2. Pillars of Rest – Intimacy

I can not speak enough on this pillar because everything we do or become, flows out of the pillar intimacy. If you want power, healing, understanding, supernatural and seeing angels you can find it in this pillar. All those things are an outflow of intimacy.

The most important thing is that intimacy shows you your heart as much as the person you are intimate with. It’s a window into your heart. If you’ve ever been in a relationship, you know that throughout the relationship your heart can be exposed and the things you thought were hidden become amplified.

I always say that my biggest cheerleader is my husband. I believe, he believes in me more than what I believe in myself. He makes me aware of things I do because I’m not always aware of the depth of what I do. He sees deep into my heart when I just think it’s another thing. Let me give an example.

I while back we were meeting up with a group of friends and I wanted to give them a gift. I love to give gifts. Chris and I ended up speaking about this, on the way back home he said: “Honey, you don’t realize how much you give to people” and while adding up all the gifts I realized it added up to thousands of Dollars, I was shocked because in my mind I didn’t place that amount of value to what I gave. I honestly thought it was a small gesture of appreciation and love.

Now this example is not to boast about my gift giving, it’s to show you that if Chris didn’t know my heart and wasn’t an intimate part of my life, he probably never would have been able to show me my actions and my heart.

In many ways we do the same with God. We measure the time we spend with Him, the things we do with Him or for His people as less than. This can lead to places of performance, shame, or guilt, where we think (consciously or unconsciously) that if I read my bible, pray an hour or soak in His presence I can maybe have 80% of love but if I don’t then the intimacy or love we experience goes down to 30% or zero.

Some of the best conversations Chris and I have, is when we switch off the lights, before we fall asleep. Deep discussions take place, when all the things of the world, from the day, have gone silent.

What can intimacy do for us in rest?

• Intimacy increases our capacity to hold His rest.
• Intimacy increases the capacity to explore each other’s hearts. Our whole being becomes a reflection of who He is. Your heart reflects His heart when you allow Him to reveal or reflect your heart back to you, like a mirror.
• Intimacy increase heart to heart connection. God is Spirit therefore we worship in Spirit and in truth. Truth is revealed when we allow ourselves to step into heart connection.
• Find stillness to look into each other’s eyes. Eyes are the windows of your soul.

Positioning you

I’m going to refer to my husband again he has really shown me so many ways of intimacy that I never knew possible.

Before the day we said our I do’s to each other, he shared a thought with me and it sounded so amazing but I never understood the depth of what it would do in my life. He quoted Ephesians 5:22-33 you know the scripture of wives submit to your husband. At first, I wanted to run into the opposite direction. However, he said in his own understanding that wives submit but husbands should die. I sat for a moment trying to take in what he just said. Husband should love their wives like Christ love the church. Christ gave up everything for the church for His bride. He died for her. Here in front of me this man is telling me if he dies to himself, he would be so fulfilled because he can then raise me up to do what I love the most.

Chris shows this to me every day of our married life. Now ladies that does not mean we don’t do the same for our husbands. In the same way Chris reveals Christ to me, so I must reveal Christ to him. We submit one to another.

This deep mystical concept of submission one to another has set us free to be who we are and to love each other in that. Do we make mistakes, absolutely, but it also allows us then to show grace and intimate love for each other the way Christ gives grace to us.

There is no performance in this action of submission only freedom to be who you are, to constantly grow and move forward together. We push each other constantly to be more like Christ. I don’t believe we would have this deep connection if we weren’t intimate on all levels.

• Intimacy positions you being  secured, He’s got your back.
• It covers you in love, and grace.
• Intimacy frees you to come out of performance.
• It creates a foundation for you to build your dreams upon.
• It will push you to grow and to move forward.
• You will find stability in Intimacy, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
• Intimacy empowers you, when you understand all the above you will find you are empowered to do exactly what you are called to do.

There is so much more I want to write on this Pillar of Intimacy. I will leave you to ponder on this for a while. Next week I will continue our journey of the Pillar of Intimacy.