To build, develop, and maintain a deep, intimate relationship with God, you must first know God.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KNOW GOD?
Many people know God literally without knowing Him personally. To know Him personally means to engage in a deep and intimate life with God.
Basically, you can literally know a person because you read their biography in a book, but in reality you don't know them because you don't have an intimate relationship with that person.
Likewise, knowing God is much more than just biblical knowledge. It is about seeking to attach your heart to the heart of God to become one with him in spirit. It is about building a loving, intimate and deep relationship with God.
Same in everyday life, we can know the address of certain people, have their telephone number, work with them in the same company and know part of their nature or personality. You may even be friends on social media or even have opportunities to talk from time to time, but that doesn't mean you know the person, you will know them deeply the day you build an intimate relationship with them.
The same theory applies to those who desire to build a deep and intimate relationship with God. You can go to church every Sunday and participate in teaching services where the nature and characters of God are taught or even have biblical knowledge about God, but that does not mean you know God, you will truly know God if you engage in a deep, intimate relationship with Him.
Knowing God is more than just biblical knowledge. Knowing God requires seeking to know his heart, his character and discovering his love.... Also being able to recognize his voice when he speaks to you and feeling his presence near you on a daily basis. Even when things get tough in life, you have to trust Him because He is trustworthy.
Again, I emphasize that literal knowledge of God does not prove that you are in a relationship with God, because having a personal relationship with God is more than any biblical knowledge one can have about God. If you truly desire to know God in your personal life, you must engage in a deep, intimate life with Him. . and it begins with your heart's sincere decision to let God be your friend.
I am not saying that it is not important to have theological and biblical knowledge about God, no, on the contrary, I am saying that it is good to have literal knowledge of God, but it is better to use this knowledge to build an intimate relationship with God. Because we should not only seek knowledge of God, but rather seek to build an intimate and strong relationship with God. And The purpose of this teaching is to help you understand how to build this intimate, deep and loving relationship with God.
IT IS WRITTEN IN JOHN 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you all that I have learned from my Father.
In this section of scripture we can see Jesus telling his disciples that the relationship he would like to build with them should be one of friendship and not of master and servant. That's why he tried to introduce them to friendship status.
We understand that a friend is someone who knows you more deeply than others. He has the privilege of knowing you better simply because he shares more intimacy with you. He may have access to your privacy room where other people do not have access.
Friendship is therefore a deeper knowledge of the nature and personality of the person, it is about discovering someone personality behind their clothes and the 4 walls where they live.
Our relationship with God must therefore progress from servant to friendship or from childhood to friendship. We cannot therefore only remain a servant or child of the house but we must progress to become a friend of God, this is the level he expects of us.
“ So how can you build, grow, and maintain a deep, intimate relationship with God" Here I give you 12 keys To build, develop and maintain your intimate relationship with God.
1.THE DECISION
To build an intimate relationship with God, you first need a STRONG DECISION from your heart. It is important to know that everything must begin with the decision because the decision is the basis to begin to build this intimate relationship with God.
This decision must be sincere and come from your heart. Because the sincerity of your heart will define the depth of this relationship, namely that if the foundations are poorly laid, the rest will be distorted. So you must decide in your heart whether you want to build a personal relationship with God, finally engage in a deep and intimate life with God.
IT IS WRITTEN IN REVELATION 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
NB: In this passage, Jesus knocks on the door of your heart because he is looking for true friendship with someone who is ready to welcome him.
2. FAITH
You need faith to build a relationship with God The reason you need faith is because the Bible says that "God is a Spirit", which means a form of life invisible to the human eye. It is because of this nature that God remains invisible to human eyes. God is invisible, so to build a relationship with Him you must have faith and without faith it will be impossible for you to connect with God.
So to connect to that, is this invisible God? that you don't see? you needed faith. It is by faith that you can communicate with God, touch him and feel him in your spirit or all around you. It is by faith that we can receive anything from God. Faith is the cable that connects you to God, without faith it is impossible for you to connect to God, talk to him and receive anything from him.
IT IS WRITTEN IN HEBREWS 11:6
Now, without faith, it is impossible to please Him; for he who comes to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
3. PRAYER
personal, in groups, all the time
By cultivating a regular prayer life, you will create the bond that will permanently connect you to God. And this life of regular prayer must be built in three forms, I quote: Personal, In a group, All the time.
Personal:
Build a personal, daily prayer life where you spend private, intimate time in secret with God. I wanted to emphasise here that if you want to build a strong relationship with God, you should note that it is very important to spend time alone, face to face with God.
In Group:
Also learn to pray in groups, which will help you develop your skills in intimate prayer with God by learning how others operate in prayer.
