The relationship that changes everything.

When you decided to give it all to God in humble surrender, this means your relationship with God needs to become your first and most important priority (not that it shouldn’t have been already, but now it’s even more vital). It needs to go deeper, become more intimate, more intentional, more frequent, more. This is essential.

If you’re choosing to walk in your own will apart from God, having a relationship with God can easily be a part time or less type of relationship. You check in every once in a while, but not much more is needed if you don’t care to live in His will. But if you’re going all in, giving it all to God—full surrender—it’s time to dive even deeper into relationship with Him so you know how to live your life.

How can you know what He is saying if you aren’t talking and listening to Him? How can you know where He is leading if you aren’t following Him? How can you know how He is calling if you aren’t walking with Him? When I decided I didn’t care anymore and threw my hands up in humble surrender, I realized my relationship with God needed to go from a part-time fling to a committed marriage real quick.

God’s biggest desire is that we have a relationship with Him, with His Son Jesus, and live according to the Holy Spirit inside of us. This is the main goal, above everything else. Living out our passions and desires, that’s a bonus. A bonus and a blessing we have because God is so good. It’s a blessing, but it’s not the main goal. Relationship is above and before everything else. At the end of your life, it will matter more if you have a relationship with Jesus than if your dreams came true.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'” (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV).

At the end of your life, it will matter more if you have a relationship with Jesus than if your dreams came true.

The two biggest things that tie us to God in relationship are prayer and His Word. So,

Have a new idea? Bring it to God. Pray about it. Listen to hear how God might be involved or His thoughts about the idea.

Start dating someone new? Bring it to God. Pray about it. Listen to hear how God might be leading you or protecting you in this new relationship.

Want to make a career move? Bring it to God. Pray about it.

Having financial problems? Bring it to God.

With everything, bring it to God. Pray about it. And listen intently for His heart on the matter. And read the Bible. It is God’s heart in written form. Follow it. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Even if you think you’ll sound stupid, even if you don’t agree with Him, even if it stretches you, challenges you, excites you, do it. Do what God says because when you humbly surrender to Him, He will lift you up. He will set your feet on solid ground. He will make your paths straight. He will give you the desires of your heart. This is the start of humble surrender and intimate relationship with Him, and it is life changing.

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Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash