christian- one who is in relationship with Jesus, one of God’s children.

We cannot ride along on the coattails of our parents or grandparents relationship with God either. They may have known Jesus when they were living or know Him now and experience Him in their lives. That is their relationship with God. Each person must have their own. To be in relationship with God, you must “know” Jesus. You must be intimately acquainted with Him.

The past month we have explored all the awesome deeds Jesus did as recorded in the book of John. We have seen how He has revealed to us what our Heavenly Father is like. The question now lingers… what holds me back from truly knowing God and experiencing His eternal life?

Jesus has provided all we need to “know” Him and the Father. May we take what He has given and hunger to know Him more and more each day!

Reflections on John 16:1-15: Our Helper Declares

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We settle for far less than what the Father has given to us. We live like paupers when we are children of the King! We are offered intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father through the presence of the Holy Spirit inside of us, but do we truly experience that relationship?

Jesus once again tells us about our Helper, the Holy Spirit. He says something that would seem so odd to a group of disciples that had walked with Jesus, talked to Him face to face, touched Him in warm embraces, been His friends. However, Jesus tells them and He also tells us: 

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7 ESV

It is to our advantage that Jesus is not physically walking the earth, but instead the Holy Spirit is here inside of us! Jesus goes on to tell us more about what the Holy Spirit does for us.

“All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16:15 ESV

Everything the Father has is Jesus’s, and the Holy Spirit will take what is Jesus’s and declare it to us. What Jesus received from the Father is made known to us by the Holy Spirit. In other words, we can KNOW and EXPERIENCE God!

Our time in prayer is an invitation to sit with God in conversation, not a formulated script or a few words we repeat at certain times of the day. Our time in prayer can be never ending as we walk and talk with our Heavenly Father experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit ALL DAY LONG! We have an ever present Helper living in us who desires for us to know an Intimate relationship with our God not a surface one. Our God is awesome!

Reflections on John 14:15-31: Knowing the Holy Spirit

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“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17 ESV

Never underestimate the value of having relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is our Helper, the Spirit of Truth, our Teacher, and so much more. He is with us forever.

““These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:25-26 ESV

Jesus says we will know the Holy Spirit. To know is to “take, receive or hold” or “to not be a stranger with or to be familiar with.” Knowing the Holy Spirit is be intimate with Him. The Holy Spirit desires to be relational with us or to put it simply in relationship with us. We can talk to Him in prayer, and He loves to speak to us. We can ask Him for help to understand God’s truth. He longs to teach us God’s ways if we only listen to His still small voice. He continually draws us in closer and closer to Jesus and the Father.

Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you every time you open the scripture (the Bible) and begin to read. He will! Ask the Holy Spirit to give you power to live as God designed for you to live. He will! Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you to overflowing with Himself. He will!

Christmas in Luke (Day 18)

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Today’s reading is Luke 18.

There are no neutral encounters with Jesus. Everyone who comes in contact with Him will be faced with a decision.

Today’s chapter records the account of a rich ruler who came to Jesus asking the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Verse 18) Jesus’s reply was a mirror reflecting what was really in this man’s heart: “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”” (Verse 22)

This man had done all the rituals required by the law. He had obeyed all the commandments since he was a child. But one thing was more important to him than following God with all he heart, His wealth.

In our hearts there is room for only one King, Jesus. When we come to Him, we are faced with a choice— our way or His. This choice is not so we have more rules and regulations to follow. His way is the only way we can experience His heavenly treasures. (Verse 22) His way is the only way we can experience Him. His way is only and always perfect.

As we have reflected each day this month on the Christmas story, we see this truth as well. Each and every detail of Jesus’ birth fulfilled prophecies of times long before. The obedience of each person who God used in the story brought about the most important event of history, Jesus our Heavenly King coming to us.

The obedience displayed in Mary’s words in Luke 1:38 at the announcement that she would be the mother of Jesus reflected a heart obedient to God. “I am the Lord’s servant…may your word to me be fulfilled.”
This word the Angel proclaimed had a price. It would cost her her reputation, her plans, her way. Yet she obeyed. She participated in God’s awesome plan!

The rich ruler had an opportunity as well, but he left Jesus’ presence with sadness. Because in His encounter with Jesus, the man chose to not “love the Lord His God (Jesus) with all His heart, with all his soul and all his strength.” The young ruler loved his ways more than Jesus’.

We also face our own personal encounter with Jesus. We have a choice that has no neutrality. Will we follow His way or ours? May our response be as Mary responded to the Angel months before the first Christmas. “I am the Lord’s servant… may your word to me be fulfilled.”

Christmas in Luke (Day 12)

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Today’s reading is Luke 12.


Today’s chapter is a record of Jesus speaking to His disciples and the crowds around Him. He explained the importance of finding God as the treasure of our lives and acknowledging- admitting we belong to Him- before others. He also warned of the dangers of disowning Him, not remaining faithful to Him when the pressure of this world or the outright attacks of the enemy, Satan, occur.

Jesus values us. He treasures us. He knows how important it is that we are connected to Him, not having sin separating us from Himself. He knows we NEED to be totally submitted to His Kingship over our lives, totally obedient to His commands, and totally dependent on His provision in our daily lives. Simply put, He knows we cannot make it without Him. Without Him, our lives are destined for the death, darkness, and destruction of the enemy. That is why he speaks of having Him as our treasure. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Verse 34). He knows our hearts need to be His in order for our lives to prosper and go well.

In the midst of His warnings, He once again points to the tender heartedness of God towards us. He speaks of how God treasures us. He values us. He knows intimate details about our lives. (Verses 6-7).
He ends up saying that God is pleased to give us the kingdom- His rule and reign in our lives. (Verse 32). This is the very Kingdom that the Angel spoke to Mary about all those years before when the Angel told her she would give birth to Jesus, the King of Kings. His Kingdom “will never end.” (Luke 1:33)

The same Jesus who was the Newborn King of Christmas, longs to be the newly born King within our hearts! May we accept the invitation He has given to us to be a part of His everlasting Kingdom!