Relationship Over Religion: Why Knowing God Personally Changes Everything
This one’s for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This isn’t meant to be political post, but it is the political state of the US that got me thinking and praying a lot about the topic of knowing God personally versus being religious and doing things out of conditioned beliefs rooted in a religious spirit.
How can so many people who claim to be Christian support someone who not only clearly hates people, but also acts in the polar opposite of who Jesus is? This has been the question plaguing my prayers as the change in presidency has unfolded.
Many, many Americans most likely thought God told them to vote for this person, and yes, this will probably be triggering for some of you, but I’m challenging this a bit.
Did God really tell you to vote for him? Or did you just think God would want that because this person made promises like “defending Christian values,” and restoring the US as “a Christian nation”?
Now, if you are vehemently absolute in your belief that God told you to vote for this person, okay. I’m not here to argue with you. God has humbled me in saying that who he’s told you to vote for is between you and him.
I do firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, and in a recent post, I talked about how God allows bad things to happen in order to raise up people who will change the world into a better place.
But if you just blindly voted for this person, because they were “pro-Christian,” without praying about it at all, this message is for you.
God is tired of empty religion-faith. God is tired of people living and acting out of a place of fear, instead of trusting him. God is tired of people doing things for God while never spending any time with him.
There are so many people (especially in this country) who say they are Christian but they don’t know God.
They are religious. They go to church. They read the Bible. They don’t drink or smoke, or steal or do anything “bad.” They do all the “right” things that the Bible says to do, but their hearts are empty.
They don’t actually have a personal relationship with God at all.
It’s entirely possible to be a Christian – to believe that Jesus was the son of God who came to earth to die for our sins – and to not act Christ-like at the exact same time.
When we’re so focused on doing the right things, we miss the chance to know God personally.
God doesn’t want you to be perfect; he wants your heart. He wants you to spend time with him, to get to know him on a personal level, and to let him guide your life.
Making decisions out of religious obedience, doing something because you’ve been conditioned by church culture to believe it’s the right thing to do, isn’t what God wants at all.
“Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” – James 2:26 (NLT)
This verse teaches that genuine faith naturally produces action. It’s not saying works save you, but rather that a living faith will show up in how you live.
Are you being guided by the Holy Spirit? Have you sat with God and asked for clear direction for your life? Or do you simply go through the motions of religion?
You can do all the right things. You can be a role model of a good Christian by being generous, helping others, tithing, praying. You don’t smoke or drink, you waited until marriage to have sex, you don’t curse, or steal or gossip or get angry, or lie.
You might even have a ministry, where you are sharing your faith or spreading the Gospel, but if you don’t know God personally, you don’t have true faith, and anything you do outside of relationship with God is essentially meaningless.
That’s what James 2:26 is saying.
God wants to know you personally. He wants to walk with you through every mundane moment in your day, help you through every trial, and celebrate every victory with you.
He wants to guide you, to give you vision, and direction for your life. He wants to heal you from trauma, he wants you to be the one to break generational curses, he wants to give you a miraculous healing experience from your physical ailment to use as a testament to his glory.
God has a special purpose for each of his children, but so many Christians are essentially “asleep” to God’s presence in their lives.
And many people never accept the call. Sure, they’ll accept Jesus. They know where they’re going when they die.
But they continue to live lives either drenched in suffering (usually from sin and living apart from God), or they get stuck in the religious spirit.
And their lives are so lacking because of it! Personal relationship with God doesn’t just mean you’re living in a higher purpose, it means your life is better.
It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier (in fact, it can become more difficult), but a life guided by God is filled with so much joy, content, excitement, and abundance!
“And so the Lord says,
‘These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.'” Isaiah 29:13 (NLT)
This is a direct call-out of empty religion — going through the motions without true intimacy.
So, how do we get out of the religious spirit and into personal relationship with Jesus?
It’s quite simple honestly. There isn’t some magic formula, more religious works to be performed.
All you have to do is come to God in prayer with an open heart, and ask him to speak to you. Admit where you’ve gone astray, ask for his forgiveness, and ask him to reveal himself to you.
