Each one of these benefits are benefits found in Scripture that are produced from a life that walks in the Spirit, and since walking in the Spirit is essentially intimacy with God, we can apply them to find out what benefits come from having intimacy with God.
- Freedom from condemnation and law. Romans 8:1 says that those who are in Christ Jesus and walk according to the Spirit will have no condemnation in their lives. Therefore, if we have intimacy with God there is no condemnation in our lives.
- Freedom from “the body of death”, which is the flesh. Romans 7:24 says that Christ Jesus delivers from “this body of death” which the context suggests that this body of death is our flesh and its desires. Immediately after he says this, he explains walking in the Spirit in Romans chapter 8.
- Able to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Able to have a renewed mind. Walking in the Spirit, or walking in relationship with God, is setting our minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5), which is the exact process that is required for us to renew our minds. [Related article: How to Walk/Live in the Spirit (Complete Guide)]
- Unbelief will be less prevalent in your life. When the disciples couldn’t heal a young boy and Jesus could, they asked Him why they couldn’t do it in Matthew 17:20-21. Jesus replied by first saying because of your unbelief, then after this, he explained to them that they need to consistently be in a place of fasting and prayer to rid unbelief in their lives. Fasting and prayer are disciplines that cause us to walk in intimacy with God.
- Faith will grow. One of the fruits of the Spirit is faith (Galatians 5:22). Many people don’t know this because the translators translated pistis to “faithfulness”, but everywhere else in the Bible, it translates to faith.
- Walking in love becomes easier. The Bible reveals that God is love (1 John 4:8), so when we grow in knowing the God of love, loving people becomes easier.
- You will find good success. God told Joshua to meditate on the Word of God day and night then he would have success (Joshua 1:8). Meditating on the Word of God simply means to ponder over the Word of God, and since God and His Word are one, this increases intimacy with God.
- You will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
- You will grow closer to God. Obviously, if seek intimacy with God you will be drawing nearer to Him every day (James 4:8).
- You will be satisfied with long life. (1 Peter 3:10 and Psalm 91:16)
- You will have the fear of the Lord, thus producing wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)
- You will be filled with the Spirit. As you walk in intimacy with God you will also be obeying Ephesians 5:18-20. You will be singing to the Lord and thanking Him which causes you to be filled with the Spirit. (Related article: Filled with the Spirit: Does it Happen Once or Multiple Times?)
- You will be edified in the Spirit because praying in tongues is an aspect of walking in the Spirit and having intimacy with God. (Related article: Praying in the Spirit: What it is & How to do it).
- You will grow in the knowledge of God which gives you access to God’s Power (2 Peter 1:1-3).
- The gifts of the Spirit will flow through you more often because as you grow closer to the Spirit, His manifestations will begin to happen through you. (1 Corinthians 12:7) (Related article: How to receive/activate the gifts of the Spirit).
- You and your family will have divine health because you will be dwelling in Him (Psalm 91:10). (Related article: Dwelling in the Secret Place: What it is & How to do it)
- Your prayers will be answered. (John 15:7)
- Every need of yours will be supplied because intimacy with God produces love (Galatians 5:22), which in turn produces giving (1 John 3:17), and giving produces God’s supply for our needs (Philippians 4:19).
- You will be transformed into the image of God. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
- You will release a fragrance of Christ’s presence everywhere that you go. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)
- You will have boldness to preach the Gospel. All the apostles and early disciples had boldness as they preached the Gospel (Acts 4:31). This was due to their consistent walk with Him and because of His power down inside of them.
- You will grow in the knowledge of the Bible. If you seek intimacy with God you will spend time in God’s Word which will develop a knowledge of His Word.
- You will have a closer relationship with believers because love will begin to rule your conduct.
- You’ll have forgiveness for those who have wronged you so you will no longer carry the burden of unforgiveness. Since the first fruit of walking in the Spirit is love, you will have the desire to forgive those who have wronged you.
- You will be led by the Spirit of God to fulfill the calling of God on your life. Walking in the Spirit is used interchangeably with being led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18), and of course, walking in the Spirit is equivalent to walking with the Spirit which is intimacy with God.
15 signs of someone who has intimacy with God
Some common signs of someone who has intimacy with God are…
- They will bear the fruit of the Spirit in their life. (Galatians 5:16 & 22)
- They will have a love for the Word of God. They may even struggle to stop talking about the truths found in scripture. (John 1:1)
- They will have a patience and a gentleness to them. (Galatians 5:22-23)
- They will want to tell others about the God they love and know. They will even have boldness in their speech. (Acts 4:31)
- Forgiveness will come easy to them, for love involves forgiveness. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
- Joy and peace will be their default emotions. (Galatians 5:22)
- Worry and anxiety will seem foreign to them. (Matthew 6:31)
- Submission to the brethren will be the norm of their life, as long as it isn’t at the cost of truth. (Ephesians 5:21)
- Giving will be easy for them. They will offer their time and funds to help if they see someone in need. (1 John 3:17)
- They may even, at times, skip a meal in order to fast. (Matthew 17:21)
- The Great Commandments and the Great Commission will be the goals of their lives. (Matthew 22:37-40 and Matthew 28:19-20)
- Miracles will follow them. (Mark 16:17-18)
- They may even, at times, hear God about your life or someone else’s. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
- You might hear them sing and humm worship songs to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19)
- They will be heavenly-minded. (Colossians 3:1-2)
I hope you enjoyed this article and that it assisted you in your walk with God. Here are some more articles on intimacy with God that I think you’ll enjoy.
7 Tips to Have/Grow/Build/Develop/Cultivate Intimacy with God
What Hinders Our Intimacy with God? (Solved)
What is Intimacy with God? (& How do I Pursue it)
Intimacy with Holy Spirit: What it is & How to do it (+ Benefits)
Levels of Intimacy with God (Stages of Relationship)
God bless you all!