Building a Relationship With God

Overview:

The key to success in this life is to build an active relationship with God. He will help you see the path He set out for you, and He will help you walk it.  You have a choice, you can either actively work with Him, or you are working agaisnt Him. Trust me, you will be much better off working with Him than against Him.

The Process

This is the best way I have found to describe the process.  It is a continuous improvement cycle, the more you work to improve, the better results you will get.

The following sections break down each step

Things you need to do to build a relationship with God

– Click the box for more details

Learn about God: Gain some respect for what He has done, Develop a Fear of God as you will face Him 

Humble Yourself and Put Him first

Remove Barriers between You and Him

Listen for His Input

Follow His Lead

Thank Him

Continuously Improve

A Bit More detail in each step

Learn About Him and His Kingdom

Seek and you shall find, Knock and it shall be opened

• The Bible is the divine inspired word of God
  • “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
• The Holy Bible is called “The Word” and it captures the essence / nature / personality of God in words
  • “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1)

Learn about it, Think about it, Talk about it

• Read the scripture
  • “…you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
  • “Give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22).
• Listen to sermons/messages
  • Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)
• Connect with others and discuss

Dwell in his word, it is the truth and the light

• Fully understand the primary Gospel messages
  • God created you individually and He Loves you unconditionally as a father
    • “…you formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb….I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance (Psalm 139:13)
  • God Loves you so much He sent his only begotten son to die for you
    • “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
  • Jesus was resurrected and now has full authority on heaven and earth
    • “God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named….” (Ephesians 1:20-21)
  • Once you believe in him, acknowledge him as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved
    • “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)
  • He works continuously towards your best interest
    • “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
  • Understand the meaning and message behind key parables and sayings – they each reveal spiritual laws
    • The Word is written in parables and has many layers of meaning (Matthew 13:13)
      • God is the source of everything – the True Vine (John 15)
      • God works to save you when you are lost – The Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10-14)
      • Pay attention to the Bible message while there is time – The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
      • Be humble and Confess your sins – The Pharisee and The Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
      • God will embrace you when you confess sin and return to him – The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
      • There is celebration in heaven when each person finds the Lord – The Lost Coin – Luke 15:8-10
      • Big things start small – The Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32)
      • You need to nurture your faith for it to grow – The sower (Matthew 13:1-23)
      • Be persistent in Faith and Prayer – The Persistent Widow – (Luke 18:1-8)
      • All good things take time – Sow, Nurture, Mature, Blossom, Fruit, Harvest
      • God works inside you once you plant his seed – The Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
      • You have to invest what God gives you – Ten Talents or Gold Coins (Matthew 25:14-30)
      • Take mercy and help others – The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37)
      • If you keep your harvest and not share it with God you will lose it – The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)
      • Focus your resources on those that need help – The Invited Guests (Luke 14:7-14)
      • Forgive others the way God forgives you – The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-35)
      • Watch what you say… words come from your heart – the Heart of Man (Matthew 15:10-20)
      • You reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7)
      • You need to do be a visible model serving His kingdom – The Lamp – Matthew 6:14
    • Research scriptures for current areas of interest: Faith, Fear, Trust, Salvation, Healing
    • Spend time meditating scriptures in your chosen theme
    • Find scriptures that resonate in your mind, or in your heart – that is His voice speaking to you

Seek and you will learn of His unconditional Love for You

• Learn and understand all he has already done for you (Creation, Salvation, You, A place in heaven)
• Learn and understand what he has promised his followers (Prosperity, Protection, Long life, Blessings)
• Understand His will for mankind

Seek it and you gain a better perspective on yourself, your life and your role here

• Understand the He loves you unconditionally
• Understand that eternity is the focus
• Understand His intent is for us to serve others on behalf of Him
• Spend time in quiet reflection – get to know your heart – Proverbs 27:19, 37:4
• Understand He will help you become your best in this life and the next
  • “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally to all who ask, without criticism, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

Seek it daily and you will receive blessings now and forever

• Start and end the day with prayer – “Look up and thank god for his lovingkindness, and faithfulness” Psalm 92:2
• Spend time feeding your spirit with other sources
• Spend time with someone who supports your development
• Thank the Lord 7 times a day for his faith and good judgement

Humble Yourself and Put Him First

Praise him often/always for His key roles in your life

• Creator
• Provider
• Protector
• Shepherd
• Redeemer
• Savior
• Healer

Talk to him often / Pray to him often

• Submit yourself as a holy vessel worthy of hosting the holy spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)
• Draw him close, ask for his help
• Your prayers send a shock wave into the universe removing obstacles to God’s perfect will
• Set your eyes on God – “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:4)
• Remove obstacles to flow of the spirit – Repent of any sin
• “… The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16

Trust him, Put your life in his hands

• “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 7:7)
• God is in Control – “He created the smith who fuels the fire and makes the weapons, and the destroyer who wastes. No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)
• “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20
• “…submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Acknowledge his role Publicly

