8 Ways To Build A Personal Relationship With God.

In the Christian community the phrase "personal relationship with God" is one of the most common phrases you'll ever get to hear, almost just as much as you hear the phrase "Only God can Judge me", with these phrases being very true and significant truths, I'm afraid the former is one that could go by without being completely understood, or worse, being understood but never achieved.

I'll let you in on a truth, people want to know God. They don't look like it but trust me they do, I know this because I've been 'people' before. Understanding what knowing God personally means, is one thing, but actually living to know him personally is another. It can be hard for reasons that have to do with not being able to overcome certain things about life that just stop us from actually doing it, actually knowing God. You know, like sin. But aside from that, it could also be genuine oblivion or just plain ignorance. So my job today is to try and make that easier for you and me.

What Is A Personal Relationship With God?

A personal relationship with God, in my opinion, is basically taking the necessary steps to know and embrace the person of God. For example, how well you know your besties or your sisters and brothers, your girls, your guys. How you know what they like, hate, and care for, what makes them happy, or gives them joy, what triggers them, where they are found, and what they love to do? How all that helps you keep healthy and flourishing relations with either one of them. That's how I see it, but in this very specific case, it's having a relationship with the one friend you CAN'T afford to not have.

The last thing I want to do is reduce the relationship we share with the creator to that which we share with a friend because obviously, they are nowhere near each other in comparison. Having a personal relationship with God is much more important to start with and basically can not be compared to your relationship with friends and family. But our joy is in the realization that God actually calls us to be his friends as well as his children, while we are well undeserving and never able to be as good a friend as he is, it would be even more dreadful of us to not try. So if you do want to give it a go, here is my guide to doing so.

You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. John 15:12-15.

3 Things You NEED To Do First.

Understand you need one.

I've used the words "people want to have a relationship with God" with emphasis on the word want, and that's good, the intention is present. But I think it's even more important that people know they need this relationship even more than they want it or aspire to have it.

We need a personal relationship with God because there are many things about it that our regular relationships will never be able to provide us with. Imagine being best buds with the one that snapped (I'm being figurative okay, don't come for me) everything we've known and come to know into existence. Doesn't that amaze you? Cause it does me. Having God in close proximity to you is one of the best positions you will ever find yourself in, I'm speaking from experience. Having God right by you will change everything about who you are. Sowing into a devout and unwavering relationship with God will reap, peace, joy, fulfillment, freedom, contentment, and all-around completion man could only dream of having. I know this is not new to your ears and I'm probably one out of hundred articles, videos, songs, movies, ads, and people that you've heard these promises from. I wish I could make you understand it the way I came to, but this is one of those things that you'll have to see for yourself. I could go on and on about understanding the need but that's an article for another day.

Understand what this decision means.

So you know you need this, but what does it mean for you now, what does it mean for your life? I'm led to believe that this very step is what people miss and end up realizing later in their attempt to build a relationship with God and it makes the general pursuit seem harder or almost impossible, which it isn't.

Pursuing a relationship with God can mean a lot of different things depending on where you are in your life. This part is the hardest part of all of them because it can mean making very hard decisions and sacrifices, no one enjoys this, it's never a walk in the park, if people make it look so, let me be the one to break the news to you, honey, they are lying through their teeth.

I'd be tremendously failing to fulfill my intentions, if everything I said now just scared you away from the thought of trying to give this relationship with God thing a go, I pray it hasn't. But I just had to break the ice first before telling you why even though this step is the hardest one, it's the most important of all three.

Everything that comes with deciding to take this "Team Jesus" thing seriously, is hard and will call for tough decisions and moves, but if I can guarantee you anything, it's this, successfully getting close to God will be a decision you will always wish you made earlier, It doesn't matter how old you are at the time of making said decision. Changing everything you had to change will be a move you will never ever regret making, the being you will become will shock you to your core because you'd have never imagined yourself growing into what God already knew you were supposed to grow into. Again the results of this step are so many and I could take hours writing them down for you all, but then that defies the entire purpose of this specific post.

Just trust me when I say it's hard but it's worth it, the hardest things usually are. I could swear on my life (And I shouldn't even be swearing).

Start Immediately.

That saying "tomorrow never comes" applies the most here. One of the biggest misconceptions about this very act is that you need the right time to start, when there is in fact no right time to start. I've said this before, "I'll start to pray more tomorrow" until I figured I said this on every single tomorrow that I had just because it was a today. Waiting to "have it all together" is not the way to go about this decision. God's always there, start the very minute you think of it, and don't waste another second.

I could have been away from the church for over 20 years and the next person could be on their way off the pulpit having given the most sanctified sermon known to have ever been given by man, and I'll tell you what, we are both undeserving of the love God gives to both of us, and just for the record he still loves us both the same. So, Start Now.

Here's How To Build A Relationship With God.

1. Make Time To Pray.

Taking out a few minutes to pray and have quiet time with God will make all the difference. I know you've heard all this before, I don't blame you if that's cause for you to take this point casually, but I think it's all the reason to do the exact opposite, take it seriously. It's such a vital part of this journey you can't afford to skip it. Having designated time to talk to God is such an important part of your journey to a personal relationship with God.

