Let’s Be Honest…
People often say, “God wants a relationship with you.”
But what does that actually mean?
If you’ve never grown up around Christians, attended church or listened to passages from the Bible, it can sound a little confusing. Are you supposed to pray for hours, read ten chapters of the Bible before breakfast, attend church every Sunday and suddenly become super-spiritual?
Thankfully, no!
Prayer, Bible reading, church attendance and involvement and following Jesus are important, but they aren’t boxes we tick to make God happy. A relationship with God is about getting to know Him, trusting Him and allowing Him to shape the way we live.
So, what does that look like in everyday life?
🙏🏽 1. Talk to God - and learn to listen
Prayer isn’t about giving God your shopping list and hoping He delivers!
Jesus taught His followers to begin with, “Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9). That’s personal language. God isn’t presented as a distant force, but as Father.
Prayer involves talking honestly with God – about your dreams, worries, hopes, failures, questions and even the things you don’t understand.
But relationships involve listening too.
Reading Scripture slowly, rather than racing through a chapter, can help.
Ask questions such as:
- What does this show me about God?
- What is Jesus teaching?
- Is there something I need to change?
Hebrews encourages us to “draw near to God” (Hebrews 10:22).
That’s connection, not religious performance.
🧡 2. Love changes the way we live
Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15).
Notice the order: love first, obedience follows.
We’re not obeying God to persuade Him to love us. His love becomes the reason we want our choices, attitudes and behaviour to reflect Him.
It’s a bit like friendship. If you genuinely care about someone, you don’t deliberately ignore every boundary they’ve set. Love affects how you behave.
🌱 3. Expect growth - not instant perfection
Following God doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly become perfect.
Anyone who tells you otherwise probably hasn’t met many humans!
Hebrews 12:6 reminds us that “the Lord disciplines the one he loves.”
God’s work in us is often a process. He corrects, teaches and grows us, helping us to become more like Jesus.
Some changes happen quickly. Others take time.
That’s okay. Growth is still growth.
🙌🏽 4. Be honest when you get it wrong
Real relationships have honest conversations.
When we mess up, Scripture doesn’t tell us to hide from God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us” (1 John 1:9).
Confession isn’t about pretending we’re hopeless. It’s about admitting we’ve gone the wrong way and turning back towards God.
🌟 So, What Does Real Relationship Look Like?
The problem exists where many are expecting something that is way beyond their wildest imaginations – where nothing goes wrong and they are continuously conscious of God’s presence.
It looks surprisingly ordinary:
Talk to God. Listen to Him. Learn His ways.
Follow Jesus. Let Him change you. And when you stumble, don’t run away – come back.
Real relationship with God isn’t about putting on a religious performance.
It’s about staying close to Him, one day at a time.
And thankfully, there’s no requirement to have everything figured out before you begin.