Devotional Blog - Intimacy With Christ

Welcome to the Intimacy With Christ Devotional Center
Every day brings new opportunities to grow closer to Jesus Christ. Here you'll find biblical devotionals, practical Bible teaching, and Christ-centered encouragement designed to strengthen your faith and deepen your relationship with God.

Whether you're seeking wisdom, healing, renewed hope, or a deeper understanding of Scripture, these devotionals will help you apply God's Word to everyday life. ~ Author Richard Wafford

Love and Hate | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/31/2026

Romans 9:13: “As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’”

What does it mean that God loves Jacob but hates Esau? Don’t misunderstand these verses. In Genesis 33:9, God blessed both Jacob and Esau with leadership skills and an abundance of goods. But God disciplined Jacob by restraining him from sin and putting him through trials, heartaches, and emotional and physical pain to show him the error of his ways, bring him closer to God, and lead him to walk a righteous path before Him. For Esau, He withdrew His discipline because Esau rejected his birthright and the firstborn son’s blessing (Gen. 25:33-34); Esau rejected God’s work through him.

God strongly wants to work through you and me so that His glory and goodness may flow through your life and reach others, serving as a testimony to the reality of God. You must allow God to work through you. If you reject God’s work through you, God has no other choice but to allow you to go your own way and make your own choices in sin, without Him restraining you through trials and consequences. ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many of these lessons are in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”

I Am in the Storm | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/29/2026

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Have you ever been in a storm so dark and gloomy that the sound of thunder shook your very soul and fear clutched you so tightly you couldn’t breathe? The spiritual storms of life can be frightening, but there is one who goes with you every step of the way. Psalm 139:12: “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.”
If God Almighty, who has infinite power over life’s storms, goes with you, why would you be afraid? God alone has the power to say to the storm, “Peace be still.” In times like these, God is personally telling you to be strong and courageous because He alone will see you through. He alone will give you a peace that helps you sleep like a baby in the middle of the storm. He is my rock and fortress; I take shelter under His wings (Ps 91:4). ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many of these lessons are in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”

In His Image | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/28/2026

Colossians 3:9–10 “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”

As a child, you mimic your father in every step and mannerism; as a child of God, you should mimic your Heavenly Father by putting off the old man of sin and putting on the new man, which is Christ, according to your knowledge of truth. You work a job; if you want to keep it, you must mimic the one training you. You train your child to be a bigger version of yourself. A wife and husband train each other according to each other’s likes and dislikes, and you do so because you love them. So why, when it comes to God, do you think it should be different? You follow His Word for one reason only: because you love Him! ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many of these lessons are in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”

Godly Fear | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/27/2026

Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

When a saint of God recognizes that God’s Word has the final say in your life, it tends to shape how you live from that day forward. If God were to say to you, “Because you willfully and knowingly disobeyed the truth from my Holy Spirit, you did not repent of your evil ways, and you shall not enter into my kingdom,” what would you say in that moment? At that moment, it would be too late to change anything.

But you do have a chance now to do what you already know is right. The true mark of your love for God is obedience to His truth. When you truly love someone, it deeply grieves your heart to have hurt them. When you sin against God’s nature, does His truth deeply afflict your heart with godly sorrow? The sign of true love isn’t a careless, harsh reaction but a heart filled with deep regret and a longing for reconciliation as quickly as possible. How you respond after a moment of weakness is a telltale sign of where your heart truly belongs, to Christ or to the world. ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many of these lessons are in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”

Character Flaws and All | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/26/2026

John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.”

Many people second-guess their decisions, hoping they will lead to the outcome they want. One thing you must know about God is that He didn’t second-guess His choice to call you to follow Him. He knew you before you were born in the womb, was fully aware of your character flaws, weaknesses, and the sins that easily beset you, and He chose you anyway. When God looked at you, He saw what you would become; He saw your passion, determination, and constant pursuit of Him. He saw what you would leave behind for Him. He saw in you the ability to bear much fruit in the kingdom. He chose your quirky, fun-loving, or serious and straightforward nature to influence others for His kingdom in a way no one else could. You are special in God's eyes, and you have a purpose. You have a reason for being you! ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many deeper lessons like this appear in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal,” from Amazon.

