GROWING IN INTIMACY WITH JESUS BY JENNA

God showed me how it pleases Him to walk habitually with Him. I had read this in my Amplified Bible, “Noah walked habitually with God.” Genesis 6:9 and “Enoch walked habitually with God.” Genesis 5:24. Their habits pleased God we read in Hebrews 11:5-7.

One of my favorite hymns is “In The Garden.” It tells of a love relationship with God and how He walks with us and He talks with us and we’re never alone because He is always with us. He is forever and always right with us—we don’t have to do a thing. We don’t have to earn the right to keep His company; we don’t have to be good enough. The Lord Jesus is Emmanuel—God with us.

Sometimes those little daily devotion books lead us astray because we are led to believe that once we do our devotions, or have our “Daily Quiet Time”, our “Fifteen Minutes Alone with God” or “Time in the Secret Place” that we are good to go—we’ve done our duty and spent an allotted time focusing on God so now we can go merrily on our way for the rest of the day.

Awareness of the presence 24/7 of my beloved Lord Jesus, and CONTINUALLY enjoying His favor, love, abundant life and everlasting joy, has been the most profound discovery of my life. My favorite verse of the Bible is found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. “You show me the path of life; in Your Presence is the fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11, Acts 2:28) My favorite translation of the Bible is the Amplified which says, “You enrapture me, diffusing my soul with joy.”

Jesus told us the reason He came to earth was to bring us abundant life. He never said He bought us a ticket to heaven. Life with Him is abundant and it is NOW—eternity has already begun. There is no waiting line! Whoohooo!!!

Over the years I see a progression in my relationship with the Lord Jesus. At first I knew Him as Savior and Redeemer. About two years later I came to know Him as Lord and Master and I saw myself as His servant because I owed Him my life. At some point Jesus said, “No longer do I call you servant, I call you friend.” He became my closest and most loving friend to confide in and trust with my secrets. Next I learned that I had been adopted and He wanted to be more than friends—we’re family! We share the same bloodline—the same D.N.A. or Divine Nature of Abba. “We have received adoption in the Holy Spirit and our spirit testifies we are children of God in the bliss of which we cry, Abba! Father!” See Romans 8:15, 16.

The Lord has spoken to me through His Word that I am His treasure. He actually calls me, “Darling.” I am a part of His Bride preparing for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. I am one of the pure virgins keeping my lamp burning for Him. My heart resonates with the Song of Solomon. My songs of worship are often love songs for my beloved Jesus, my Groom. His heart resonates with our love and gratitude and devotion. I believe His love language is consecration. He wants us to only have eyes for Him and to rejoice in Him always.

The Word tells us that He inhabits or dwells in the praises of His people. (Psalm 22:3) Have you experienced His presence so sweet and close as you worship Him and sing to Him with all your heart in love and gratitude? To taste and see and experience the Lord’s goodness changes us forever.

About four years ago I saw a woman dancing during worship. I asked her to teach me everything she knew. Christlyn taught me Israeli circle dancing, but more than that she taught me how King David danced with abandon before the Lord and didn’t care what people thought. (2Sam.6:14) David commanded the people to follow his example and “Praise Him with dance.” (Psalm 149:3,150:4) As I began to dance with my beloved Lord Jesus in worship, I experienced His presence and His pleasure like never before. To dance with the lover of my soul as a form of worship is one of my favorite things!

Sometimes I worship dance with colorful flags. Flagging before a congregation is a form of leading in worship. Sometimes I feel like Miriam leading in a victory dance (Exodus 15:20). Last fall I was privileged to dance and flag for a conference called The Healing Explosion in Canada with Georgian and Winnie Banov. Andrea York (one of our Kingdom Bloggers) and I flagged onstage while Georgian played his fiddle! I was front right and Andrea was front left. Wow! It was glorious and joyous! Winnie Banov had a most awesome and life-changing message about how she discovered there are some things missing in our modern translations of the Bible. There are supposed to be these two little letters “co” before certain words. We are co-crucified, co-buried, co-resurrected, co-enthroned and co-heirs with Jesus! To be seated IN the heavenlies with our Groom and to know ALL He has is ours, our rightful inheritance—these are truths that make you want to dance and celebrate with ecstatic joy!

I started this writing telling you about how I learned it pleases God to walk with Him habitually. Well, now I have learned to DANCE with Him habitually. Hahaha! Whether I am at Zumba, Folk Dance Class, Clogging, Swing Dance, Hula or Tap Dance—I’m dancing with Jesus!

I say, “Yes, Lord, Thank You, Lord.” all day long.

Walking with Jesus is where I belong!

And every time I get a chance,

I say to my Beloved, “Shall we dance?”

Tuesday Retreat...

It’s a rainy stormy day in Brookings SD where I am right now. The rain is more gentle at the moment but it was coming down in buckets early this a.m. The wind, of course the wind, it is South Dakota, moved my balcony furniture around. They are huddled in the corner as if to escape the fury of the wind.

Sometimes the Spirit of God is like that, it blows and we don’t know where it is taking us and so we huddle in the corner. Jesus used the metaphor of the wind in John 3 as He conversed with Nicodemus. There was a singer in NYC – not a gospel singer per se because that’s a different genre of music, but he sang scripture, almost chant like. Every song he sang was all scripture – when I think of John 3 I think of him singing in perfect KJV with an operatic tone: The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

So I’m thinking about the wind today as we enter the second week of our Tuesday retreat – where is the wind of God taking you? Are you ready to soar as an eagle dependent on that wind, or are you huddled like my chairs on the balcony? Let the wind blow as you do your mini-retreat and hear what the Spirit is saying to you today.

Remember our scripture? Read it out loud, hear the words with your ears and your heart. This time we’ll hear it from The Message:

2 Corinthians 3:12-18: With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn't notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn't notice. They didn't notice it then and they don't notice it now, don't notice that there's nothing left behind that veil. Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can't see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there's nothing there.

Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

Beholding Your Face


Before you do your reflections, I have a question to ask you. Have you ever thought about what You would see if you looked at Jesus face. Some of you may be old enough to remember the song Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. 




A Pastor I had once asked this in a sermon. I’ll never forget it. I was always Miss Busy in the church. In fact, I am one of those people that every Pastor dreams about – I’ll do everything, I can preach, I can teach, I can do administrative work – at that time I did everything from checking the bathrooms for toilet paper early on Sunday morning, the bulletins, the Sunday School/Children’s church, prayer team and preach when he was gone. So you’d think this question would not have disturbed me. It did. Then he looked at the congregation and said, “some of you are afraid to look at the face of Jesus because you are sure He is frowning at you… if you’ll look you’ll see He’s smiling.”


You see, being busy didn’t mean that I thought I was loved or special. It was what I thought I had to do to be tolerated by God. Yep, you heard that right. I still have a hard time when I take the veil off my own self and stand exposed before Christ – I am afraid to look up and see Him – but my Pastor is right – He’s smiling at you – whether like me you are trying to be the dutiful child to be tolerated or you’ve wandered away and feel like you’ve done too much – if you’ll look, you’ll see He’s smiling at you. His eyes are saying I love you.


Find a quiet place, maybe you want to read that scripture again, out loud – now reflect on these things…

1. Lord, what is it that prevents me from seeing Your face?
   
2. What messages have I taken in that make seeing You seem foolish or unattainable?
   
3. What things have I tried to substitute for Your face?
   
4. What would change if I saw Your face before me in my everyday life?