Regaining Intimacy Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Regaining Intimacy Keywords: "barriers” “intimacy" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Genesis 2:25* And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Questions 1. Why were they not ashamed?   2. What other kinds of nakedness does this refer to besides physical nakedness?   Practical help A little child can run naked through a room full of strangers without embarrassment. Why? Because he is unaware of his nakedness. This was also the case with Adam and Eve — they were not at all embarrassed in their innocence. Sadly, sin changed all that. A sense of shame now clouded their perspective. Barriers were formed between themselves and God. Intimacy was lost. In the ideal marriage, a husband and wife have no barriers between them. They are totally free to expose themselves to each other physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. Unfortunately, like the first couple, we also try to hide our shame by putting on fig leaves (barriers) because we don’t want our spouse, or God, to know about certain things — like a Web porn habit, for example. We hide and we withdraw, and we become easy game for the temptations to porn, which is a very poor substitute for intimacy. In marriage, the loss of spiritual, emotional, and intellectual intimacy usually comes before a breakdown of physical intimacy. In our relationship with God, when we fail to expose our secret thoughts to Him, the lines of communication are broken. Again, smut may be what we seek out to fill the void left in our hearts by lost intimacy. Regaining intimacy, how is that done? First, start with humble confession to God of your hardness of heart toward Him and the things you have pursued in place of Him. He loves you and will restore you to intimacy. You know that because Jesus died for all of your sins. Second, seek to rebuild intimacy with your spouse by humbly confessing any offenses and asking for forgiveness. Together try to understand where intimacy began to break down, and ask God to guard your relationship from the same pitfalls. Take action today to begin to remove the barriers and rebuild intimacy. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2001, 2003 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission." -