God's Intimacy

Psalm 139: 1-2, 3b and 13

Intimacy:

Webster’s defines this word as most private or personal, very close or familiar, deep and thorough.

My definition of this word is a deep closeness and openness; not afraid to express yourself, a complete understanding or knowledge of someone,

uninhibited.

`Vs. 1`

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.

`Vs. 2`

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

`Vs. 3b`

You are familiar with all my ways.

`Vs. 13`

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

[When we look at the word intimacy we must look at prayer.]

The word “prayer” is the Greek word prosefhi. This is a compound Greek word that is made up of the words “pros” and “efhi”. The word “pros” is a prefix meaning face-to-face. The Gospel of John uses the word “pros” when it declares “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God…” John 1:1 The word “with” is translated from the Greek word “pros”. The meaning conveyed by this word is one of intimacy. The Holy Spirit is telling us that the Father and the Son had an intimate, face-to-face relationship. The second word “efhi” means a wish, a desire or a vow. This word was used to show a person who has made a vow to God in exchange for something good to come in his life. One would vow to give up something to God in exchange for their desire or wish.

The word “prosefhi” reveals to us two significant concepts about prayer. It tells us that prayer is the vehicle that transports us face-to-face with God in a personal relationship. Also, the idea of sacrifice is associated with prayer. It shows us a state of sacrifice and consecration in prayer when our lives are guided entirely by God because the word “prosefhi,” or prayer, has to do with a complete surrender, sacrifice, and consecration.

*Moses is a great example of someone who knew God intimately.

He knew Him face to face.*

[The Path to Intimacy with God]

1. Must have a relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord-

John 14:6- Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

2. You must spend quality time with God in prayer and be open and honest with Him; talk to Him about EVERYTHING-

Psalm 66:19-20- but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!

Psalm 62:8- Trust in Him at all times; O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.

3. You must know God’s unfailing love for you-

Revelation 1:5b- to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.

4. You must learn to surrender to Him and grow to have absolute trust and reliance in Him-

John 6:37b- and whoever comes to me I will never drive away

Proverbs 3:5-6- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

What happens when you experience true intimacy with God?

You will fall in love with Him, you will have a yearning and longing to spend time in His presence, your life will never be the same and you will want others to experience this intimacy with Him too.

Human Trafficking

What a HUMAN tragedy ! Trafficking human beings for profit. This is truely modern day slavery. The enemy is playing for keeps and he sure does not care who he destroys. The scriptures tell us that the " thief comes only to kill, to steal and destroy, but I [Jesus] have come that they might have life and have it to the full."
John 10:10
Please PRAY for these women and children to come to know freedom in Christ and the tremendous love God has for them.
Here is some of their stories.
Good Night, Red Light
by Jeanne Rogers


"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5)

During my first mission trip to India, I heard about the Kamathipura section of Mumbai, where approximately 100,000 women and children live in sexual slavery. The number of trafficked persons is difficult to determine due to the clandestine nature of the crime, but the Indian government claims that there are about 3 million prostitutes in the country and 40% are children.
The RescueLIFE program in Thailand and Cambodia ignited my passion to liberate victims of sexual slavery, so I was excited when our mission team partnered with K.K. Devaraj, an Indian minister doing an amazing work in the red light district of Mumbai.
“We will take you and Lisa Bevere inside the brothels to minister and pray with women and children who live there,” Devaraj said during our preparation. His explanation altered our western concept of a brothel, which has been somewhat sanitized by an indifferent society.
“The young women working the brothels in Kamathipura,” the Indian minister told us, “are forced into prostitution by human traffickers.”
The idea of prostitution as a profession certainly strikes Christians as shameful, but the thought of forced prostitution, especially for children, brings an element of criminality and debauchery that confounds the senses. It’s the equivalent of daily rape and pedophilia -- all for sale in the slums of Kamathipura.
The first day in our mission headquarters, I listened to the stories of young women who escaped the sex trade and now live in the care of the missionaries. One lovely girl, the daughter of a prostitute, told how she had been raped every day by her mother’s owner. The abuse, which her mother witnessed, began when she was only nine years old and continued daily until the man sold her at the age of seventeen.
Others were kidnapped from their families and imprisoned for months or years. Children are literally kept in cages, like animals at a market. One girl described her torment: “I was raped and beaten daily--then put back into my cage.”
I couldn’t control my emotions as these girls described the terror they had experienced at the hands of such cruelty. As my heart broke for the victims, an intense rage rose toward their offenders. God spoke a warning to me: “Guard your heart against hatred. These men are captives too—captives of Satan.”
With the Holy Sprit’s help, I prayed for God’s love and deliverance to reach the men who control the women and children. The missionaries encouraged me to also pray for the madams who manage the brothels, demanding quotas from the girls.
We gathered the next day at the AIDS clinic in Kamathipura and met a dozen former madams who now love Jesus and have been trained to rescue women and children with the same love that rescued them. God has miraculously given these women access to minister in the brothels six days a week.
Anita, the leader of the group, led us through the filthy, narrow streets. My eyes caught the movement of a large rat over a doorframe as we entered a brothel. Inside, each girl eagerly embraced Anita and God’s presence instantly filled their place of torment. I was overwhelmed as Anita prayed a soul-wrenching petition for the women, spoken in their native language. Their weary eyes filled with tears as love flooded their prison.
With the help of an interpreter, Lisa Bevere gave her testimony and prayed for every woman and child. As she spoke, she placed her hands on their shoulders and stared intently into their eyes. Again and again the interpreter boldly repeated Lisa’s words, “God has a plan for your life!” Though many wore their shame heavily, each felt the impact of her message. We all ministered and prayed for the hope of spiritual and physical freedom to consume them.
In the second brothel, a certain woman captured my attention. I felt God urge me to move closer, so I crawled through the others seated on the floor and pulled her into my arms. Suddenly a wailing cry immerged from deep within me, and I cradled and rocked her like a child. She welcomed the embrace and when the travail lifted, God’s peace covered us both.
I learned afterward that she had recently placed her five-year-old daughter in the safety of the LIFE Center. Her precious child was the only pure love the woman had in her life, so she placed her with godly people to protect her. I felt blessed to mourn the loss with that young mother and offer hope for her own life to be rescued.
On our last day, a young woman brought her eight-year-old daughter to Lisa. The day before, she had invited Lisa to her tiny space inside the brothel. Lisa was shocked to learn that while mothers are with a client, they must hide their child under the bed, put them into a small compartment or drug them to sleep. Lisa knew the mother didn’t believe she could be free, but she wanted her child rescued.
Our team witnessed the difference the LIFE Center makes in the lives of children, but we also discovered they have a long waiting list. One missionary explained, “We want to rescue all of the children! We have the land, but no resources to build.”
That scene plays in my memory--an imprisoned young mother and her child who remains vulnerable to sexual predators until she can be rescued. It continues to motivate me to pray and do all I can with the resources God provides to rescue children from brothels. I asked Devaraj to answer the question everyone asks when they hear about human trafficking, “How do enslaved people get free from captivity?”
He smiled confidently and said, “This is not too hard for my God!”

