To state one’s connection to God without these characteristics dominating a life is like someone saying they jumped into a pool but never got wet. And when asked about the lack of evidence of being in the pool, and of not being wet – they reply “oh that’s a process”.

One of the most beautiful aspects of relationship with God is that He doesn’t require us to perform for Him. In fact He knows we are incapable of doing that. Yet the difficult part is getting us to believe that truth after centuries of being told exactly the opposite. …Not sure if you agree?

Think about this - We are told that the “law” was given to us as a teacher (Gal. 3:24). So what were we suppose to learn from all of those rules and regulations? That NO ONE is capable of living a Godly standard on their own. Isn’t that true? If you really know yourself, and are honest…you know it is. We just don’t have the ability to keep all of those rules. Besides…isn’t that why Jesus came, why He gave His life for you? Because of the fact that you and I are flawed? That it’s just not in us to live flawless lives on our own?

So if true, understanding this, do we now just forget all about the rules? And sin all we want without guilt?  … ABSOLUTELY NOT! Our inheritance is greater than that! Come on remember! Jesus promised you a “righteousness that is not your own” (Phil. 3:9). What does that mean? A righteousness that IS YOUR OWN is one based on YOUR ability to gut it up and just do the right things. Or that is dependent upon YOUR self-will and determination. …So a “righteousness that is not our own” is one that doesn’t originate from you, or come about because of any effort you make.

Now if we believe that, then how does God give us this righteousness…one that is not our own? Jesus said that except we “abide in Him, and Him in us…we can do nothing”. And that’s true concerning how we live. Whether we live kind, loving lives with our hearts given to God devoid of lawlessness and destructive habits. Whether we live righteously. So if this “righteousness” doesn’t come about by our efforts, how do you receive this “God created” goodness? …This “God in us, us in Him” creation? This creation of righteousness only happens when our hearts are completely God’s according to II Chron. 16:9. And it also only happens by the joining of His presence within us. So how can you begin to experience this union in a practical way?

First of all acknowledge it will never happen by your efforts. NEVER! So come to God right now recognizing your complete desperate dependence upon Him for this change in your life. Like David in Psalms 51 come asking Him to create in you a new and clean heart. And come empty-handed, without any man-created spiritual striving. How will you know this has happened? …A great stillness will come over you. And once it does, in total dependence NOW ask the Holy Spirit to cause this miracle of “God in us, us in Him” to become a reality in you for that day.

Do you now see it? Yes, you are free not to perform. Free not to struggle to fix something that can never be fixed. But with God in you, and you in Him you will NOW discover a new creation. A righteous creation. Because you will discover by His presence within you that you are not just experiencing a “positional righteousness” created by Jesus’ sacrifice for you…but now living a practical righteousness because of His “active” presence within you.

STOP STRUGGLING TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE! Come to grips with the truth! With God it’s okay to be human. His love for you goes beyond every flaw, fault, offense, and sin. Humans are flawed. It’s the reason we need God. And it is okay with Him that you are human.

So right now, be STILL! …Let the Holy Spirit do what He does best. …LET HIM CREATE IN YOU A CLEAN HEART!

Sure there is some sense of peace or joy that is gained, and even felt, when we convince ourselves of some aspect of God’s nature – His love for us, His compassion, His grace. And I admit coming to a place where someone really, really believes these truths…has great merit. But it’s not the same. Do you know what I mean? Anyone who has ever experienced both, who has experienced God in a tangible way – knows the difference. That would be like me reading a great book about my wife Kathy…but never spending time with her, never talking face to face, never sharing our hearts together. …And somehow convincing myself this was okay? That we are close?

The problem with God not being touchable and tangible in our lives is that we were never meant to live that way. The result? Any person who is living without this God intimacy (even Christians) exists in some realm of daily emotional pain. The 1999 Surgeon General’s report on mental illness in America reported that 1 in 4 Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness.

So why are so many having such little contact with God? And how can someone change their relationship with Him to be more intimate?

II Chron. 16:9 promises an overwhelming connection to God (touchable and tangible) will happen when our “heart becomes completely His” But the difficulty here is complex. If we really understand having a heart (thoughts and feelings) that is completely God’s, then we also realize this change only happens by a work of the Holy Spirit (Psalms 51 – a separate teaching).

