Intimacy with the Lord doesn't just happen. Like any other relationship intimacy takes time, effort, sacrifice, self-control, and consistency. Charles Swindoll in his book, Intimacy with the Almighty, lists four decisions and four disciplines, which if incorporated into one's life, will help a person become deeper and closer in their relationship with the Lord.
Decision 1: To reorder one's private world; Discipline 1: Simplicity
Decision 2: To be still; Discipline 2: Silence
Decision 3: To cultivate serenity; Discipline 3: Solitude
Decision 4: To trust the Lord completely; Discipline 4: Surrender
More quotes from Charles Swindoll....
"Noise and words and frenzied, hectic schedules dull our senses, closing our ears to His still, small voice and making us numb to His touch."
"We have made ourselves very complicated."
"Those who determine to simplify their lives quickly discover it is a rigoruous solo against the wind."
"If the pace and the push, the noise and the crowds are getting to you, it's time to stop the nonsense and find a place of solace to refresh your soul."
"I am finally learning that His sovereign plan is the best plan. That whatever I entrust to Him, he can take care of better than I. That nothing under His control can ever be out of control. That everything I need He knows about in every detail. That He is able to supply, to guide, to start, to stop, to sustain, to change, and to correct in His time and for His purposes. When I keep my hands out of things, His Will is accomplished, His Name is exalted, and His Glory is magnified."
I learned these four things from my cat, spending quiet afternoons on the porch with him. An old woman told me years ago that animals have never forgotten God; only humans have. "Be still and know that I am God."
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