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Glory Seed Devotional’s, 2017: Anticipating and Experiencing Jehovah-Jireh...
Intimacy at its deepest level...
Shalom!
God has planted within each of us the want/desire/need for intimacy. The “trick” is to begin at intimacy’s deepest level, and its deepest level may surprise you. Intimacy then is not primarily a sharing with another. Intimacy starts with being intimate with myself. Intimacy is knowing the core of things myself. Then what I do flows from where I’ve been. But intimacy begins with getting in contact with myself. I have to be in contact with myself before I can donate, give myself or share. It is important to get in touch with our deepest human experiences because that is where God is present to us. Where we are most present, God is most present.” (A Short Course on Prayer by J.J. O’Leary, SJ, emphasis mine)
In order to have and intimate relationship with ourselves we first need to methodically unlock each and every closet we’ve hidden things in. That doesn’t mean as we open them we need post them in “Social Media” for all to see, the majority of our “hidden things” are for our eyes only. It is in the viewing of our “hidden selves” our intimacy deepens. However, once we are exposed to ourselves we need to determine whether further action is needed? For example do we need to seek forgiveness? Do we need to seek further help to overcome something? Do we need to seek support to help us through a difficulty that will not go away?
Speaking from my own experience upon opening closet doors come face to face with the real me and I find there are times when I really don’t like myself and other times when I do. Yet somehow as I face the real me deep in my heart/spirit I can hear Jesus telling me I don’t have to face them alone, that together we will sort through them overcoming what needs to be overcome, overpowering those whose powerful hold on me, forgiving me when I have willfully crossed the line, weakening me where needed and strengthening me where needed.
While it is true becoming intimate with ourselves may create a “fire storm” but as we go deeper and deeper into the inner us the “Winds of the Spirit” increase in power and intensity until suddenly the fire storms are extinguished and in their place come levels of intimacy with ourselves so deep we begin to become intimate with those we need to be and especially with Yahweh, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. And suddenly our life/lives open to Yahweh’s presence and we find ourselves enveloped by a world of Unparalleled Peace, the Peace of Jesus.
“May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace no matter what happens. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, The Living Bible)
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
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“Scripture quotations are taken from The Living Bible, Copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.”