So how does this happen? The problem is made even more difficult by the fact that most often what we call “seeking God” is in fact just us seeking for Him to change something in our lives. …Rather than us actually seeking to be close to God. Think about that? Don’t you think so? (I don’t know about you, but personally I am so often guilty of this!)

…We tend to pray or seek God to make us feel better, take away our loneliness, protect us, heal us, repair our broken heart, give us a better job or a raise, change a relationship, etc. Or even seek God just to “feel the emotions” that His Presence produces. …Rather than just seeking to be close to Him. (Nothing wrong with asking for these things) But rarely do we go to God with the single purpose (refusing to talk or think about anything else) to just seek this intimate relationship with Him. So the result is…we never, if rarely seek Him with our whole heart! Do you see that? …And the outcome of this fact? God continues to feel distant and far away.

Do something different today (and every day): Seek God with your whole heart! Put aside every care or worry, every relationship, every goal, dream and wish. Refuse to talk with Him about anything but your desire to be close to Him…touchable and tangible. 

Also: (We could sure use your support to continue and expand what we are doing. Thanks for considering this request.)

The problem here is made more complex by the fact that most often what we call “seeking God” is actually us seeking Him to change something in our lives. …Rather than actually seeking to be close to God. Understand? We tend to pray or seek God to make us feel better, take away our loneliness, protect us, heal us, repair our broken heart, give us a better job, or a raise, change a relationship, and even just to “feel the emotions” that His Presence produces. …Rather than just seeking to be close to Him. In other words, rarely do we go to God with a single purpose to have the most intimate relationship with Him that is possible. So the result is…we never, if rarely just SEEK HIM with our whole heart. …And the outcome of this fact? God continues to feel distant and far away.

For those who are interested I have included a handout here that I use when I teach on a touchable and tangible God. (Feel free to copy) It helps provide an answer and more in-depth look at what does a heart that is “completely God’s” look like, and how does one have God create that heart. For those who already, or are considering doing the “International 30 Day Spiritual Experiment” found under “Encouragement” on this website it may be of great help. A complete video teaching on this subject called A Touchable and Tangible God is found in the “store”.

 Again II Chron. 16:9 says “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is completely His”. Many versions translate the word “completely” as “perfect”. But the correct translation of the Hebrew word is “completely”. That changes everything. “Perfect” is a condition caused by someone’s efforts. Whereas “completely” is a description of their heart.

Now catch what the verse is saying…God is looking for anyone whose heart (thoughts and feelings) are completely His. And when He finds such a person? God says He will show Himself “strong” on their behalf. The word “strong” here means to “seize an individual, then attach yourself to them…so as to become their strength”. Read that again. In other words when God finds a person whose heart (thoughts and feelings) are “completely” His…HE WILL SEIZE THAT PERSON, ATTACH HIMSELF TO THEM, SO AS TO BECOME THEIR STRENGTH. But wait a moment…that is a promise from the old covenant. How did this promise change with Jesus. Come on you know! GOD NOW COMES INSIDE THAT PERSON!

…And the task of changing a heart? It has always belonged to God. Remember David’s prayer in Psalms 51? …”Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit in me. Cast me not away from Your Presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”

For God to become touchable and tangible in any of us…our heart has to become completely His. And that has never changed. Even Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” Matt. 5:8. And the literal translation is, “fortunate and to be envied are those who are clear and clean in their thoughts and feelings, for they shall gaze with wide-open eyes at something remarkable – at God!”

What do I want you to gain from this? That the door to God’s Presence opens when our “thoughts and feelings” are caused to become completely His by the Holy Spirit. And if we ever begin to try to approach God any other way…He will begin to seem distant and demanding.

Spend time thinking about this and give me feedback. I will try to post something to help you understand what makes this door open to God each week…and what causes it to close. Just stick with me. OK?

 I Cor. 11:29-31 speaks of healing not taking place in the lives of followers of Jesus because of a person “not discerning the Lord’s body”. But catch this: the word “Lord’s“ is not in the original text. And the word “discerning” (verse 29) and “judge” (verse 31) in the Greek literally means to “separate thoroughly, to withdraw from”. So how does that change the verses? And does it change what we believe about healing?

 Read out loud and listen to the verses as they are accurately written.

 29 For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks (a decision against) himself, not (separating thoroughly, withdrawing from) the body.  30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (or have died). 31 For if we would (separating thoroughly, withdraw from) ourselves, we should not be judged.

