In a recent segment of The 700 Club, Gordon Robertson offered a deeply encouraging and biblically grounded response to a viewer named BJ, who asked how to grow in intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
What followed was not a formula, but a freeing reminder that true intimacy with God cannot be earned—it’s a gift received.
“I think you’re trying to earn a relationship with God,” Robertson said gently, identifying a common misconception among sincere believers.
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
BJ had written in to say they pray, study the Word daily and fast every other day—spiritual disciplines many would admire. But Robertson pointed to something deeper. “Are you projecting onto God a relationship that you may have had with a parent? Either you were trying to impress them or ‘here’s what I’m doing for you and therefore you should return that love.’”
Robertson emphasized that God’s love isn’t transactional. “If you want intimacy in a relationship, realize you cannot possibly earn it. It’s not based at all on how much you tithe or how much you fast or how much you read the Bible… It’s based on are you seeking that intimacy with all of your heart.”
He then anchored his encouragement in Scripture, quoting Jeremiah 29:11-13:
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord… you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you… you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.”
Robertson concluded, “If you want intimacy with God, use all of your heart. If you’re not getting that, then start examining what part of my heart am I leaving behind. Again, you cannot earn it. It’s a free gift and it comes when you seek it with all of your being.”
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
This message is a timely reminder for every believer: our walk with the Holy Spirit is not a merit-based relationship. It is rooted in God’s grace and our honest, wholehearted seeking. We live in a culture driven by performance and checklists, but the Lord calls us not to strive, but to abide.
So take heart, He is not waiting for your perfection, but for your presence.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
