I Just Became a Christian, Now What? – Relationship with God

The subtitle of this website is “Exploring our relationships with God, the church, and the world.” These three relationships encompass every interaction or association we have. This article will begin to look at your relationship with God. But the thing is, you cannot separate the three relationships. So, while we will focus on God, please be aware that all three are inextricably connected (at least in our life on earth).

Because I want to focus on our relationship with God, I will not repeat everything the Bible reveals about him. I hope to help you understand how you relate with him. Nevertheless, there are a few crucial thoughts to keep in mind as you deepen your relationship with God.

First, some of what you read about God in Scripture may be difficult to understand or accept. Please remember that God has told us about himself to the extent that our limited humanness can understand. There is much we cannot comprehend about him. He has told us his ways are above our ways.[1] However, there is a great deal that God has revealed about himself. We can see his power, holiness, patience, justice, grace, and love. The primary reason we read the Bible is to know him more. When you read the word, please do so with an attitude of humility, asking the Lord to show you himself.

Second, we have a relationship with one God, who has presented himself to us as three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Many people have tried to explain this “trinitarian” nature of God. Still, I am sure we will not understand it entirely until we meet him in the next phase of our life. Some people have rejected God simply because they cannot understand this aspect of his nature. It is good to try to comprehend God, but we must do it consistent with his revelation of himself, which leads to the third point.

You may hear people, saints and non-saints alike, give their opinions about God. Be cautious if it seems like they are making judgments about God’s character instead of describing him. It is okay to have questions and express doubt when trying to understand God. However, many people try to put their sense of who they think God should be above what the Bible tells us about him. We should desire to understand God as best we can; however, our relationship with him is predicated on something better.

As important as it is to know about God, our life in Christ is characterized by knowing him and being known by him.[2] If the primary reason we read and study the Bible is to know God, the second reason is to better understand our relationship with him. We have discussed your new identity, instituted by being born from above. We focused on what happened to you, i.e., the change in you. But there is more to your identity as a saint. There is a relational aspect to who we are in Christ.

In essence, you are part of his family. You are a brother or sister of the Lord Jesus and all other saints.[3] Jesus was made the heir of all things, and you are an heir with him.[4] You share in Christ’s sufferings now in order to share in his glory.[5] Being born again as a child of God, you mature with him as your Father.[6] While there are many aspects to our relationship with the Lord, it is helpful to understand how to practically relate to him as you grow in the faith.

Having an intimate relationship with God is your birthright. The Father wants you to rely on him like you would a perfect earthly father. While some people had a dysfunctional relationship with their father or no relationship at all, we can still imagine what a good father is like. The Bible shows us the Father’s deep care for his children. His love for us is beyond compare. He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.[7] He tells us to put our anxiety on him because he cares for us.[8] Scripture also tells us that the Lord disciplines his children to our benefit.[9] We know that God is always with us, but how do we interact with him?

One of the issues is that you are not physically with him. While you typically can’t see or hear him, he is with you in spirit. The Holy Spirit within you is just as real as if you were physically with Jesus. One of the ways to develop your relationship is to cultivate an awareness of God’s constant presence. To shed light on this awareness, the following is an excerpt from an article I previously wrote:[10]

As saints, I think we sometimes overcomplicate our lives and faith. We believe there are practices or disciplines we must perform to be good Christians. We need to be in a small group, attend church services, serve in a ministry. In addition, we need to read our Bible, pray, fast, and have times of solitude. So, we complicate our lives by heaping the spiritual responsibilities on top of the regular duties of life. Ultimately, we feel we have to make time for the Lord in our busy schedules. But our life in Christ is simpler than that, it is not necessarily easy, but it is simple.

