Everyone aspires toward a higher level of needs or motivation beyond the previous acquisition for life satisfaction. According to Maslow, discussing the aspirations of life outlined the hierarchy of needs as physiological- safety, belonging and love, social needs or esteem, and self-actualization. He describes the way human motivations generally develop, which concludes the human is full of aspiration, and it’s not a violation to have goals in life; but where is the cut-off?
A few individuals, when desperate, get their needs through any means. As a result, they sometimes find themselves hooked into an uncomfortable situation or filled with regrets in the pursuit of life.
Where is the cut-off? Does life cravings and indulgences ever satisfy anyone?
We understand from the records in the scriptures, the Israelites, God’s chosen people erred in their decision about choices. They had the opportunity to enjoy the preferential treatment of a daily provision, favor, and God’s very presence around them. They did not value their unique position with God but grew wilder in their pursuit of needs, up to living outside the covenant’s conditions. Many of them perished and did not obtain the promise, just because they lacked the control for limits and wise choices.
The Israelites could not do the things of God because they lived in the flesh or were canals. They could not understand their privileged position. The Bible tells us,” The person without the Spirit of God does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:14). They did not have the Holy Spirit living inside of them because the Holy Spirit was not available at the time, except for some with peculiar assignments. They lived lives controlled by the flesh, rebellion against the rules of the Almighty, and they made wrong choices,” So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8). As a result, many of them died in the wilderness.
When we think intimacy with God, we mean a life where the Spirit of God indwells by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as the personal Savior. This kind of life is born anew with the Holy Spirit. The life surrenders to the Holy Spirit’s control and lives with a new mindset in thoughts, desires, and habits that glorify God through the feeding/reading of the Word of God. ” Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The child of God makes this reflection as the scripture summarizes,” And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17).
As a self-check about our Christian living, we ask the question, If the Lord was physically present, will this my action please Him?
Jesus came into the World to teach us about having an intimate relationship with the Father, to guide our choices and to live to obey the instructions in the Word. He withdrew from the crowd many times to spend time alone with the Father. The scripture mentioned the charisma around Him as,” Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 4:1). An example was at the end of His 40 days and 40 nights time alone with God in prayer and fasting; to prepare for launching into His ministry. The old serpent, the devil, targeted Jesus, tempted Him with the mundane things of life. Why did the devil do this? His goal was to distract the Son of God from His mission, to render His ministry ineffective for the work of redemption; you and I enjoy the benefits and possibilities today. Jesus did not yield to Satan’s temptation because He was full of the Holy Spirit, and empowered by Him.
How many times do we choose to walk in the path of the enemy of our soul, even when the Spirit of God convicts us of wrongdoing in our lives?
People often hide under the canopy of,” the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” to justify their indulgence. We can remind ourselves, Jesus lived in the flesh just like us; he came down to show us the example; he lived through it and overcame. He practiced spending time with the Father, the source of His strength and choices. When He was going away, He promised to send us the Holy Spirit, for empowerment, and strength. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, our peace, enabler, guide, and teacher.
Jesus prevailed over the temptation at the wilderness; he recognized such challenges are the enticements or the weights to prevent Him from fulfilling His spiritual journey and avoided them. He equipped Himself with the Holy Spirit, without which He would fail. The life in the Holy Ghost influenced the choices He made.” I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16).
There are many dazzling sights and pleasing sounds around us globally, from different scenes to friendship, societal trends, and more; but the Word of God enlightens us about intimacy and choices,” Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1John 2:15-17).
” For to this, you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” (1Peter 2:21). Man is too weak to fulfill the righteousness of Go d by himself, and the Lord gave us the Holy Spirit to help us through life’s journey, ”So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
Furthermore, Paul gave the following grapevine regarding intimacy and choices:
- Mindset on the flesh is enmity, it results in the battle of the mind which is principal to hostility, rebellion, and disobedience to God
- ”The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:17-32).
- ” Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).
- ” I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
- ”Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” ( Galatians 5:19-21).
- ” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23).”
- ” And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24).
No one can live the life of intimacy without walking in the Spirit. We need to depend on the Holy Spirit every day and every step of the way to teach and guide us regarding the choices we make.
The child of God who does not wish to live in defeat will adopt the lifestyle of a daily walk (Intimacy) with God, studying the Bible, living a prayerful life, and in obedience to the Holy Ghost’s promptings, who reminds us of the practical truth in the Word.
If, for any reason, you are not living your life in intimacy with God because of wrong choices, there is still room at the cross. Ask the Lord to forgive your rebellion; ask Him to come into your heart if you have never asked Him. If you already requested Him but fell off the state of grace, tell Him you rededicate your life. All are to Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and for the grace to walk in obedience. If you said this prayer for the first time, believe you are born again. If for dedication, do not go back to the former errors, walk in Him.
For more on the grace of God and living the New Life, you may read my eBook on Amazon, ’I heard about you, and now I know you’ – by Irene May.
Below is a Link to a Prayer in song.