What is emotion? What is intimacy? How do you know if what you're experiencing or feeling is one or the other? Or is it both?
When it comes to our relationship with God, our emotions or emotional state may lead us to Him and even cause us to desire Him for a short while, but intimacy is what keeps us IN Him and chasing after Him. Have you ever been to a worship service and the spirit was really high? Everyone was engaged, shouting and praising God and you were enjoying it so much that you just had to get involved? So you partook and did what those around you were doing because you "felt the spirit", but when you left the service, you had no idea what the sermon was about. You couldn't even recall the passage from which the preacher preached. All you remember was that, "Church was good!" This is the difference between emotion and intimacy.
Emotion - a conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object... [Merriam-Webster]
Intimacy - a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group [Dictionary.com]
Sometimes the situations in our lives cause us to seek a resolve that is meant solely to make us feel good for the moment. This is how a church service for some can unknowingly turn into a mere form of entertainment designed to suit some unsettling state of mind at that current time. While for others in that same service, the heart of God is revealed and they are touched by something deeper than they've ever felt. (And then again, some services may actually only be forms of entertainment, but that's neither here nor there...).
You have to know the motive in which you approach God, the motive for which you desire to place yourself in the presence of God, and what you plan to do once He shows up. And it should all boil down to us wanting to be closer to Him. If not, then you've just wasted yet another opportunity to start your newfound journey with the Lord. It pays to sincerely desire a deeper, intimate relationship with Christ that goes beyond what our eyes can see and our ears can hear [naturally]. And this comes with us getting to know the person we intend to worship. How can you have an intimate relationship with someone whom you don't know? And how can you get to know someone unless you spend time with them? You can't. And anything that is formed with that person without a deeper knowledge and understanding is based upon nothing but superficial emotions.
Once we desire to get to know Christ and acknowledge how valuable He is to our lives, it is then that we can begin to develop an intimate relationship with Him. We can feel Him in the deepest parts of our lives and because of that feeling and understanding of Him, it causes us to not ever want to let Him go.
I strongly urge you to get to know Christ better. Desire a deeper relationship with Him and push yourself to get to know Him like you would a new boyfriend or girlfriend or your spouse. Let Him into your heart so that He can change your heart, your mind and ultimately, your life. I mean, what do you have to lose? Not a thing. As a matter of fact, you have EVERYTHING to gain!
Need a good place to start? I recommend reading John.
