A TAPESTRY OF INTIMACY

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:6-8).

Your environment is key to shaping your outcomes in life. If your environment is saturated with things that promote fellowship with the Lord, you will easily be able to trigger the voice of God and fellowship with Him. The call today is to saturate your environment with things that encourage intimacy with God. 

One way to turn your environment into a tapestry of intimacy is to offer sacrifices to God. "And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. On that night, God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask! What shall I give you?" (2 Chronicles 1:6-7). Solomon provoked that intimate encounter with God by offering sacrifices. You, too, can offer sacrifices to God that transforms your environment into an intimate space for you and the Lord, but there is a New Testament way to do this. 1 Peter 2:5 tells about the offering up of spiritual sacrifices to the Lord, but what are these spiritual sacrifices, and how are they offered? Hebrews 13:15-16 gives us insight: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased." So aside from the sacrifice of praise through thanksgiving, the Bible also talks about the sacrifices of doing good to others and giving of your possessions. These sacrifices trigger intimacy with the Lord. 

Another way to saturate your environment to create a tapestry of intimacy is to play messages and worship music as often as possible. And this month, it is important to just keep the consciousness of the Spirit on your mind by playing messages and worship music often. One time in the Bible, when the elect of God needed direction but drama had almost cost them their ability to connect with the Lord, Elisha was sensitive to saturate the environment with worship music. 2 Kings 3:15 accounts that Elisha said, "But now bring me a musician." Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him."

There are intimacies with the Lord that your sacrifices and playing of the sounds of His word would evoke in this month. So, maintain a joyful spirit and be very sensitive to the needs of others, giving opportunities and sound as precursors to provoking the manifest presence of God. 

Have a beautiful day!

Faith-Filled Confession

I practice the presence of God by being joyful and by being sensitive to the needs of others, opportunities to share my possessions, and the sounds of His word. I surround myself with the triggers of intimacy with my God, and I enjoy a deeper level of communion with Him. In Jesus' name. Amen.

One-Year Reading Plan: 1 Kings 6-7; Luke 23:27-38