Intimate Communion With God Occurs Within Our Spirit And Our Soul

Recognizing that intimate communion with God on a personal level occurs within us, within our spirit and soul, part of our task will be to lessen, and eventually be able to ignore, the “noise” we live with on a daily basis. This is not necessarily just our earthly situation; the activity in our soul, our thoughts, emotions and decisions, all need to be brought under the control of our spirit (which is already under the control of His Spirit). Our goal is to be able to recognize His slightest whisper or moving in any realm—spirit, supernatural or natural. To be able to do that, the activity in each realm must be neutralized, where it is neither positive or negative, and does not affect our ability to know God. As you devote time and attention to knowing God, it is likely He will begin to point out areas that need to be adjusted from your life or areas of your soul that need to be brought under control. This does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with the activity or habit, but that it is a distraction from entering into His rest according to His schedule.

God’s Personal Presence is Rest

When Moses was assigned his ministry (to free God’s people), He asked God for someone to go with Him. God could have assigned all the resources and power of the universe. Yet He promised Moses two things: My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. Not power, not wealth, not creativity or organization (though He did provide these in different ways as needed). But Rest, or the freedom from self-effort.

God’s Personal Presence is a Shelter

The more we get to know God, the more we are able to recognize and appreciate His protection and care. His presence provides a refuge from the criticism, rejection and slander that often comes our way, not by preventing it, but by providing a safe place to receive healing.