I know that sometimes being told to do this as a mandatory instruction can suck out all the beauty in actually having time to talk to God, especially if you're going to get on your knees and say the same words you heard your Deacon say last Saturday or Sunday. Prayer is not a chore, once you realize that and free yourself from the heavy mandate to pray and allow yourself to experience the joy that's found in prayer, it's something you'll eventually look forward to doing more. Remember this You're talking to someone that's listening and really wants to talk back to you, especially if you listen as well.

2. Study The Word Of God More.

Yep, another one of those "tell me something I don't know" moments, I know, but hear me out. This is the Goldmine, without these steps, all attempts to actually know God are futile, I know you probably don't like reading much or maybe can't find the time, but thank God for technology right? You could listen to the word of God on Audio as you go about your day, Of course, I'd prefer the actual Holy Book, but if the options are the audio Bible or nothing at all, I'll take the former to go, please. The point is that God's word is basically the pathway to knowing, understanding His nature, and also listening to Him. He literally gave us the guide to knowing enough about Him, just enough to help us actually have a chance at being His friend well enough. Pick up your Bible, switch on the Bible app, tune into that Podcast, and get yourself some Word.

3. Have Fellowship.

Find yourself a community of people that have either achieved the goals you're trying to achieve or are after the same goals you're after. Because then chances of you giving up are a lot slimer, and when I say, people, I mean actual human beings and not "church Folk", because honestly, some people in the church can make it look like they never go through problems and difficulties human beings go through almost as if they are perfect, and many times being around people that hide the fact that we struggle to stay spiritually upright as human beings, can make it harder to keep going. I had the amazing opportunity of having friends that were almost as messed up as I was when we started this pursuit of a relationship with God and I'll tell you having them to talk to when I failed made it easier for me to get right back up, and try harder because not only did I know that they understood but that they wouldn't judge me for falling short.

Get me correctly though, I'm not saying go and find people that are struggling to have this relationship only and you're fine, that's dangerous, you can convince your selves of so much wrong in such a setup. It's vital that you also find people of the faith that have reached a certain level of maturity in their walk with God so they can also guide you, the reason I'm for the idea of having mentors in the Faith as well is that you will always need someone to show you the ropes in some areas of life, especially the Christian life and keep you from making certain mistakes they already made and now you don't have to. Think of it, you might be that one to another person someday.

Find a local church if you do not have one, going and being around so many people with the intention to serve and live for God will always be of help to your relationship with God, you learn so much about how God relates with His people.

4. Develop a "What Would God say" mindset.

Achieving this way of thinking will come easy when you've gotten well acquainted with the first two points, prayer and Bible Study. When you speak and listen to God on a regular, you start to have a better idea of what he would say concerning many things and how He would have you behave towards or respond to life. Putting into consideration, especially in your day-to-day life, what God has to say about everything will have a huge impact on the way you live your life and relate to Him.

5. Meditate.

Life can get a bit much, always on the go. It can be hard to slow down and listen to God as well. And when you hear the word meditation, I know you can be led to think Yoga and Monks, I do not mean that I just simply mean, find solitude. Use whatever time you have to yourself, to sit and reflect on God and who He is to you, you don't even have to say words most times unless you're actually led to pray, but it's in these moments alone with God that he says the most to us, It's building a healthy prayer life, after all prayer isn't just telling God all your problems and never hearing from Him as well, it's communication and we tend to hear from God the most when we are open to actually listening to him. I find spending some time alone, with my Bible app playing very soothing Instrumentals and displaying Bible verses for me to meditate over, one of the most refreshing and soul-renewing times of my day. I'm always looking forward to doing it again. And you know you're developing a strong relationship with someone when you're eager to go and be with them.

6. Talk To God.

It would seem as though I've already spoken on this in previous segments on this post, but let me make it make sense. I mentioned prayer already, but in this specific moment I mean, literally speaking to him like He is seated right next to you because in an actual sense he is. This does sound crazy, and it would be If you did it the wrong way. There are times you'll feel like pouring out your thoughts to God and you won't be in the position to kneel down or have the whole formal prayer setup. God is a friend and just straight up saying what you want to say without having to start the conversation with our oh-so-popular "Dear Heavenly Father..." opening is okay. King David did it all the time, I don't see why you can't. Next time you want to say something to God just say it, I do it all the time, everywhere. Doing this keeps you aware of His presence, trust me you never forget that he is right beside you.

7. Don't Compare Your Relationship With God To That Of Others.

Your relationship with God will look different from other people's relationship with God anyway so there is no need to measure your relationship with God based on how other people's relationships with Him are going. Your way of communicating with Him could be different, and the way you choose to follow him could look different from how other people choose to, cause there is no one size fits all when it comes to who God is to each Individual.

8. Trust Him.

All relationships are built on trust. And one thing is for sure, God is trustworthy. You can trust God with your possessions, your heart, your mind, your soul, and more especially your life. God always has the best for you.

One of my favorite blogs, Daily She Pursues, puts this in a better perspective. She writes:

"You can also trust him with the not-so-pc thoughts and emotions that sometimes go through your heart. You can tell him when you feel angry, or when you feel afraid; you can trust him when you’ve sinned or fallen short, and be confident that he won’t turn you away. You can tell him your deepest, darkest secrets and the hidden struggles you’d never want anyone else to know about. After all, he’s the only one who can heal you from those things to begin with.

God already knows how you feel inside. Don’t sugarcoat it with Christian phrases and cliches when deep down inside you are hurting and unsure of what to do. Tell God whatever you feel inside. He’s God – he’s not offended by the thoughts in your heart. Let him help you process them."