Many people throughout the world would label themselves as Christians or followers of Jesus if you asked about their religious affiliations. While a relatively large number of people know of God, a much smaller percentage of these individuals actually know God and His character. With that said, it’s not always easy to know how and where to start when you want to get to know your Creator on a deeper level. I’ve been on a journey this year to get to know my Heavenly Father on a personal level and get as close to Him as possible, and I’ve compiled some helpful tips. Follow along to learn how to deepen your relationship with God. 

Welcome the Holy Spirit 

You probably already know that Jesus walked the earth, fully God and fully man, but many don’t understand the beauty and purpose of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus ascended into Heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand, He sent the Holy Spirit to the world to comfort, counsel, encourage, teach, and reside in believers. 

When you become a believer by confessing and believing in your heart that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within you. You might’ve heard that your body is a temple, and it is! It’s where the Holy Spirit lives here on the earth. 

If you’re a believer, you already have the Holy Spirit and access to Him. However, you need to welcome His presence and let Him know that you want everything He has to offer in your life. Many people are unsure whether their thoughts are their own or if the Holy Spirit is working in them. 

Here are a few ways you may see the Holy Spirit show up in your life:

• Nudging you to do something
• Urging you to go somewhere specific
• Giving you the words to answer questions or provide biblical advice to others 
• Providing comfort and peace in hard times
• Reminding you who you are 
• Convicting you of sinful behaviors
• Giving you divine understandings of Scripture and spiritual things
• Other Spiritual Gifts

Dig into God’s Word and Start Praying

Many people believe in Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection when they hear about it, and that’s wonderful! But there’s so much more to learn about your Creator and His redemption plan. The Bible is God’s Living Word, and His promises are so beautiful. 

You might feel like you can’t trust God because so many people have let you down before, but the Lord will never let you down and His words will never pass away or lose significance. No matter what your life looks like, digging into God’s Word can help you—even when things are going well! So many people claim they can’t read the Bible and understand it, which is a relevant struggle for some; I’ve been there too! But you can ask the Holy Spirit to bring you into all truth and give you eyes to see and ears to hear. 

Prayer is another effective way to stay in touch with God. Even though He already knows our thoughts and everything that’s going on, He wants to hear it from our perspective. If you’re unsure how to pray, start with Jesus’ instructions and model prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. While we should always thank the Lord and acknowledge Him in our prayers, we can also ask for specific things like peace, love, forgiveness, understanding, etc., for ourselves and others. Praying isn’t supposed to be hard—just talk to the Lord like a friend!

Building habits isn’t always easy, but making studying and prayer a normal part of your daily routine is crucial. I have so many helpful tips for being more intentional about your days, so don’t hesitate to ask for more advice if you need it. 

Be Aware of Sin and the Spiritual Realm 

You probably already know that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, which is Jesus, but you may not know much else about sin. We all need to understand that God takes sin very seriously. Even though He gives us the Holy Spirit when we believe, that doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes or fall into sin occasionally. The Holy Spirit never leaves us, but He might go dormant when we continue living in sin willingly—which is called grieving the Holy Spirit. 

However, knowing about the works of the flesh vs. the fruit of the spirit in Galations 5:13-26 is crucial to understanding whether you’re walking in the flesh or in the spirit. 

I’ve heard so many people, non-believers and new believers, say they don’t understand why they have to follow so many ‘rules’ to walk with Jesus. I can finally say that I understand it! It’s not about following a set of rules; rather, it’s more about obeying God’s commands, falling in step with Him, and staying underneath His umbrella of protection. 

Still asking why some things are bad or sinful? 

In reality, God labels certain behaviors as sinful because they separate us from Him and open doors in the spiritual realm for evil spirits to enter our lives and have access to us. When we’re walking closely with God and doing our best to refrain from sin, we’re under His umbrella of protection. Keep in mind that this umbrella doesn’t move or change; rather, we walk out from under it when we choose to partake in sin and chase after things of the world. 

So, when God calls us not to partake in sinful behaviors, listen to garbage music, or watch/read things that glorify or justify sinful behaviors, He is actually trying to protect us from evil and shield us from the dark side of the spiritual realm. 

Then why did Jesus die to cover our sins?

You see, our God, the Great I Am, is holy; meaning, He can’t be in the presence of ANY sin or darkness. At the same time, He also knew that no one could live up to these standards, so He sent Jesus to die on the cross for all of our sins and rise again 3 days later. As a result, God looks at those who admit they’re a sinner and accept Jesus’ blood for their atonement as blameless through that blood—this is known as the good news that gives believers so much hope!

Even if you think you don’t sin, I promise you do—we all do! Sanctification is the process in which believers undergo after accepting Jesus that makes us more and more Christ-like; however, we can’t achieve perfection this side of heaven. Although Jesus might help you remove more and more sin from your life, nobody is perfect, so His sacrifice on the cross is still very much necessary. 

While our Heavenly Father extends an incredible amount of grace, forgiveness, and mercy to each of us, that doesn’t mean we should take advantage of it. It’s true; He’ll forgive you for anything and everything if you ask for it and have a repentant heart to make an effort to turn away from it. That said, we shouldn’t willingly keep on sinning because we know we’re covered by the blood of Jesus and that forgiveness is always on the table. 

Rather than asking how much you can do or how close you can get to the line of worldliness before it becomes unacceptable, make it your goal to see how far you can run away from sin and how closely you can walk with Jesus. 

Connect with Other Believers

Following Jesus in this day and age can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be dreadful. When you connect with other believers, you’ll feel so full of hope and life! If you’re a new believer who is looking for something refreshing and encouraging, I highly recommend connecting with other people who are walking the same path you are. 

Consider one or more of the following:

• Start attending a good, Bible-teaching church
• Get involved with a small Bible study 
• Find an online Christian community
• Meet with someone who is spiritually mature and willing to mentor you
• Reach out to me or another believer for more advice and guidance! 

There’s nothing better than experiencing the incredible love and acceptance of our Heavenly Father, and all you have to do is answer the call. After learning how to deepen your relationship with God, I pray you can step out in faith and grow spiritually. If you need extra guidance and support or have other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me—I’m MORE than happy to help you!