It can be as simple of a prayer as this:
“God, I admit that I’ve been in the religious spirit. I’ve been acting like a Christian, but I don’t know you personally. Please forgive me for acting this way. I want to know you on a personal level. Speak to me. Let me hear your voice and feel your presence within my spirit. I want to better understand your heart. I desire to become more like you, Jesus, and to live a life that reflects your love. Show me how I can move through this day. Reveal to me ways that I can connect deeper with you. I’m ready to surrender to your will for my life, and I ask for strength as I embark on this journey. I can’t wait to get to know you more, God. Thank you for always pursuing me and for your endless love. Amen.”
So, now what?
Now you commit to spending time with God daily. Maybe you’ve already been doing this by reading your Bible or praying.
If you have, then it’s really just about shifting your heart posture. Don’t read like you’re being forced to study something in school – skimming the words or cramming before a test. Don’t pray like you’re sending up a to-do list to heaven.
God has told me that a lot of Christians don’t know how to speak to him. Don’t overthink it. This isn’t religion, it’s relationship. Speak to God like you speak to a friend.
Slow down. Be mindful. Spending time with God actually means spending time with him, not just performing religious acts like you’re crossing off a checklist.
Come to each session with God with an open heart, telling him that you want to know him more.
When you’re earnest about knowing God on a personal level, he will show up. Messages will start syncing up – through prayer, reading the Bible and church sermons.
You’ll start to learn his heart more as he reveals himself to you. You’ll start to feel his presence more, and there’s truly nothing like experiencing God’s love. As you continue to grow in relationship, he’ll fill you with his spirit, and you’ll start to crave connection with him.
From there, God will start to show you how to live. He might change the direction of your life, or request sacrifices from you. Learning how to walk out God’s calling for your life is another post entirely, so I’ll save that for later.
Some other ways to connect with God.
Try meditating. Being still, focusing on your breathing and inviting God into the space. Breathwork prayer is very powerful. Ask the Holy Spirit for a word, or think of a word that describes God. As you breathe in, think that word, then exhale slowly. Do this for a minute, and feel not only your nervous system regulate, but the peace of God will fill you as well.
My personal favorite way to connect with God is through hiking. There’s nothing like climbing a mountain, my legs burning, body dripping with sweat that clears all the mental clutter and allows me to hear from God most clearly.
Listen to worship music. Again, start with prayer. Ask God into the space. Let the music become a container in which you encounter God. Think about what the lyrics are really saying, and pray in tandem with them.
Watch sermons on YouTube. Yes, going to church is great, but it can be distracting, especially if you’re empathetic. Don’t give up on going to church, but make time to watch sermons when you’re alone. Having a quiet space away from the energy of other people has always helped me connect with God more. Ask God to reveal himself to you in the sermon. Really think about the message and how you can apply it to your life. Try taking notes during the sermon, then journaling after. Ask God how you can specifically apply it in your life.
Keep going, be consistent.
You might not hear from God right away, and that’s okay. Remember, it’s not about God jumping in like a magic genie and solving all of your problems.
I’d like to submit to you that maybe you’ve never been able to hear from God before because the only time you try to communicate with him is when you come to him with problems.
Think of Jesus like a friend. A good friend. A best friend. Do you only come to your friends by dumping all your shit on them and expecting them to fix it all? I hope the answer is no.
The same goes for God. Get to know God’s character, who Jesus is as a person. And like any relationship, keep showing up consistently.
You have to make the choice yourself. God will never force your hand. He gives us free will in everything we do.
Dedicate 10 minutes a day to the Lord. I prefer starting in the morning so it sets the tone for the day, but there’s really correct or wrong way to do this. Just make time for him. And try all the ways I listed above.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7 (NLT)
Just keep going, even if you don’t hear from God on the first day. This is a process of learning how to open your heart to Jesus and how to hear his voice.
You’ll probably be surprised at how quickly it happens, but don’t give up if it doesn’t happen right away.
For more info on how to connect with God, I created a simple guide based on my own experiences. Click here to download it.
What’s your favorite way to connect with God? Let me know in the comments.
