How to have a Relationship with God : Back to the basics

Heey guys!

For today’s post, I thought that we should go back to the basics, and tackle the question of how we can have a relationship with God.

I choose to share this not only because as Christians we have a mandate to share the gospel, win souls for Christ and make disciples, but I am a living testimony of the goodness of God.

Ever since I gave my life to Christ about 4 years ago, He has transformed it completely. He’s healed me from deep hurts, He freed me from sin, He’s shown His love, care and concern for me, He’s given me clarity about my life for now, and for the future, and He’s the reason why I am here, writing this today. Thus I can’t help but share this with people, and they can open themselves up to receive Him into their lives and it will never be the same again.

So let’s go back to the basics, how can you have a personal relationship with God?

First off, God created you. God loves you and He wants to have a personal relationship with you. He wants you to know Him, not just about Him. He wants you to have that personal, intimate relationship. Every single person on earth, no matter who they are, was created with a God-sized void in them. They may not know exactly what this desire for fulfillment in them may be, so they seek to find it in earning a lot of money, wanting to be famous, working very hard to succeed in their career, or even looking for it in people, by going from one relationship to another. But these things, which aren’t bad on their own, will never bring us to ultimate fulfillment and contentment, for they were never designed to. Only God can completely fulfill us.

Right before I began my relationship with God, I was stuck in a loop, a vicious cycle of seeking happiness in material things. I would see something, like let’s say a bag, and set it in my mind to get it, thinking it would make me happy. I would actually get the bag, I would be happy for like 2 seconds, then I would be back at square one again, beginning the cycle all over again, not knowing that who I was looking for, was God.

Let’s start from the beginning…

In the beginning, God created the earth, then He created man, Adam, and he dwelt in the Garden of Eden which God created as well. God gave the man an instruction to not eat fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for if he does, he will die. God gave the man a responsibility to take care of the garden and name the animals. He also created a woman, Eve, to dwell in companionship with Adam, as husband and wife, and everything was in perfect harmony.

Later on, The Serpent, tempted and deceived Eve into eating the fruit from the forbidden tree, by saying that if she did, she would know what is good and evil, be like gods and their eyes shall be opened.

This was tempting to Eve and eventually she succumbed and ate the fruit, which was an act of disobedience to God. She gave the fruit to Adam who ate it also. After that, their eyes were opened as the serpent said, but instead of being like gods, they realized they were naked, they were ashamed, and so they hid themselves.

Of course God found out what they had done, He cursed the man, woman and serpent, created coats of skin to clothe them and sent them away from the garden. And from then, that close relationship humanity had with God was ruined.

However, God always wanted to have a relationship with man, therefore many years later after the fall of man, He sent His son, Jesus Christ here on earth with a mission. To do ministry of preaching and teaching about the kingdom of God, healing the sick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, restoring deaf ears and more. And thereafter, ultimately dying on the cross, taking the weight of the whole of humanity’s sins, and raising up from the dead 3 days later.

This is all broken down in a verse that we have all heard of John 3:16, and I will add verse 17 and 18 as well.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned; but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.

It is important to realize, that inasmuch as God is full of love and mercy, He is also Holy and detests sin.

So how can we, as humans, with sin nature, have a relationship with Him? It is through Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for our sins. It is through Jesus we can be reconciled to God and be restored back to how it was in the Garden of Eden, when God and man dwelt in harmony with one another.

Jesus says in John 14:6;

I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.

It is through faith and believing in Jesus Christ, that we can have a relationship with God.

So let’s start here:

Confess and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord

That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart, man believes into righteousness; for with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:9-10.

There is hope in Christ, because it is through Him that we can have a close relationship with God.

You see, salvation does not come from keeping laws, being a good person or doing good things. It comes by faith in Jesus Christ. All of us have sinned, and fallen short, but anybody who receives Christ is forgiven, accepted and can have a relationship with God.

It says in Romans 5:8,

But God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

It also says in Romans 8:1-2

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

You can say this prayer aloud or something similar, and remember it is not the exact words that matter, but what you mean;

God, I thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ to earth, to die for me and cleanse me from my sin, so that you and I can have a close, intimate relationship. I now believe in Him, and accept Him as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

So now what?

Repent and turn away from your sin

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

When each of us were born, we were not only born with a sin nature, but we have also been born into a fallen and broken world, full of sin.

As we grow up, we will experience tragedy, people may betray and lie to us. We may also see a lot of destruction, murder and unspeakable things done by human beings.

We may also grow up in an environment, whereby we were exposed to certain things that we didn’t need to be exposed to, and we didn’t really know how to distinguish what was right from wrong.

But despite what your past is, where you’ve come from, whatever addictions you have had, whatever kind of family you grew up in, whatever sin you keep falling into, nothing is ever too difficult for God, and no one is ever too far-fetched to be saved by Him.

So, how can we overcome sin?

Let’s start here:

You are a Spirit, who lives in a body and possesses a soul.

Once you receive Christ in your heart, you become a new creation.

It says in 2nd Corinthians 5:17, therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Your Spirit becomes one with God. And not only that, you also receive the Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

When you read about Jesus’ ministry, once He was done with His earthly mission, He ascended into heaven, and as He did, He promised His disciples a helper, the Holy Spirit, who would help and guide them to continue His mission even after He wasn’t on earth anymore.

The coming of the Holy Spirit was also prophesied by Prophet Joel.

This promise and prophecy was fulfilled in the book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, symbolized with tongues like of fire on top of their heads. They became filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other tongues.

The same Holy Spirit, who is a He btw, He is a person, also dwells in you once you’ve given your life to Christ.

Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples in Acts 2:38, says

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I personally thought the Holy Spirit wasn’t important but He plays many vital roles and so important in our walk with God. How?

• He helps us to pray when we don’t know what to pray for.

• He helps us to understand The Word of God and apply it in our lives.

• He convicts us of sin, which leads us to repentance, and upon our confession, we are forgiven. Note: convict, not guilt or shame.

• He gives us fruits, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and more.

• He gives us gifts such as speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, wisdom and more.

• He leads and helps us in all things. If you are ever in a dilemma and know not what to do, He is there.

Aside from the Holy Spirit, we also have the word of God, the Bible which is our guideline for life. As we read and meditate on the word, we are filled with knowledge and are able to know how God desires that we live our lives.

After giving your life to Christ, yes, your spirit is made new, but your mind, needs renewal, that’s why the word is instrumental in your relationship with God, and that’s why we live a life of repentance, for we are being molded to be like God, and to live Holy lives, and that comes with A LOT of unlearning and forsaking various lifestyle choices, because now we know better, so we do better.

And with a New Spirit within, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we have been equipped with the power to overcome sin.

What else can we do to grow closer to God?

Read the Bible

As I have said above, the word of God is so important, it is instrumental, and it is our guideline for life. We get to know God, our minds are renewed, and we get to know His promises, we are filled with knowledge on how to live Holy lives. We get to learn how people in the past lived their lives, and apply the same in our own lives today.

The only time the word of God will be effective, is when you apply what you read and meditate on, in your life.

So, if you don’t have a bible, get one. A hardcopy one is better. Why? The bible app is awesome, but let’s be real, our devices can be distracting. You might be reading a verse, and a notification comes in, and boom! Distracted.

If you are just starting out, I’d recommend starting with the gospel books, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, at the beginning of the New Testament. These books give a breakdown of Jesus’ ministry from His birth, to His death and resurrection, so it is a good place to start.

Try and make time on a daily to get into the word of God, and renew your mind.

Walk in the Spirit daily and Obey God

Now that you have given your life to Christ, you have the Holy Spirit, and you have a close relationship with God.

This means you can hear what God says, and sense the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your daily life. Choose to listen, obey and execute the instruction you hear. It may start small by the Holy Spirit leading you on what to wear that day (yes! He can do that!), and as you grow accustomed to listen to His voice and promptings, you will begin to hear more, even about important stuff like what your life’s purpose is.

Also, God gives you the willingness to obey Him and do that which pleases Him. The more you know and seek God, the more His desires and yours align, then you do what pleases Him.

Fast and pray

Fasting helps us to quiet down our flesh (what we want to do) and strengthen our spirit. It helps us to get revelation about people or answers we have been searching for, it helps us to break spiritual bonds like soul ties. There is so much power in fasting, and it’s something we ought to constantly do as Christians.

