Would you be more likely to trust someone you only see once a year or someone you live with? Obviously, you would trust the person you spend more time with because you know him or her better. Fellowship is one of the most necessary ingredients for a successful relationship. You can’t maintain a healthy friendship, productive business partnership or fulfilling marriage unless you consistently spend time communicating and sharing your common goals and experiences.

In the same way, God created you for fellowship and companionship with Him. Just as close friends know each other on a far deeper level than mere casual acquaintances and confide their deepest thoughts, plans and dreams to each other, so also God wants more than just casual conversation with you. He wants you to know Him and to experience Him. True faith isn’t built upon knowing what you believe; it’s built upon knowing whom you believe (2 Timothy 1:12).

Once, while Daniel was on a twenty-one day fast, a heavenly messenger came to him and said, “The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32b, KJV; emphasis added). The Hebrew word used for “know” in this passage refers to the way that you would know a familiar friend. When you spend time getting to know the Lord better, you become strengthened and equipped for the everyday battles of life.

A soldier can’t fight effectively without a supply line of daily dispatches from his commander, and a wise soldier learns to tune in to those vital messages. Jesus’ relationship with the Father was His number one priority in the midst of His busy days of ministry. He knew that fellowship with His Father was essential to the success of His mission because it was the source of His wisdom, power and joy. Jesus was well equipped to recognize and defeat the enemy because He invested time in communicating with the Father and receiving instructions from Him. How can you get by on anything less?

Acts 10:38 (NKJV) says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” God didn’t anoint “Jesus the Lord of Heaven.” He anointed Jesus of Nazareth—God in the flesh—with power from the Holy Spirit to defeat the devil. When you enlist in God’s army, that same Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart so that your spirit can receive His signals directly without enemy detection.

Your heavenly Father wants you to share what’s on your heart, but He also wants you to hear what’s on His. He wants to have meaningful, two-way communication with you and to confide in you on a deeper level, but He can’t if your conversations with Him are more of a monologue than a dialogue. When you pour out your heart to God, take the time to pause and hear what might be on His heart.