Boy does God keep taking me out of my comfort zone. I never talk about sex on here, y’all, but that’s exactly what analogy he used to show me something today. So- with a slightly red face 😉 – here goes- because it’s too cool not to share!
〰️〰️〰️
Joy is found when we come into intimate {prayer} time with Jesus, with a goal of enjoying our time together, and of pleasing Him, over self. 🙏🏻
Mommas who have gone through infertility will understand this analogy:
When we go into the bedroom with our husband, with only the goal of what we want out of it,
{sex just to make a baby},
pretty soon we find it clinical and joyless.
That’s not how it was designed to be!
The Bible says that we, the church, are like the bride of Christ.
Just as husband + wife are partners in physical life, connect and become one in sex (bodies intertwining), and stay connected through communication…
Jesus + each of us can become partners in spiritual life, connect and become one (spirits intertwined) through the Holy Spirit, and stay connected through communication {prayer}.
When we go into the throne room of grace with Jesus in prayer, with only the goal of what we want out of it,
{when our prayers are only about what we want and need, and there’s no praising him or dwelling in gratitude for our partnership}
pretty soon we find it as clinical and joyless as sex-just-for-a-baby.
That’s not how it is supposed to be!
I think that’s why so many Christians who should be full of joy are often joyless! Because we have “grown this big family” and we have lots of spiritual kids, and maybe we talk to our heavenly-hubby about the kids and about the prayer list of things we need, but we’re forgetting to take a “date night”regularly. We are forgetting to connect intimately, which is supposed to be what gives us energy and passion and joy, to be ABLE to do “all the stuff”!
Sex is so much more fulfilling when the wife comes into that time, longing to please her husband, and the husband comes into that time longing to please his wife. The mutual servanthood, each looking outside of self, is a beautiful thing!
Can you imagine how it would feel to come into the bedroom and have your partner say “Ok, time to please me, woman”, and then care nothing about reciprocating that pleasure?
Or having them just skip through the foreplay to get right to the main act, out of a sense of obligation or wanting self-relief?
Ugh. That would not be great, right?
I’m pretty sure that’s how it feels for Jesus when we come to the throne room, out of a sense of obligation instead of longing to enjoy that intimate time together.
I imagine that’s how he must feel when we come into that place of togetherness, with a transactional mindset, only wanting what’s in it for self.
He’s a loving partner, a selfless spiritual mate, it’s true.
But shouldn’t that inspire us even more
to reciprocate?
To want to please him?
Not in a works kind of way,
but in grace upon grace?
We can trust him to meet our needs,
(and he knows how to do that even better than we do, he knows what’s good for us and what’s not).
We don’t have to be shy about telling him
what we need
and even what we want.
He’s a good partner and he wants us
to be open with him,
and come to him with those things instead of living to meet them for self in the world.
But oh the joy that is found,
when we come into our together time,
laying aside our own needs for a moment-
because we trust that he knows and will handle those, and that there will be a time to discuss that, after.
Such joy is found in pleasing him –
through thanks-giving and praise,
simply for who He is.
And just like you can see it on your hubby’s face, when you please him,
it feels good in your soul.
An even better feel-good than when he pleases you, I think!
Likewise,
even though we can’t see Jesus’s face,
when we please him,
since we are intertwined in Spirit,
we can FEEL it in our soul!
And it’s an even better feel-good than when he pleases us by giving us the things we have been praying for.
His presence—
{His joy, His fulfillment}
it’s the best present ever!
Sometimes I get so busy
just going through life,
just caring for my family,
and seeking to serve in the house of the Lord,
just doing the “housework”,
that I forget to take that intimate time.
And when I do,
sometimes it’s clinical and rushed.
Jesus, help me, amen.
And He’s so good.
He does help me.
But today- helping me looked like this!
It looked like telling me why I get joy-sapped when I amp up the work for him, without amping up my together-time with him.
Like a momma with lots of kids still needs intimacy with her husband (more than ever),
a spiritual worker, a servant in the house of God, needs intimacy with Jesus more than ever too!
Y’all.
Just a tiny taste of that this morning-
Just a few minutes of coming to him in praise without even feeling the need to remind him of my needs that still need to be met…
I can barely describe the feeling I left that time with.
It’s like laying aside your honey-do list,
just to ENJOY your honey!
It’s like trusting that He will do what needs to be done, and that I can also ask him for those things that I need, to do what he’s asked me to do…
But in this moment,
we are laying the serving and working
to the side
(Not forever, just like we don’t stay forever in the bedroom with our husbands),
and we are SIMPLY EN-JOYING.
Sparking joy in one another!
And the coolest thing?
Married or not,
Male or female,
Rich or poor,
Young or old,
everyone can get in on this!
Go to him to get your soul filled today!
HE is what everyone is looking for
with all the feel-good stuff.
The hygge.
“All the Fall.”
The being pampered.
He’s better than “retail therapy”,
or “camping therapy”,
or “vaca.”
I’ve looked for this feeling everywhere.
And when I include Him, I enjoy Him.
But it turns out it was never the place
or the activity,
so much as it was the Person.
And the joy and peace that flooded in as I thanked and praised him!
And it turns out-
that instead of waiting
for the next answered prayer,
or the next vacation,
to feel thankful,
I can generate that same
“Soul-orgasmic” joy
by calling to mind
things I’m already thankful for!
THIS is what I’m trying to describe
when I say “from full!”
We can live from this fullness,
from his already-goodness,
and the feelings he gives us
that follow our thanksgiving and praise
for Him-
instead of chasing the next bit of blessing,
so that we can have that thank-full feeling again!
Wow this is way more personal than I ever intended to go.
And also- I’m fairly certain I’m not even coming close to describing it!
He is THE life!
Nothing compares to Him!
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Christians- trust me, try this.
Go get alone with him,
Dwell with him,
Offer the sacrifice he’s really after-
praise and thanksgiving for who He is.
And ENJOY as you’re consequently ultra-filled
by his presence!
Hebrews 13:15-
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
From Full 