Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11).
Some time ago at our early morning men’s coffee, one of the men opened up about an encounter he had with God during a Holy Spirit movement in a service at Victory during our worship time. He said he felt God wrap him up in His arms and love him the way he always wanted to be loved during this intense presence of God encounter. It changed this guy. For all of us, once we open up to God’s amazing, loving, accepting Presence, we will never be the same.
The Father created us for His pleasure. He created man so that He could have someone with which He could enjoy rich fellowship. We are created to bring Him pleasure. He has brought us into relationship with Himself through the New Birth. And once the relationship is established, He longs for close fellowship with you.
Sometimes there are roadblocks to personal fellowship. A person raised in a harsh family environment where their thoughts and opinions were not welcomed or valued will at first struggle to have a close fellowship with the Lord. Through conditioning, some people are just naturally inclined to hold themselves back, and not share their heart with others.
A deeper level of communication with the Lord is developed little by little. It takes time to break the habit of holding yourself back. The first key to having a deep, rich fellowship with the Lord is knowing that He loves you, accepts you, and forgives and cleanses you from sin.
You are righteous in His presence. When you confess your sin, it is as though you have never done wrong! As a righteous person in Christ, you have the same standing before the Father that Jesus has! The Father unconditionally loves and accepts you. Because He does, He has an open ear to listen to you and understands everything you think and feel.
The next step to rich fellowship with the Father is to force yourself to go there! Go to a private place and begin to share your heart secrets with Him. Tell Him everything; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hold nothing from Him. At first, this is uncomfortable if your experiences have caused you to hold yourself back from others. But you’ll find that the moment you get real with the Father, His love and joy will rise up in you by the Holy Spirit. And He will by the Holy Spirit through the Word begin the process of helping you overcome personal issues. This is the beginning of your close communion and fellowship with Him.
As a new believer and a young man in my late teens, I would go to my room and read my Bible for a period of time. Then, I would begin to pray, and I found myself for the first time expressing to the Father my deepest heart thoughts.
At first I was afraid that He would be upset with me as I was so honest. I shared motives, thoughts, fears, questions, longings, and wrong desires. I found that when I did this, the Father did not judge me, and yet at the same time He held me to the standard of the Word. And by the Holy Spirit He would speak to me and comfort me. He would encourage me to trust Him to change me.
In time, it became easier and easier to bear my heart to Him. He became a place of refuge when I felt emotional pain, or when the pressures of life seemed too much to bear. He is the kindest, most understanding person you will ever know.
The Father is a refuge from the storms of life. In His shadow you will find protection from the harsh things you face. If you’ll give Him your heart life and open yourself up to Him, He will become an ever present strength and will sustain your mind and emotions in every challenge life brings. He will be the Vine and you will be the branch. His life will pour into you as you unreservedly give Him your heart.
Come with me on this journey of closeness with the Father. He’s longing for your fellowship today. Let the walls down!