Chambers of Intimacy

God’s Heart

1 Samuel 13:14 …”The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart”...

Acts 13:22 ...”I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”

History of David:

He had multiple wives

He was apparently a lousy father as evidenced from the uncontrollable behavior of his two sons.

Amnon raped his half sister, Tamar

Absalom killed Amnon and tried to usurp the kingdom from his father David

He was an adulterer

And a murderer

Additionally he was a man of war who had so much blood on his hands that God would not allow him to build His temple.

But In...

1 Kings 15:5 David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord…except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

Phrase “except in the case” or “except in the matter” does not mean David never committed any other sinful acts.

Instead, it references a continued apostasy against God.

It is similar to the phrase “turning aside from God.”

All David’s other sins were transient - they were sudden and followed by repentance.

However, this matter with Bathsheba was a willful, “I know it is wrong, but I am going to do it anyway” act.

This Act came after God had allowed David to enter the special, fragile areas of His heart and mind.

Davids willful rebellion had bruised and broken God’s heart.

The question as to what it means to be a man after God’s heart can be answered only if you know what God’s hear is and if your heart’s desires are the same as His. It was in this way that David was a man after God’s heart, and the Lord allowed him into the very secret rooms of His heart;

He exposed himself to possible heartbreak in order to share a special intimacy with David.

Talk about Josephs heart

Drawing Near to God

Tell story about Joseph that lead up to this scripture.

Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord.

Hebrew word Nagash is “come near” or “went up”.

It contains the idea of drawing near or approaching with an offering, a present or a request.

This is in a sense the way we can approach God in prayer with a request.

This scripture is giving three suggestions, that if we follow them, we will be able to have the strength to approach God in prayer.

1st Suggestion:

Come on the Merits of Jesus Christ

How do we do that?

Acknowledge that we are sinful and we have no right to approach a holy God.

And recognize all our deeds are filled with foolishness and emptiness.

What merits are there of Jesus that we approach God on?

Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God

The perfect holy and obedient One

And He did for our sins

2nd Suggestion:

Take the Initiative to Move Toward God

God placed within us a soul(comprised of mind, will and emotions) that has been designed to attach itself to God as its source.

However, I know there’s a problem with this suggestion: we have been given free will and can rebel against God if we choose to do so.

Tell the following illustration:

A magnet will attract a metal object. Yet the metal object must be close enough to the magnet for the magnet’s force to draw the piece to it. In the same way, we must go near enough to God to be drawn into His life.

“Judah came near unto him or went up to him”

Suppose there is another magnet on the other side of the metal object that is likewise exercising its force upon it.

Spiritually speaking, the first force is God, and the second force is that of “the world, the flesh, or the devil”;

Read Ephesians 2:1-3

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

In which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

That 2nd force is contrary to God and is exerting its force to draw our soul toward it.

What do we do in this situation?

The bible says,

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” James 4:8

This clearly states that the initial step is ours.

We need to make the first move toward God and when we get close enough, He will draw us to Himself like a magnet, pulling us away from the opposing force.

3rd Suggestion:

Take Time to Prepare Your Heart and Mind

How do we do this?

One way is through recited prayers.

Recited prayers are only used to prepare ourselves for prayer.

The recitation of prayers is meant to focus our soul and body on God and help us draw near to Him so that, when we get close enough, we are suddenly no longer praying to God but with Him.

We are drawn into Him, and His words and our prayers become one.

Tell this illustration:

A husband and wife get into a little argument before bedtime and say some hurtful things to each other. They will not share intimacy until they spend some time in preparation: seeking forgiveness, expressing their honest feelings to each other, and entering into a little love talk. After this, they can get to the “good stuff” because then the two shall become one.

In a similar way, we become one with God when we approach the throne, but not until after we have aired out our sins and shared some love talk with Him. Then, we can converse with God in unity.

Do you ever find yourself praying for guidance from God and saying things like,

Lord, I need Your help right now. Come on, I have tried to do my best, and I really need You to come through for me now”.

This approach is like Aladdin rubbing the lamp and calling for his genie.

God is our Father, our Lover, and our Friend, and we need to treat Him accordingly by spending a little time in preparation, getting our mind and body in line with His.

Let This Mind Be in You

Paul said, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).

If we prepare our mind and body properly, then, when we draw near to God, He will draw us to Himself. Often, the words we speak in prayer will suddenly become the words of God, leading to the answer to our prayers.

We may pray, Lord, I don’t know what to tell them. I really need Your…Uh, yeah, I know I should be honest with him… Yeah, I need to love him as You love him.

It’s curious how the answers just seem to flow when you enter the heart and mind of God and your thoughts and His become one.