To listen to the blog post “How To Become A Friend Of God In 5 Easy Steps” over reading it, just click the play button below.
As a Christian becoming a friend of God is the most important thing you can do. I know it can sound pretty crazy because there are some Christians out there who see God as some strange eye in the sky looking over us and that is pretty much it. But if you are not having a relationship with God and if are not a friend of God then you are literally missing out on the best part of being a Christian.
So if you are curious on what this process looks like then you have come to the right place. And just an FYI I am not some random psycho Bible thumbing Christian that hears voices in my head telling me they are Jesus. Just because people say they can talk to God and hear from God does not mean that they are a psychopath. It also does not mean they are some prophet or some highly religious person. It is an act that anyone can do as a relationship with God is literally the whole point of Christianity.
Now before we get into the post, don’t forget to check out my video on how to hear from God and click here to subscribe to my channel.
1. Becoming a Friend Of God Through The Holy Spirit
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26
The reason I am explaining this to you first, is that you really need to understand the magnitude of the Holy Spirit and therefore grow an actual relationship with God because the Holy Spirit is the way in which God communicates with us. When Jesus died and brought the Holy Spirit, that was His way for us to have a direct communication line with God (click here for more on the Holy Spirit). And you can watch my video down below for more on understanding the old and the new covenent.
And as you should know that Christianity really came into play once Jesus died and that is because His spirit was allowed to come dwell in us which could only happen once Jesus ascended into heaven (John 16:7). HENCE the idea that you can talk to God and the more you talk to God the more you become His friend.
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 1 John 4:13
And in case you are unclear about what the Holy Spirit has to do with us and us being a friend of God. It is literally God’s still voice telling you what you need to do, guiding you, and comforting you.
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” Ephesians 1:17
Also, don’t forget to check out my video below to see what the Bible says about wisdom and how to get it.
2. Case in point: I am a friend of God and this is how I did It.
Just like any other relationship. God and I talk all the time. We have our little break up, arguments, and times where I do not want to talk to him. Check out my blog here on “Confessions of a Self-Absorbed Christian” and “Remember That Time I Had to Forgive God?” I can truly have conversations with God no matter how selfish or self-absorbed they are. How I have come to realized this was it was not until I was going through a bad break up with my boyfriend that I really understood what God’s voice was.
And I was in my early 20’s! I remember my boyfriend was leaving me, we lived together at the time, and I was super depressed. We were together in college, I thought he was the one, you know the normal stuff that 20 something year old women feel when they break up with someone. And that is when God told me “let him leave, don’t cry and don’t beg for him to stay.” This is not to say that God had never spoken to me before, but this was the only time that I knew for a fact that this was God telling me this.
There were no trumpets or angels coming out of the wall to deliver the message of the Holy One. It was just me and it was Him and He was talking to me telling me in very plain English that I could understand telling me what I needed to do which was.
“You need to get up and stop being depressed over a man that does not want you”
And the more that God talk to me, I talked back, and we became friends. And that is how you become a friend of God. Just by talking to each other and growing a relationship with one another. I have no problem showing God the real me. He created me so He knows how I am, a hot mess at times, stubborn, and sometimes a know it all. I have no problem being real with God telling what I think and how I feel and He has no problem getting real with me. That is what it means to be a friend of God.
Gone are the days where I just sit and say the Lord’s prayer hoping that my prayers are being heard by this invisible entity in the sky. When you have a relationship with God, then you know God. And when you know God you no longer see Him someone in the sky waiting to punish you when you do something wrong or an aimless figure that you say a bunch of hail Mary’s to. You start to see Him as someone who is here to help you, guide you, and give you the best advice and you know for a fact that He won’t tell you something wrong.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15