ACTS 1:14
All with one accord persevered in prayer, with the women, with Mary, mother of Jesus, and with Jesus' brothers.
All the time:
Pray all the time, everywhere, without stopping, pray continually with perseverance and faith.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:7
Pray constantly.
4. PERSONAL MEDITATION:
Take the time to read the scriptures to discover God through his word, finally experience his love and know his perfect will in you. Remember that you can only learn about God through His word which is the Bible.
NB: You need daily personal meditation on God's word and this is very important because it will help you quickly develop a strong relationship with God.
T IS WRITTEN IN 1 PETER 2:2
Desire, like newborn children, the spiritual and pure milk, that by it you may grow unto salvation,
5. THE PRACTICE OF THE WORD OF GOD
If you want to build a good friendship with God, you must put His word into practice.
It is impossible to build a good friendship with God if you do not practice His word. God loves people who listen to his voice and do what he tells them.
IT IS WRITTEN IN JAMES 1:22
Practice the word of God and do not just listen to it and deceive yourself with false reasoning.
LUKE 6:46
Why do you call me Lord, Lord! and don't you practices what I say?
JOHN 15:14
You are my friends, if you do what I command you.
ROMANS 2:13
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who are practices it who are justified.
6.AVOID FALLING INTO SENSATIONALISM:
Évitez de tomber dans le sensationnalisme car si vous pensez ainsi au début de votre relation avec Dieu vous risquez de construire des forteresses mentales qui pourraient nuire à votre relation avec Dieu.
Vous devez comprendre que passer du temps avec Dieu ne sera pas toujours aussi sensationnel, rempli d’excitation et d’émotion qu’une séance d’adoration lors de votre service dominical. Mais pour construire une relation véritablement intime avec Dieu, vous devez aussi apprendre à accepter les moments de calme, c’est-à -dire les moments de prière et d’étude biblique où vous ne vous sentez pas chaud ou excité, mais de tels moments vous seront utiles et très important pour vous aider à construire une bonne relation avec Dieu.
7.ATTEND TEACHING SESSIONS REGULARLY:
To grow in a deeper relationship with God, you must continue to attend teaching sessions to help you learn more and grow in your spiritual life with God.
IT IS WRITTEN IN ACTS 2:42
They continued in the teaching of the apostles, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
HEBREWS 10:25
Let us not abandon our assembly, as is the custom of some; but let us exhort each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
8. LIVE IN PEACE WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS (FRATERNAL COMMUNION)
Live in peace with other Christians who are your brothers and sisters in Christ, because you could not say that you had a good relationship with God if first and foremost you did not have a good relationship with your sisters and brothers in Christ.
IT IS WRITTEN IN HÉBREUX 12:14
Recherchez la paix avec tous et la sanctification, sans laquelle personne ne verra le Seigneur.
1 JOHN 4:20
If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, how can he love God whom he does not see?
1 JOHN 2:9
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is still in darkness.
ACTS 2:46
They attended the temple together every day, broke bread in houses, and ate their food with joy and singleness of heart,
NB: Resentful people who refuse to forgive people who harm them, and those who have no love for their neighbour, these categories of people cannot be in good friendship with God.
9. MAKE EFFORTS TO LIVE IN HOLINESS
Holiness is one of the important keys if you want to build a deeper relationship with God because God is holy and he lives in holiness and he loves holiness.
NB: God loves sinners but he totally hates sin.
IT IS WRITTEN IN LEVITICUS 11:44-45
For I am the LORD your God; you will sanctify yourselves, and you will be holy, for I am holy; and you shall not become unclean because of all these creeping things that creep on the earth.
1 JOHN 1:6
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we are lying, and we are not practicing the truth.
1 JOHN 2:4
He who says, I have known him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
10. HAVE TIME TO FAST AND SEEK THE FACE OF GOD
If you want to build a deeper, stronger relationship with God, you must, from time to time, create intimate time with God where you can devote yourself to fasting and seeking the face of God in your life.
It is good to have a day in the week, a month or a time of the year when we can devote ourselves fully to seeking the presence of God through fasting and prayer,
IT IS WRITTEN IN MATTHEW 17:21
But this kind of demon only comes out through prayer and fasting.
Fasting time is so important in the life of a believer who wants to build his relationship with God. This helps you destroy anything that could harm your relationship with God, in your body, soul and spirit. Remember that the first enemy that will affect your relationship with God is yourself.
11. PRACTICE THE LIFE OF WORSHIP
Practice worship at all times, become a worshiper of God. Because God loves worship.
12. BE READY TO FACE TRIBULATIONS
If you want to build a friendship with God, it is important to know and understand that you will face persecution in different ways during your journey of friendship with God.
ACTS 14:22
strengthening the spirit of the disciples, exhorting them to persevere in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.