Remove Barriers Between You and Him

Commit to follow His commandments/ways

• Human nature is to focus on earthly / physical priorities – survival, success, reputation, pleasure.
• God wants you to focus beyond yourself. It requires education and discipline, and is counter to earthly priorities
• He provides Two big rules – Love God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself
• Those rules need to guide how you think, what you choose to do, and how you choose to treat others
• You have a choice between Blessings or Curses. Follow God to receive blessings. (Deuteronomy 30:20)
• Not following the commandments is a sin – in Greek “amartia” (ha-mar-tia). “to miss the mark.”
• Not loving Him with all your heart is a sin – sin of Pride
  • The most common Sin is thinking you can do anything at all without him – even breathing!
• Sin has consequences – Separation from God is the biggest
  • “… your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2)
• When you separate from God you open the door to attack – He can no longer protect you
• The devil will attack: Either internally through your thoughts, urges, and decisions, or externally by setting up bad things to happen to you, or both.
• Once you start, you become a slave to sin – Fighting temptation, Guilt for failure, Fearing consequences. (John 8:34)
• Negative consequences accumulate until you become desperate and ask God for help.
• Behave righteously and you will have no barriers to God

Review / Reflect on yourself

• Thoughts in your Mind
• Feelings in your Heart
• Actions from your Will

Ask him to help you see shortcomings/gaps

• Ask to be filled with his holy spirit to help convict your heart and help you see
• The holy spirit inside us is a mirror. If you quiet yourself and reflect, it will tell you where you are falling short.

Acknowledge them and turn from them as sins

Commit and Actively work to improve

Ask him for forgiveness and for his help to improve

• Admit it, Quit it, Forget it

Thank him for progress

Listen for His Input

Look for His direction for your life (Gifts and Passions)

• He has a plan for us – “all the days fashioned for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16)
• The plan involves being useful – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works..” (Ephesians 2:10)
• There are many ways to be useful – “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Cor 12:4)
• We have been given natural gifts – talents / capabilities / things that come easily/things others see in us. Mental, Physical, Social
• We have been given affections – interests / passions / things that excite us / move us / give us fulfillment
• The combination of gifts (Talents and Capabilities) He put in your body, and the affections (Interests/Passions) He put deep in your heart are a good indication of His general direction for your life.
• Once you start moving down the path, he will guide your specific steps
  • “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
  • “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. (Psalm 37:23)
• He gave us two key rules – Love God with all your heart, Love your neighbor as yourself
• He expects us to use our gifts (talents/capabilities) to serve his kingdom (provide a return on his investment) “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13)

Look for His hand in your life (People, Places, Opportunities, Timing)

When faced with challenges – State your intention, purpose and need and Ask for his help to see the path

Quiet yourself and Listen for his input: Thoughts, Images, Feelings

• Ask him to open the eyes of your heart
• Focus on Jesus – imagine him in a scene – you with him
• Tune to flow in your mind…quiet yourself and listen to his input
• “….Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38
• Write it down and compart it to scripture – it is God’s input for your life

Follow His Lead

Get your Ego out of the way

Go where he leads you

• “If you remain in me , you will bear much fruit” (John 5:15)

Take Action based on his input

• The more you submit yourself to God, and listen for his input, the more you begin to understand his will and feel his love.
• The more you partner with him, submit yourself and let him lead you, the stronger you become
• As you do good works by his will, you build your eternal house in heaven
• How you meet the challenges in life shapes your Soul – your will and your conscience – choices between short term earthly priorities vs long term (eternal) spiritual priorities

Develop your gifts

• All gifts come in seed form, they require cultivation and nourishment to grow and bear fruit
• He expects us to develop and apply the talents he gave us for the Good of the kingdom

Follow your passions

• He expects us to use our gifts (talents/capabilities) to serve his kingdom (provide a return on his investment)

Apply Gifts/Passions in ways that serve others

• “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13)
• The more you devote yourself to doing good works based on his will, you build more Love in your heart, and others see it and are impacted by it – you become a lighthouse for them.

Take advantage of opportunities he presents

• He blesses those who leverage what He has given them – parable of talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
• As you do good works by his will, you build your eternal house in heaven
• How you meet the challenges in life shapes your Soul – your will and your conscience – choices between short term earthly priorities vs long term (eternal) spiritual priorities

Thank Him

– Thank him Privately and Publicly for all He does for you

• Avoid the sin of pride

Continuously Improve

Suggestions

Spiritual Focus

• Things to do every day to improve your spiritual Life

1. Start and end the day with prayer –

“Look up and thank god for his lovingkindness, and faithfulness” Psalm 92:2.

2. Spend time in the word and in conversational prayer
3. Spend time in quiet reflection – get to know your heart – Proverbs 27:19, 37:4
4. Spend time feeding your spirit with other sources
5. Spend time with someone who supports your development
6. Thank the Lord 7 times a day for his faith and good judgement
7. Say no to things you shouldn’t do / Say yes to the things you should do (Those from the lord)
8. Ask to be filled with his holy spirit

Source: Rick Renner  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM9dJRTo5WA

Devotionals:

               Rick Renner Sparkling Gems  https://renner.org/spg/

               Barry Bennet Healing messages: https://www.facebook.com/officialbarrybennett

Andrew Wommack: https://www.facebook.com/AWMinistries/