Religion vs. Relationship with God

I have heard from some that the claims I make about life with God may not be understandable, even surreal to many. This is something I have personally come to terms with, because in the beginning, many thought I was crazy. Many probably still do. I have learned in the past week about God's providence. To be quite honest, before a week ago, I had heard others talking about the providence of God....but I really was not sure what that meant. Then, I heard a sermon preached on my favorite Christian radio about the "providence of God." I tuned in my ear because I was interested to know what the word meant. The preacher explained that the providence of God is the "hidden hand of God moving in our life, changing things even when we don't know it." It is secret, silent and always moving. The idea intrigued me.

I know this providence to be true in my life, but when I stop to really think about it....it is the driving force behind my life as a Christian. It has become clear to me this week that there is a huge divide between those who are "religious" Christians and those who have a true relationship with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. At one point, my heart broke because God showed me how many are simply living out religion in their lives, and have never experienced the true power and Presence of God! I can make a true statement that I know that God is with me 100% of the time. He makes His Presence known in my life by interacting in my circumstances all throughout every day. I hear people saying, "I know God loves me." Do you really KNOW that God loves you??? Do you know that He wants more than a simple prayer in the morning that is mundane and repetitive??? He wants a conversation. He wants a RELATIONSHIP with YOU.

This topic is too expansive to write in one single blog, but I believe this is the point of the blog that God has asked me to write. It is to reveal that God is not interested in you coming to a religion of following rules, and He has convicted me about my own desire to fall into legalism. He wants your heart, your life, and your daily fellowship with Him. The commands He gives us are for our own benefit in living the abundant life He promised us, but they CANNOT become the main focus of our Christian lives. When they become first, God's Presence becomes hard to find. We begin to idolize the law that God has given us, and we no longer seek God's face with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. Many people are caught up in the lie that only "special" people have a relationship like mine with God. That is a LIE. God is not into favoritism. I would love to be God's favorite, I'll just be honest, but I know He loves everyone just as much as me. He is concerned about the salvation and welfare of all people. Do I speak to Him plainly and hear from Him plainly....YES. I guess someone could call that a gift. I just call it my daily relationship with the One I love more than any other. He is my all in all, my King, my mighty Warrior. And when He responds to me in physical terms such as having someone bring a gift to my door when He only knew that I was thinking about it....that is intimacy.

Last night, my husband and I had a wonderful conversation about this. I was talking to Him about my relationship with God and He said that I already had my "perfect man." I hope my husband doesn't mind me sharing, but sometimes, he feels a little inadequate compared to God's perfection. But what is amazing, and I told my husband, is that the same type of relationship can be achieved in marriage through spending time together, loving one another, respecting one another, and loving each other as thy self. God uses the model of marriage to display to all mankind the type of intimacy He desires to have with His children. The hard part about seeing the beauty of that model is that so many marriages today are corrupt and defiled, and people are not walking in God's intentions for marriage. We no longer have that visible example of what a healthy, satisfying relationship with God would look like....

And then there are the people like ME, who spend time with God, talk to God, walk with God, hear from God, and live by the side of God. The challenge for me is, "How do I get people to see that this is not just a made-up story, but the most amazing thing I have ever discovered in my life?" I have been struggling with this idea. I feel I have encountered the greatest treasure possible in life and death, and I simply want to share it with the world....so others can experience it too. But everywhere I go, people are so hardened and unbelieving that they reject that notion that what I experience is EVEN POSSIBLE. I have talked to God about this and He knows my heart even before I speak to Him. He knows the heartache that I have over not being able to effectively share in a way that makes a difference in people's lives. But that is what the Providence of God is all about. He is working in lives and circumstances even when YOU can't see Him.....just because you have rejected Him and denied His very existence, He still loves you with an everlasting love that just won't die. He chases you though you run from Him. He is using the providence He has to pursue your heart right now. Maybe today is the day that you realize you don't want a religion, you want to know the God of the Universe. All you have to do is pray and let Him into your heart, accepting His great gift of sacrifice that He made just to KNOW YOU and BE WITH YOU. That is why Jesus died for you. To restore unto you the possiblity that you could come to know Him in a personal way. And, He still died for all the people who will reject Him to the very end....but He will never get to be with them because of their rejection of Him.

Today, I urge you to please examine your thoughts/feelings toward the Christian "religion" and ask yourself - "Do I want a relationship with God, or a religion full of legalism????" If you are interested in pursuing a relationship with God, and want to come away from what you have "learned" in church, or in the world about Christianity...and you want to know how to find what I have found with God......write me today at wildcat_sarah@hotmail.com. I will do everything in my power to pray for you, help you, counsel you, guide you and help you to find a relationship with God that will never be binding or boring ever again. I beg you, leave what you know and find out that God is waiting to have an intimate relationship with YOU!!!! Here is what God says about this in the Bible and for the sake of NOT overwhelming you, I will pull out scriptures from Galatians 5 (the whole chapter is about freedom in Christ vs. legalism):

Galatians 5:1-4 (NASB)

"It was for freedom that Christ has set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace."

Galatians 5;13-14 (NASB)

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

Galatians 5:16 (NASB)

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not under the Law."


To put it plainly, if you are seeking God's face, walking with God in the Spirit....you will want to do more and more what the Spirit leads you to do, and less of what the flesh tries to get you to do. You will have no use for the law because the Spirit will lead you into all truth (John 16:13). We have nothing to fear when we are following God's Spirit in our lives. There is no longer a need to follow rules, but we are not to take our freedom as an excuse for sinful living. We need to surrender ourselves completely to God's Spirit, and then we will be truly FREE.


I love you all. I pray in Jesus' name that God would bless you today with an open heart toward Him. I pray that you would be able to see beyond the deception of religious attitudes, and see that God is wanting so much more for/from you. I pray that God would touch your heart with this message. I pray that God would keep each of you safe, and moving toward Him. I pray that He would reveal from time to time His provident hand in your life, so you know He is with you.

God bless you,

Sarah