WE NEED GOD HOW DO WE BUILD A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM?

The first step to building a close relationship with God is accepting the Gift of His spirit to dwell in our hearts and minds. God’s Spirit works to transform human nature to a godly nature, therefore instead of being inclined to selfishness and sin, we become inclined toward love and godliness (Philippians 2:1-5). To receive the Holy Spirit, we must repent of our sins and be baptized.

Acts 2:38 give us a clear instruction of how we can ultimately stay close to God; “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 8:6-9 also speaks to us on how we can change and develop our mind set towards the will of God. ”For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The psalmist wrote, “It is good for me to draw near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your work.” (Psalm 73:28) A relationship with God begins when God calls us or draws us. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up [resurrect him] at the last day” (John 6:44). This teaches us to listen and obey God’s instruction, to make Him our protector, our helper and shelter, and above all, putting Him first before ourselves.

Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions… So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer. (Ezra 8:21, 23)

Among the spiritual tools for drawing closer to God, fasting is a real power tool! Fasting is valuable when we are faced with vast challenges and we urgently need God’s help. Even when we aren’t faced with big problems, we should fast occasionally as a special form of worship and to draw closer to God. When we fast sincerely, this is pleasing to God and in turn He will help us grow spiritually.

“Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Joel 2:12

Reading the bible and being part of a study group are also valuable ways of drawing ourselves closer to God. It is in these methods that we can be able to learn and adopt the ways of God. Proverbs 3:13-15 encourages us to gain knowledge and understanding of the word of God so that we can be able to comprehend how it feels to be seated on the feet of our heavenly father. “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she [wisdom] is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”

The Bible is more valuable than all the books in the world; it is priceless! It is the God’s revelation to His creation regarding His plan and how we should live our lives to fulfilour purpose and to obtain, by far, the best results. Even kings were commanded to read the Scriptures daily (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). The Bible is God’s Word; God speaking to us. Therefore, we must listen, and listen very carefully!

God desires a close relationship with everyone. In fact, He wants of us to eventually be His “sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18).