Ask a Muslim “how’s your relationship with God?” You’ll get an answer like I eat Halal, I pray five times a day, I go to the mosque on Friday and I fast during Ramadan. My friend that’s religion not relationship. Admit it you don’t know God. The Quran is not going to tell you how to know God because the writers didn’t know God.
Ask a Hindu “how’s your relationship with God?” Which one? “I pray to many” is probably the answer you’ll get. None of them will answer!
Ask a new ager “how’s your relationship with God?” You’ll probably get a variety of arrogant answers because anybody can be New Age from any religion so they think they have the evolved religion. But that’s what they have: religion. They will get some tangible results from it for a period of time and then the gift giver will take them back. New age is the proverbial carrot in front of the horse. It fooled me, don’t let it fool you.
Ask a Mormon “how’s your relationship with God?” You’ll probably get an answer like I feel the burning in the bosom. The Holy Spirit doesn’t cause physical pain, but he gives like a fountain of joy and peace in the midst of a bad situation. What you have is a demonic deception just like the Book of Mormon.
Ask a Jew “how’s your relationship with God?” You’ll probably hear something like well we have an understanding (which means he doesn’t bother me and I don’t bother him.) Or it’s fine which is the big lie because they don’t want to admit there is no relationship and like prophet Isaiah spoke of in chapter 30!
9For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the LORD;
10who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
11leave the way, turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
Isaiah 30:10-11
This is where many Jewish people are. The next verses in Isaiah tell what happens when you forget God.
Ask the Catholic “how’s your relationship with God?” You may hear oh I go to church. That’s nice you got church, but not a relationship! It’s churchianity!
Ask a real Christian “how’s your relationship with God?” You may hear things like I’m in love with a Holy Spirit. It is well with my soul. My only regret is I didn’t find him sooner.
The difference between real Christianity and all the other religions is stark. It’s like night and day. No other religion can come close to God because they are men’s feeble attempts to know God and you can’t know God fully because he’s too big. That’s why he became a man and we get to know God through the man.
You can actually see when a person is a real Christian by their characteristics.
- Are they full of love for everyone?
- Do they have an abundance of joy?
- Do you see that they’re at peace?
- Are they really patient?
- Do they demonstrate kindness?
- Are they gentle?
- Do they have self control?
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:22-24
And this is what a Christian looks like! It’s not that they don’t sin it’s just as a sin less and less. You will see Jesus in them and they live holy lives.
So how’s your relationship with God?
18Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
Isaiah 30:18
Coincidentally, my first name means God’s gracious gift. My first prayers as a teenager were the “now I lay me down to sleep” prayer. But it took me another 40 years to fully experience grace. Please don’t let it take you that long.
Following Jesus 