Abundant Life

" I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10

" I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." - Philemon 6

Jesus came so that we could have a reconciled relationship with God, so that we could have eternal life in heaven with Him, and also an abundant life here. The abundant life that God wants for us is a life full of joy and peace and power and victory and fruitfulness and satisfaction. This type of life brings much glory to Him. Why are there so many Christians who are not experiencing this type of life ? Churches are full of people who are missing out on the abundant life.

Two of the reasons why so many Christians are missing out on God's best for their lives and the abundant life are found in Matthew 6:33 - "Seek first for God's kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you." Quite simply their relationship with God and the building of God's kingdom are not the first or top priority in their lives. Look at Philemon 6 above, a very interesting verse. Actively sharing Christ with others (being a faithful witness for Christ) is vital if you want to experience all that God wants for you. You will never have the abundant, victorious, fruitful, joyful, satisfying life until you commit to actively and faithfully share Christ with others. Jesus says in Matthew 4:19 "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Unless you are a "fisher of men" (a person who actively & faithfully shares Christ with others) you are not truly following Jesus, The Source of abundant life. You must walk closely with Jesus, The Source, and truly follow and obey Him, or you will never experience abundant life.

One Thing

"We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern... The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack." - Oswald Chambers



What would you say is the single most important requirement to being a fruitful and victorious follower of Christ ? The "one thing" that will make the difference in your service for the Lord and produce greater fruit ? Education ? Training ? Experience ? Zeal ? Trying your very best for the Lord ? More prayer support ? All of these things can be very helpful and are important, but the "one thing" that is absolutely vital to being fruitful is your fellowship with the Lord. Many people place their ministry for the Lord as the top priority and emphasis in their lives, and they end up leaving no time for fellowship with the Lord Jesus, who is our Source of power and victory and fruitfulness. No matter how hard we try, and no matter how zealous and passionate we are in ministry, we can do absolutely nothing without Jesus. We first need to have a passion for Jesus, and not just for doing things for Him.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5


"but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:42

Passion For The Lord

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold"
Matthew 24:12





"This waning of love refers to the dying out of the fire of a holy passion for the Lord Himself and for those for whom He gave His life, the loss of holy enthusiasm in His service and devotion. It refers not to that fleshly enthusiasm in His service and devotion that shouts and rejoices when the crowd is coming, or works zealously when the brass band is playing and the grandstand is filled with admirers. No! No! It is that enthusiasm that works with a quiet, untiring, unassuming earnestness and steadiness when it must plod on alone unheard and unnoticed except by the Lord- that enthusiasm that is born not of outward encouragement, nor the applause of men, nor by what men call success, nor by the unholy desire for praise, but that which is born of an inward urge implanted by the Holy Ghost, the overflow of the passion of Christ. The waning of this love, said Jesus, will be one of the earmarks of the end-times". 
- E. S. Gerig

Serving the Lord and seeing Him at work can be very exciting and very rewarding, knowing that He has given you the privilege of joining Him in touching and transforming other lives. But being a servant of the Lord can also be very difficult at times, and it can be exhausting. The spiritual warfare you experience can be overwhelming. And there are times in your walk with the Lord and in your service for Him where you are in the wilderness, and you do not experience any fruitfulness or victories. This wilderness time could last for a long period of time, even years.

There is only one thing that can keep you going through it all , through good times or bad, through successes or failures - having a passion for the Lord Jesus. Not a passion for ministry or for doing things for the Lord, but a real heart-felt passion for Jesus himself. This type of fiery passion for the Lord is not in us naturally ; our natural love or devotion or passion will fail and will deny the Lord, like when Peter denied Jesus 3 times. It is very obvious that there is a real lack of passion for the Lord in the church today, especially in the church in the US. Other things have taken first place in the lives of many believers, and many people are going through the motions - "playing church".

God needs to touch our hearts and fill us with the love and passion that was in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. Then we will be truly faithful to the Lord and we will have a great passion for Him. This is the type of person God is looking for, the type of person that He can use in great ways.

"The men and women our Lord sends out on His endeavors are ordinary human people, but people who are controlled by their devotion to Him, which has been brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit".   - Oswald Chambers


" The grace of the Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." - Paul (I Timothy 1:14)


"I will give them a heart to know me." - Jeremiah 24:7


"Give me an undivided heart." - Psalm 86:11

Our Comfort Zone

"Lord, if it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out Lord save me !" 

Matthew 14:28-29

The main context of this message is about faith (or lack of) in the Lord Jesus, but this event can also represent something else. Most people are creatures of habit, and most have a comfort zone that they do not like to get out of. Our comfort zone can be a real hindrance to becoming a true disciple of Jesus, and to truly following and obeying Him. Let's say the boat in these verses represents our comfort zone. If you want to go to where Jesus is and to join Him in the work He is doing you will need to leave the boat - your comfort zone. If you are not willing to do this, you will miss the opportunity to join Him in His work, and you will miss the opportunity to see the Lord do great things and show who He is. The disciples saw Jesus for who He really is - the One True God with power and authority over all, and in verse 33 it says they worshipped Him.

