The Power of Intimacy With Christ: Overcoming the Obstacles That Hinder Intimacy - Hardcover

Mancha, Sharon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1438999321 ISBN 13: 9781438999326

Verlag: AuthorHouse, 2009

Inhaltsangabe

"The Power of Intimacy with Christ" is a book full of spiritual resources for growing your relationship with God. It provide tools and resources for overcoming the obstacles that hinder building intimacy with Christ. In today's society there are many things that demand our time and distract us from developing and maintaining our most important relationship, relationship with God. This book is rich with practical biblical principles and devotions for enhancing intimacy with the lover of your soul, Jesus Christ. You will experience the Spirit of God as you turn the pages of this Spirit-filled book.

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Sharon is an author, trainer, workshop presenter, and anointed keynote speaker. Her ministry is biblical and anointed. Prophetess Mancha is a licensed Evangelist in the Church of God in Christ. She is the mother of 5 children, a grandmother of 8, a prayer warrior, and a woman of faith. She is the wife of Senior Pastor Michael Mancha, Sr. and remains committed to assisting him in pastoral ministry. Sharon is a Christian radio host; video on demand teacher at www.streamingfaith.com and former television host. She has over twenty-five years of experience working in various capacities of ministry, including ecumenical settings. Prophetess Mancha is the President of Women's Ministries at her local church. She has served as a former Jurisdictional Elect Lady of the Department of Evangelism, Jurisdictional Regional Area Assistant, and in various leadership positions at the local and district level. After graduating from Fuller Theological Seminary with her Masters in Theology, Sharon works as a leadership development trainer and spiritual formation educator. She continues her Doctoral education. She is a co-founder of a faith-based non profit organization facilitating crisis prevention and intervention family services, and early childhood education programs. She is also a grant writer, consultant to public and non-profit organizations. Sharon is a dedicated humanitarian. She is currently aiding impoverished families in Sierra Leone, Africa. You can visit her online at www.sharonmancha.com Sharon hosts an annual conference "An Intimate Time with God" for women and men seeking tools for intimate relationship with Christ. She models bridging the gap for interdenominational fellowship and encourages resource networking for family, church and community building.

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The Power of Intimacy with Christ

Overcoming the Obstacles that Hinder IntimacyBy Sharon Mancha

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Sharon Mancha
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4389-9932-6

Contents

Introduction.......................................................ixChapter 1. Meeting Christ.........................................1Chapter 2. Yielding To His Presence...............................9Chapter 3. Learning God's Voice...................................17Chapter 4. Embracing Transformation...............................25Chapter 5. Trusting Beyond Fear...................................33Chapter 6. Faith in His Presence..................................39Chapter 7. Resting In His Presence................................47Chapter 8. Abiding In His Presence................................55Chapter 9. The Power of His Presence..............................67Chapter 10. Knowing God's Voice....................................73Chapter 11. Fighting To Maintain Your Intimacy.....................81Conclusion.........................................................93

Chapter One

Meeting Christ

Meeting Christ for the first time is a life-altering experience. It impacts our minds and hearts for the rest of our lives. Prior to this life intersection with the sovereign God, we are alienated from ultimate truth, and lack the ability to see ourselves in the light of His truth. When we come face to face with Christ, our innermost beings are revealed to us through the power of His presence. In His presence is the power of revelation to see things as God sees them. We are empowered to embrace the truth of our prolonged distance from God. Thank God that He offers us the opportunity to bridge this gap. If we embrace the revelation of God's love, he will draw us into an intimate fellowship. We will begin the journey of spiritual transformation.

The light of God is Jesus Christ, who opens the eyes of the blind. Sin blinds our minds and cheats us out of the redeeming power of the love of God that is revealed when we seek the face and heart of God. Sin works against developing intimate relationship with Christ. Maturing a relationship with Christ requires soul work and spirit submission. It demands of us a commitment to deny all that opposes God's Word and kingdom. Meeting Christ means accepting the reality that repentance from sin is essential to the path to intimacy with Jesus Christ. When an individual loves darkness over truth, that person's response to encountering Christ may be to run for cover. This response can only end with a headlong fall into the matrix of deception. Thank God that our need for wholeness creates a longing for another encounter with the life-changing God, who heals our hearts.

