Relationship With God: How to Thrive
After beginning my Relationship With God my Freshman year of High School, I knew right away that I wanted to be a steady Christian. I didn't want to be wavering back and forth deciding if this was worth my time and effort or not. Life was too busy, time too short and frankly I was tired of trying to find "my place in the world". When I came to know the Lord and asked Him to be the Savior and Lord of my life that year, I was done searching. I was done trying to be good enough, or dress up like something I wasn't… I was ready for "real". And I knew, without a doubt, this was real. So we've begun our relationship with God, we've understood how we can begin to hear from Him... but how do we make sure that we don't become, well, stagnant. stale. and, in all honesty, a hypocrite!?
This Relationship With God: How To series is intended to give you some refreshing practical steps on How To (really and truly) Have a Relationship With God. Because a true relationship with God isn't about religion, it isn't about being struck by lightning when you mess up and it certainly isn't about being perfect. A true relationship with God is simply that, a relationship with the One who is worthy of all of our focus, all of our lives and all of our efforts.
A relationship with God is active, grace-filled, stretching, messy and yet beautiful all at the same time. A relationship with God is the ONLY thing that will bring you true freedom, from not only your sin and the world around you- but the chains that you put on yourself.
So how do we make sure we thrive in our relationship with Him. How do keep moving forward in experiencing more of Him? How do we create a sustainable relationship with the Lord? Let's take a look at some refreshing and practical ways below:
1. Make Up Your Mind
This is so crucial. In order to thrive in our relationship with the Lord, we have to give up trying to figure everything out and controlling anything we can get our hands-on. We have to get real with ourselves and make up our minds that God is real, His entire word (the bible) is true and valuable, and that He is good. Life, will not always be pretty. You will continue to experience pain at some points in your journey, but it's when we make up our minds that God is good and His word is true... that we can rely on Him instead of the circumstances around us. Only you can decide how strong your foundation is, and if you want it to be unshakable. Make up your mind that God is worthy of your praise, all of the time.
2. Lean Not On Your Understanding
His ways, scripture says, are higher than our ways. And His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Here's the truth: we don't know the best way to do everything. We were created that way on purpose so that we would lean on HIS understanding and not our own. Trust me, save yourself a whole lot of pain, and stop leaning on yourself. His burden is easy and His yoke is light. Take a second and submit all your thoughts and anxiousness to Him again today, let Him take first place again.
3. Don't run
Children go through growing pains, soon to be mommas go through uncomfortable stages. Growth and sustainability are a process, and the person you were created to be is a PROCESS. Life. Is. Messy. - God. Is. Good. Ya wanna know how to create a sustainable relationship with God?! You don't run. When you are met with a painful circumstance, an uncomfortable situation, or maybe you're in a season of waiting and not knowing WHY. Don't run away. Run into the arms of the One who is working all things together for your good. Your future? He's got it.
4. Stay Close
FORTUNATELY, staying close involves more than simply attending a Church service or getting involved in some ministries/serving teams. And notice, I said, fortunately. Staying close looks like creating an intimate relationship with God, where your commitment to Him is based solely on your HIM and not the circumstances around you. Staying close means spending intentional personal time with God, getting to know His presence, learning how to lead yourself there, making Him your first line of contact and the first place in your heart. Staying close looks like commitment. It looks like selflessness. What is God doing in your life and the lives in your church? And are you letting Him use you as apart of that, or simply coming to Him when you have "the time". Getting real= truth= freedom.
5. Swim Deep
A thriving relationship with God is sustained by growing in spiritual maturity. Become a student of the word, become a disciple of God and living your life based on His direction are all apart of swimming deep. I once was told that sometimes I'm going to have to swim upstream- go against the current on culture around me- pursue God deeper even when my flesh tells me not to. Swimming deep is what thriving is all about. When we decide to grow in the Lord, that's when the real adventure begins.
And remember, His grace and mercy are all-sufficient. He isn't afraid of your junk, He actually welcomes it. He loves you just as you are, but loves you too much to let you stay there. Let's thrive in the Lord together!
xoxo.
Lanissa
