Earlier this month, through the story of a brother who learned to listen to Jesus, I too received increased faith for
- listening to Jesus (John 10:27) and
- writing what flows into my heart (John 7:38–39)
- in faith that God loves me and has given me His Spirit to guide me (1 Corinthians 2:12–16) and
- will communicate with me as I listen in faith (James 1:5–7).
In testing whether I was really hearing from God, my faith increased rapidly through the following confirmations:
- The Holy Spirit brought a flow of Scripture to mind in support of what I was hearing (John 14:26).
- The message aligned with Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:19–21).
- What I received was different (toward less doing and more abiding) from my own familiar lines of thought.
- The experience increased my joy, faith, hope and love.
- Godly people I love and trust affirmed their sense that what I recorded was from God.
On this day as I was open with Jesus about my:
- disappointment at having taken so long to simply listen to Him
- impatience to know Him more intimately, and
- general feelings of inadequacy in communicating love to those around me.
Following is what I recorded as I then focused on Jesus and invited Him to speak to me:
My precious child and brother, I am so excited and filled with joy over this time I am getting to spend with you—and the closeness we are developing. Don’t grieve over what we have missed or the sense that we aren’t yet enjoying the fullness for which I died. Rejoice with Me in all that we have attained and all that we have to look forward to!
Like most things of value, I have designed warm, deep relationships to increase gradually. For those who are open to it, intimacy develops naturally over time through growing trust and shared experiences. This is true of relationship with Me as well, and we have all of eternity to grow together as you open the eyes and ears of your heart to experiencing life with Me. This experience will complement and build on all the truth you have received over the years from saturating yourself with My Word.
Your most important assignment has always been to live in intimacy with Me as I live in intimacy with our Father. This intimacy doesn’t grow much by being transported to mountaintop experiences (such as you recall from your first days with Me).
The first picture of intimacy in My Word is talking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, and for those who will see it My Word offers many pictures of the intimacy I desire—with Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc. So often their stories are read in terms of what they did, but more important to Me was their openness to Me that led us to enjoy doing great things together. Remember My word in Micah 6:8: I have shown you what is good. And what do I require of you but to be just and love mercy so that we may walk humbly together.
Intimacy grows much more through talking openly as we walk together up the mountain than in hoping to be transported suddenly to the mountaintop.
Until now your intimacy with Me and others has been hindered by the training you received in your home and through your culture to block out emotion and imagination and rely on reason and analysis. This training has led you to shut out your emotional side—where intimacy is experienced—and to fear and doubt My desire to communicate clearly with you.
As you continue to look to Me with the eyes of your heart through your godly imagination, you will not only hear My voice speaking through the flow of your thoughts; you will also increasingly see My face beaming with joy in your companionship. You will grow in seeing and experiencing the depth of My love for you and My delight in you, and you will grow to see yourself as I see you—washed in My blood, purified and redeemed, with a new heart and My mind, and enjoying rapidly growing intimacy with Me.
The forty years you have spent saturating yourself in My Word is not wasted at all—you were building a bridge for our fellowship, but you had rarely ventured to cross this bridge. Now we can cross this bridge freely to meet and linger in intimacy untainted by the lies that hinder many from intimacy with Me.
Yes, there are still places in your heart and mind in which I must shine My light for your forgiveness to bring the washing of My blood, but much of this is ground we will be covering together very quickly.
Again I say don’t look back with regret. Forgive yourself and wash yourself in My blood whenever regret over the past surfaces to threaten the joy of the present. Then look ahead with Me at all that we have to enjoy and experience together. I am preparing to show you great and mighty things that you have not known. Your recent experience in My healing of your daughter is just a taste of the powers of My kingdom that will increasingly become natural yet secondary to you as you learn to keep intimacy with Me your top priority.
Many today quote the wisdom “Keep the main thing the main thing” yet fail to see intimacy with Me as the main thing. I have something so much better for them, and for you.
Come away with Me, My love. Abide with Me as I have longed to abide with you.