Relating to God
Updated: Apr 6
The Fall equinox presents an open portal in the spirit realm whereby we can evaluate our relationship with God and choose what we want it to look like going forward. Everyone wants a strong, intimate relationship with God. Often, we want that relationship on our terms, our time and in our way. The truth is, that God sets the terms of the relationship.
September is good month to assess the state of our relationship with Him. Here are some questions to help get the process started: How are things going between us? Is there clear communication, or is it all one sided? Is the way we are relating working? Are we implementing the tools, we have previously learned? Are we being intentional in areas we want Him to help us grow or are we expecting Him to do it?
Let’s evaluate the protocols, our ways of relating to God, the adjustments we need make, and the focus of our relationship moving forward. We will start with praise and thanksgiving, move to repentance and forgiveness, consider healthy boundaries, basic legitimacy issues and end with ideas for a healthy Kingdom relationship.
Ps 100:4 exhorts us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. We are to come to where He is. The Word promises us that in His presence there is joy, in His presence is mercy and grace. He invites us to come boldly to Him.
Have you noticed that in relationships, it’s hard to be angry or mad at someone when you are praising them, when you are thankful for them, and when you are blessing them? For some reason we can feel that everything that is wrong in our lives is God’s fault. Often, we convert that blame into anger and anger separates us. Praise and thanksgiving create a pathway that brings us to God, opens the communication between us, and helps us gain perspective.
Here is a tip: Write down three things you want to praise God for and three things you are thankful for. Pray those things first when you come before Him. A grateful language and heart felt emotion will develop a pathway that will continually lead you to God. Starting this way helps remind us how to think, feel about, and approach God. God sets up the system of repentance and forgiveness so we can simply recognize where our relationship hasn’t been good, accept responsibility for our part in it and do what we can to fix it. Repentance is where we say we are sorry. We need to own our part by humbling ourselves and saying we were wrong, accepting we had a part to play and being willing change our minds. Then we need to forgive. 1 John 20:23 says “whose sins you retain are retained, whose sins you remit are remitted”. Let it go. We forgive ourselves, God, and anyone related to what isn’t working in our lives. “I forgive you” are three little words that changed the world forever. It applies to individuals, groups, or entities. We see examples in the Bible of leaders and kings who repented on behalf of a nation, and it changed the course of history. Every successful relationship has boundaries. Boundaries are simply points that identify what is safe, allowed or honored in that relationship and what is not. God has done the same for us. He said in His relationship with us: I want to be first. Don’t put any gods before me and don’t idolize or worship them. I don’t like it when you use my name to swear. Let’s spend some time together every week. I like it when you treat your parents well. These are unacceptable to me in our relationship: murder, stealing, having sex outside of marriage, lying and envying others. He also told us what He hates: pride, lying, shedding innocent blood; devising wicked plans, running to evil; falsely accusing others; and sowing division, discord, distrust in the family. Because we love Him and want a good relationship with Him, we want to avoid what upsets and hurts Him and do what brings us closer to Him. There are basic tenants of belonging. The term used to identify them is legitimacy. Legitimacy is “feeling right about”, “being at peace with” “being comfortable with". It’s tied to our identity, therefore if we have problems, wrong thinking, or indifference in legitimacy areas, it cripples our identity. The health of our identity determines the depths of relationships we can be in. The Biblical example of a legitimacy was with the Egyptians and Israelites in Joseph’s time. There was a dinner set up for Joseph’s meal with his brothers and his subjects. Here is the story: Genesis 43:32 So they set (Joseph) a place by himself, and (the brothers) by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. So even though the authority (Joseph) had legitimized the presence of the guests, the Egyptians did not “feel right about” or “comfortable” eating with them. Our identity is whole or legitimate when we are in right relationship with God, our bodies, our gender, those in authority over us, and nature.
God wants us to focus on being established in the Kingdom. We live in this world with its sin, disfunction, wickedness and evil but God has so much more for us if we choose His Kingdom. He wants us to understand our role and that we are partners with Him and not limited to this world. He has set us apart as His beloved, His chosen ones, His special treasure. He has promised not to leave us alone to live our lives. He is in us, and He is with us. He has given us this time on earth to grow in His nature: light, life, love; and to grow up spiritually in union with Him as His sons and daughters.
Let’s choose to get closer to God this year. Invite Holy Spirit to help you. Deal with separation and move into a divine relationship that brings greater love, more wisdom and understanding, heavenly peace, and increased boldness and always remember, God has something GOOD for you today.
For a practical application of what I've been talking about, check out my book - "Stewarding Our Relationship With God" by clicking below: