7 Things That Hinder Your Intimacy with God
What’s Inside: Do you feel like you’re not as close to God? What Hinders Intimacy with God? Find out the seven things from Proverbs 6:16-19
Intimacy with God. Everyone wants it. Few know how to get it. And what hinders a true believer in Christ from intimacy with God?
Let’s start with the basics, shall we?
What is Intimacy with God?
In a marriage, intimacy speaks of having a close relationship with your spouse.
Intimacy with God is simply developing a relationship with God. For a Christian this includes prayer, Bible reading and studying God’s word, and living a life that is pleasing to Him.
Developing intimacy with God is an opportunity to grow in faith, experience God’s perfect love, and receive His grace and forgiveness. Intimacy with God is essential for spiritual growth and helps us find meaning and purpose in our lives because God is at the center. Without God as the focus, we only have spiritual misery.
Intimacy with God also involves being open and honest with God, and being willing to surrender our own desires and plans to Him. Giving ourselves to God can be a difficult task. If we aren’t truthful with ourselves and our service to God, we aren’t fooling anyone. It’s a hard pill to swallow. When we surrender to God and enjoy intimacy with Him, we can experience His peace, His joy, and His purpose to our life.
Intimacy is experiencing eternal life and having the living God as a best friend, or intimate friend.
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here.)
Intimacy with God is the most important thing we can develop because it allows us to experience a deep and personal connection with Him.
Why is Intimacy with God so Important?
Intimacy with God is the most important thing we can develop because it allows us to experience a deep and personal connection with Him.
I know I’ve shared this illustration on my blog before but bear with me…
When my husband tells the story of seeing me in church for the first time, he didn’t want to know me from afar, He wanted to get to know me and have a relationship with me. Knowing someone up close and personally deepens our relationship with them.
We can experience growth as we deepen our understanding of who God is, learn His will for us, and be obedient.
Deeper intimacy that is formed in a relationship with God helps us to understand His qualities and characteristics,
As God bestows his divine love on us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can bestow the same on others and we become His hands and feet.
When God showers us with his love, it helps us become more compassionate, loving and understanding of others and what they are going through.
How to Develop an Intimate Relationship with God-Relationship vs. Rules
Let’s talk about how to develop an intimate relationship with God in regards to relationship versus rules. Should we focus on rules and regulations or a relationship with God?
Thank the Lord for the wonderful regeneration of a soul saved from sin. When we were in need of redemption, the Lord Jesus Christ met the need and provided not only redemption but a relationship.
If we focus on the rules and regulations, we are in danger of becoming like the Galatians. But those very same rules can show us the need of confessing and repenting of our sin bringing us into deeper relationship with God.
We can see our shortcomings.
We see our failures.
We can see the continuous need of a Saviour.
May God give us the desire to check our motives and look at our lives introspectively so we can apply the necessary spiritual disciplines. Relationship and growth go hand in hand.
Choosing sin over God hinders intimacy with God and damages our relationship with God.
Signs of Intimacy with God
Do you have intimate fellowship with God in your daily life of faith? Does the love of the Heavenly Father dwell in your heart and spill out to the human relationships around you? Is it your heart’s desire to learn how to become intimate with god
The Bible tells us of how our lives can glorify God and show the fruit of being a faithful servant of God.
Here are some signs of believers experiencing intimacy with God from a Biblical viewpoint:
- A deep sense of peace and contentment: When we are close to God, we have a sense of peace and contentment that is difficult to explain or describe because it’s source is God.
- A desire to spend time with God: When we are intimate with someone, we should want to spend time with them. The same is true of our relationship with God. If we have a relationship with Him, we should have a desire to spend time with Him in prayer and in reading the word of God.
- A desire to follow God’s will: Intimacy with God brings a strong desire to follow His will for our lives, even when it is difficult or inconvenient.
- Knowing you are loved and accepted by God: When we are intimate with God, can have the divine assurance that we are accepted and loved by Him-even if we aren’t worthy.
- Having a sense of purpose and meaning in life: When we are intimate with God, we can have a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives that gives us godly hope and direction.
These are just a few examples of the special bond in the Christian life we can experience. We are not automatons or robots and we aren’t perfect. We may struggle with some areas of God’s plan, but God is faithful to help us grow and grasp the truths that He has revealed to us in His word.
What Hinders Intimacy with God?
We cannot make excuses for the lack of spiritual maturity that should be evident as we spend time in God’s presence and He meets our spiritual needs.
Let’s take a look at Proverbs 6:16-19 which mention some very practical ways we can see hinders intimacy as we walk in God’s truth.
These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Proverbs 6:16-19
Proverbs 6:16 deals with some harsh words of what the Lord hates. These are things the Spirit of God hates, but He uses a much stronger word than just hate. God uses the word abomination.
