What Does It Mean to Have a Relationship With God?
“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
The purer our hearts, and less defiled, the more clearly we can see why we need to accept Christ as our savior. The older we get, the more people, Satan, and our own hearts try to convince us that other things will satisfy us (beauty, wealth, love, popularity). We can get tempted to believe that being a Christian is fine, as long as it doesn't take over your life and turn you into a Jesus freak. However, God begs to differ:
“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)
Sometimes it doesn't seem or feel that easy to be close to Him, or let Him direct every single step we take.
Some excuses we may tell ourselves might be:
- “I don’t have extra time to spend with God”
- “I know I should be spending time with God, but I just don’t know how”
- “I've done too much wrong to get close to God”
- “Why would He even want to spend time with me”
The truth is, although it may seem really hard, it actually is easy. we just weren't meant to do it on our own. God sent His Son to come and take the punishment for our sins, and gave us the precious gift of His Holy Spirit to help and guide us.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor [besides Himself], who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans -- I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)
“But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative -- and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit -- he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you. "I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:26-27)
It’s not the kind of thing you can just check off when you’re done like washing the dishes, or going to an appointment. It’s time spent building a relationship. Sharing what on your heart and listening to what’s on His. It’s falling in love with the One who loves you most. You wouldn't call your friend, talk to them, or hang out with them just to check that off of your social list of things to do. The same goes for God and He’s a better friend than anyone else you know.
How Can I Get Closer to God?
WIDTH
- Make Christ a part of your everyday life. Spend time with Him EVERY day.
- Pray regularly. Talk to God when you wake up every morning. Ask Him to help you with all your needs, big or small, and pray for the needs of others. It doesn't have to be long or full of ‘Christian’ words, just straight from your heart to God’s. Pray before you go to sleep and thank Him for everything that day. Also, pray whenever you feel led to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: “Pray without ceasing.”
- Spend time in God’s Word. Read God’s love letter in the morning, before you go to sleep, or both. Start with something that grabs your interest - not the genealogy of the tribes of Judah, or the instructions for building the temple. Try rereading the Bible stories of Moses, David, Jonah, Elijah, and Paul that you might remember from preschool. Their stories might now take on new meaning as you have grown. Try out Psalms or Proverbs - they’re great to read everyday. Or try the life of Christ in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Make it fun, not like homework. Even different translations can help you understand more clearly.
- Take time to learn with others (like in a small group).
LENGTH
- Closeness with Christ doesn't happen overnight. Just as with your best friend, the longer you develop your relationship with Him, the closer you will get to Him.
DEPTH
- Don’t fall or go for fluffy, surface-level, Christianity like Jesus loves me or John 3:16. Let God into the deepest parts of you - your thoughts and feelings, your strengths and weaknesses, your sins and successes, your fears and joys. Go beyond the surface with God. Search his word for the deep things He wants to teach you about himself. 1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” This means that God wants us to mature in our walk with Him.
What Separates Me from a Relationship With God?
Matthew 5:48 says: “Be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” Obviously, we are not perfect nor will we ever be perfect, but our goal should be to please God in all that we do. He longs to be the foundation of our lives in everything from what we say, who our friends are, what we do, and how we dress. We should long to please Him by doing what is right in His sight. Psalm 139: 23-24 says: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me; and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wickedness in me; And lead me to eternal life.” If the Holy Spirit (God) lives in us, we should want to make His home (our body) clean and pleasing to Him. Filling ourselves with trash is like making the King of Kings live in a dump. If we want to have a better relationship with God, we have to do some major cleaning.
Steps to purifying or cleansing our hearts:
Begin with a humble spirit and tell God that you want Him to clean out your heart.
What things in your life trash your heart?
Maybe those things include:
-what you see on the internet
-which friends you hang out with
-what movies or shows you watch
- what music you listen to
-your thoughts
-your attitude
-your words
Confess your sin to God and then allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and remove the debris.
