Part 4 – Intimacy with God
Leader Guide
The thing that will change your life more than any other is an intimate relationship with God. This is not about basic belief or following a set of rules, but a deep and unique relationship with your Creator God. Let’s discuss how to pursue that!
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
Leader: This section is designed to get discussions started, examine God’s truth, and apply it to our week. Life Group leaders should not assume everyone in their group is a Christ follower. Because they are taking part in a Life Group, they must have some openness to knowing more, exploring. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work and let Him lead you as well.
1. Tell us about one unique relationship in your life, other than a spouse.
2. Intimacy with God requires a uniqueness to our relationship with Him. Read Romans 12:1. What is the importance in living for God? How is your relationship with God different than other relationships?
Leader’s Note: We all have a relationship that is set apart more than the rest. This could be a spouse, sibling, parent, or any other relationship that is deeper than the rest. God created you and knows you completely. Knowing God changes you from the inside out.
3. Pursue to know God. Read Romans 11:33-36. How do these verses describe our knowledge of God? Why must we continue to know Him more?
Leader’s Note: On earth, we will never fully understand God or how He works. He is unsearchable and mysterious. But that mystery and our lack of understanding should cause us to continuously seek Him. Just as we never stop learning about our friends or our spouses, time and getting to know God better is the foundation for deeper intimacy.
4. Open myself up to God. Read Romans 12:1-2. How do we offer ourselves up to God? How can we be a holy and acceptable sacrifice? What influences should transform us?
Leader’s Note: Paul tells us our entire bodies, lives, and minds should be presented to God as an offering. We should willingly submit to God’s rule in how we act, speak, think, and what we do with our bodies. Though Jesus bought our salvation and righteousness for us, we must strive for holiness, not being perfect, but following. However, we are not to live a life of rules. Jesus came to show us how to follow Him and live a life that pleases God. We are to allow ourselves to be transformed by constantly letting God, the Holy Spirit, and His Word direct, tweak, and renew our thoughts. We test (hold up to His Word) everything we think is His will and then obey. God promises to transform those who follow Him.
5. Read Romans 12:3 and Jeremiah 18:1-6. How does comparison hurt our faith? How can humility create a deeper relationship with God? What happened to the potter’s first attempt at making a vessel (see verse 4)? When your plans are changed by God, what are your first feelings? What should they be and why? Why does God have the right to shape you?
Leader’s Note: When we compare ourselves with others, we are in danger of either pride or despair. We will never be the best or the worst at anything! Compare yourself to the Word of God and the nudges of the Spirit, with sober (reasonable, measured, realistic) comparison based on what you are hearing in your spirit from the Lord. Fear of God and intimacy with Him begins when we take our proper place in our relationship with God. The frustration of trying to run the universe and your own life will turn to peace when you realize that God is the Potter, and He can do what He wants to give you the life He has planned for you.
7. Action Steps: Spend time on your knees. Pray specifically: “God, I want to know You more.” Or pray: “God, I want to want to know You more and to hunger for the mystery of You and who You are.” Humble yourself and verbally acknowledge that He is the potter, and you are the clay.
Deeper
8. Read James 1:2-4. Intimacy with God is available to us and God desires that for us. How do trials and testing of our faith create intimacy with God?
Leader note: We can work on our relationship and intimacy with God through prayer, reading His word, attending weekend services, serving, and Life Groups. Trials and testing increase our faith and trust in God as we see Him come through for us, even if it's not the outcome we expected.
9. Read James 4:8. What are ways that we can draw near to God? Are there ways we try and seek that intimacy that are not healthy?
Leader note: As we mentioned above, spending time with God and His Word draw us to Him, but when we are intimate with someone it means we have a different level of trust than we do with others.
10. Read Hebrews 11:6. God is impressed with our faith, not our accomplishments. This will create closer intimacy with Him.
Leader note: Without faith we cannot please God, our faith and trust in Him will create a new level of intimacy with Him.