January 5, 2020

Let's talk about relationships. I’m not talking about relationships with each other. Rather, I would like to touch on the most important relationship that you will have in your lifetime: the relationship between you and God. This relationship is vital to you in your everyday walk with God. As an unbeliever in the body of Christ, once we take that step to accept God into our lives, it’s important to build a relationship with our Father. For we as new believers have to build a strong foundation in Christ that will not be broken, but will stay firm to stand the test of time. His word says “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash” ( Matthew 7: 24-27). This verse revealed to me that as believers, we have to build our foundation on the word of God by following His teachings. Some of us tend to prioritize other things in our life, rather than spending time in the presence of the Lord. In Church, a question was asked: How do you build a relationship with someone if you don’t spend time with them? That question was asked to make us ponder if we have built a true relationship with God. How do you expect to build a relationship with someone you haven’t even spend time with them. A relationship is built by spending one-on-one time with God. By sitting in His presence as well as by speaking to Him and letting Him speak back to you. His word says “ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” ( Jeremiah 29:13, NLT). This means as you seek Him daily with your whole heart placing everything that you are before God, you will find Him. You may ask how do I build a relationship with God? The first thing you have to ask yourself is, do you desire to build a relationship with God? If you have no desire or zeal to pursue God, it will be hard for you to seek Him. Think of it like this, if you are passionate or have the desire to pursue something you love, you will spend a lot of time and give a lot of effort to reach that thing that you love. That's the same mindset you need to have to build a relationship with God. You need to have that passion and zeal to seek God because that is what going to motivate you to know God. The second thing that you can do is talk to Him like how you will talk to a friend. As Christians, I feel like we have created a standard on how we communicate with God. There is no standard - remove that mindset that the enemy has created to make you think that there is a standard. There isn’t a format on how to communicate with God. Just like how you will share your hardships, victories, and secrets with a best friend, you can communicate those same things to God. Acknowledge and thank Him daily for the blessing that He has continuously poured into your life. Thirdly, listen to hear God's voice. Remember, it’s a two-way conversation just like any other relationship. Sometimes, we forget that and just talk and talk and talk. But, sometimes sitting in silence is the best thing you can do. Remember that God communicates to each of us differently. He could speak to you in dreams, visions, songs, impressions, and so much more. The more time you spend in the quietness, the more you will know how He speaks to you. As you seek Him more, He will reveal Himself to you more. I pray that your relationship with God will be strengthened. I pray that the foundation of that relationship will not be broken but will be used to empower you. I pray that as you start this journey of building that relationship with God, your faith and trust will grow in Him. Remember that this is the one relationship you will never regret, and you’ll be happy that you’ve started.

Much Love From Yours Truly,

Colleen 💖