- 2/3 born-again Christians (64%) accept Jesus Christ as their Savior before their 18th birthday
- 1/8 born-again people (13%) made their profession of faith while 18 to 21 years old
“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
The purer our hearts, and less defiled, the more clearly we can see why we need to accept Christ as our savior. The older we get, the more people, Satan, and our own hearts try to convince us that other things will satisfy us (beauty, wealth, love, popularity). We can get tempted to believe that being a Christian is fine, as long as it doesn't take over your life and turn you into a Jesus freak. However, God begs to differ:
“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)
Sometimes it doesn't seem or feel that easy to be close to Him, or let Him direct every single step we take.
Some excuses we may tell ourselves might be:
- “I don’t have extra time to spend with God”
- “I know I should be spending time with God, but I just don’t know how”
- “I've done too much wrong to get close to God”
- “Why would He even want to spend time with me”
The truth is, although it may seem really hard, it actually is easy. we just weren't meant to do it on our own. God sent His Son to come and take the punishment for our sins, and gave us the precious gift of His Holy Spirit to help and guide us.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor [besides Himself], who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans -- I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)
“But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative -- and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit -- he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you. "I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:26-27)
It’s not the kind of thing you can just check off when you’re done like washing the dishes, or going to an appointment. It’s time spent building a relationship. Sharing what on your heart and listening to what’s on His. It’s falling in love with the One who loves you most. You wouldn't call your friend, talk to them, or hang out with them just to check that off of your social list of things to do. The same goes for God and He’s a better friend than anyone else you know.
How Can I Get Closer to God?
WIDTH
- Make Christ a part of your everyday life. Spend time with Him EVERY day.
- Pray regularly. Talk to God when you wake up every morning. Ask Him to help you with all your needs, big or small, and pray for the needs of others. It doesn't have to be long or full of ‘Christian’ words, just straight from your heart to God’s. Pray before you go to sleep and thank Him for everything that day. Also, pray whenever you feel led to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: “Pray without ceasing.”
- Spend time in God’s Word. Read God’s love letter in the morning, before you go to sleep, or both. Start with something that grabs your interest - not the genealogy of the tribes of Judah, or the instructions for building the temple. Try rereading the Bible stories of Moses, David, Jonah, Elijah, and Paul that you might remember from preschool. Their stories might now take on new meaning as you have grown. Try out Psalms or Proverbs - they’re great to read everyday. Or try the life of Christ in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Make it fun, not like homework. Even different translations can help you understand more clearly.
- Take time to learn with others (like in a small group).
LENGTH
- Closeness with Christ doesn't happen overnight. Just as with your best friend, the longer you develop your relationship with Him, the closer you will get to Him.
DEPTH
- Don’t fall or go for fluffy, surface-level, Christianity like Jesus loves me or John 3:16. Let God into the deepest parts of you - your thoughts and feelings, your strengths and weaknesses, your sins and successes, your fears and joys. Go beyond the surface with God. Search his word for the deep things He wants to teach you about himself. 1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” This means that God wants us to mature in our walk with Him.
What Separates Me from a Relationship With God?
Matthew 5:48 says: “Be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” Obviously, we are not perfect nor will we ever be perfect, but our goal should be to please God in all that we do. He longs to be the foundation of our lives in everything from what we say, who our friends are, what we do, and how we dress. We should long to please Him by doing what is right in His sight. Psalm 139: 23-24 says: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me; and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wickedness in me; And lead me to eternal life.” If the Holy Spirit (God) lives in us, we should want to make His home (our body) clean and pleasing to Him. Filling ourselves with trash is like making the King of Kings live in a dump. If we want to have a better relationship with God, we have to do some major cleaning.
Steps to purifying or cleansing our hearts:
- Pray about it:
Begin with a humble spirit and tell God that you want Him to clean out your heart.
- Identify it:
What things in your life trash your heart?
Maybe those things include:
-what you see on the internet
-which friends you hang out with
-what movies or shows you watch
- what music you listen to
-your thoughts
-your attitude
-your words
- Clean it out:
Confess your sin to God and then allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and remove the debris.
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