(previously published 2007 by Tonja K. Taylor on Cfaith.com)

God loves you so very much that, after Adam and Eve betrayed Him in the Garden of Eden, He made a way for man to come back to Him and become His children, by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the ransom price for that sin, and for all the sins man would ever commit (John 3:14-17). Hallelujah!

He wants a close relationship--"intimacy"--with you, and this relationship will supoersede and be more sublime and perfect than any other relationship on earth could ever be, for it is supernatural!

To become truly intimate with God Who is Love and Who is holy, you need to focus on these things, and the LORD will guide you into other things to do as you draw close to Him.  

If you used to be close to Him and then went away, never fear; He will draw near to you when you start seeking Him again (James 4:8). 

A. THE LOVER OF YOUR SOUL

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. - - Psalm 91:1-2 NKJV

You need to know the principles of God's Word, and it is important to memorize Scriptures. Know that the LORD Jehovah is God and He wants to be your Father, forever. He wants to adopt you as His precious child to lavish His love on you. But you must first receive Christ Jesus His Son, as your Savior and LORD, and yield yourself to His wonderful grace and Plan! (John 3:15-17)

Romans 10:13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  When you sincerely ask the LORD to forgive you of your sin and come into your heart and save you from hell and sin and death, He will! 

However, it doesn't matter how many scriptures you can quote; if you don't know the God of the Scriptures, you're missing the point: There is a vast difference between merely knowing about God and actually knowing Him.

But once you truly receive Christ Jesus as your Savior and LORD, then God becomes your Father, and Jesus, the Spirit of Truth, is then in your heart to help you understand the Scriptures, the Word of God (the Bible), and you now have the Spirit of Adoption, whereby you can cry, "Abba, Father" and know that He will hear and answer you.

As you learn how to follow Him, you will start dwelling in the Secret Place--the wonderful peace and joy and confidence of knowing that God is with you and has your back--in every situation!  Jesus' blood and His holy angels are the ultimate protection!

B. WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY?

God has a secret place (where we are confident and conscious of the Presence of God with us always) where we can dwell in peace and safety. The secret place is a place of rest in God, a place of peace and comfort. This secret place is a "spiritual place" where worry vanishes and peace reigns.

Often we quote Psalm 91 in times of trouble, with faith in the promise of God’s protection (Ps. 91:3). Obedience to what The Word says puts the Word of God, the Scriptures, into effect to help us dwelling in the secret place.

When your motivation for studying the Bible is so that you can "know" Him and not just to find some "secret formula," then you will discover that your relationship with Him will put you in a position to have your every need met. God is the lover of our souls. He wants to take care of us. He delights in helping and providing for us! He is a sweet, faithful, loving, kind, generous Daddy!

He wants to protect us. He wants to do something in our lives that can only be done through the gifts and talents He gives us. So just yield to Him and enjoy!

C. PRESSING IN TO KNOW HIM

You can have all the books, CDs and videos from every minister in the world, and those that are truly aligned with the Word of God will help you have an intimate relationship with God. You must communicate with God. In other words, it’s time to get to know your Father.

When you come to know God in a personal, intimate way, you become confident in His goodness and mercy, and you become confident in His ability and His willingness to meet your needs. That confidence is faith. Don't stop short by merely acquiring knowledge about God and His Word. Take the next step and know God.

Bring Your Mind Under Control

Even if you’ve decided to make time to spend alone with God, your mind can be racing in many directions. You can easily waste that precious time with God by letting your mind wander. When we set time aside for fellowship with God, we are entering into the richest experience of them Christian life.

When your mind is clear, begin to worship and pray, drawing yourself closer to Him.You were created for fellowship. This alone satisfies the desires of mankind and of God. That fellowship and deep working of the Spirit is richest when you are set apart from things that clutter your mind. Clear your mind of distractions that draw your attention away from God.

The main way you do this is to be "transformed" by the renewing (washing) of your mind, by getting into the Word of God, studying how He thinks about things, and speaking what His Word says about your life. 

Part of this includes you realizing that you have been taught wrong about some things, and that you will have to change your mind and repent of some ways of acting, thinking, and speaking, so that you will truly agree with your Father God. Then He can bless you to the max, as you agree with Him and follow Him and allow Him to work His wonderful Ephesians 2:10 Plan in your life! 

Let God Call the Shots

Obedience to what God has called us to be is the key to all things. Without obedience, there will be no dwelling in the secrety place or presence (intimacy) with God.

We cannot merely call on God when it is convenient for us. As God’s people, we must realize we don't call the shots or make the plans...God does (but we have to allow Him to do so).

When God speaks to you personally, you'll find that He's interested in YOU. He wants to be a part of everything that's going on in your life!

The LORD your Father will speak to you personally:

(1)through His Word; (2) through good preaching aligned with the Word (and it may be something else you suddenly understand in your heart that is different from what the preacher is actually saying, but the LORD works with His Word and He will talk to you while the preacher is talking--literally about what he is saying, or about something else He the LORD wants you to understand while the preacher is speaking. For it's not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of God (Zech 4:6);

(3) in worship (He lives in the praises of His people, says Psalm 22:3); (4) in prayer (especially by praying God's Word back to Him and praying in the Spirit); (5) through conversations of other strong, committed-to-the-Word Believers; (6) directly to your spirit (your heart, your inner person), even while you are doing something "non-spiritual"; (7) through circumstances (like when you encounter people that keep saying the same thing to you, and your spirit (heart) leaps for joy, even though it may not make sense to your mind); and (8) through dreams; and (9) through nature and any other way He wishes; He is God, and He knows you because He created you in your mother's womb and saw every part of your life before you were born on earth (Psalm 139:13)!

The truth is, it takes perseverance, patience, and consistency to develop an intimate walk with God. For most of us, it is very much a journey of faith in the early stages. However, you will experience a breakthrough in this area if you don't grow weary in well doing. Stay in the Word; stay constant in prayer. The day will come when the accumulated force of all your prayer and praisewill propel you into an entirely new dimension in your relationship with God.

Have direct, intimate contact with God—every single day. It is so very worth it!

Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. They lift Him up in books (P.O.W.E.R. Girl!; LEGACY; Visions of the King; Your Holy Health; more); presentations; service in church, community, and the world; and via the "River Rain Creative" (309 videos) and "POWERLight Learning" You Tube channels.