James, Betty and all of us at LIFE believe that God is their only hope, so we are increasing our efforts to rescue innocent ones. Our goal and our prayer is that God’s love and grace will shine upon the darkest corners of the earth. So as we say “good night” to the red light district of Kamathipura, we look forward to the dawn of a new day in the light of God’s love.

This Week
Pray for the women and children of Kamathipura and every other area where sexual slavery reigns. Ask the Lord to protect and empower the missionaries and move mightily in the lives of those living in darkness.
Prayer
“Jesus, send Your good news to those trapped in bondage. Use Your people to touch those bound by hopelessness, wickedness and shame. Amen.”

Recipe for the Perfect Woman

4 cups of love 1 tbsp of laughter
2 cups of wisdom 1/4 cup of patience
1 pinch of understanding 1 tsp of attitude & beauty

Mix love and understanding together until no lumps of misunderstanding are seen, then add patience and laughter to create a batter that will last until thereafter, and a tsp. of attitude and beauty just to make her real.
~ Grease the pan with wisdom and guidance.
~ Bake for 1 hour
Make one beautiful woman who has nothing but love to give, full of patience and understanding that lasts a lifetime topped with a warm loving smile.
Serves one large family and world.

What Changed?

One day a father was having a conversation with his daughter. They have always been close throughout the years. One day during the conversation about a topic on boys and dating the daughter became very nervous about speaking on this topic with her father. As the conversation went on the father had to press his daughter to discuss it with him. He reassured her that it was ok and that she could talk to him about anything; like they used to.
The father thought it might be easier if he shared some of his personal experiences about dating and a girl he really liked while in high school in efforts to try to make her more comfortable.
The daughter seemed to loosen up. Then it happened, the father asked his daughter a question that would perhaps shed some light on why she was struggling to talk to him about this matter. He simply said to her,
" What changed in our relationship that you feel you can't talk to me anymore?"
This was an aha moment for me.
Nothing had changed in their relationship except for his daughter. She thought she could not talk to her father about boys, but she could because her father had not changed; only her perception of how he might react did.
Right at this moment the Lord spoke to me and said alot of times his daughters do the same thing to Him.
We stop going to our Heavenly Father with everything that concerns us. Even for those of you who are single, don't stop going to the One who knows everything, who knows how to council you better than anyone else. Who knows about boys and men, for after all He created them.
My point is simple, don't stop talking to your Heavenly Father about anything because He cares for you and cares about every area and detail of your life!
He never changes, "He is the same, yesterday, today and forever."
Heberews 13:8

The Time is Short

Truly the time is short and the days are evil. Christ is soon to return. As Christians we must be ready and we must be faithful to bring as many people to Him as possible.
Remember the parable in Luke 12:35-40.
Jesus said, "be dressed READY for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when He comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for Him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when He comes. I tell you the truth, He will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if He comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this, if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him."

Spanish

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