Are there things that you can do that will help you build a solid relationship with God?
Yes, there are.
Hi, my name is Leigh Ann Friesman and this is Restoring Word.
And today I just want to talk about 10 simple, common sense, basic, everyday things that
you can do that will help you grow in your knowledge of God and His knowledge of you.
You know, you want Him to know you, and you want to build that relationship with Him over
time.
And as that relationship grows, you're going to grow, and you're going to hear, and then
when you hear, you're going to obey, and then when you obey, you're going to see the rewards
of that, and your trust is going to grow.
So, 10 simple things.
Are you ready?
Okay, here we go.
Number one, be real.
Just be honest with Him.
First off, He knows you, He knows your heart, He knows your history.
And when you come to Him in prayer, just talk to Him simply.
Just keep it real.
I mean, you don't have to use a lot of these and nows and holy, you know, scriptures.
It does help when I'm talking to the Lord that I quote scripture, but I just want to
be honest.
Okay?
So, honesty on my part, if I'm frustrated, if I'm tired, if I'm discouraged, if I feel,
you know, rejected, whatever I'm feeling, if I'm just honest with it, it'll be helpful.
Two, honor God.
When you talk to Him, you know, you're talking to the creator of the universe, and the creator
of the universe who knows all things is worthy of our honor, and worthy of our worship, and
worthy of respect.
He is close, but He is also worthy of that honor.
So, number three, be respectful.
You know, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and fear is kind of a strong word
that is really kind of misunderstood, but it really means respect.
If you respect someone, you talk to them in a way that wouldn't upset them or grieve them
or isn't disrespectful.
I mean, you can be honest, and you can share your heart without being disrespectful.
And so, and knowing that you're talking to God.
He is God.
Okay?
Four, listen.
I know that seems really simple, but real prayer and a real relationship with God and
knowing God is waiting on Him and waiting on when He wants to talk to you, whether that's
in the middle of a praise and worship service, whether that's just in prayer, whether that's,
you know, sometimes I'll put on worship in my car, and then after a while, turn the music
off and just get real quiet and continue to drive, and then the Holy Spirit will start
talking to me, start dropping things into me.
It's when I'm quiet.
Sometimes it's, I'm not quiet until it's late at night.
You know, my mind goes a hundred miles an hour, and I'm a multitasker, and I've got
lists in my head of things to do, and a lot of times I have a hard time kind of shutting
all that down.
It's why I don't always sleep really well.
And so, sometimes the Holy Spirit will wake me up in the middle of the night, and it's
three o'clock in the morning, and I'm laying there in bed, and I'm all covered up with
my blankets or whatever, but I'm knowing, you know, what He's saying to me.
And so, you've got to listen.
You know, a good friendship and a good relationship goes two ways.
Your best friends don't just talk to you all the time.
Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, no.
Yeah, you're going to sit there and listen, but you also want your best friend to listen
to you too, right?
Okay, so you want, you want to listen to what He has to say, and if He, if God is really
your friend, and He knows you, then He's going to share with you what grieves Him.
Sometimes that's hard to hear, but it's true.
Okay.
Five, it's not about how long you pray, okay?
The length of your prayer life isn't, doesn't mean that it's necessarily powerful.
In fact, sometimes the shortest, simplest prayer things that I've prayed are those that
I really feel He's really heard and listened.
You know, He's with you all the time.
Living the life of an intercessor or a prayer warrior or a worship leader, it's a lifestyle.
You're doing it all the time, and I can tell you there have been times where I've just
been sensitive to Him.
I've been vacuuming the floor, or one of the things I love to do is swim.
A lot of times I'm underwater, and it's really quiet, you know?
