The Seed Blog: Getting Real With God

The Book of Revelation is a Message that John brings from Jesus Christ Himself for other Christians. Revelation 1:9, Revelation 3:19-20: This verse is not a call for the lost to invite Jesus into their hearts—it is a plea for those who already know Him to invite Him in to real intimacy.

Many here do believe, do diligently serve and do give, but you feel that you will never experience that closeness with God you hear others talk about—often because you feel God just doesn't want you in such a close relationship, because you are just a failure and a hypocrite. Others believe that you are experiencing all of God that you are supposed to experience, yet wonder why you feel unfulfilled in Christianity sometimes. He wants you. There are only a couple of things you really need to grasp today: You must get this simple, but life-altering fact: no matter who you are, what you've done, how unholy or unlovable you feel, God always wants to be intimately connected with you. Not just believed in, not just served—but Intimately connected. And if you are walking in a distant or formal walk with God, it is never because that is how He wants it. Psalm 145:18. When Jesus Christ was in the final moments of His life, in the Garden of Gethsemane, already going into shock from stress and pressure. Here is what was on the mind of God Himself, just before He gave His life on this earth: John 17:9, 21, 26. Those were literally the last recorded Words of Jesus in His prayer in the Garden—that we are one with Him, that we love as God loves, and that He may live in us. It is Jesus Christ's passionate desire to be intimately close to us, and He paid a horribly high price, not just to save us, but to live within us, be one with us. what other God would want you and I so completely? It has nothing to do with you being unlovable (He covered that one), it has to do with your apathy. Being married is easy, but being in an intimate and fulfilling marriage takes a great deal of work and commitment. Our relationship to Christ is the same way. Salvation is easy, accept what He's already done for you. But really knowing Him beyond what most people experience, takes intense passion and work. That is why only those desperate for Him, know Him in a special way. Jeremiah 29:13; Psalm 42:1; Matthew 22:37-38. Is it not obvious Scripturally, that Christ wants so much more of us than belief and servitude? And has He not done more than we could ever imagine, to make His own last prayer before His own death, be fulfilled? That we would be one with Him? Then I will confidently and accurately tell each one of who feels we cannot get close to Christ: we are as close to Christ right now, as we want to be. Answer a question for yourself: “If you could have the one thing you have prayed the most to God about right now... Could have that person back, have that loved one saved, have that disease cured, have that big ministry” whatever the prayer, and never be any closer to God than you are right now, would you be satisfied? If you honestly answer, "Yes", then you have no true desperation to know God any more intimately than you do right now—you simply desire His blessings and gifts, which is where most people are today—therefore, we do not feel strange or stand out. That may strike you as offensive or inaccurate at first, but please think about this. We moderately follow a God that has given everything for us, in our hope of an eternal life as His Gift to us. We stay, "half aggravated" all the time, at what we don't have, and we never strive to know Him, or please Him anymore than our religious society implies that we need to. Are we desperately trying to know Him more? Please Him more? Until you are dissatisfied with how well you know Him now, you will never know Him more intimately. Listen to what God told the Israelites when He brought them out of Egypt, and caught them worshipping false gods, even as they waited for the Ten Commandments: Exodus 33:1-3. God offers to lead them into the Promised Land, as they desired, but to stay distant from them when He did to give their hearts desire, but not be intimately close as they go.
God did this to see if they would accept the offer, because they wanted the gift more than the Giver, or if they would be dissatisfied with what they could get from Him, if they could not have Him. Jesus saw the same thing in the multitudes that followed Him in His days on earth. Those that followed simply because they wanted to see miracles, healing, freedom from Roman oppression, or even food, and He often worked to weed them out or drive them away, because He saw their true motives. How would He see our motives today? Would He see us driven by our desire to know Him more? Or by our desire for needs to be met? If you truly want to know Jesus more intimately, to have a more passionate, real, meaningful relationship with Him, it will happen the same way it happened throughout time in the Scriptures. It will happen when you are desperate enough to pursue Him, beyond your contented lifestyle. Pursue Him with your whole heart.