So what is hindering you from joining God in His work and seeing Him for who He really is ? A fear of witnessing ? A fear or an unwillingness to try new things ? Tradition ? A lack of faith ? A stubborn refusal to adjust your will to His ? An unwillingness to move away from family or friends, if the Lord so leads ? An unwillingness to move to another country, if God so leads ? Unless you are willing to get out of your "boat" you will miss the Lord and what He is doing, and you will not grow in your knowledge of Him.

A Testimony Of God At Work In Africa

I received the following email from Nigeria about how God is using the Pursuing Intimacy With God site (www.intimacywithgod.com) and Bible studies. What a great blessing and privilege to be a part of God's mission and work in the world.

Dear Kevin, Warm greetings of peace to you in the Lord's name.

I am writing to thank you for sending the "Pursuing Intimacy with God" Bible study 1&2. I am short of words to express what a blessing the materials are. I did not write immediately because I wanted to be able to send a contribution, no matter how little, in appreciation of those materials and your good work for the Lord in Brazil. I will certainly send a contribution in the near future. For now, I am writing to thank you and to let you know how I am using the materials and the blessing that it has been to me and my group.

I am a Missionary myself, focusing on reaching unreached rural people in Africa. I pioneered the Christ Missionary Outreach Ministry here in Nigeria since 6th September 1990. We are planting churches in rural communities where there is no gospel witness. In 2009 I came accross Leadership Institute in Orange County in California when I was doing a doctoral program at International Theological Seminary in Los Angeles. This group has a fantastic approach to leadership development. They primarily seek to incorporate leadership and spiritual formation in such a way that gives priority to leaders spirituality. They do six leadership retreats in a period of two years. I participated in this.

When I returned home to Nigeria last year, I felt in my heart that I need to adopt that approach, so I thought of a theme to center my session on and came up with "Cultivating intimacy with God" then I thought of checking the internet to see what I can find that would be of help. That is how the Lord led me to your web site. 30 pastors and leaders registered for the retreats. The first one took place March 29- April 1, 2012 in prayer mountain facility being developed by a Curian pastor here in Nigeria. When I got your materials, I changed my theme to read exactly like the title of your study materials: "Pursuing Intimacy with God" because that seems to capture the depth of my heart desire for the pastors and myself. Next I decided that I will include two studies from your materials in each retreat. In this last one, the pastors did two studies (week one and two, from page 1-11). I asked them to take two hours alone with God and those materials and them later on we took another one and half hour of discussing them together. The impact was tremendous. Now they have gone home with the materials to now study them carefully again with others. I intend to do this till we finish our six retreats next year.

I just wanted you to know how these materials are being used to the glory of the Master of the harvest, the Lord Jesus. Thank you so much again.

Bitrus Audu, Director, Christ Missionary Outreach Nigeria 

Pursuing Intimacy With God

Pursuing Intimacy With God is a 2 part Bible study to help people to grow in their fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Each part is a 6 week study that will help enhance your prayer life, will help you to learn to hear God's voice, and also to discern God's will for your life. The Bible studies are solely based on God's Word, and they include hundreds of verses from God's love letter to you - the Bible.

You can access the studies from the website www.intimacywithgod.com or you can request a copy to be sent to you via email. May God bless your walk with Him, your life, and your service for Him, all for His glory.

Pursuing Intimacy With God

Pursuing Intimacy With God is a website and 2 part Bible study designed to help Christians to grow in their walk with the Lord, to have a powerful prayer life, and to learn to hear God's voice and discern His will. Besides the Bible study, there are many more pages and articles on the website.

Here is a link:  Pursuing Intimacy With God

I am grateful that God is using this site and the Bible study to help many people grow in their walk with God, for His glory.

God's Desires & Passions

God has a strong desire and passion in His heart to save all people and to have a reconciled relationship with everyone. I Timothy 2:4 tells us that God wants all men to be saved, and 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God does not want anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance. How strong is God's desire & passion ? So strong that He sent His only Son Jesus to suffer terribly and to die a horribly painful death on the cross, in order to make it possible for us to have a restored personal relationship with Him ("God so loved the world..." - John 3:16).

Another of God's desires and passions is to have intimate fellowship with us. This is fact, is His call for all Christians. We normally think of when God calls a pastor or a missionary, or when He calls us to do something for Him, when we think of the words "God's call". But I Corinthians 1:9 tells us that God calls us into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ. "Koinania" is the Greek word for fellowship in this verse, and this means the closest possible intimacy and fellowship and friendship with God. And there is a 2nd part to koinania fellowship with God, where we have a partnership with God and join Him in His work. When we walk in close intimate fellowship with God, we will begin to desire what God desires, and His passions will become ours. God wants to place into us His desire & passion to have intimate fellowship with Him. We are His first love and passion, and He wants to be our first love and passion. When we only focus on doing things for God, we miss out on the intimate fellowship that God wants to have with us.