It's just amazing. Okay, six, you don't have to impress your friends. Prayer isn't
something that we do to impress anybody. I do get around some intercessors and I
think, wow, my prayer life is kind of lame, you know, but it's really not about
impressing anybody. I mean, if it's somebody who really knows the word and
they know how to speak the word to God in prayer, man, you want to talk
about something that will accelerate your prayer life, it's when you speak the
word of God in prayer and you remind God of what he says and his faithfulness and
his goodness and you honor him and you thank him for what he's already done for
you, oh man, that's when the presence of God comes. Okay, seven, I put in hotline,
crisis hotline, a lot of people just talk to God when there's an emergency and or
there's a need and that's not really what will get you to that point where
you know him. Okay, you want to build a relationship with someone over time, you
know, if you're married or if you have a best friend, you don't just talk to them
when there's a crisis, right, like you talk about everything, you talk about
your day, you talk about what you like, you talk about what you don't like, you
talk about the good, the bad, the ugly, you talk about it all, God wants to know it
all, don't just come to him when there's a crisis, talk to him all the time, talk
to him when you're outside and things are beautiful, talk to him when you're
making dinner or folding laundry or you know, you're watching a movie and you're
saying, Holy Spirit, this just doesn't feel right, like why doesn't this feel
right, okay. All right, eight, sincerity. When you're honest with him and you're
sincere, it really goes a long way with God. He knows when you're, you
know, just giving him lip service, you're just going through the motions, here we
go again. No, when you're sincere and you're honest with him and you're
sharing things with him, he knows that and that touches his heart because he
knows you anyway and as you build that relationship with him, you know, he's
going to know when you mean it and when you don't, okay. Nine, I want you to
notice now, I put this at number nine, talk to God about what you need, you
know, a lot of times you do come to God with kind of your list of God, I need
you to, God, I want you to, God, don't you know I need, don't you know, God, I
need help. You know, it's funny, I love the illustration and I used to use this
a lot in class with my kids that had relationships with their parents and I
would say, you know guys, if you really want the car keys on Friday night, you
don't just talk to your dad when you want the keys, right, because what, your
dad wants to have a relationship with you, he wants to talk to you, so what, if
you talk to your dad over the course of time and you build a relationship with
him, then it's going to be natural and normal for you to say, hey dad, is it okay
with you, I really would like the car keys tonight, I want to go with my
friends and watch the basketball game. Well, you know, if you have a relationship
with your father, then asking for things is just natural. Why? He knows what you
need anyway. If you're sincere, he already knows what you're probably going to ask
for, okay, but it's really rooted and grounded in a relationship. You just
don't walk upstairs and walk in the door and tell your dad what you want. You
don't ever, like, why should he give you that, you know, why? You don't have a
relationship with him, what, you're only going to go to your dad when you want
keys. I mean, that's a pretty shallow relationship, right? Good advice. Okay,
all right, last but not least, nevertheless, pray. You know, prayer isn't
something that you should just do because it's a religious ritual or you're
just trying to, you know, go through the motions or get something from God. Really,
it should just, it should be just a normal part of your life and when things
get crazy, pray. Even when you don't feel like it, even when it feels dry, even when
it feels like he's a million miles away. Trust me, I've been there, okay? He isn't
far away. It's me that's the issue. I'm distracted with everything going on in
my life and it's going to take a while for me to get into his presence where I
feel his presence and for me, a lot of times, that means music. I've got to go to
the piano or I've, you know, I've got to spend some time. You know, there is...
There's one scripture in the Bible that's always kind of made me think, and it comes out of Matthew 7, starting in verse 21, and it's kind of sobering, because in this verse, it says it's possible that God does not know you.
It's possible. Okay? Have you ever read this one?
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? So that's people who are Christians, and they're moving in the gifts.
And there's like, but God, didn't we prophesy? Okay, and it goes on. Look at this one.
And didn't we cast out demons in your name? Didn't we perform miracles? Okay, so this is someone who moved in the gifts.
This is somebody who operated in prophecy. This is somebody who cast out devils, so there's power manifesting. Okay?
There's people that operated in miracles here, according to scripture.
And then it says here, and then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.
That's a heavy one. So is it possible for someone to do amazing things in the name of Jesus, and Jesus not know them?
Yeah, you know why? Because they didn't live according to what the word says. They lived in a state of lawlessness.
Ouch! Ouch! Okay? There is going to be, as you grow in the knowledge of God, you're going to want to walk in such a way that you don't grieve him.
Okay? I want to add one more thing to that, and this comes out of John 4, 23.
God is spirit, and those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Okay?
So what that means is, you've got to be honest with him. With everything.
Even your anger, even your hurt, even your rejection, whatever you've gone through, you've got to take it to him.
That means there's nothing hidden, and that you keep it real.
And I can tell you, having walked through some painful things, some heartbreaking things, that the best way to be healed, the best way to go forward victoriously, is just keep it real.
Because he knows. And as you do, I can guarantee you that the more honest and open you are with him,
the more he can come in, and he can heal you. He can mend your broken heart.
He can touch your life. He can turn it around for good.
He can change your perspective. He can show you that over time, maybe what he was doing was really for your good.
Have you ever had God do something in your life, and it really was for your good, and at the time it just hurt like crazy,
but he had something better for you? He didn't want you to stay in one place. He wanted you to do the next place, or the new thing.
Transitions can be difficult. Bottom line, keep it real. Be honest. Be open. Honor him, and you will get victory in this life.
Thank you for taking time to listen today.
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Have a great day.