Intimacy with God: The Bible's Strategy for
All That Living a Life Requires

By Daniel Eze

There is a spiritual war for your soul occurring as we speak. What will be your response? Will you be defeated, or will you overcome the obstacles and hardships in your way and find yourself on the path to everlasting life?

To work toward spiritual maturity should be the goal of every Christian. Every day, God gives you opportunities to know him better. Daniel Eze presents a path of devotion that is practical and timely to help you realize that these moments can be seized and transformed into times of intimacy with God.

Trained in a leading seminary, Eze understands how scripture can work into your struggles and how the Holy Spirit helps guide your motivations and actions. Ultimately, Eze paints a picture of hope that centers on a loving God who desires a real relationship with you-today and every day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 30, 2007
• ISBN: 9780595897773

Daniel Eze

Dan Eze, MDiv, is a graduate of Tyndale Theological Seminary in the Netherlands and the founding pastor and coordinator of ChapelsGates, which serves as a ministry of counseling and reconciliation.

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Copyright © 2007 by Daniel Eze

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

1

Behold It Was Very Good

2

Trial and Temptation

3

Various Forms of Trial

4

Strangers on Earth

5

Men Who Walked with Kings

6

What Time Can Do to Faith

7

The Second Bible

8

The End: Where Will It Be?

Epilogue

Bibliography

END NOTES

To my Mum, Benedeth Eze, by whose prayers, spiritual guidance, and moral support in the things of the Lord, I have been brought so far in the faith.

Acknowledgements

Most honor to God and special thanks to Rev. Jeffery J. Seume, Rev. Dr. Philip A. Gottschalk and his Son, Steve Gottschalk, Dr. W. Creighton Marlowe, Dr. Ellis R. Brotzman, and Ariel Barrera for their enormous contributions to the success of this book. These are missionaries from United States of America. They are, at the time of this book, ministering in the Netherlands. For the most part, they have provided the support and academic contributions for my training in Tyndale theological seminary, Netherlands.

Thank are also due to Barrister Gijs de Waal, Dave Jackson, and the family of Pieter and Miranda in ‘t Veld for their quota of moral support and encouragement.

Preface

-In this spiritually organized attack by the ‘-dark world-’ hostile to Christ’s kingdom and, therefore, to true Christians,—the man who walks with kings may walk alone. But through his steady trust and faith in the Lord, he will never walk alone forever. It sounds biblically right to walk once, twice or even more times alone over the course of our trials and temptations. And if we believe the scripture, certainly the troubles of our time will not last forever. Nevertheless, what has raised my concern is not the forces with which the hostile world is organized against Christians but the forces with which Christians are disorganized among themselves. As a result,—Christians are not fighting back as should. Part of what is destroying the unity of the Christian faith is that some Christians are lifting the Bible away from its spiritual idealism to a humanistic political idealism of who is right and who is wrong. Unfortunate as this is for all of us, and truly divine and just as God is remaining in Himself, the issue of ‘-who is-’ and ‘-who is not-’ is not meant for us to decide. This is a decision that belongs to God. However, the advantage for the truly faithful is that the race for the eternal heavenly kingdom will never be a close race. It is written in the Gospel, For many are called but few chosen.¹ Thus, the truth of it all remains that although heaven is not for everybody, for many have rejected the salvation of God, it is for you that is holding firm the promises of God. Nevertheless, to show in everyday life before God who you are, as distinct from those many or from everybody else is the biggest challenge to each individual striving to make this heaven.

But if you have a hard time believing in God’s love, first imagine the world, as it is today and then imagine living without it. ‘And if you decide to falter in the times of trouble, how small is your strength,’² says the Bible. "Rescue those being led away to death. And hold back those staggering towards slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?"³

—Dan Eze, M. Div.

Introduction

From a spiritual viewpoint, being Christian is not ‘fun’ and to be part of the Christian faith in a real sense is not merely participation in the activities of a social club. The Christian faith demands more than just belief in the existence of God and His Son, Jesus Christ, because it is a faith that is centered on reconciliation and spiritual emancipation. Its process is the same as enrolling in the army of God. Thus, living the Christian faith is a constant spiritual battle that offers everlasting peace and happiness as its final reward. It is in the light of this truth that this book, Intimacy with God, is written. It is not intended as an academic exercise in defense of the goodness of God, but as a spiritual guidebook written from a pastoral viewpoint to counsel believers in Christ. The subject matter is diversified to appeal to readers from the angles of spiritual and material needs. It is also sermonized to reflect the seriousness of God’s concern for each of us. This book is also written as counsel for people who have yet to understand fully the meaning, psychology, and implications of becoming part of Christ’s kingdom in terms of the spiritual warfare involved. The book contains answers to some of the questions that arise from the confusion and frustration of such believers in Christ, who may have been finding themselves under constant spiritual attacks, such as through personal or family setbacks. They might wonder why they are subjected to temptation or hardship, irrespective of their faith, belief, trust, and fellowship with Christ and God the Father.