God also wants to take His desire and passion for all men to be saved and place it into our hearts. When we have a soft & moldable heart for God, then He is able to place His desires & His passions into our hearts. Then we, God's people, God's church, will live passionately and purposefully to try to help all people to have a restored relationship with God through Jesus, and to help them to be true disciples of Christ. In Luke 19:10 Jesus said "I have come to seek and to save the lost." Jesus did not wait around in church for the lost people to come to Him ... He went out to seek them and then to try to help them to be saved. Like Jesus the church needs to be outwardly focused and actively seeking to reach people in their community, in their nation, and in all nations of the world.

In Romans 1:9 Paul says "I serve God with my whole heart in preaching the Gospel of His Son." Paul gave everything he had and everything he was to join God in His work. Acts 19:8-10 are some interesting verses. Paul went to Ephesus to preach the Good News of Jesus. Verse 10 tells us that he worked hard for 2 years, until all the Jews and Greeks in that area heard the Word, the Good News of Jesus. That is one of God's main plans and goals for His church - to work hard until all the people have heard about how to have a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ. Is your church working hard in this way, so that everyone in your community and beyond is hearing the Good News of Jesus ? If not then you are falling short of God's desire and plan and design for the church.

God needs to touch our hearts and fill us with His desires and passions, so that we will only desire to walk closely with Him and be willing to do whatever it takes to join Him in what He is doing in the world.

Abide In The Vine

Abide in the Vine (by Henry Blackaby www.henryblackaby.com)

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

There are those who feel that they must be constantly laboring for the Lord in order to meet God’s high standards. Jesus gave a clear picture of what our relationship to Him ought to be like. He is the vine, the source of our life. We are the branches, the place where fruit is produced. As we receive life from Christ, the natural, inevitable result is that fruit is produced in our lives.

In our zeal to produce “results” for our Lord, we sometimes become so intent on fruit production that we neglect abiding in Christ. We may feel that “abiding” is not as productive or that it takes too much time away from our fruit production. Yet Jesus said that it is not our activity that produces fruit, it is our relationship with Him. Jesus gave an important warning to His disciples. He cautioned that if they ever attempted to live their Christian life apart from an intimate relationship with Him, they would discover that they ceased to produce any significant results. They might exert great effort for the kingdom of God, yet when they stopped to account for their lives, they would find only barrenness. One of the most dramatic acts Jesus ever performed was cursing a fig tree that had failed to produce fruit (Mark 11:14). Are you comfortable in abiding, or are you impatient to be engaged in activity? If you will remain steadfastly in fellowship with Jesus, a great harvest will be the natural by-product.

Paixão de Cristo

In Brazil Good Friday is called "Paixão de Cristo", which means the Passion Of Christ. I like the Brazilian name better, because it better describes what this very special day is all about. Because of His great love and passion for every person in the world (John 3:16) Jesus left his place of glory and came into the world. He came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and to suffer horribly and die a terribly painful death on the cross, all to pay the price for your sins and mine, so that we can have a restored relationship with Him, peace with Him (Romans 5:1), and eternal life with Him in heaven (Romans 6:23). And because Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, God can offer a restored relationship with Him, peace with Him, and eternal life with Him in heaven as a gift of His love and grace. If you would like to receive this most wonderful gift from God and have new life in Christ, please follow this link: Steps To Peace With God

Inspiring Quotes

"Lord send me anywhere, only go with me;
lay any burden on me, only sustain me;
sever any tie, but the one that binds me to You."
- David Livingstone, Missionary to Africa

This quote inspires me to fully surrender all I am and have and do to our Lord Jesus, and to be willing to go anywhere and do anything that He wants, as long as He is with me.



"Oh the fullness, the pleasure, the sheer excitement of knowing God on earth."
- Jim Elliot, Missionary to Ecuador


When I first read this quote in the early 90's I realized that when this man was alive he had something I did not have. I had accepted Christ in my heart and life in 1985, but I was inspired to go much deeper in my personal relationship with Jesus, and make Him the Source of fulfillment, joy, satisfaction,... This quote is about the abundant life that Jesus talked about in John 10:10, and the satisfaction and joy and excitement that comes when you become a fully surrendered servant of the living God.

Abundant Life

" I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10

" I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." - Philemon 6

Jesus came so that we could have a reconciled relationship with God, so that we could have eternal life in heaven with Him, and also an abundant life here. The abundant life that God wants for us is a life full of joy and peace and power and victory and fruitfulness and satisfaction. This type of life brings much glory to Him. Why are there so many Christians who are not experiencing this type of life ? Churches are full of people who are missing out on the abundant life.

Two of the reasons why so many Christians are missing out on God's best for their lives and the abundant life are found in Matthew 6:33 - "Seek first for God's kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you." Quite simply their relationship with God and the building of God's kingdom are not the first or top priority in their lives. Look at Philemon 6 above, a very interesting verse. Actively sharing Christ with others (being a faithful witness for Christ) is vital if you want to experience all that God wants for you. You will never have the abundant, victorious, fruitful, joyful, satisfying life until you commit to actively and faithfully share Christ with others. Jesus says in Matthew 4:19 "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Unless you are a "fisher of men" (a person who actively & faithfully shares Christ with others) you are not truly following Jesus, The Source of abundant life. You must walk closely with Jesus, The Source, and truly follow and obey Him, or you will never experience abundant life.