Many people don’t realize that what God wants from us is a vibrant, exciting relationship with Him.
Being a Christian isn’t about following a bunch of rules to try and please Him and earn our way into heaven; it’s about God’s free gift to us:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
So What Does This Relationship Look Like?
First of all, the relationship has to be based on Jesus and what He did on the cross for us. No matter how much you may want to be close to God, if you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Saviour and asked Him to forgive you of your sins, you cannot have a relationship with Him.
Sin separates us from God and what He wants for us.
Second, you have to know deep down in your heart that God is for you and not against you.
He is not waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you.
He is a perfect Father who loves you perfectly and is waiting with open arms to accept you in just as you are.
So many times we don’t understand who God is because we relate Him to our earthly fathers, but no matter how good a dad you may have, he is not perfect and doesn’t accurately represent who God is.
At some point, your earthly father will fail you, but your heavenly father never will.
In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus says, “What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
God knows perfectly what you need and the best way to give it to you. Which leads us to…
Trust. God wants you to trust Him with your life. That was one of the hardest things for me to learn because very early in my life I found that I couldn’t trust people to be there for me when I really needed them, or to have my best interests at heart.
But I have learned to trust that God has the best plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11), even when I don’t always understand what is going on or why.
God always brings me through to a good place where I trust Him more and more.
So How Do You Develop That Kind Of Relationship With Him?
The simple answer is day by day.
A true loving relationship does not happen overnight. It’s a process that takes time to grow and develop.
Now how that plays out in our lives is the messy, difficult part. Here are some things that I have done to develop that relationship with Him:
I Read the Word of God on a Daily Basis
In Hebrews 4:12a it says, “For the word of God is living and powerful.” The Bible is God’s love letter to us and it teaches us how to have a right relationship with Him.
His words show me how to live in victory and achieve what He wants for me in this world.
Because His words are life and power, I can use them every day to be able to live a joyful life.
I Talk to God Every Day
To talk to God is to pray. For Christians, prayer isn’t about saying the same prescribed words over and over again in an attempt to try to convince Him of something.
When I pray I share my heart with God. I pray when I wake up so that He will be with me throughout the day. I talk about my day and the things that I and others need, but I also spend time thanking Him and recognizing all that He does in my life and…
Then I Listen
Good relationships are two way streets. I can’t just talk and talk and never listen and expect things to happen.
God wants to share personal intimate things with me that help me with my life. He wants to give me direction and help me to avoid the pitfalls in life. He wants to tell me that He loves me, but if I don’t take time to stop and hear then I miss out.
God does not shout; most times his voice is an impression on the inside of me or a still, small voice in my head.
Most people do not have a problem talking to God, but a lot of people don’t truly believe in their hearts that God wants to speak to them; they are convinced that they can’t hear God. If that is you then the first thing you need to do is study this scripture:
“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (John 10:3–4).
If you are saved then you can not only hear His voice, but you can recognize it too which is such good news.
Then comes the hardest part…
I Obey Him
That is how you truly get to know that you can trust Him.
Every time you obey Him, even when it is the hardest thing you might have to do in your life, you come to realize that He is trustworthy and that good things come from it.
There have been many times when obeying Him was very difficult for me, and I thought for sure that He was leading me down a bad road, only to find out later that it was the perfect road that brought healing, restoration, finances and anything I needed to my life.
One of my favourite scriptures about trust is Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
If you do these things you will have an amazing, incredible relationship with Him that will fulfill you and give you a life of joy and peace.
So don’t be afraid. Reach out the Lord: you will be so glad that you did!
~ By Kim Thompson-Pinder
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