This is a brief condensation of something I read about how important it is for believers to set their hearts on the Person of Jesus, to pursue intimacy with Him; and the blessings which result from holy passion.
I thought you might find it interesting.
A FOCUS ON INTIMACY:--
(1) -- washes our spirits and cleanses us from the daily grime and defilement which, if allowed to accumulate, leads to spiritual dullness and insensitivity.
(2) -- protects our souls. We will never possess true purity without inward affection for Jesus. Love for Him creates a hindrance to the temptations plaguing our souls. Passion for Jesus repels sinful messages and sends a return message ... "NO! I'M NOT AVAILABLE."
Our hearts are shielded by our love for Christ; not by the fear that we might get caught.
(3) -- motivates and inflames our hearts. The flaming heart of Christ ignites our hearts. Careless living will cause the flame to die down.
(4) -- satisfies our human spirits. Intimacy satisfies the deep longings. Nothing but an intimate relationship with Jesus will satisfy the inner cry which has been birthed by the Holy Spirit.
(5) -- frees us from insecurity and the fear of man. Intimacy with Jesus brings deepened security and rest in our inner being. In a deeply personal way, we progressively learn that we are accepted and cherished by God. It frees us from the intimidation and paralyzing fear of others' opinions and actions against us. Proving our value to others ceases to be the dominant drive in our emotional makeup. God's pleasure and approval are all we need.
(6) -- heals inner wounds of the heart. Counselling and inner healing ministry are useful tools but if a person's wounded heart is to experience true, lasting healing and wholeness, he must have a relationship with the Healer Himself and a growing intimacy with Him.
Everything must be given to God, including bitterness, self-pity and the desire for revenge.
Grief, anger, shame, pride, dreams, personal ambitions, personal rights and the desire to run our own lives; all must be laid on God's altar. Jesus Christ must be the focus of our hearts; not our past, not our tragedies, not what might have been. God cannot give us beauty for ashes until we give Him our ashes. Only Jesus can transform self-pity into praise and tears into triumph.
(7) -- is an effective means of spiritual warfare.
Passion for Jesus is the strength of spiritual warfare. The enemy's strategy is to put us in a defensive mode, trying to ward off temptation by our will power.
(John 3:30) He must increase and I must decrease. Increase knowledge of God and decrease bondage to darkness. We cannot decrease in sin if Jesus has not first increased in us. (John 1:4) Darkness is driven out of the human spirit by the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ through the Word of God. No darkness in the life of a sincere believer has the force to overpower HIS Light. We don't try to empty a room of darkness in order to make room for the light. We simply allow the light to enter and the darkness is overpowered. We can wear ourselves out trying to drive out the darkness. Instead, attack the darkness by focusing on the release of more light.
The weakest, most immature believer, who has a heart focus of holy passion, will become a threat to Satan's kingdom.
Intimacy does not come accidentally but through the hunger and yearning of our hearts and through sowing to the Spirit. As we hunger and thirst for Jesus, seeking Him and spending time in His Presence, we will fall in love with Him.
