4 Ways to Deepen Your Relationship with God

Christian Writing , Growth and Development , Society and Culture

Nov 21 2014

Before my relationship with God, I spent most of my life attending church, but I didn’t know God for myself. Unfortunately, my life’s choices reflected that I had no idea who God was beyond singing in the church choir and listening to sermons every Sunday.

My relationships with men, my addiction, and my insecure sex life all reflected that I had no idea who God was outside of what my Mom and Dad had taught me. I relied on other people’s relationships with God to get me through life. You can’t truly know yourself until you know the One Who created you. So, since I didn’t know God, I didn’t know myself either.

Unfortunately, there are so many broken people like my former myself. They are in search for God’s love, but don’t know it. So, they settle for finding themselves in men and women that don’t care about them and sex that doesn’t fulfill them. It’s an endless battle with only one cure: God.

The benefits of believing in Jesus can go way beyond church service. Jesus came to this earth to promote a relationship with God, not religion. Over focusing on religion over God is actually what differentiates Jesus from other faiths. So, when you only experience God through religious rituals, church service, and church activities, you’re not getting the full experience of God’s peace or Who He is. As followers of Christ, our desire should be to hear God’s voice and know Him for ourselves. When you lack a relationship with God, all that confusion in your life isn’t there because God is taking you through something, it’s there because you don’t have an actual relationship with Him. He’s drawing you to Him. Obey and listen.

Here are some ways to learn God for yourself outside of church and what others have told you. Deepening your relationship with God is the surest way towards finding out your purpose, knowing who you are, and discovering the love that you’re looking for:

1) Apply the Word – Don’t just read the Bible just to do so. Read to apply His Word to your life. I always take what I’m battling and google scriptures about it. For example, if you don’t know how to stop having sex before marriage, google “scriptures on lust.” If you don’t know how to forgive, google “Bible study on forgiving.” Then, actually believe what you read and apply it to life’s situations.

2) Pray Beyond Emergencies – The Bible says we should “pray without ceasing”(1 Thessalonians 5:17). Wouldn’t you hate it if your best friend only came to you when she needed something? A relationship with God is no different. Talk to God throughout the day and all day. We spend all day thinking, wondering, and planning. Why not spend that time talking to God about our thoughts?

3) Obey – You can’t have a relationship with God without obedience to His Word. Have faith in what He tells you to do, trust Him, and let Him lead the way.

4) Forgive – God has commanded us to forgive each other and “love, bless, and pray for our enemies” (paraphrased Matthew 5:44). God can’t propel you to the next level if you have a whole bunch of junk on your heart. Let it go and give it to Him. That way, your story can be used to inspire someone else. Please share the love of this post with someone else 🙂 (More blogs like this below)

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