 NOW did you catch that? The writer of I Cor. is telling follower’s of Jesus (Christians) that if when they come to take (Communion, Lord’s supper, Holy Eucharist) and they do not spend the time to become “separated thoroughly” and “withdrawn from” their body in some way…the result will be sickness and even possibly unnecessary death. So what does that mean? …To be “separated thoroughly” and to “withdraw from” the body?

 And did Jesus ever imply something of this nature? Yes He did. In Luke 9:23 Jesus said “If ANY will come after me, (follow me, become my disciple) let them deny themselves and take up their cross DAILY…”  The word “deny” here means to “disavow, reject, to abnegate” oneself. And what does that mean? …It means to “withdraw” from being focused on yourself. How? By allowing the Holy Spirit time to help you “withdraw” from the cares of the world.

 …Or in other words, to seek God’s work in a moment of time to help and cause you to withdraw from the weight of your responsibilities, your demands, your relationships, your goals, your job or career…to withdraw from all that would distract you from an intimate love relationship with God. To “withdraw from” so you can now be “separated thoroughly”, completely in your heart (thoughts and feelings) unto God as belonging to Him. “Not your own”, but as one who has been “bought with a price”. And the result?

 II Chron. 16: 9 tells us, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself STRONG in behalf of them whose heart is completely His”. The word “Strong” here means for God to seize an individual, attach Himself to them…so as to become their strength. And one of the areas it is talking about here is God’s desire to “cure”, or heal you! NOW DO YOU SEE THE VALUE OF THIS TIME OF BECOMING “SEPARATED THOUROUGHLY” UNTO GOD?

 This time of being still, coming away from all the demands the world throws at you, from all it convinces you is of unparalleled value… This time that you MUST give to the Holy Spirit each day is a time for Him to “withdraw” you from the cares of this world, and “separate” you “thoroughly” unto Himself. And the result if this happens? That you become so “thoroughly separated” unto Him, your heart “thoughts and feelings” so completely Him…that God NOW “seizes you, attaches Himself to you, and becomes your strength” …And for what purpose? One reason? …TO CURE YOU, TO HEAL YOU!

 TODAY take the time and come away unto God. Withdraw from the cares of the world within your life. Allow the Holy Spirit the time to change your heart to become “completely God’s”. …And see what miracles happen! 

 NOTE: For anyone interested in this process of God attaching Himself to you, and how it happens…the video series “Touchable and Tangible God” in the “store” would be of much help to explain how it can begin to happen in your life.

CANADA UPDATE: Could I believe what I was seeing? It had been years since I had seen anything like this. In fact, 40 years. Young people all across America, those who had checked out of society and wanted nothing to do with the establishment (especially the church), now were seen everywhere weeping because of their love for Jesus. It was the kind of response that isn’t produced by knowledge about God. That can only go so deep.  And the emotions are only temporary. What we saw and experienced then was far beyond that. Touching God so close, with such intimacy, that one’s emotions are for life now scarred with the need to live always in this God closeness.

…Now, within my mind was the thought, “Is it beginning again? Is this what I am seeing happen?”

I had been in Canada for almost two weeks. High in the mountains of Alberta, closed off from the world. For days, I had poured out my heart about the “church” walking away from God intimacy. …Choosing instead to have Him become the supplier of their “god-substitutes”. And how in the process, so many had lost this God intimacy. So much so that the God distance now felt was considered normal within “cultural Christianity”. …And then finally, I had issued a challenge for all to commit to a 30 day spiritual experiment. One where each person asked God to change their heart. To cause it to become completely His. I had warned it would take total surrender. One that on their own they were not capable of. But one that God could create within them as they opened their hearts to Him. Opened their hearts in four different areas (Years earlier God had revealed four areas of heart change that are commonly found within a person who has had an unusual encounter with God). NOW I WAS WATCHING IT HAPPEN AMONG THESE YOUNG PEOPLE IN CANADA! …

 It has been over six weeks now. Read this recent report I received on Facebook from one young lady.

Erin and Rod

Erin Beusekom  August 10 at 3:08pm  I finished the challenge. It’s safe to say it’s the best I have ever taken. …God is very present. He is touchable and tangible. He is the answer to everything, I know that. He has showed me so much of His love these last few weeks. It amazing to see him work in the lives of the other people doing the challenge. …There is so much to learn. I am going to have questions and concerns, so keep in touch. Love you and miss you. Erin