Life on Earth is no accident. Spiritually speaking, accidents simply do not exist. The things we call ‘-accidents-’ are known as such because of our spiritual shortsightedness. We are unable to see and perceive things from beyond the scope of the physical realm and of our immediate environment. All physical manifestations should be first considered so from the spiritual realm. When these manifestations come, they should be recognized as either the result of spiritual battles lost or won or having been otherwise destined. It is the spiritual realm that controls the manifestations of the physical realm. Nothing happens without a purpose. Wherever there is a corpse, vultures gather. The world is full of things that are beyond our imagination. Nevertheless, God is in control, and His ways are wonderful. One does not have to understand everything in life from a literal viewpoint to believe in God, nor should one expect from such a viewpoint to understand everything about life before placing faith in God’s hand. Things concerning our lives do not make much sense from a humanistic viewpoint and they never will. The human mind is not designed to comprehend everything about God and His plans for creation. According to the psalmist’s prayer, "The days of our lives are seventy years and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who know the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom"¹

The joy in Christianity is that we may ‘-relax-’ while trusting in God because His kingdom is not falling apart (although Satan’s kingdom is, and he is very worried about it-). When we make mistakes and are hooked by either trial or temptation, it may just be a means of opening our spiritual eyes so we may see how much we miss by trying to live our lives outside of God. Such experiences, if our spiritual minds are willing to learn from them, are capable of increasing our understanding of how much we actually need God and His kingdom for our own goodness and eternal security. Through my reading, I have come to learn that the greatest miracle recorded in the Bible is that God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a friend of sinners. Though He does not approve of sin in any way, His arms are always kept open, waiting to embrace all who have been led astray. His love is always waiting for those men and women to turn around and come home instead of being deceived by the evil one into making sin active among the sons of men. God’s gesture leaves me wondering why some people are prepared to travel far and wide in search of miracles performed in the name of the Lord, while they fail to take notice of the greatest miracle, which they themselves can become. To search or long for God in signs and wonders is not the same thing as searching or longing to experience the person of God. Experiencing God in a personal way and using the authority and power that He provides in His son’s name to win the spiritual battle against the evils of out time is the greatest miracle that can ever happen to any one.

As a pastor, I rely mostly on the revelation and guidance of the Holy Spirit when considering the subjects of the Bible. It is my conviction that our individual life stories, not other people’s stories or mere theories best typify the teachings of the Bible. Although we may learn from each other’s experiences, ‘you’ are the only testimony that proves the Bible right. Thus, you are the subject of this book; you can learn what it takes to be the ideal you. If you have no life experiences or a conviction to testify against the evil that is fighting us, this book has nothing to offer you either. But you will have some personal stories of life experience to tell as you read through to the end. Bearing everybody in mind, I deal openly and honestly, from a tactical viewpoint, with things concerning our spiritual lives. This book opens up various strategies for awareness while pointing out the pragmatism of our current world in regards to our viewpoints about individual and collective spiritual situations—good and bad. By applying biblical doctrine, I seek to spiritually awaken you so you may stand up to the false powers that are dominating the world, and our lives. For the power that we possess, given to us by the Almighty One, has all the ability and authority we need to overturn the status quo. But first, we must believe that the power of God truly exists, and more importantly, that it is ours to use. Only then can we attempt to learn to use it appropriately and in our times of need.

Another reason I have written this book is to answer the question of why so many have given up the fight for righteousness, which they are supposed to win? The devil has the ability to delay, but not to deny or destroy what God has already ordained.

1

Behold It Was Very Good

Whether you know it or not, you have an adversary who is hostile toward you. This adversary is not of flesh and blood but of the spirit world. Scripture says that he felt from glory to shame due to pride and now wonders about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.¹ Most certainly, even if one does not believe in the existence of Satan, difficulties in life and of unrighteousness on Earth confirm the existence of evil and how the network of evil has established itself. This, in part, is the confirmation that Satan has established himself and his kingdom here on Earth. This network of evil exists and functions not in a vacuum but through human means. Thus, every hope hangs on the mercy and grace of God. The almighty nature of God is not in competition with the dominion of evil. Rather evil is like a yoke on the neck of humans. Yet, angry opinions about the terrors of evil are not concentrated on evil itself but on why evil is allowed to exist. How can one come to understand God’s might, justice, and merciful love, when He has allowed the power of evil and its injustices to dominate the face of the Earth? It is God’s promise to protect the righteous and save the vulnerable. But evil has spread everywhere on Earth, in atrocities of which the entire world is guilty. All past generations of humankind experienced evil in various ways and it continues to this day. Many have asked the same question in the past that is still being asked today-, why God does allow evil when He can in fact stop it?

