After His Heart 2022: A guide on how to get started on growing a closer and more intimate relationship with Jesus for 2022
1. Pray: speak to Him. Assess the current state of your relationship with Him. Invite the Holy Spirit to use you as you pray. Vent to Jesus about everything in your life and ask him for what vision he has over your life. Make sure to remove all distractions.
2. Write a letter to God: this is another way to communicate with him. Ask him for guidance towards growing a closer relationship with him. Ask Him to remove all flesh like things while you seek him. Pray that you seek him because you love him and not because you want to use him.
3. Read your Bible: how can you form a relationship with Jesus, if you don’t know him? Read the word and mediate over it. Spend at least 30 minutes daily seeking him. If you’re a beginner start small. Start at 10 minutes and then move up. Highlight verses that stick out to you and pray it over your life. The word will help transform your mind and your spirit.
4. Seek him daily: set out time during your day for you and Jesus. Either reading your Bible, praying, or doing both.
5. Do a 1 week media fast: for one week remove all distractions. Disable all of your social medias, avoid watching worldly TV shows and movies, only listen to gospel and Christian music. Spend the free time from those things to seek God. Listen to sermons, read your Bible, pray. Seek him and he will draw nearer and closer to you. When I do this 1 week media fast, I always feel his presence, hear his voice, and come out of the fast happier than I came in. You will not have worldly things clouding your judgment and mind, you will be filling your heart with the truth.
6. Meditate on the word: find a verse that sticks out to you. A verse that speaks to your heart or find a verse that related to something you’ve been struggling with, then invite the Holy Spirit and break it down piece by piece. If you have difficulty understanding the verse, go to a trusted biblical site and read their commentary. Make a note on your phone about the verse and meditation and read it daily. Try to read it morning, afternoon and night. Pray it over your life and watch your mind and life be renewed.
7. Go to church: you need a community that shares the same faith. Before finding a church if you do not have one, pray that the spirit guides you to a church that preaches the word and is not self serving. Next, do your research. Make friends at your church, find spiritual mentors if any, try to volunteer and get involved. Having a church community is like having a second family. Plus the more people to pray with, the more powerful the prayer.
8. Have a set routine: set out times during your day that are devoted to God and God only. Morning, afternoon, or night. Whichever works best for you and your schedule.
9. Listen to sermons and take notes: listen to the word as much as possible, it will help renew and transform your mind. Take notes and try to read over them daily. Try to listen to sermons while driving, working out, cleaning, shopping, literally any time that you can.
10. Pray and communicate constantly: you do not have to be in your room or at church to pray. On your drive home from work, pray. While showering, pray. You can speak to your father who is always listening at any time. He loves when you speak to him!
11. Find a way to serve others: Our goal as Christians is to serve others. Volunteer at your church or somewhere local. Give back and learn to start putting others before you.
12. Have worship sessions throughout your day: praise him! Try to listen to gospel music every morning. Dance and sing. You will feel closer to him and your mood will instantly change. Woeshiping is another way to feel his presence.
13. Do not go a day wihtout praying: try to pray as much as possible. That is how you communicate with him. Try to strive for atleast once a day, and as time goes by try to increase the amount of times you pray throughout the day. Also please remember that prayer is not only for yourself, pray for others, pray for the world.
