Closeness.
Moving beyond "good enough" into God's greater calling.
A workbook on intimacy, obedience and spiritual transformation, anchored in the 8-4-2-1 transformation process.
By Will Mukes, LMFT
Many people seek comfort. Few seek closeness. Comfort avoids stretching. Closeness produces transformation. This workbook is for the believer ready to move from being good enough into becoming Christlike.
How this workbook is built.
From comfortable Christianity to Christ centered transformation.
Many believers spend years learning how to appear good, while never fully surrendering themselves to becoming who God has truly called them to be.
Good behavior without intimacy with God can create the illusion of spiritual maturity while leaving the heart disconnected from true transformation. God did not simply call us to manage appearances or perform religious duties. He called us into relationship. He called us into intimacy.
The word intimacy can be viewed this way.
Into Me See.
· Will MukesTrue intimacy with God requires vulnerability, honesty, surrender and self examination. It is the willingness to say.
"Lord, search me, know me, reveal me, correct me and transform me."
Comfort vs closeness.
This workbook is designed to help believers move from simply being good enough toward becoming spiritually anchored, Holy Spirit led disciples who passionately pursue the heart of God.
Take a breath. Find a quiet hour. Write the date below. This workbook is meant to be slow.
The verse that anchors this work.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
The 8-4-2-1 transformation process.
The four numbers that anchor every chapter ahead.
New beginnings.
God opens doors for transformation when we become willing to change. Eight is the number of starting again.
Foundation.
Healthy spiritual growth requires a biblical foundation. Four corners. Four walls. Four pillars under everything you are building.
Alignment.
Transformation occurs when our will aligns with God's will. Two becoming one in agreement.
Unity.
The goal is oneness and intimacy with Christ. One heart, one mind, one direction.
New beginnings, healthy foundations, willing alignment, unity with Christ. That is the path.
· Will MukesThe danger of comfortable Christianity.
Key thought.
It is possible to know church culture while remaining distant from the heart of God.
Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15 to 16
Symptoms of comfortable Christianity.
- In what areas have I become spiritually comfortable?
- What habits are keeping me from spiritual growth?
- Am I pursuing God or simply maintaining religious behavior?
- What fears keep me from deeper intimacy with Christ?
Kingdom antidote.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
Transformation begins when comfort stops controlling your decisions.
Into me see. The power of intimacy with God.
Key thought.
A person seeking intimacy with Christ is asking God to reveal both their strengths and their hidden weaknesses.
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Psalm 139:23 to 24
Intimacy requires.
The Be Still session.
Set aside thirty uninterrupted minutes. During this time, remove distractions.
Simply pray.
"Lord, into me see. Reveal what is hindering my closeness with You."
· Be still sessionThen write what comes to your spirit.
- What does intimacy with God mean to me personally?
- What distractions compete for my affection?
- What areas of my life have I not fully surrendered?
Obedience is better than sacrifice.
To obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22
Key thought.
God desires surrendered hearts more than spiritual performance.
Some people sacrifice publicly while remaining privately disobedient.
True obedience means.
- Letting go of selfish desires.
- Following God even when uncomfortable.
- Choosing righteousness over feelings.
- Trusting God's order even when it costs something.
Application to marriage and leadership.
A husband seeking intimacy with Christ becomes safer to follow because his leadership is submitted to God first.
A wife who sees her husband dying to selfishness and pursuing Christ centered leadership can trust his direction more deeply because she recognizes he is seeking God's righteousness above his own ego.
God's order is not about domination. It is about divine alignment.
When God's order is honored.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. Ephesians 5:25
- Where is selfishness affecting my relationships?
- Am I leading others toward Christ or toward myself?
- What would dying to selfishness look like in my daily life?
Anchored souls do not drift.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul. Hebrews 6:19
Key thought.
An anchor does not stop storms.
It keeps the ship from drifting during storms.
When your soul is anchored in Christ.
Signs your soul is becoming anchored.
Identify three storms. Anchor each one.
- Three storms currently affecting your life.
- Three truths from scripture that can anchor you during those storms.
From reaction to response.
Key thought.
Spiritually mature people learn how to respond instead of react.
Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 to 23 names the marks of a Spirit led life.
- What situations trigger unhealthy reactions in me?
- What would a Spirit led response look like instead?
- How can prayer slow my reactions?
Kingdom mindset. Becoming the better.
Key thought.
God sees who you are capable of becoming before you fully see it yourself.
What many people settle for.
But God calls us higher.
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Philippians 1:6
Do not settle for the least version of yourself when God placed greater within you.
· Will MukesWhat "good enough" version of yourself has God been inviting you to outgrow?
Daily alignment prayer.
A prayer to pray each morning before the noise starts.
Lord,
Into me see.
Search my heart.
Reveal my motives.
Expose my selfishness.
Strengthen my obedience.
Anchor my soul.
Transform my thinking.
Teach me to seek Your kingdom above my comfort.
Help me move from simply being good to becoming Christlike.
May my life reflect Your order, Your righteousness, Your love and Your truth.
Use me for Kingdom outcomes.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.From comfort. To closeness. To Christlikeness.
The three stages this workbook has been training your soul to walk.
Do not settle for the least version of yourself when God placed greater within you.
Walk this out.
Take these four into your week. Not as slogans. As anchors.
- Be intentional.
- Be obedient.
- Be anchored.
- Be transformed.
Move from comfort. To closeness. To Christlikeness. That is the whole journey.
· Will MukesWrite the version of you God is calling forward.
Describe the person God is shaping you into. Not the polished version. The honest one. The anchored one. The one who is no longer settling for good enough.
A counselor who writes for the person in the chair.
Will Mukes is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Wichita, Kansas. For over a decade he has sat with people in the quiet, the loud and the broken rooms of their lives.
His writing carries one conviction. Healing happens when clinical skill is anchored to the certainty that the Holy Spirit speaks, Christ heals and the work of a good counselor is to listen long enough to hear what is actually being said.
Get Anchored Ministry is his framework for that work. Every book on his shelf is part of that one project.