First of all I would like to thank Pastor Mike, our Administrative Pastor, for inviting and connecting our church as host to Mike Guzzardo. As we shared, Mike is a desired speaker all over the country...so to get him to FCF was great. It definitely was worth all the effort by Pastor Mike. Thanks for that bro!!!
I love the fact that Mike didn't mince words about the problem with our intimacy with Christ. The fact is many of us are settling for a controlled flame instead of a consuming fire. As he so appropriately reminded us...God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 10), so if our intimacy is settling for a controlled flame then we are missing the very essence of the Lord.
As Mike shared with us, we must remember those danger areas that attempt to steal away our moments of intimacy...which in fact are stealing our destiny. The more intimate we are with Christ, the closer we live facing the destiny God has for our lives. When distraction, sin, or time begin to steal away the intimacy...then our destiny is hindered and we settle for second best. God only gives the best...so second best is a very insult to His character.
An interesting analogy to our intimacy with Christ is found in the word "know." Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would "know Him and the Father." Our very salvation is dependent upon the fact of knowing Him. But what's most interesting about knowing God is how it shows up in Scripture. The Old Testament writers would describe the physical intimacy between a husband and wife as "knowing" each other (i.e. Adam "knew" his wife Eve and they conceived).
We are called to "know" Christ. Not just a knowledge about Him, but to "know" Him in an intimate way. To know the nooks and crannies of His desires for us. To hear His whispers even when the world around us is screaming. As Hosea said, "The Lord says, I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
So let us, as people and church, move into the deeper waters of intimacy as we seek to "know" Him and His plan for us!
