God desires a close-up and personal relationship with you.

A close-up and personal relationship with God is available to you.

It is only possible because of what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago. Before this brutal event, we were cut off from having a personal relationship with God. But Jesus took all our sins on himself. He became a curse so that we could be set free from the curse.

We are told, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.” (Galatians 3:13 NLT)

Jesus came to earth as part of God’s eternal plan, as the pure, spotless, sacrificial Lamb of a God, who paid the full price for our sins and evil ways so that we can come back into a right relationship with God. 

After Jesus died on the cross, he was buried in a tomb. But three days later, he conquered the grave and rose again, bringing resurrection life and the ability to enter into a close walk with God to all who call on him to be their Lord and Savior.

And this includes you if you will call on the name of Jesus!

Before Jesus died on the cross, he told us on many occasions what he was going to do. He also told us that after he died and rose again, he would ascend back to heaven, that he would one day return to fetch those who put their faith in him, and that he would also one day return to judge the world. 

The advocate. 

Jesus also told us that, in the interim, he would not leave us as orphans but would send the Holy Spirit to come to live in us. Through the Holy Spirit, we would be able to have a close-up and personal relationship with God. 

Listen to what Jesus said about this amazing promise of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:15-18 NIV)

The Holy Spirit is our advocate. He is our comforter and our counselor. He is the one who comes alongside us and supports us. 

Jesus also told us, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)

When Jesus walked the earth, he could only be in one place at a time. He basically said that it was better that he went so that the Holy Spirit could be with us all.

So, whether you live in Cape Town or Cairo, in California or Canterbury, you can have a close walk with God if you take Jesus as your Lord and Savior. 

Jesus also said concerning the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (John 16:8)

The Holy Spirit wants to speak to your heart. He convicts our hearts. He reveals when we sin and miss the mark. He also guides us and shows us how we can live right. And he will also remind people to be ready, for one day Jesus will return to judge the word. 

And again, Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’” (John 16:13-15)

Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide us in all truth and that he would speak the words of Jesus directly to our hearts. The Holy Spirit also wants to reveal future revelations to us. 

Through the finished work of Jesus, you can find everlasting life, forgiveness of sin, and come into an intimate walk with God. 

Are you hearing God’s voice? 

In the Old Testament, before Jesus came, there is a story of a lady named Hannah. She was extremely sad because she could not have children. 

One day, Hannah was deeply emotional, and she cried in prayer to God to intervene. And she made a vow, “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you.” (1 Samuel 1:10-11)

We are told that God granted her request. He gave Hannah a son and she named him Samuel. 

When he was still a boy, she dedicated him to God, where he lived in the temple and assisted the ministering priest, whose name was Eli. 

Now Eli had two sons. They were not godly. They were irreverent and took advantage of people.

Eli didn’t discipline his wayward sons, and God saw this as a compromise in their future. On the other hand, young Samuel had a heart to serve God. 

We wanted to be close to God, so much so that he humbly served Eli. Samuel wanted to be as close to God as possible, that he would sleep “in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.“ (1 Samuel 3:3)

The Ark was where God would dwell under the Old Covenant. 

We are told, “Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli.”  We are also told that “Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon,” but “the lamp of God had not yet gone out.”  (1 Samuel 3:1)

Because of Eli’s halfhearted serving of the Lord, messages from God were rare and relatively uncommon.

Was God waiting for a humble person who would seek and serve him?

One night, while Samuel was sleeping next to the Ark of the Covenant. The Lord God called out, “Samuel!” At this time, Samuel had never heard God speak to him, so he didn’t recognize his voice. 

Samuel thought it was Eli calling him.

He got up and ran to Eli: “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again, Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before.” (1 Samuel 3:4-7)

Sometimes, this is how it feels to us when God calls. 

“So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy.“ (1 Samuel 3:8)

Eli then gave Samuel some good advice. 

“So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.” (1 Samuel 3:9)

God spoke and gave Samuel a prophetic word for Eli and his people. 

This moment catapulted Samuel into a ministry as a prophet. 