The Chasing of God’s Goodness | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/25/2026

Psalm 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lordforever.”

When you finally discover that focusing on yourself makes everything fall apart, but when you realize that nothing in this life is about you but about God, life begins to make sense. When you realize that obeying God’s truth brings fulfillment, purpose, meaning, and hope, your relationships deepen and become more meaningful, because life is not about you but about bringing glory to God by serving others. Then, when you're in prayer, recognizing the attributes of God, you can’t help but raise your hands, and your heart breaks out in a worship song. Then you discover that the more you worship the Lord freely from your heart, the Bible comes alive, and prayer becomes a time of communion with your best friend. Life becomes freer when all your burdens, trials, heartaches, pains, temptations, and battles are the Lord’s, and He will take care of everything. Then, when someone mentions the goodness of God, tears swell in your eyes, and you know clearly that the goodness of God is truly chasing after you. ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many deeper lessons like this appear in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal,” from Amazon.

Bad Time Worship | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/24/2026

Ecclesiastes 7:14, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.”

We tend to be happy in good times and depressed in bad times, which most people would consider normal. But not the children of God, for He has made every day available to you for your good and His glory. Good times of prosperity and bad times of adversity should not deter our worship of God. After Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into the stocks, they worshiped God for being found worthy to suffer for His name's sake. When you can worship in good and bad times, you have rightly exalted God to the highest place in your heart. You have recognized that God is sovereign, all-powerful, knowing, loving, and holy above all the earth; that even reading His Words is an honor and a privilege; and that suffering for His name's sake is a bonus. Especially when you’ve grown to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. At this stage in your life, you have gained the valuable insight that this life is not about you at all but about Him. With this perspective, you will always worship Him, no matter what day you are having. ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many deeper lessons like this appear in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”

In Trouble Call God11 | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/21/2026

Psalm 18:1–2: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

How many times have you been down and out, just having one of those bad days, weeks, or even a year? You’ve come to the end of your rope, trying to do it on your own, and you get on your knees and cry out to the Lord. You realize that in the past He has been your strength, your rock, your fortress, and your deliverer. There has only been one person you could truly trust, and that is the Lord your God, for He has never failed you nor neglected any of His promises to you. In spiritual warfare, He has been your shield, your sword, and the horn of your salvation. When the enemy surrounds you like a flood, He alone has been your stronghold in times of trouble. Stop doing life alone; get God involved immediately. ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many of these lessons are in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”

Accomplice of the Devil | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/20/2026

2 Peter 1:4, “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

When you lie, you become a partaker of evil with the father of lies and one with his spirit. When you wrongly accuse someone, you become a partaker with the accuser of the brethren and are being molded into the image of Satan. When you hate someone, the love of the Father is not in you, and you have chosen instead to become a hater of God. For if you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me (Matt. 25:40). When you lust after another person, you become a tempter, luring that person away from God as Satan does.

You are strongly encouraged never to conform to this world (Rom. 12:2), never to be partakers of sin, nor to be Satan’s henchmen by promoting it. You have no choice but to forsake the world of sin and put it behind you forever. You are to be like Paul, dead to sin and alive unto God (Rom. 6:2-4). You are partakers of the divine nature of Jesus Christ, the very nature of God, when you were born again with a new heart and a new Spirit. It’s your choice to pursue and chase after God. Through our exceedingly great and precious promises, you have escaped the corruption in the world, and through your free will you can be empowered to walk the straight line of truth. ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many of these lessons are in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”

Hold Your Tongue | Intimacy With Christ | Richard Wafford

8/19/2026

Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Have you ever heard your parents say, “If you don’t stop crying, whining, and complaining, I will give you something to cry about”? When God tells you to hold your peace, He is telling you to trust Him, keep quiet, and watch Him go to work. To hold your peace is to put your full trust in the Lord. You have many scriptures of hope, and God will never fail to fulfill any of them.

You lose the blessings of God by not trusting in Him. For what are you sacrificing the blessings of God? Would you rather be afraid, worried, and confused about life? You’ve got to ask yourself: Why wouldn’t you trust God for everything? ~ Richard

Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved © Richard W. Wafford
Many of these lessons are in my new devotional book, “Warrior of the Cross, 40 Day Discipleship Challenge & Journal.”