Jesus said, "you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you."
John 15:7
A dynamic, interactive, growing personal relationship is available to the Post-Pentecost believer, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as we ascend into the Sixth Path. The child of God may have fellowship with God, with joy in His presence, hearing whispers of His will, pleasing Him in every respect, following Him wherever He goes, with no anxiety, in the world, with every desire being granted.
One may ask: Is this depth of fellowship with God really possible? If so, what is it? Is it possible to be in the presence of God and have joy as a result? Can anyone please God in every respect? Can anyone follow the invisible God wherever He goes? How? Can all of our desires be granted? Is anxiety avoidable? Can we be free of it?
I will present scriptures which show that every aspect of this new covenant fellowship is possible... But not in our own power. In John 15:5, Jesus said, "apart from me you can do nothing". But we are "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Biblical Christianity points to a supernatural, spiritual fellowship.
This fellowship with God is a very intimate, powerful state. It is in stark contrast to Jesus' description of lukewarm Christians as being "wretched", "miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:14-17). As a Christian, one may possess eternal life, but be in a miserable state because of broken fellowship with God.
Fellowship with God is a two way conversation in the spiritual realm, as we Follow Christ, bearing His yoke in the world. Man's side of this conversation is prayer. God's side is communication through scripture and the Holy Spirit. Essentially, this book presents compilations of scripture describing both sides of this fellowship... both sides of this conversation.
I will repeat my description of the depths of intimacy now available to the child of God:
The child of God may have...
- fellowship with God
- with joy in His presence,
- hearing whispers of His will,
- pleasing Him in every respect,
- following Him wherever He goes,
- with no anxiety,
- in the world,
- with every desire being granted.
The scriptures presented below will show that this degree of intimacy is possible:
Fellowship with God:
- "our Fellowship with God is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).
- "the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Prayerful Observations:
Neither verse is in the future tense. On the contrary, both are in the present tense. So, we can have fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the present.
Joy in His Presence:
- "In your presence is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11).
- "Always rejoice... for this is the will of God" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Prayerful Observation: God's presence is enjoyed in the present tense.
Hearing Whispers of his Will, Pleasing Him in Every Respect:
- "For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don't cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects" (Colossians 1:9-10).
- "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS" (Hebrews 3:7-8).
Prayerful Observations:
From the first verse we can be "filled with the knowledge of his will" to the extent that we can "please him in all respects". The second verse reveals that we can "hear his voice" sufficiently to either yield to that voice or harden our hearts.
Following Him Wherever He Goes:
- "These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed by Jesus from among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4). (Jesus is the Lamb.)
- Jesus said, "my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27).
Prayerful Observations: The first passage is an observation of some who followed Christ after His resurrection and ascension. So, He is not on the earth in visible form as they follow Him. They follow the invisible Christ "wherever he goes". The second passage reveals that His sheep hear and follow. This is not rule keeping. This is following a living person.
With no Anxiety:
- "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-8).
- "When he (Jesus) got into a boat, his disciples followed him. 24 Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves; but he was asleep. 25 The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, "Save us, Lord! We are dying!"26 He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:23-26). See also Luke 8:22-25.
- "The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5).
Prayerful Observations: The apostles were afraid because their faith was small. At a later point in Christ's ministry, they asked God to increase their faith. Christ's question "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" is revealed in greater detail under the caption "Faith With Boundaries" in the next subchapter, subchapter 2.6. Everything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Fear is not from faith. So fear is sin.
To multiply your faith and remove fears click here to learn about the Endorsed Prayer of Faith. (Look for micro-subchaper 4.3a).
In the World:
- "I am no more in the world, but these are in the world" (John 17:11).
Prayerful Observations: Jesus is speaking about His disciples. He is speaking of His coming departure from the world while leaving His disciples "in the world." God's children are "in the world" but not of the world (John 17:16). The victorious Christian life I am describing takes place "in the world". So, we don't have to escape the world to enter into God's victorious, abundant life.