We are told, “As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 3:17-20)

And Samuel’s walk with God grew closer and closer. And, “The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.” (1 Samuel 3:21)

This is where you come in: 

Just like God spoke to Samuel, so God wants you to get to know his voice and develop a closer walk with him. He wants you to know his voice. 

God made you and he doesn’t make mistakes. You are alive right now for a reason. 

Even if your parents didn’t plan to have you, you are here for a purpose.  

It is, therefore, important that you get to know God’s voice intimately, for you have a destiny to fulfill. 

Jesus told us, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

Jesus wants you to be in tune with him. He wants you to follow him. 

Jesus also said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

Related: Hearing God’s Voice

He wants to lead you and guide you. He wants to protect you and bless you. And he wants to empower you to make a positive difference in this world. 

It starts by taking Jesus as your Lord and Savior and developing your walk with God, where you hear his voice and follow his lead. 

Do you know Jesus? Do you desire a closer walk with God? Do you want to hear God’s voice?

If so, surrender your life to Jesus. Invite him to be your Savior. And seek him. Spend time with him. Grow deeper with God. You can develop a close relationship and connection with God. 

God desires a close walk with you too. He speaks. He wants to open your spiritual ears so that you can hear his voice. He wants to lead and guide you on the best path for your life. He wants to bless you and use you to be a blessing and an agent of change in this world. 

You can have close-up and intimate want with God. 

Many years ago, I received an email that provided a great practical example of how God still speaks to people today. It is entitled The Milkman, and I want to share it with you. 

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Minister had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord’s voice. The young man couldn’t help but wonder, “Does God still speak to people?” After the service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie, and they discussed the message. Several people talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o’clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, “God… If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.”

As he drove down the street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, “God, is that you?” He didn’t get a reply and started on toward home. But again, he had the thought, “Buy a gallon of milk.” 

The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn’t recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.

“Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.” It didn’t seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk, and started toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge to turn down that street.

“This is crazy,” he thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half-jokingly, he said out loud, “Okay, God, I will.” 

He drove several blocks when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst of neighborhoods, either. 

The businesses were closed, and most of the houses looked dark, like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something, “Go and give milk to the people in the house across the street.”

The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. “Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep, and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad, and I will look stupid.” Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door.

“God, if this is you, I will go to the door, and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don’t answer right away, I’m out of here.”

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man’s voice yelled out. “Who is it? What do you want?”

Then, the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing in his jeans and T-shirt, looking like he had just gotten out of bed. He had a strange look on his face, and he didn’t seem too happy to have a stranger standing on his doorstep. 

“What is it?” The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, “Here, I brought this to you.” The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway, speaking loudly in Spanish. Then, from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen.

The man was following her, holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking and half crying, “We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn’t have any milk for our baby. I was praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.” 

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, “I asked Him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?”

The young man reached into his wallet, pulled out all the money he had on him, and put it in his hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

God wants a closer walk with you. He still speaks. He wants to lead you and guide you. He wants to empower you to live a life that pleases him, and that can make a Godly difference. 

He also convicts people’s hearts when they are lost or fall away from God. He wants to help you live your best life now by inspiring you to live right. He also wants to remind you not to get so caught up only in this world but that one day Jesus is coming back, and that we need to be ready. He also wants to speak to you and through you to reach the lost and offer hope and healing to the broken and bound.  

If Jesus arrived today, would you be ready to meet him?

Is God convicting you of an area in your life that is putting you in bondage or compromise?

Is God speaking to you?

Maybe he is calling you to step out and do great exploits for him. 

It all starts with accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. 

When your life is right with God, you become his child. Your sin is wiped out. God brings cleansing and makes all things new. Your eternity is secure. God fills you with the Holy Spirit, and He begins to lead and guide you. He also empowers you to be an ambassador of Jesus. 

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

God wants to come to life in your heart. He desires a close, intimate walk with you. 

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Today is a day of new beginnings. Today is your day to begin afresh. Today is the day you begin to draw closer in your walk with God.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:7)

Jesus says, “Seek him and you will find me” (Matthew 7:7)

You can have a close-up and personal relationship with God, starting right now!

If you want to start or restart your walk with God, click here to pray a simple prayer we have set up for you.