What does a desperate heart look like? 1) A desperate heart has no competition to serve two masters: Matthew 6:24; James 4:4-5. If you decide once and for all, you want to be closer to Him more than anything else in the world, you will, out of passion and hope for Jesus in your life stop the [porn, the living together, the partying, the obsession with sports, clothes, success, money, the pride, the hatred, the unforgiveness]. Anything that is the literal focal point of your heart and will, shifts to a focus on Him, no matter the cost, no matter the inconvenience. Not legalistically, but because you know these things are stealing your mind and your heart. They are changing the way you love, think, plan, and care from your God's way. Therefore, you will despise them and the effect they have on you, instead of trying to get by with something through a loophole. James 4:8; John 14:21; John 17:16-17. 2) A desperate heart will be obsessed to know all they can, and ready to trust all they can about the One they are wanting by spending time studying everything about them. What they like, how they act, what makes them happy. They will know and trust their character, morals, disposition, loyalty, and love. If we desperately studied, learned, and believed everything about the Character of our Jesus, if we desperately wanted Him close always, we would be less inclined to question His motives, to put Him on trial, to feel He didn't care about us, or to take a step away when we didn't get what we wanted. Maybe a heart of desperate and passionate love would believe in Him, rather than just believe He exists. Maybe we would defend Him, stand by Him, and trust Him as a devoted spouse does, rather than find reasons to stand on the other side of the fence and point fingers. 3) A desperate heart will leave everything they are pursuing, to go where their Beloved is at. If we are truly, desperately pursuing Christ, we will have less desire to ask for blessings on our plans, our ministry, our life, and we will open-handedly beg God to show us where we need to join Him to experience His closeness and be part of His world. We will seek His will trustingly and excitedly in prayer, rather than try to fit Him into our plans, if we can. How many have uprooted their whole world for a college, a job, a military call, a relative in need, or a new relationship? (Is He not worth it?) 4) A desperate heart will recognize, and be thrilled with, everything that is done for them by their Beloved. If you are truly desperate for Christ, and want to understand His character and love, you will see every Gift He has made for you differently. You will Glory in the price He placed on your soul and your love. You will trust His love for you, and Glory in it, rather than doubt. 5) A desperate heart always wants to be with their Beloved—always close; always doing things together. If we are desperate for Him, we will be eagerly looking for Him beside us as we go; listening for His Voice, watching for His Hand, seeing His Guidance: John 10:27.  A desperate heart doesn't just say, "Help me not sin against You.", it says, "I will do whatever I must do, to stop what is keeping You away." It doesn't say, "Use me if You would like to..." It says, "If You don't use me, I will die. I'm Yours." A desperate heart was the woman who wouldn't wait for Jesus to touch her, but reached out and grabbed the hem of His garment. (Mark 5:24-25) Stop waiting for Jesus to burst through the door, and open it for Him. A desperate heart was Jacob, when He held onto Jesus with all his might, and said, "I will not let you go until you bless me." (Genesis 32:24-28) Stop wishing you could see and feel more of His Presence, and decide you will not stop struggling until you find more of Him. A desperate heart was the prostitute who embarrassed herself publicly, gave her life's savings in a gift, and loved on her Savior publicly when He was being disrespected and doubted by all around her. Stop worrying about the cost financially, socially, vocationally, or to your lifestyle, and be all in for Him because you love Him so much, because He has done so much for you, because He is so worth it, because the world has rejected and humiliated the King, and someone has to love and serve Him as He deserves. It will not be by accident in this fallen world, if you begin to draw intimately close to God, it will be a desperate, purposeful act on your part. He is there waiting. But He will not come in uninvited. He wants to know He is not only welcome, but absolutely desired. Listen to Moses’ words for the Israelites, just before they go to take the Promised Land and live for their Savior as a Nation: Deuteronomy 30:11-14, 19-20. If you are desperate to know Him more, it won't start tomorrow, but today, now. Will you join me in telling Him you are desperate to know Him more? Will you join as we fast this week to show our seriousness? Will you do whatever it takes to bring your life into His will now? Will you do what it takes? Change what needs changing? Live to learn about Him, love Him and serve Him above self?