So fellowship with God, with joy in His presence, hearing whispers of His will, pleasing Him in every respect, following Him wherever He goes, with no anxiety, with every desire being granted is available... in the world.
Every Desire Being Granted:
- Jesus said, "If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7).
Prayerful Observations:
The passage states that "you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you." But there is a condition. The condition is "If you remain in me, and my words remain in you". If we meet the condition, our every desire will be granted.
It is possible to be so intimate with God, that He grants our every desire. His word in us informs us of His will. Our remaining in Him is our yielding to His will. It is adopting God's will as our own. In this intimate fellowship, we want what God wants and only what God wants. All our desires are granted.
The intimacy in this passage is clearly seen if we consider a completely human example. Consider this statement: "Sophia remains in Asher and Asher's words remain in Sophia." We will consider this as a grammatically parallel statement to the condition which Jesus presented.
"If you remain in me, and my words remain in you"
If Sophia remains in Asher and Asher's words remain in Sophia.
As Asher's words remain in Sophia, she clings to his words, repeats them, dwells on them, and feeds on them. His voice is life to her. As this occurs, Asher is actually being formed in her. As Sophia remains in Asher, her entire world is absorbed into him.
Sophia's relationship to Asher is revealed by her response to his words. Our relationship to Christ is revealed by our response to Christ's words. Note the condition for having all our desires granted: "if you remain in me, and my words remain in you".
How Do We Enter Into This Intimacy?
Now, the above scriptures show that a very high degree of intimacy is possible with God in this life. But how do we attain it? Or rather, how do we "receive" it?
I will repeat what I have said before: To enter into this fellowship, the heart must touch what the eye cannot see. It all depends on what happens in one particular moment... in that very second when we come into contact with the word of God. That moment is the foundation of this book. It is from that moment, which this fellowship with God unfolds. Subchapter 1.1 brought you into "that moment".
In subchapter 1.1, you experienced prayer as the primary channel for your time in God's word. Prayer is a critical requirement for intimacy with Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:7 states "And what do you have that you didn't receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" We may receive by asking. In Matthew 7:8 Jesus said, "For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened." So, I suggest that you ask your Lord for deeper intimacy with Him. This is the Endorsed Prayer of Intimacy in micro-subchapter 4.3j. This request to your Lord for intimacy is a first step.
The Endorsed Prayers are a critical part of receiving this deep intimate fellowship with God. The Endorsed Prayers of Faith and Love are very important. In these prayers, we ask God to increase our faith and love. He responds by multiplying our faith and love. Varieties of faith are presented in the next subchapter.
The Endorsed Prayers also provide a snapshot of the topics of our conversations with God as we have fellowship with Him in the Sixth Path.
The other chapters in this book are critical to entering into this intimacy with God. Chapter 3 is about the Holy Spirit. Gaining an understanding of the workings of the Holy Spirit for the saint is like gaining an understanding of water for a fish. That chapter describes the spiritual realm in which our fellowship takes place. Chapter 5 is "Fellowship with God in Pain". Pain will either crush your spirit or become your stepping stone to power and intimacy. Your response to the scriptures in that chapter will determine which destiny will be yours. Chapter 6 is "Fellowship With God in Paradise: The Seventh Path". The scriptures in that chapter present the ecstasy of the eternal state in God's visual presence as God's children judge and rule the earth. These scriptures keep victory in our minds on our journey. And we are approaching that victory with every passing moment.
Fellowship with God is a two way conversation in the spiritual realm, as we Follow Christ, bearing His yoke in the world.
Taking the yoke of Christ involves praying the scriptures in the Fifth Path, asking God to give us words (Ephesians 6:18, 19), watching in prayer (Colossians 4:2) and praying the Endorsed Prayers (1 Corinthians 11:1). We "Turn, Turn, Turn and Behold the Lord"... we walk in the Sixth Path (2 Corinthians 3:18). The yoke of Christ was explained from the scriptures in subchapter 2.3.
Since a strong faith is key to intimacy with God, I prayerfully suggest that you click the arrow at the top right of your screen to open the subchapter titled, "What Variety of Faith Do You Have?"