Like other relationships, ours with the Lord requires work, and the main work is to believe in Him (John 6:29). He wants us to rest in Him (Matthew 11:28) and to walk with the Spirit (Romans 8:4, Galatians 5:16). In our relationship with God, there is no such thing as the secular. Everything we do and experience is an opportunity for worship and communion with Christ. What are the practicalities of this aspect of our new life and walk with the Spirit? How do we do it? Perhaps we can look at two saints known for experiencing the presence of Jesus, Brother Lawrence, and Frank Laubach.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection was a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris in the seventeenth century. His conversations and letters of encouragement to friends are chronicled in the book The Practice of the Presence of God. As the title of the book implies, the focus is on constant communion with God. His attention on God was not just at distinct times of worship, but was through every moment, even during the mundane chores of his work in the kitchen. He felt it was a mistake to think of specific times of prayer as different from any other part of our day and that we must experience God at all times.

Frank Laubach was a missionary in the twentieth century, focusing much of his efforts on improving literacy overseas and in America. His focus on God is recorded in the book Letters by a Modern Mystic and a pamphlet titled The Game with Minutes. Laubach’s premise is that we focus much more time on worldly endeavors than on Christ. He developed a “game” to help people focus on Jesus. The game is to select an hour and try to think of Jesus for one second out of every minute for all sixty minutes. It is important to keep score and evaluate the results. It may sound a little ridiculous, but the outcome of the game is to develop a perspective that Jesus is with us always. The idea is to use the game to establish a regular focus on Christ throughout the waking hours of our life.

I don’t agree with everything Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach have written, but I appreciate their focus on Jesus. They inspired me to develop my experience of God’s presence and commune with Him regularly during my day. I recommend reading the books mentioned above, but do so prayerfully and referring to Scripture. Until you have the opportunity, here’s a couple questions I suggest you ask yourself: How often do I think about Jesus? How often do I talk with Him during my day?

Our awareness of Jesus is paramount to walking in the Spirit. The Bible is clear that we are joined to God (1 Corinthians 6:17), but we aren’t always clearly taught the practical aspects of His presence. That is why Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach can be helpful. However, instead of trying to recite what they say in their books, perhaps it would be beneficial for me to share some of the ways I try to apply what I learned.

Often, I hear Christian teaching that tells me I need to be devoted to following Jesus. This perspective makes me think He is out in front of me, and I need to keep up. However, part of the miracle of my new birth is that I am a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:2-4). This does not mean I become God, but that I am connected to Him, and He wants me to enjoy intimacy with Him. I try to think about Jesus frequently throughout my day. As I set my mind on things above, where He is (Colossians 3:1-4), I think about the scriptures that explain what happens in heaven. I can see the saints and creatures worship God (Revelation 4:5-11); there are no more pain, tears or death (Revelation 21:4); and there are even requests for Jesus to bring justice to the world (Revelation 6:9-11). I also talk to God. When I am alone, I often speak audibly to Him; I just try to be conversational. I also believe I need specific times set aside for prayer. Still, I can also worship, praise, and bring requests to Him as they come to mind during the day, no matter where I am or what I am doing (Ephesians 6:18). Of course, some activities require my concentrated effort, but I find I have room in my mind to acknowledge God even during these times.

God prepared good works for me (Ephesians 2:10). These are not just particular types of activities, but everything I do. God provides everything, my vocation, recreation, relationships, chores, etc., and I do them with Him. I can do them lovingly, morally, and ethically in the way He desires me to conduct myself. I am frequently faced with decisions for which I am reliant on the help of the Holy Spirit. At times, I may be tempted to do wrong, but I desire to do right in concert with my new nature, and the Holy Spirit guides me as I work out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13).

There is much more to write about your relationship with God. I hope and pray this article is helpful as you walk with him. That is the main point, God is with you every moment through the presence of his Spirit. He wants you to trust him and know that you can rely on him and relate to him at all times.

In the next article, we will discuss your relationship with the church. Our experience with the saints is another aspect of our relationship with God. May the Lord bless you as you walk with him in this new year!

[1] Isaiah 55
[2] Galatians 4
[3] Matthew 12:46-49, The apostles’ letters consistently refer to the saints as brothers and sisters
[4] Hebrews 1
[5] Romans 8
[6] Romans 8, Galatians 4. The term “abba, Father” is Aramaic for father and connotes a close relationship with God.
[7] 2 Peter 1
[8] 1 Peter 5:5-7
[9] Hebrews
[10] Our Life in Christ – Walk in the Spirit