Happy New Year beautiful people! I hope everyone had a blessed and safe transition into the year. As you can tell by the title of this post, today we will be talking about How To Restore Your Relationship With God in 2022.

The truth is, sometimes as Christians, we fall away or become complacent in our walk with God. This isn’t necessarily always noticed in the beginning, but as time goes on, we see that the relationship we once had with the Lord has changed. This is actually a lot more common than most Christians will admit. As we age, our life naturally changes, and these changes can sometimes be a distraction or cause complacency in our walk with God. Moving cities, going to college, finding a new job, getting married, having children(s), etc, can all be major life changes that affect our relationship with God.

So this year, I want to share the ways I have restored and maintained my relationship with God throughout my life changes. I hope this post encourages and inspires you.

What I Am Wearing:

Cardigan: HANIFA, Top: ZARA (sold out); try this one, Trousers: MISSGUIDED (sold out), Purse: SHEIN; try this one here.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The first step to restoring your relationship with God is to acknowledge that it needs to be restored.

Have you stopped praying? Have you stopped reading your word? Has your desire for the things of God decreased? Once you feel these things, you have to immediately acknowledge them and repent. The Bible says that when we confess our sins to the Lord, he is just and faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Prayerlessness is a SIN, and if you have found yourself roaming through life without prayer, you need to repent and accept the mercy and love of our Father.

Once you have acknowledged that your relationship with God has changed and you have repented, you must now find practical ways to rebuild your relationship with God. Remember, the devil’s goal is to make sure your relationship with the father is non-existent. He wants you to think it’s okay not to pray. He wants you to think that God is only a God of love and not a God who renders judgment. Do not normalize complacency. Your relationship with God is the most important relationship you will ever have. Do not let a fallen angel convince you that stagnation with God is normal.

Now, here are 5 ways you can restore your relationship with God…

1. FAST AND PRAY

Fasting and prayer is an excellent way to rebuild your relationship with God because it helps establish discipline. Why is discipline important? Well in order to walk this Christian journey faithfully, you have to have discipline. There is so much temptation in the world and if you do not have self-discipline, you will easily fall.

Additionally, maintaining your relationship with God REQUIRES discipline. You have to discipline your body to wake up early and pray. You have to discipline yourself to read God’s word, and you have to discipline yourself to go to Church. These things sound easy, but when you have other earthly responsibilities, this can be very hard. Serving God requires a lot of self-discipline and fasting connected with prayer (and the help of the Holy Spirit) will help you establish this.

Furthermore, fasting has been a huge blessing in my life. It has also been a weapon I have used to fight complacency. Currently, many churches around the world are holding a 21 day fast for the new year. You can check out Eagles Chapel for their fast schedule. And don’t worry about being late, you can start a fast at any time, you just have to be faithful.

2. JOIN SMALL GROUPS

I don’t think our generation understands how powerful and important godly friendships are. Being surrounded by people who can and have a desire to help you grow spiritually is essential to our walk with God. Finding Christian small groups can be difficult because a lot of personalities are involved and sometimes the purpose of these groups are not relatable.

I personally haven’t found the most success with Christian groups because either the people in the group are judgemental/religious, or the groups are specifically about marriage. If you find yourself stuck like me, try studying the word with your friends.

Quick story: last year I went on vacation with my friends, and one thing we did on our trip is sit down and talk about our faith and other life situations. I actually got into a heated discussion with one of my friends about salvation. Outsiders probably would have looked at us like we were crazy and think we could never be friends again. Funny thing is, I really enjoyed this discussion because it helped me understand her view and I believe she was able to understand my view according to the scriptures. It also helped us come to a common understanding of what salvation is.

I shared this story to say that these types of discussions are important for Christians to have. Discussing your faith with your friends or with other Christians builds community, security, and understanding of the scriptures. It’s also a great way to actively talk about your faith and be corrected without judgment. I also think small groups drive you back to the word of God and give you a desire to search the scriptures yourself. When someone brings up something that you didn’t know or understand in the Bible, you will naturally want to go back and do your research.

This is why I value godly friendships so much. I believe having God-fearing and God-ordained friends as well as being part of small groups will naturally help you grow spiritually. Not to mention, it will give you a desire to read your word so that you can defend the faith well (1 Peter 3:15). Again, if you can’t find groups to join in your church, start one with your closest friends. It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to have a purpose.