In his prayer, the psalmist petitioned God by asking He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye shall He not see? He who instructs the nations shall He not correct?² By the same petition, the psalmist also expressed from his spiritual convictions that the Lord knows the thoughts of men and that they are futile. ³There seems to be more to what this petitioner is saying through Psalm 94, than is on the surface. First, the psalmist recognized that vengeance belongs to God alone. With such an understanding and anticipation of God’s justice, he reflects on the wicked as becoming more prosperous in his wickedness and in his thought that God has not seen his wicked acts, and therefore, he shall not be called upon to account. This is the ‘-wisdom-’ in evil with which the psalmist calls the wicked foolish and regards him as one that fools himself in his thinking. In his affirmation of God’s justice to come, the psalmist blesses any man who willfully continues to obey and trust in the instructions of the Lord. Those who are willing to accept and abide by the teachings of God’s law regardless of the suffering the world offers them for abiding in the truth. Such people, the psalmist says, are promised rest against the days of adversity until the pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not abandon His people nor forsake His inheritance. Never will the righteous be an outcast before the Lord. Those who are obedient to God are His inheritance and for their sake judgment shall return to righteousness and the upright in heart will follow it. Therefore, have God’s eyes not seen and have His ears not heard how the world has been overtaken by wrongdoing? The wickedness of every generation is in its unrighteousness. Hence, the apostle Paul said, Let he who glories, glory not in wrongdoing but in the righteousness of God.4

THE WORLD MADE GOOD

-The world we live in is—the world that God has created of His own initiative and out of His love. It is the same world that God once looked at and said was very good. As a matter of fact, the title of this chapter is taken from God’s own word in the book of Genesis. His word, which He spoke out of His satisfaction for the world He had made. After God had finished the handwork of His creation, He glanced at it all and said, Behold, it was very good. Therefore, the question we must ask ourselves to understand why and how evil exists and has continued to exist is, What indeed happened to the ‘-very good-’ world and all its beauty as it was fashioned by God?’ Could it be that there might yet be another meaning of God’s ‘-very good-’? Is there another world outside this world that God referred to? Following the truth of the Bible, it is indeed this very Earth that God referred to. There is no other world inhabited by humans, and according to the Bible, this is where life began. The Bible tells not only how life began but also its conclusion. It is written In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.6 Later, God said, Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.7 God blessed man and woman and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.⁸ However, to accept this as fact is not the answer to the question of evil. Neither has such fact provided solutions to the problems of evil. It is so because the account of the beginning in the book of Genesis is an account that is intended only to educate us on the beginning of the world, especially about man and who he really is. It is the Lord, God, who formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Thus man became a living being with a soul.⁹ As it is written, This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord, God, made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown.10

In contrast and in parallel to the question of evil and God’s statement, ‘-It was very good-’ there is this big puzzle on how one should interpret pragmatic life events on Earth in order to catch the point of God. Wouldn’t it possibly have been better if God had employed other terms in describing this world and the nature of life it provides than saying that -it was very good-? Indeed, God made everything perfect and had a good plan for the existence of man, before the fall of man, that is. In the beginning, God planted a garden for the first man, Adam and his wife, Eve to inhabit. In the garden, God made every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food to grow. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, as was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.11 God planting the tree of good and evil in the Garden of Eden was not the source of evil. The source lies in how this tree was not managed according to God’s command to Adam and Eve. God is a purposeful God and has created everything for a good reason. All the trees God planted in the garden were the trees of God’s authority, every one of them intended for the good of man. According to Rev. G. H. Kersten, from his book ‘A Treatise of the Compendium,’ God had endowed man with understanding and will. Man could have avoided his fall if he had shown through obedience that his serving of God was the very desire of his soul, and not because he had no choice. God impressed the moral law upon the heart of man and made entire conformity to it man’s indispensable duty. Yet, to test whether rational man obeyed Him above the other creatures, God was pleased to give man a positive law, restricting him temporally from the use of fruits of a particular tree.¹² God did not bring evil upon man. It is man who knowingly and willingly abandoned the path to eternal life by plunging himself into spiritual and physical death. Human disobedience prevents the natural order from achieving its goal. Thus, creation is cheated of its true fulfillment so long as man, the chief actor in the drama of God’s praise, fails to contribute his rational part.¹³ How truthful this is, is what is elaborated in chapter 3 of this book, especially under the subtitle ‘Avoiding the Voice of Deception.’

