Hey Garden Fam! I was led to share this after a conversation I had with a friend. I am sharing a few of the ways I was able to build a closer relationship with Jesus and how He brought me out of a season of being lukewarm (one foot in Christ and the other in the world). I pray that this helps you build and/or strengthen your walk with Christ. Please keep in mind that these are general recommendations & not a prescriptive blueprint. Also, keep in mind that, like any relationship, it takes time, but the more time you spend together, the better acquainted you will be! Be open to the Lord leading you in whatever order and through whatever steps He sees fit. He may ask you to do more, less, or different than what’s below. Move with Him! 🙏🏾
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I love you all! 💕
Overview
Decide that you are ready to submit to Jesus
Trade in your plans and your ways for God's will & His ways
Learn His Will for yourself
Read the Bible
Pray Daily
Spend time in praise & worship (singing, dancing, thanksgiving, etc.)
Clean up your home & your life
Seek deliverance
Live a Life Led by & Submitted to the Holy Spirit
Stay in the Word
Stay in Prayer
Allow the Holy Spirit to Guide your Actions & Decisions
Seek Christ-led Community
Details
Decide that you are ready to submit to His will & His ways
Repent for living outside of God’s will and His ways (genuinely apologize & commit to turning away from sin, to Jesus)
Make a choice that you want to do things His way going forward (Joshua 24:15)
Pray the prayer of salvation
Salvation Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I have sinned against you! I repent of everything I’ve ever done that was against your will (you can also confess specific sins here). God, I believe and I thank you for sending Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Jesus, I welcome you into my life and into my heart. Please cleanse me of all unrighteousness and lead me into all truth, Your truth. Please begin to work in me so that I may look more like You from the inside out. I lay down the life I have. and choose to pick up the life you have for me. Thank you, God for receiving me!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen 🙏🏾
Learn His Will for yourself
Get into the Word — Read (or listen to) the Bible everyday
Sermons & devotionals are great supplements, but they can be secondhand accounts — go to the source!
Listen to Holy Spirit-led teaching, but also spend time in God's Word for yourself as well.
Reading Recommendations - These are just suggestions. As I said before, allow the Lord to lead you in whatever order and through whichever books of the Bible He sees fit.
The Gospels are a good place to start (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
These books outline the life and ministry of Jesus.
After that, I encourage you to continue through to Romans which really outlines salvation and what it looks like to live a new life in Christ.
Lastly, I recommend going back to read the book of Acts, which introduces the Holy Spirit and models how we ought to live and operate as "the Church"
Note: You may feel like you don't understand at first, but keep going and pray for God to grant you wisdom & understanding!
Pray daily — vulnerable, transparent prayers
Prayers of thanksgiving & praise
Maybe start with writing or saying 3 things you're thankful to God for
Prayers admitting where you are & that you need God's help
Sit at Jesus' feet (ie. be ready to hear from Him)
Don’t know what to say? The Lord’s Prayer is always a good starting place (Matthew 6:9-13)
Clean up your home & your life
Pray for God to prepare your heart to let go of things that are not like Him or don't align with His will for your live & to replace them with things that are
Decide that you want God more than the world
Close open doors to the enemy — through sin, new age practices or materials, occult organizations, etc.
God will reveal things you need to let go of or renounce; be willing and ready to do so!
Ask God to reveal habits, sins, etc. that need to go and be committed to following through on what He says
Also, clean up your media
Unfollow pages on social media and YouTube that aren’t in line with your walk with God, or that will present additional challenges for you living righteously
Distance yourself from tv shows, movies, news, and other media that normalizes sin, witchcraft, living a God-less life, toxic and ungodly mindsets, and anything else the Holy Spirit shows you directly!
Seek deliverance
It is very possible/likely that you need to be set free from something or multiple things after living a life apart from God (or in lukewarmness)
Some things may be from sin, some may be from childhood or other traumas, some may even be generational
Sometimes deliverance is complete in one session, sometimes it requires a process. Either way, be committed to getting free!
The Bible says "the just shall be delivered through knowledge," (Proverbs 9:11)
This is why reading the Bible for yourself is so important. You must "study to show yourself approved" (2 Timothy 2:15), so that you are not one who is destroyed or in captivity because you lack knowledge (Hosea 4:6 / Isaiah 5:13)
Note: Do NOT go back to sin once you’ve been set free! - Be led by the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:16
Proverbs 26:11
Matthew 12:43-45
Live a Life Led by & Submitted to the Holy Spirit
Pray for guidance & commit to following His promptings
Note: Some things He asks you to do will NOT make sense in a worldly context — trust Him & do it anyway
Isaiah 55:8-9
Spend time with God daily — not as a religious chore but to nurture your relationship with God, learn His voice, and be led by Him.
Seek Christ-led Community
Ask God to lead you to the right community(s) for you to continue to grow in faith and fire
This may be a church, small group, online community, mentorship, a mix, or something different altogether
Cultivate Space to Hear from God
Check out this follow-up video for more guidance and insight on setting up a life that is conducive to God's presence and hearing His voice
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