Wondering what it means to have a personal relationship with God? Struggling with doubts about God, faith, the Bible?
Many people find they have drifted away from God at some point and then later feel like maybe it would be worthwhile to revisit the matter. But how does one begin a relationship with the God of creation? How does a person seek God and “find Him?”
If that is where you are at, there are some great resources to help you. The Bible of course has some interesting things to say about that. Jesus made a clear statement about the heart attitude required to seek God. In the gospel of John, he stated, “If any man chooses to do God’s will he will know whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (John 7:17). God really desires us to know Him but for us to hear from Him there must be a heart attitude of submission and desire to follow Him.
So, the beginning step for seeking God is aligning your heart with His will. You might begin by praying and telling God that you desire to know Him and asking Him to reveal Himself to you.
Step two from a biblical point of view is go to the source! A great place to begin is by reading the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Ask God to give you insight into who He is and how He wants you to come to Him. The Bible claims that Jesus is the final revelation of who God is. As you read, see who you think Jesus really is. He claimed to be God who came in the form of a human being to reveal truth about God to us. A great resource concerning the identity of Christ is found at the webpage, “Jesus and the Intellectual.” You can also sign up for an email study on the gospel of John here.
Cru also offers a five session study called, “Discovery” which investigates the claims of Christ and the reliability of the Bible in a small group format. You can see a sample of the first session here. If you are interested in joining in a small group discussion, email us at austin@cru.org to let us know.
There may be some doubts or questions that you may want to explore in parallel. Check out the articles listed in our Top Ten Questions list.
Here are a few titles you will find there.
A great faith experiment to try is to read the Gospel of John for 30 days and ask God to reveal Himself to you. If you become convinced of the truth of the scriptures and the identity of Christ, you will want to begin that relationship with Him. It’s the most important decision you can ever make. Here is a link where you can find a simple explanation on how to have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Cru City Austin wants to be a resource for anyone who wants to explore their spiritual life. If you have questions, would like to talk with someone about these matters or would like to explore the issues in a small group setting please contact us at Austin@cru.org.