3. JOIN A BIBLE-BASED CHURCH AND LISTEN TO BIBLE-BASED TEACHINGS

Look, in 2022, you have to find a Bible-based Church. Listening to church online is great, but there is nothing like actually being in the presence of God with other believers. The Bible says that we should not forsake the gathering of believers (Hebrews 10:25). It is very important that you are surrounded by like-minded individuals as often as possible.

There are also benefits to finding a church home. This includes mentors and not just your pastor, but older women and men in the church can be great mentors too. Joining a church also gives you a chance to find godly friendships, and a chance to use your gifts to serve God in the ministry. BUT, as I mentioned earlier, you must find a BIBLE-BASED church meaning a church that teaches the bible in totality…not partially. If your church is teaching based on the feelings of the pastor or based on the traditions of the world…RUNNIN! Discern every pastor, teacher, minister, and prophet.

I also suggest listening to sermons that are word-driven. Some of the people I like listening to outside of the church are Charles Stanley, Tim Keller, Billy Graham…basically all the OG’s in the gospel. I also like Preston and Jackie Hill Perry.

• 

• 

4. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT SPENDING TIME WITH GOD

We live in a day and age where busyness is the goal and hustling is the cultured mentality. If we really want to restore our relationship with God, we must be intentional about spending quality time with him. And when I say “quality time” I am not talking about going to church every Sunday or serving in different ministries. I am talking about your own personal time outside of Church. I am talking about the intimate times that no one but you and the Lord see.

I will say this again and will continue to say it, GOING TO CHURCH AND SERVING IN CHURCH DOES NOT MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN (although there are benefits to going to church). It’s great that you are involved in the ministry, but is God involved in your heart? Have you sought him for yourself?

Our works should be a reflection of our love for God, not a way to show God or people that we are “Christians.”

In 2022, you have to get back your time. One of the things I do to be intentional about my time with God is set up times for me to pray and read the word. Everyone in my house knows that during these times no one talks to Joyce because this is a sacred time between me and the Lord. I also pray while driving. If you find it difficult to pray in the morning or your schedule isn’t as structured, pray when you drive to work or school. Simple things like this make a big difference.

Additionally, get a planner and write things out! Do whatever you can to make time for God. The enemy’s goal for you in 2022 is to be so busy and booked that you have no time for God. But who wants to be busy and booked without Jesus? Who wants to go into battle without wise counsel from the Lord? I know you just started this great job or just started graduate school or maybe even just had a baby, or have multiple children, but that is NO EXCUSE. Even 5 minutes of your time means something to God. Start out small and work your way up, but don’t stop having intimate meetings with the Father.

I also make time to listen to teachings. Notice I said teachings because I like to be taught the word and challenged in my understanding of God (which is why I love apologetics). Sermons that are overly emotional and feeling-based do not move me. It’s great to hear encouraging sermons from time to time, but I mainly focus on listening to teachings that will help me grow in my knowledge of Christ.

5. ENJOY THE PROCESS

Last but not least, enjoy your journey with Jesus. Being a Christian is not boring and you don’t have to prove that to anyone but yourself. In 2022, make spending time with God fun.

Some ways I make spending time with God fun is by lighting a candle during my personal Bible study time, or I go on a solo date to I-Hop to read my Christian-based books.

Sometimes in order for me not to get bored with my routine, I have to change up my environment. If you think about it, we do the same thing in relationships. Sometimes you have to switch up your date nights or (for married folks) where you make love or how you make love. All these things are normal and required to maintain a healthy, strong, and enjoyable relationship. This same principle applies to our relationship with Christ. If you have to pray in the living room instead of your room, DO IT! If you have to go to the library or a coffee shop to read your bible thoroughly, DO IT! If you have to wake up at 3 am to pray, DO IT! This year, make spending time with God enjoyable!

CLOSING REMARKS

I hope this post helps someone struggling in their relationship with God. Being a devoted Christian is not easy and can be frustrating at times. I still struggle with my relationship with God, and I am not ashamed to say that because I am human and I recognize my need for HIM.

I have actively put all the tips I mentioned above into practice and it has helped me a lot. I pray that if you are struggling in this area, you will find your way back to God this year. I also pray that you have an encounter with our Heavenly Father. When you know Jesus and truly understand what he did for you on the cross, even when you fall and became complacent, you will always find your way back home.

Check out this post for more tips on building your relationship with God. I hope you have a blessed day!