What does a relationship with God Look Like?
Your relationship with God is the most important thing in your life. Just like any other relationship you have, it takes intentionality, communication, and consistency to develop. He wants to know you and be known by you. The primary way you can know God is by exploring His Word– The Holy Bible. Here are a few ways you can learn from His Word.
Hearing
Listening to pastors and teachers who explore God’s word can help you get a fresh perspective on God’s word and can help you understand his character. Discipleship Library is a resource we use that contains messages from various speakers throughout time. The purpose of this website is to help equip college students as mature followers of christ. Along with this, we recommend The Bible Project. They produce animated videos that overview books of the bible and other major biblical themes. This resource will help you see how the bible is a unified story that all points to Jesus Christ.
Reading
Reading the bible both alone and with others creates a foundation for you to stand on. Through intentionality and consistency, your personal reading of God’s Word will overflow into your daily life and give you a deeper understanding of how the Bible applies to you today. We have a bible for you if you would like a physical copy, just let us know here. For online resources, check out YouVersion Bible – This is a free Bible app for your phone, tablet, and computer. Gotquestions.org is an online resource that seeks to answer questions about faith, theology, and application of faith to daily living.
Studying
Studying God’s Word gives us a deeper understanding of the passages and furthers our ability to apply the bible to all areas of our lives. Conviction is a firm belief of something paired with the desire to live that out. Study bibles are informative resources that help the average reader deepen their understanding of passages that may be confusing. Students can get access to an online study bible and additional resources through creating an account at esv.org.
Memorizing
We remember 100% of the things we memorize if we consistently review it (who would’ve thought?) That is why spending time memorizing portions of God’s Word is important. David wrote in Psalms: how can a young man keep is way pure? by guarding it according to your word. with my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119:9-11. He knew the importance and benefit walking the way God designed him to walk, and he prioritized that. Biblememory.com is an app that helps users memorize scripture effectively. Give it a try!
Meditating
Meditation is a process that works alongside each of the different methods listed above. This is bringing God’s Word to mind and allowing these different methods to apply to your everyday life. Without this step, you will just give God a small portion of your life and keep him in that box. A relationship with God means allowing Him to be a part of every area of your life. Matthew 4:4. For a deeper understanding, read this article by Gotquestions.org