One of the more popular phrases you will hear in Christian culture today is that Christianity is a relationship not religion. How do we move from religion to relationship? It may be helpful to understand that God never intended for it to be separate. It has always been His intention that His people serve Him out of loving relationship. So what happened?

Sin

It is sin in the flesh which causes the divide and man in his own effort tries to work for God, please God, and even earn his salvation. God in all of His wisdom fixed the problem by sacrificing His Son and sending His Spirit to inhabit His people, making it absolutely impossible to obey God without relationship! So why do we still see the divide today?

Many have not yet learned to relate to God in the new manner.

The way in which we do life with God has changed! No longer do we look to external standards and expectations to dictate our living. We have a new way to relate to God, through life in the Spirit. In order to enjoy the life Christ died to give us, we must learn to live life in the Spirit.

John 4:34 (ESV) says, “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.’” Jesus is speaking on a spiritual level, and the food He speaks of nourishes abundant life. Jesus came to live in physical form to show us how to live life completely in sync with God through the Holy Spirit. We cannot experience His presence, His pleasure, and His life without obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets wrote that God will put His law within our hearts (Psalm 40:8), and the Holy Spirit is revealing His law to each of us in a very personal way. God desires to have an intimate relationship in which He can speak to us about the details of our life. We learn obedience to His Spirit as a lifestyle.

God’s Will

Often, we see God’s will as a destination, something to be found and hit like a target. However, I see His will as a way or a flow. He is a living and breathing God, constantly moving in our midst. I see His Spirit as a steady moving train. We have the opportunity, even obligation, to move and flow with Him. I find that I can hop on and enjoy the ride, or hop off and act independently. It is when I try to do life on my own that I experience loneliness, guilt, fear, and other feelings of separation.

When I do life according to the prompting and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I experience peace, joy, and satisfaction.

How do you learn to live life according to the prompting and empowerment of the Holy Spirit? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!