You might be wondering how do I actually build a personal relationship with God?
As someone who grew up Christian, I figured I always had a relationship with God.
But as I got older, I realized that was not the case.
Through the darkest seasons of my life, that was actually when I rekindled my faith and relationship with God.
I’m not saying that you have to go through a difficult season to experience a “spiritual awakening” or a relationship with Him.
God can use you and speak to you at any point in your life, from your highest of highs to lowest of lows.
The key to build a relationship with God is to pursue Him wholeheartedly.
It’s one thing to know about God, but to actually develop a relationship with Him? You have to take time to get to know Him and spend time with Him.
I’ll be sharing 5 ways you can build a personal relationship with God and how it might look like practically in your daily life.
why we need a personal relationship with god?
Just like any relationship, you have to spend time getting to know the person.
Whether it’s through dates or hangouts, you won’t really get to build a relationship if you don’t carve out intentional time with them.
Besides time, it’s important to reflect on how you spend that time. Are you constantly on your phone or getting distracted when you’re hanging out with your friend?
Are you curious to actually know the person or are you satisfied with how things are now?
When I think about my relationship with God, I think about how I want to spend time with Him. I imagine myself “dating” Him and really getting to know Him.
When I feel like my relationship with Him is weak or distant, I re-evaluate how I’ve been spending my time with Him.
Am I really getting into the Word or carving out time in my day to be with Him or am I choosing to distract myself?
Imagine your relationship with God as a relationship you’d want to grow and build with a friend.
If you really want to know and experience a personal connection with Him, you need to dedicate time and intentionality getting to know Him.
5 ways to build a personal relationship with God
1. start reading the bible
If you haven’t really opened your Bible and read His Word, this is the time to do so.
God gave us His Word so that we can learn more about Him.
The Bible is literally the only source that God has given us to develop a personal relationship with Him.
You don’t need to feel overwhelmed reading the Bible. But it is important to develop a daily routine of reading His Word.
This could look like reading a chapter every day or following a Bible reading plan.
One thing I realize on my walk with God is that I can’t rely on my feelings and need to develop the spiritual discipline of getting to know Him.
To be honest, there are moments when I don’t spend time with God and would rather spend 1-2 hours scrolling through social media. I know God doesn’t condemn me for “failing” to read my Bible every day.
But how I choose to see it is… if I really crave a relationship with God, then I want my natural inclination to be to draw closer to Him.
2. Spend intentional time in prayer with God
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
God commands us to pray constantly. Prayer is a conversation that we get to have with God and how we grow in our relationship with Him.
You might be wondering how to even pray or how it builds a relationship with God.
When we start to see prayer as a conversation with God, we realize that these moments of talking with Him are SO precious. He’s actually listening and hearing us talk to Him.
When we cry out to Him or confess our sins, God is listening and He wants to talk to you as well.
How can we grow in our relationship with someone if we don’t spend time talking to them? That’s how we should view prayer – as constant, intentional conversations we GET to have with Him.
I try not to overthink prayer and make it perfect or sound “good.”
Be unfiltered and share your heart out with God because He already KNOWS your heart. He just wants you to be honest, raw, and vulnerable.
When we acknowledge and confess what we struggle with, the more we realize that we NEED Him and how broken we are.
Something I’ve been doing is waking up and praying first thing before even getting out of my bed. Before I sleep, I say a simple prayer.
I want God to be the FIRST and the LAST thought on my mind before the day ends. So let him be your FIRST and LAST!
3. seek out christian resources
As I’m writing this, I’m still processing and healing through a difficult break-up. Unexpectedly, this break-up has made me closer to God than I have been in such a long time.
One of the things that have helped me draw closer to Him is literally CONSUMING my mind with EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM.
I have to be so intentional with what I’m allowing into my mind, what I’m distracting myself with, and who I’m surrounding myself with.
I decided that I didn’t want to be lukewarm anymore and wanted to take my faith seriously. That meant really looking at my heart and what I was allowing into it.
If you’re wondering where to start when seeking Christian resources, I would recommend replacing anything “secular” or “worldly” with the following:
- Christian podcasts (Tim Keller, Sadie Robertson, Heart Of Dating, RUSH)
- Christian music (plenty of Spotify Christian indie, pop, worship, R&B, and rap out there)
- Stop watching movies that go against Christian morals and values (be discerning)
- Christian books (Experiencing God, Mere Christianity, Holiness of God)
- Filter who you follow on social media and start following more Christian influencer accounts (remember to also take everything with a grain of salt)
This is what I did to help me start practically building a relationship with God. Obviously, this will look different for everyone.
But the main thing is to ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment and wisdom when you are seeking out Christian resources.
4. Get rid of distractions and idols
My goodness, haha. I’m speaking to myself right now as I’m literally getting distracted with my phone while writing this blog post.
The enemy just KNOWS how to distract us from pursuing a relationship with God wholeheartedly.
This might take some reflecting and self-awareness on your end to know what your distractions are. Is it social media? Is it watching movies or TV shows? Is it gaming?
Or is it even the less obvious distractions like spending more time with your partner instead of God? Or prioritizing your work over reading your Bible?
We will always have distractions that will tempt us just like Jesus was tempted in the desert. But how we respond MAKES all the difference.
So get rid of these distractions and idols one by one. Ask and pray to God to reveal these distractions to you and have Him strip them away from you.
5. Be honest with god
Maybe you stumbled across this post because you’re in a season where you crave a relationship with Him.
You want Him so badly but you’re not exactly sure where to start.
Bring exactly how you’re feeling – your doubts, your worries, and your desires to Him!
Get honest with God in prayer and don’t be afraid to admit where you’re at. He already knows the deepest depths of your heart.
You don’t have to be afraid of Him turning against you because He will never leave nor forsake you.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41: 10-13
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HOW TO TRUST GOD AFTER A BREAKUP
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