5 Things To Grow Your Relationship With Jesus

Do you ever find yourself struggling to maintain a close walk with Jesus? Do you want to get closer to Him but often find that you are only growing apart? It's not that you don't love Him but you find yourself unable to connect with Him on an intimate level. If you are feeling this way, then I have 5 things that can help you! Yes, doing these 5 things will help you grow closer to Jesus and maintain an intimate relationship with Him.

The key to solving your intimacy problem with Jesus can be found in the book of 2 Kings chapters 22 and 23. When I first read this story I found it to be inspirational. It's a story about a very young boy who was crowned king of Israel. This was during the time just before the Israelites were going to be taken captive by the Babylonians. I liked the story when I first read it. However, at first, I failed to realize the significance of what I was reading. I didn't realize that the story was more than just about a small boy becoming king. It actually contained 5 things that would help me grow closer to God.

So, let's first take a look at the story. In chapter 22 of 2 Kings, we read about an 8-year-old boy named Josiah. He became king at such an early age because his father, King Amon, was murdered by his own officials for being such a lousy king. So, Josiah, being his heir became king in his stead. Around the time Josiah was about 24 years old, he decided that he wanted to restore the temple of God that had been neglected for so many years. And so he sends workers to the temple to repair it and clean it up. While the workers are repairing the temple they find The Book of the Law! This ancient book recorded the promise God had made to His people and the promise the Israelites had made to God. The book detailed how the nation of Israel should live and worship God. When the book was brought to King Josiah he read it and quickly realized that they were not living up to the promises they had made to God. In fact, they were way off in the way they were supposed to have been living.

The first thing King Josiah does after he reads the book is that he orders all of the false gods and idols to be removed from the temple. Yes, the people of God had actually put idols of false gods inside God's temple! Yikes!!! Then, he ordered all of the priests that led the worship of these false gods to be executed. After this, he decided that from that moment on he and his people would turn to the Lord with all their hearts. It is said that never was there a king as good as Josiah ever since!

So, here are the 5 things you can learn from this story that will help you grow closer to Jesus as you walk in faith.

Thing #1 - Josiah decided it was time to clean up the temple. The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). The first thing you should do to grow closer to Jesus is to clean out your temple - your body! This cleansing is both spiritual and physical. Your spiritual cleansing would involve spending more time with God on a daily basis. Rediscovering the precious promises He has given to you in His word. Reactivating your prayer life so that you can begin to speak to each other again. Ask Him to remove all of those negative thoughts that keep you from fully enjoying His presence. Ask Jesus to help you get rid of the hate, the negative thinking, the feeling of hopelessness, the defeatist attitude, the guilt of past sins, and the doubt that may be hindering your prayers. As you do this remember that there's your physical body. Yes, this body is important too. Ask Jesus to help you eat healthier foods, become active with your body, to remember to drink water throughout the day (I personally struggle with this one), to get plenty of sleep by going to bed earlier rather than staying up late watching TV. Just like King Josiah, it's time for you to clean your temple.

Thing #2 - King Josiah read the book. Well, we need to read the book too! We need to spend more time reading the Bible. We need to rediscover what it means to live for Jesus and with Jesus. The Bible is your only source to learn about Jesus and His provisions for you. The Bible is where you go to learn about your God! It is the book that will teach you how to love Him and how to love your peers. Like Josiah, at first, you may be taken aback by how far you have drifted from your first love. However, Josiah didn't let that fact deter him from wanting to make things right with his God. So it should be with you. Don't be overwhelmed by what you may find in the Bible. Rather, seek to discover how much God loves you in the words that are recorded inside this book. So, do like Josiah - read the book!

Thing #3 - Josiah removed the false gods from the temple. Do you have false gods in your temple? What are the things in your life that are keeping you from spending time with God? What are the things you have placed your faith in instead of trusting God to take care of you? Have earthly things replaced the love you once had for God? Who or what are you worshiping these days? Perhaps your job or career, maybe your house or car, perhaps your social status, maybe your love for sex, or your physical appearance. The list would be too long for me to list all of the potential false gods that often come into our lives. But you get the point. These things, in and of themselves may not be bad. The problem comes when these things replace the love and passion we once only reserved for our Lord and Savior.

Thing #4 - Josiah rid himself of the priests that had encouraged the people to seek after false gods. I'm going to make this one brief. There comes a time when you need to rid yourself of the negative influences of some of the people in your life. Bring into your life people who are on the same journey you are. Surround yourself with positive people and avoid people that constantly draw your attention away from God.

Thing #5 - Josiah turned to the Lord with all of his heart. This one is self-explanatory. You must be committed 100% to your walk with Jesus. Don't try to follow Him halfway. You have to be all in! When you clean your temple, clean it thoroughly. Don't hang on to cherished vices and worldly obsessions. Grab the mop and the detergent and give your temple a really good scrubbing. It's like that old saying, 'cleanliness is next to Godliness!'

Until next time fellow pilgrims.