A Relationship with Jesus

Christianity is not a religion it's a relationship!

This quote, or similar versions of it, has been used so often that it has become cliche, but there is still truth in it. In my post Is True Christianity a Religion? I wrote about a misconception caused by this statement. Namely that religion in itself is not the problem; the problem is when we forget the purpose of the religion. We all have religious traditions that we follow and these traditions can actually help us deepen our relationship with Jesus as long as we keep our focus on Jesus and not on the tradition. 

Where is your focus?

Can you remember when you first started a true relationship with Jesus? Not when you prayed a prayer at the altar or with a friend or family member but when you first recognized that you had a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. The prayer is a great place to start and if you have never prayed that prayer, or feel that you need to pray it again for any reason, then I encourage you to visit What is the Gospel and pray through the prayer I have written on that page, then contact me and let me know that you did. However the prayer is just the start; it is a point of entry into the relationship, but the real relationship is built on spending time with Him each day. Jesus said:

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

John 15:4

Abide means to live, it denotes a continual presence. We are to live continuously in Jesus Christ, in a continuous relationship with Him. 

I do remember when my relationship with Jesus began. I grew up in a "Christian" home but the very person that would force me to read the Bible and to memorize scripture one day would beat me the next and lock me in my room with a padlock. At one point my stepfather had my brothers and I locked in an empty room with black tarp around the windows and no light in the room. It was literally so dark in that room that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I remember feeling around on the floor to find the bowl of water that was left in there so I could have a drink. 

It was in this place of literal total darkness that I began a relationship with the Light!

Jesus met me in that place of tragedy and I learned first hand who He is and how much He cares about me. It is because of that experience that I can confidently state that Deuteronomy 31:6 is true:

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

If you haven't experienced a relationship with Him like I am discussing then I strongly encourage you to start now.  As mentioned above you can start here but remember that is just the start. It is just a little direction to get you started but even more important than praying the prayer that I wrote down would be praying a prayer of honesty from your heart. 

Cry out to God, ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and feel free to tell Him what it is that makes it hard for you to come to Him.

If you're open for Him then He will answer!

Todd White: Modern Day Street Preacher

"Heaven is not my mission, heaven is my destination, destroying hell is my mission."

Todd White

Todd White is the founder of Lifestyle Christianity Ministries. He believes that we all should be walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and destroying the works of the devil as Jesus did when He was on this earth. Jesus said, 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."  

John 14:12

 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16:17-18

Todd White is a man that is living those verses every day. He's a former drug addict and atheist who was on the brink of suicide and God took a hold of his life radically. Listen to his testimony and be encouraged and motivated to seek out the same.

It is Finished!

It is finished!

These were the last words of Jesus on the cross. With His last breath He made known that the work of the cross was already finished. There is nothing more to be done. But what was the work of the cross? We can see a good description in Isaiah:

Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6 

(Amplified Bible - emphasis added)

Notice the words I put in bold; these are the things that Jesus took from us or gave to us when He went to the cross. Let's look at it another way:

Jesus took from us:
Grief
Sickness
Weakness
Distress
Sorrow
Pain
Transgression
Guilt
Iniquity


Jesus added to us:
Peace
Well-being
Healing
Wholeness

 

So why are so many of God's children living in guilt and shame? 

Why are so many Christians afflicted by sickness and disease?

Why is so much of the church bound by emotional hurts and stress?

Why are so many of God's servants held back by personal weakness and faults?

So many are waiting on God when God is waiting on us!

Jesus said His part is finished which means it is now up to us. We need to realize what it is that He did for us and make it real in our lives. We need to confess the truth over our lives rather than the facts and we need to speak that truth into existence. We need to learn how to change our life in order to match with the Word and not try to twist the Word to match our experience.