They word abomination in the Hebrew means to be detestable or abhorent. The word abomination, is usually used in connection with idols.
Let’s take a deeper look at what hinders our intimacy with God from Proverbs 6:16-119
Pride
A proud look.
Verse 6 says God hates a proud look. What is a proud look according to the Bible?
The proud look refers to a haughty or arrogant expression or demeanor, one that is characterized by an overbearing or presumptuous sense of superiority.
Having a proud look suggests a person who looks down on others with contempt or disdain, and who is full of themselves and their own importance. This type of pride can lead to conflict and harm in relationships.
The opposite of pride is humility and 1 Peter illustrates that humility is like clothing that we put on our bodies.
and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5
The word for resists here in the Greek is ἀντιτάσσεται (antitassetai) and means to oppose.
God resists the proud.
Lying
A lying tongue.
A lying tongue refers to the act of speaking falsely or deceitfully. The Lord hates lying and finds the act reprehensible. Lying is considered a sin in the Bible because it goes against one of the Ten Commandments.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church of Colosse:
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Colossians 3:9
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Ephesians 4:25
Murder
Hands that shed innocent blood.
The phrase “hands that shed innocent blood” means those who commit murder when the victim is innocent or has done nothing to deserve such treatment. This phrase also appears in Psalm 94:21.
In the New Testament, murder goes beyond killing someone. The tongue can also be considered a murder weapon because it destroys men by it’s slander and gossip. The apostle John wrote that the tongue is full of deadly poison (James 3:8) and whoever hates his brother is a murderer. (1 John 3:15)
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:8
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
I John 3:15
Evil Thoughts and Scheming
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations.
The phrase “an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations” refers to a heart that is filled with evil and sinful thoughts and plans. This phrase is used to describe individuals who have turned away from God and have chosen to follow their own wicked desires. Such human beings are seen as dangerous and harmful to others since they are prone to plotting and scheming in order to achieve their own selfish ends.
An extreme example of a schemer mentioned in the Bible would be the wife of Herodias who plotted behind the scenes to have the head of John the Baptist delivered to her and her daughter on a platter.
Imagine that wickedness!
Another example of scheming is Ananias and Saphira who lied to the apostles of God. They told the apostles they would give money to the Lord and they lied to the Spirit of God.
Being a Busybody and Troublemaker
Feet that be swift in running to mischief.
The Bible often uses the metaphor of feet to represent the direction or path that a person takes in life.
In the context of the phrase “feet that be swift in running to mischief,” it means that a person is quick to take actions that lead to trouble or harm. This can refer to someone who is prone to causing problems or engaging in reckless or harmful behavior. The phrase serves as a warning to stay out of other people’s business.
A False Witness
A false witness that speaketh lies.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).
This commandment is often understood to prohibit lying, particularly in the context of bearing false witness, which means giving false testimony in a legal setting.
In addition to this commandment, there are several other passages in the Bible that speak against lying and encourage honesty, such as Ephesians 4:25 and Colossians 3:9, Both Scriptures encourage believers to speak the truth.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Ephesians 4:25
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Colossians 3:9
Lying and bearing false witness are acts of deception. Another reason for Christians to always speak truth is that lying goes against the nature of God because God is truth (John 14:6) and His very nature is honesty and truthfulness.
Sowing Discord
He that soweth discord among brethren.
Sowing discord is causing division or strife amongst the people of God.
Doing harm to God’s children is a serious matter, so much so that Christ Jesus said this:
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6
In the book of Proverbs, for example, it says: “Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own” (Proverbs 26:17) and “A person who stirs up conflict in the community is like one who breaks down a fence” (Proverbs 26:22).
Both of these passages warn against getting involved in conflicts that do not concern us and caution against causing division among people.
In conclusion, here are the things that will hinder intimacy with God as mentioned in Proverbs 6:16-19.
- Pride
- Lying
- Murder- both literally and by the tongue
- Evil Thoughts and Scheming
- Being a Busybody and Troublemaker
- A False Witness
- Sowing Discord Among the Brothers and Sisters in the Lord
Having a Relationship with God Bible Verses
To keep this blog post focused and biblical, I wanted to include some Bible Verses on having a relationship with God.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
John 17:3
The verse above uses the word know which means to come to the knowledge of knowing someone. We can KNOW how to develop a close relationship with god intimately.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26-27
After researching the writing of this blog post, I came across a wonderful truth. Jesus is speaking of the earthly family unit- father mother wife and children. If we take up his cross, we become like a family member in the form of a disciple. A disciple is one who learns from Jesus, a pupil.
Sweet Sister, are you wanting to turn from those things spoken of in Proverbs 6:16-19 and develop an intimate relationship with God?
It is my prayer that you can apply these truths in learning what hinders intimacy with God.