In all truthfulness, the phrase ‘-very good-’ is no longer applicable to this world as it is now but depending on whose side you are God’s grace is. For He remains graciously faithful to His promise. Despite the Fall and continuing rebellion of man against God, His redemptive power is steadily at work. He has not abandoned the Creation, which He made out of love and for His own glory. God loves the world, and that love is His reason for not ignoring souls yearning for spiritual revival and freedom from evil. From God’s perspective, justice delayed is not justice denied because His concern is not just for a few individuals or nations but for the whole world. Even souls of those killed unjustly for the word of God and for the testimony they held for the truth cry out to God for justice. But, as it is written, vindication of God’s justice awaits His appointed time.¹⁴ God is patiently delaying His final judgment, however, it is not a denial of justice, but an opportunity for evildoers to repent. Even though His faithful ones may continue to suffer because of this delay, their reward is far greater, and what they endure is nothing compared to the reward awaiting them. God is concerned for justice, but even more, for mercy. Considering the world as it is now, what God said of the world was true of the time in which He created it. This was before man chose to sin against his own good by violating God’s command. ‘-Behold it was very good’ is a statement that, among others, goes deep into the heart of the Old Testament theology in explaining God’s original intention for His creation. How He had wanted His created man to be and remain forever. The world was indeed very good at the time God created it, before man gave way for sin to dwell in his midst.

Disobedience was hatched in the heart of Satan, who communicated it to man.¹⁵ Since then, man languishes because he has chosen to walk on the path God has not chosen for him. Satan continues to instigate humankind to sin against God and all who continues to live in sin belong to him. Because of this, the ‘-world of the unbelievers-’ is said to be under the control of Satan, who rules over their thoughts and actions.¹⁶ But Christians will overcome Satan, as Christ will in the end destroy his work. God’s loving—kindness comforts us and gives every human being the assurance of His forgiveness through grace, to whom—ever willfully returns to God. It is man who abandoned God to follow his own free will. Man’s bad choices, as a result of Satan’s influence, are what we suffer from. To understand in detail what really happened to the ‘-very good- world,’ that God made is to talk about the choice Adam and Eve made by being insubordinate to God’s command. God appointed Adam caretaker of the Garden of Eden. Adam was accountable to God for his daily affairs in the garden. So while Adam assumed his post as caretaker of the earth, God was still responsible for all things-, except for Adam’s decision on whether to obey God or to disobey God and lose his relationship with God. This explains, in part, why God constantly visited Adam and his wife to see how they were doing in their daily lives in the garden.

In the beginning, there also was a cordial father-child and master-servant relationship between God and Adam’s family. This was indeed the ideal world that was very good and could have remained as such as the family of Adam multiplied. If this relationship had not been brutally interrupted by mistrust and lack of obedience from the side of man, the world could have been indeed very good to this day. Wrong choices and decisions that we still make in our lives can help us realize better why God is not the problem, but like us, Adam and Eve agreed of themselves to do wrong. Likewise, we still ignore the truth and rightful ways to live. Nothing of God has ever threatened the will and freedom of man, not His commandments or the threat of hell-fire. When Adam lived in the circle of the garden with his wife, there was no death, no sickness or disease, and there was no hunger or suffering of any kind. Moreover, there was no hatred-, and no distressed economy. Everything was made perfect, and things were indeed ‘-very good-.’ Unfortunately, everything changed as a result of the course Adam and Eve had chosen. All humanity is affected by Adam’s disobedience, because all humanity is Adam’s offspring. Adam is the covenant-head in the covenant of work between humanity and God, in the same way that Christ is the covenant-head in the covenant of grace made on behalf of the offspring of Adam. It is by the sin of Adam that we die, and it is by the grace of God through Jesus Christ that we shall be raised from the death. It is also by this concept that the Bible calls Jesus Christ the second Adam. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.17

CONSEQUENCE IS NO JUDGEMENT

Because of His mercy, it is not easy for God to judge the world. This is not only because of the everlasting gnashing of teeth¹⁸ His judgment brings upon sinners, but also because God knows how man is easily misled by his ambitions, which in part are the result of Satan’s influence. Consequently, God did not judge or punish Adam and Eve