3. How you can become a friend of God.
I spoke about how one can become a friend of God in my Single Mom’s Devotional which you can click here to buy. And below is an excerpt of what I said:
Have you ever just talked to God? And when I say talk to God, I mean have a conversation. Just let out all of your frustrations, grievances, hurts, pains, and anger—even if you are angry at God Himself? What I have come to learn about God is the more you let it out to God, the more you are inviting God to come in and heal your pain. So do not be afraid to offend God by what you are saying and how you feel. He already knows, and the sooner you talk to Him about it, the sooner He can heal you. You can be mad about the things that you thought would happen, but you do not need to stay mad about those things. There is no need to put on a strong face for God or to pretend to be like Mother Teresa praying for world peace. If there is something bothering you, let God know about it, because He already knows and He is just waiting for you to tell Him. Have you ever had a friend, boyfriend, or even a husband, and you just knew something was bothering them? But instead of speaking to you about it, they talked to other people behind your back or just walked around with an attitude pretending like everything was all good? Don’t be like that with God. God is your father and He is the closest ally you have. More than any boyfriend, relative, or friend. So if you feel like you can talk to all those people, then you need to feel comfortable talking to God. Because He is the only one who can fix what you are going through. Become a friend of God. Let go of all those superficial prayers and sayings that you think God wants to hear or what you think a Christian is supposed to say. Don’t be fake with God. The only way a relationship can grow and get deeper is if there is trust and honesty. That is the type of relationship you want to form with God.
(You can click here to buy my Single mom’s devotional or click here or the picture below to get the first chapter free).
What it all comes down to is just be real will God just like you are being real with any other person. Get to know Him just like you would even other person. Being fake and saying a bunch of religious rituals because you want to give the appearance of a Christian is not the way to grow your relationship.
“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:7
In other words, when you pray just don’t start saying a bunch of crap just because you think it is what you are supposed to be doing when you pray. Would you do that with your real friends? If you have real friends that you are close with and tell everything to, you do not put up a front and pretend to be fake in front of your real friends. So why would you be fake in front of God? How can you become a friend if you will not allow God to really see who you are?
4. Being a Friend Of God Is Like Getting A Best Friend
Think of your closest and best friend. You talk to each other. You are real with one another. You may have even known each other for years. You may even have arguments or disagreements. There is a whole lot that goes into a real friendship. And it is the same exact way with God.
The more you spend time with Him, the more you will know Him, and the more you get to know Him, the closer you will get. It does not mean that it is perfect or that He is going to tell you everything you want to hear. There are some times where you may argue or even try to convince God. When that time comes, do not think of it as blasphemous, that is when you are truly attaining a friendship with God because that is what real friendships are about. God will never get mad at you for being honest with Him and really expressing yourself.
You will start to see Him as a friend and as a father. Someone you know and someone who knows you. Someone who is real and someone who is going to always be there for you. These things were said to me growing up, but I never understood it until I began to talk to God. Before, it just seemed like a creepy person was spying on me all the time waiting for me to sin so that He can come down and punish me and strike me with a bunch of lightning or something.
But God is not like that and He develops a unique relationship with each and every one of us because each and everyone of us are unique. The same way He talks to me is not the same way that He is going to talk to you. He becomes a friend that you need specifically to your personality and your situation. Because unlike our Earthy friends, He knows us inside and out and He know how to form a relationship with us that is uniquely to us.
5. Becoming A Friend Of God Final Points
So if you do not talk to God and you think that He does not talk to you. He does. He is always talking. Just begin to talk to Him, begin to listen, and you may be surprised at all the things He has been trying to say to you, and you have just been brushing his voice off as your imagination. Once you have mastered this, that is when you will understand what it means to be a friend of God.
If you know someone who needs to grow their relationship with God then go ahead and share this post with them.
PLUS, I have something for you. Spiritual fasting has always been a way for me and other Biblical characters to grow their relationship with God. And I have an eBook for 99 cents that will teach you exactly how to do it. Click here or the picture below to learn more.
Thank you for sharing your insight on this. When I first accepted Jesus as my Savior I often questioned if I was hearing His voice. But you are right, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you!
Thanks for your comment.
Love this post. Such a nice reminder that God is always close to us.
Lauren | http://www.basicbabelauren.com
What a beautiful perspective, Sophia. For me, I have always believed in God and did my best to be a good person. That was the extent of my relationship with God. It took extreme pain that shook me to the core to really dig into my relationship with the Lord because He was the only one that could give me that comfort, that peace I needed.
We may not understand Gods will for us but we also cannot see the big picture He sees. That is so hard for me to wrap my mind around and to expect that He IS good. No matter what happens in life, good or bad, there is nothing bigger or more powerful than the Almighty. Amen.
Thank you for sharing your testimony and your heart, Sophia. The trials never end and I’m thankful to read stories like yours that remind me to keep my eyes focus on Him.
This was exactly what I needed to know! This was straight to the point and thought provoking about my relationship with Him! Awesome read!
Thanks so much I am glad you got something out of it.