infuse - Your Relationship With God

Your Relationship With God
By Brian Christensen

Most of us have seen or received offers in the mail advertising a “free” gift or a “free” account with a credit company. All you have to do is call a number or fill out a card to activate your account. Most of these are marketing ploys to entice people to buy something or pay higher interest rates. God, however, has established a very real and powerful “account”, or relationship, with us. This relationship has the power to protect you from harm, heal you when you are ill, help comfort you in pain and guide you through difficult decisions. These are just a few of the benefits He can offer you. God has countless numbers of angels that can help carry out any of these tasks. In fact “all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27).

God does not want your money. All you have to do to activate your relationship with God and maximize its potential is to pray (Matthew 7:7). It is even a “toll free” call from anywhere in the world. We have numerous examples in the Bible of people going to God in prayer and for many different reasons. Some for praise, others for healing, guidance, or forgiveness. It is even “ok” to just say “hi” or “thank you” to God. Whatever the reason, God is and will be there for you. You may not like the way He guides you or gets for you what you want; however, He always has your best interest in mind. Just as with a close friend or family member, the more you talk to God, the closer you will come to know God and appreciate His love for you.

Jesus tells us how to pray, and it is quite simple. He says we should humble ourselves before God, and ask all things in His (Jesus) name (John 14:13). You can always pray quietly in your mind and no one will ever know you are talking to God. Jesus also teaches us that children of Christian parents receive blessings on behalf of the parent. As we grow and mature we must develop our own relationship with God (1 Corinthians 13:11). This relationship will become deeper and eventually bless our children and our family. It’s not easy, as trials are necessary to build our character. However, the power and wisdom of God is awesome. Prayer is the best way to start the relationship and unleash that power.

I developed my relationship with God long before I was in the church or even knew the truth. I was probably 14 or 15 and liked animals very much. I discovered an article on backyard habitats for wildlife, and decided to build a bird sanctuary in the corner of my yard. I built a path, put up some posts, sank a small pool in the ground for a water pond, and built three to four bird feeders. This required lots of food, so each night I would fill the feeders. It was on these nightly trips I first began speaking to God. It was a little awkward at first, but soon I was talking to God, through my thoughts, as if He were a friend on the phone. I would share events of the day, thank Him for something good that happened, ask for help on a test, tell Him about girls I liked and asked Him for His help in rejecting drugs and alcohol.

One night, I was out with friends having a blast, when all of a sudden some weed came out and was being passed around. The pressure was very heavy and persuasive. I called on God to help and prayed for his strength to resist being a part of this drug scene. After they all spouted off, I finally told them I didn’t like the taste or the smell, but I wouldn’t stand in their way. It was quiet and then they all said “ok” and continued to smoke, and left me alone. We continued our fun, talking and laughing. I thought it was hilarious to watch them, but thanked God for His help. I also enjoyed being out with my friends at parties, however, there always seemed to be pressure on me to drink. Alcohol appeared to be very strong and I did not want to loose my senses and control. I was always nervous when I would first arrive, that’s when the pressure was heaviest. I would ask God to please help me to be strong and let the others there understand, not force me or be violent towards me. Again after the first waves of pressure, most would back off, and we all could have fun. I realize everyone’s situations are different and some events are harder to overcome, but what is important is when things turned ugly, I wasn’t alone and neither are you!

So open your “pre-approved” account with God today. There is no cost and 0% interest; you can even transfer all of your balances or troubles to Him. Customer service is available 24 hours a day, “toll free” from anywhere. The cost of:

A notebook...$2.00
A new Bible...$30.00
Going to the Feast of Tabernacles...$1,000.00

The benefits of having an endless personal
relationship with God...priceless.