In this Episode we shall consider the topic-Overcoming Challenges and Crises-Intimacy
with God 
As long as man has existed, the children of God have known “times of trouble” and
“days of distress,” all too well. The Scriptures have never described the faithful as those
who never experienced hardship and difficulties, but as those who kept faith and held
on to God in their time of crises. Crises, distress and challenges are inevitable in life
and a child of God would be confronted with them from time to time. Challenges and
problems are often attacks from the devil who hates us and wants to do all he can to
discourage our walk with Christ.
In a previous teaching, I had discussed this theme with the title-When the waves come.
So I would treat our present conversation on overcoming Crisis under the two sub-
heads-Before the waves come and When the waves come.
So what should we be doing as Christians to prepare ourselves for crises and attacks of
the devil which as we have seen is inevitable?
The life of every child of God is a house under construction. In Mathew 7:24-27 Jesus
declares “Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who
builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters
rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock.
But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a
house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that
house, it will fall with a mighty crash."
This scripture assures us that just like the rains sometimes come in torrents and
floodwaters rise; problems, difficulties and challenges would arise in the life of a child of
God from time to time. Job losses, sicknesses, loss of loved ones, divorce, infertility and
so on are unavoidable.
From the parable of Jesus in Mathew 7, the key to staying afloat in times of challenges
and crisis is to build on a strong foundation. Building on a strong foundation implies the
fundamental spiritual principles we should imbibe and make a part of our lives whether
we are experiencing crisis or not.
In this Episode we shall look at Intimacy with God as the first of those principles.
I would like to start this discussion on intimacy with God with a seemingly elementary
but crucial question; who is God to you? I recommend that you give this question deep
thought. If you listen to the conversation of most children of God, even to messages in
many Christian gatherings today, you will most likely come to the conclusion that to
most present day Christians, God is a Father Christmas just waiting to hand out gifts
whenever we call upon Him, a problem solver, devil chaser, a Specialist in all medical
fields, an Alfa etc. And so who is God to you?

It is apparent from the story of creation that after creating the animals and all other
things, God was not content. His heart yearned for something more. He longed for a
being with whom He could be intimate. In Genesis 1:26, God said “Let us make man in
our image, in our likeness… God created us in His own image and likeness so that He
could have close affinity and intimacy with us! In Revelation 4: 11, John reveals that the
reason why God created man is solely for His pleasure! God’s reason for creating us is
to worship Him and fellowship with Him.
Even after man fell through the sin of Adam and Eve, God still loved man so much that
He sent Jesus His son to deliver us from the dominion of the devil so that He could
restore our intimate relationship with Him.
In Mathew 6:33, Jesus says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Unfortunately, most of us
are seeking “these things” first and hoping that the kingdom of God and His
righteousness will be added unto us. Much of our desires and expectations are focused
on these things and regrettably, in our quest for “these things”, we have put a distance
between us and God, depriving Him of the intimacy and fellowship for which He created
us.
As we go into this discussion on the management of crisis, we need to come to terms
with the fact that God’s priority is intimacy with you and I. We need to understand that
just like an earthly father, God values our deep relationship with Him more than physical
provisions and a stress free life.
I’m reminded of the story of a Monarch who truly loved his people and desired their
company, but few of the people went near the palace. They were too busy with their
daily activities and moreover felt unworthy to approach the palace. They ignored the
king’s eager invitations to come and visit and spend time with him. The king grew lonely
and despondent and one day, walked to the town square. While the adults watched
nervously, the king stooped down and began to play with the children. Soon, the adults
joined in the fun and as the hours passed, the people found themselves feeling more
comfortable with their king than ever before. In the past, he had been something like a
distant rumour; now he was in the very midst of them, laughing and telling stories. They
could touch his jewelled crown and see the twinkle in his eyes. Most of all, a great love
grew between them. When the king was ready to go, someone said “Your Majesty,
remain among us. We never wish to leave your presence for we never knew how kind
and joyful you were.” The king replied “This is our kingdom together. I have to go to my
palace but I will leave you with a special gift.” And the king produced a small flute and
said “When you return to your homes, you will each find waiting for you, a flute.
Whenever you play the simple melody I will teach you, I will hear and I will come. It will
bring me to you wherever you may be. Even if only one of you longs for my company,
that one has the privilege of playing my melody and calling my name. Your king’s
greatest desire, as I hope you will never forget, is your companionship.”
In every sense, God, our King, deeply desires us to dwell in His presence and has come
to us because we could not or would not come to Him. He has done so by sending His
son into the world. He has promised to meet our every need and even more! However,

His greatest desire is our companionship. No wonder Jesus says in John 17: 3 “Now
this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
you have sent.” Eternal life is not just life after death as we believe. Eternal life is a
union with God that starts from here and enables us to live God’s divine life here on
earth and after death. Studies have shown that the word know used here in the original
Greek language speaks of an intimate knowing; the same “knowing” in which Adam
knew his wife Eve and husbands know their wives. Unfortunately, we do not appreciate
closeness and fellowship with God the way he does with us. The only time we attempt
to give something to God is when we give Him our money, service or time so that He
can bless us.
The point is that if we want to be adequately prepared for the waves and storms of life,
we must develop an intimate and close relationship with our Father. True, He is Father
Christmas, Doctor Jesus, Problem Solver, devil chaser, etc, but we must not forget that
the need for Him to fulfill these roles in the first place arose because of the fall of man. If
man did not fall, there will be no sickness or financial problems or the other challenges
of life. Man would have continued living in undisturbed fellowship with God. God created
you and I solely for His pleasure, not to solve problems for us. It is only when we
understand the true meaning of our existence and why we are created that we can have
the right attitude to the challenges of life and the tools for overcoming them.