Knowing God Intimately: Being as Close to Him as You Want to Be
Joyce Meyer
I always thought Joyce Meyer was a woman's author: you know, an author who wrote books specifically for women. But she's not: she's an every believer's author. And an excellent one. I am likely to read more of her books -- which I see on sale every where -- because she is such an excellent teacher of Scripture. She writes plainly but clearly, which is a true gift these days. She is able to simplify complex topics.
Meyer bases her bold claim in her subtitle on Hebrews 4:16 (see her book, p. 7). I think she is rightly understanding that verse -- I just never looked at it that way. She is not claiming that we can have as many Holy Spirit goosebumps as we desire, which in my mind come as the result of God revealing or manifesting Himself to us, and our emotional and spiritual reaction to that manifestation.
The turning point in her intimacy with God came when she was driving home one day, after crying out to God that there was something missing in her life, and that there must be more to Christianity than she was experiencing serving actively in her church. Sitting at a red light, she felt her heart fill with faith that God was somehow going to answer her prayer. As she began thanking God, she writes that "Jesus filled me with the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way that I had never before experienced... it was as if someone had poured me full of liquid love."
The focus of the first part of her book is on, persistently seeking God's presence, as it suggests in Psalms 27:4 and Luke 11:9-13. She also emphasizes the importance on making the Holy Spirit's dwelling place (i.e., you!) a place that is welcoming. That is to say, we should try to rid ourselves of grumbling and complaining, etc.
Much of the second part of the book deals with the operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, which is largely a teaching on many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Much of what she writes in this part of the book is not new to those who have been around teachings in Pentecostal and charismatic circles. Often the way these ideas are taught, however, is offensive to non-charismatics, while Meyer's style of teaching seems much less so.
I recommend this book and this author to you. I can attest that the affect on my spiritual walk was immediately positive, and while I only came away with a few really fresh nuggets, it seems to me that books that leave one feeling closer to God and hopeful for growing even closer are something to be cherished.
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