Fasting can mean more than from food. It can be fasting from certain mobile apps, movies, even hangouts with friends, just do it as you’ve been led.

A practical example on how to be effective in your fasting is, when you would eat, or watch that movie or use that app, instead use that time in prayer, read your bible or watch a sermon.

Prayer, helps us to communicate with God. As we position ourselves to hear from Him, we can also tell Him what’s going on in our lives (even though He knows) and lay down anything that could be burdening our hearts. We allow Him to show up and strengthen us in our areas of weakness. We acknowledge His sovereignty and realize that, without Him we can do nothing, we also surrender our will for His own.

Find a church/community and plug in

Fellowship with other believers is so so so important, and can really help you grow in the Lord.

When I was starting out with my walk with God, the community I was part of was very instrumental in helping me grow in God and at the time I was joining, I was in a very dark and low place in life.

Even though I am no longer part of it, I acknowledge that without being plugged in, I don’t know where I would be. I grew so much in God, God addressed and healed me from so many things, I met some incredible people, from whom I am honored to call friends to this day, it helped me learn about being accountable, I went through a lot of process especially as a leader, which also gave me purpose, made me strong, strengthened my faith and I saw the beauty in serving others selflessly, I finally had a life lol, the list is endless. And it’s just so beautiful being surrounded with others who believe in the same thing as you do, to talk about God, to share the word, to pray, worship and praise God.

I know Covid has changed a lot! But you could start by tuning into online church service. Just spare some time off your schedule to allow God to pour into you through another person. In last week’s post I shared some of the people I listen to online. There’s Pastor T Mwangi of Life Church Limuru, Apostle Grace Lubega of Phanreoo, Apostle Joshua Selman of Koinonia and Pastor Jerry Flowers of Redefined tv. You can check them out on YouTube at your own time.

Share Your Story!

At the beginning, I shared that our mandate as Christians is to share the gospel and win souls to Christ, through various ways and gifts God blesses us with to utilize and the different ways we execute the purposes He has ordained for us. That may be through preaching, evangelizing, business, entrepreneurship, music, creative arts etc.

I know, going up to random people and telling them about Jesus can be very intimidating, but you can start with your phone. Yes, social media. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you the boldness and utterance to share the gospel.

Share and post what He leads you to share, and it will probably spark a conversation with one or two people.

Some people may be repulsed or confused by scripture, but you can share your testimony of how you came to Christ, and that just might be their turning point.

I am a product of people who chose to obey God, by sharing their testimony or inviting me to a church gathering, which kick started my walk with God, and now I am here, sharing with you dear reader, about Jesus.

You may just be the person carrying the answer to someone’s questions, you may just be the person whose testimony will turn someone’s heart back to God. So don’t be shy. Even as our world continues to turn away more and more from God and the Bible, be one of the few who choose to stand strong and firm, cause all of humanity needs Jesus.

None of us can save everyone, but in our small corner of the earth, let’s be diligent on our part and continue the ministry that Jesus began. All of heaven rejoices even when one soul comes to Christ.

Alright guys, that’s all I am going to share today.

I hope this has been helpful and you’ve learnt a thing or two. If you have already given your life to Christ, yaay! Keep going strong. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it!

If you haven’t yet, I hope you consider doing it, your life will never be the same again. :) and I hope this post would act as the push you need.

We have all been in that place where we have felt unworthy, dirty and shameful for our sin, and we have felt that God would never accept us. But because of Jesus dying on the cross, paying the price and taking the weight of our sin, even though He Himself was sinless, was the act that changed everything.

You can have a close relationship with God, you can experience His joy and delight by Him having you as His son/daughter, you can be made free from bondage. There is Hope in Christ Jesus!

In finishing, many thanks for reading through if you’ve made it till here! This will be the last post in a while since I will be doing my exams next week. Final exams for my degree so yaaay! Therefore most of my time will be invested in preparing for and sitting for them.

However, feel free to reach out and keep the conversation going, any questions you may have about the gospel, about Jesus, the Holy Spirit or anything else, reach out via e-mail or any of the socials and let’s talk!

I’ll see you on the next one!

Xoxo.

BK.