I remember my first encounter with Christ as an adult. I had known God as a child, but had not established a deep intimacy with Him. At age fourteen, I fell away from prayer and stopped repenting of any wrongdoing. After this transition, I lost my concern for pleasing God, and fell deep into sin. I knew that God had chosen me, but I lacked the spiritual tools for developing intimacy with Him. My intimacy with Christ really began when I met Him again at the age of twenty-four. I was seven months pregnant with my first son. My husband and I were struggling to make ends meet and desperate for change. During this time my husband was a door-to-door salesman, and was invited to church by one of his clients. He accepted the invitation, and the Lord saved and sanctified him at a little storefront church in Oakland, California. What I saw of my husband's changed life made me curious about what was happening to him. The habits he had long wanted to break were suddenly being broken.

One day shortly after my husband's conversion, he was sitting at the dinner table, reading his Bible, and I asked in my heart, "What is going on with him?" Immediately I heard an audible voice answer my question, saying, "I am the Lord God; it is I who is changing him." I ran out of the room and into the bedroom. I knew I had encountered God. From that moment on, God begin to reveal Himself to me. He told me that He had changed my husband, and that I could not run from Him any longer. Thank God for the grace that protected me in my ignorance. After a few weeks of attending church alone, my husband began to request my attendance. He said to me one Sunday morning, "as for me and my house we shall serve the Lord." I responded to his request and went with him to church on that Sunday morning.

While listening to the preacher, I felt a powerful conviction come over me. I could not hide, I could not run, I could not ignore the Lord any longer. It was time to answer the call of God. I felt a burning in my seat and a tugging at my soul. I yielded to that wonderful feeling of love and power that transforms lives. I leaped past fear and ran into the loving arms of the Lord. I fell on my knees before God, weeping. I was tired of myself and everyone else's self, too. I knew God was calling me to Him. His provocative spirit drew me into submission, and I began my journey of self-discovery and spiritual conversion. On that day the Lord washed me of my sins and claimed me as His very own. I was born again! God's supernatural love was imprinted on my innermost being. His power began to lead me into intimacy with Christ. This made me want all the more of Him. I had truly encountered Christ.

Shortly after my son was born I had an epiphany with God, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. My pastor had been teaching on the baptism experience (Acts 2). I began to fast and seek God through a deep consecration and prayer in preparation to receive the Holy Ghost as I had read in the book of Acts. I taught my mind and spirit to meditate on the Word and the presence of God. While doing this, I experienced an intense illumination and the presence of God as never before. My spirit and understanding of God were elevated. I had visions and dreams that revealed to me truths that were found in the Scripture. The awesome thing was that I had not yet read them, but the Holy Spirit was telling me where to read. I found that the same words that were spoken to me were written on the pages of the Bible where the Spirit was leading me. I was awestruck by the personal relationship being developed in me with Christ. Wow! It was so awesome and wonderful. Joy filled my soul and power warmed my entire being. An overwhelming passion for those who did not know God was birthed inside me. I found a power I never knew, and a depth of passion toward Christ that has kept me close to Him these twenty-five years. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, spiritually and mentally enlightening experience. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is life-transforming. To actually feel the presence of God fill your soul, mind, and spirit is beyond what words can explain. The closest I can come to describing it is that it is like being filled with love and joy in your innermost being, and to have that love heal and free you from everything that is unholy, ungodly in your mind and spirit. It is as though your soul was finally discovering its need for restoration, and that restoration equips it to experience life through the eyes of eternity. Love becomes the motive for existence, and everything else is the result of the lack and loss of the love of God in us and to us. Boy! My heart leaped with the prospect of evangelism and hungered to introduce this awesome experience to others for the saving of their souls and for the healing of them, their families, and their communities....

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AuthorHouse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2009
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1438999321
• ISBN 13: 9781438999326
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 108
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: KreGa Onlinehandel GmbH; 4950000000000; info@krega-onlinehandel.de; ; Birkenweg 31; Brakel; 33034; Deutschland