There Are Three Primary Stages To A Believer’s Relationship With God:
1. The introductory stage: the stage in which a believer gets to know God. The believer’s love for God is based on what he/she has learned about God; i.e., who God is; what God has done for them; and what God has planned for them.
- The Connection Stage: the stage in which the believer begins to really connect the Personality of God to the Word of God. During this developmental stage the believer begins to associate the Word of God to their Relationship with God; Trusting God is to trust His Word. Believing God’s word is to believe God. The more of God’s word a believer learn the stronger his/her faith and trust in God becomes. The stronger a believer’s faith and trust, the closer the believer grows to God. And the closer a believer get to God the more the believer loves God.
(This is the stage that many remain at for extended periods of time before going to the final stage)
- The Discipleship Stage: The Building/Making Stage – Jesus said to His disciples; “follow Me and I will make you….” (Mark 1:17)
This is the stage where the Lord provides the necessary equipping, enabling and empowering of believers for Kingdom Service. Whatever one needs whether it is more love for God and or others; a greater level of commitment; increase faith, etc., he/she will be enabled, equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit as they follow Christ to receive what is needed.The question for is not whether we really need or want Jesus; the real question for us is do we need Jesus more than we want Him? A lot of people get saved (in my opinion) for the wrong reasons; some get saved because they do not want to go to hell. Others get save because they want to escape the life of hell they are in on earth. To God, it doesn’t really matter why one chooses to become saved, what really matter is why they choose to stay saved. If their reasons for remaining saved don’t grow beyond their initial reasons for getting saved, then they have failed to see the ultimate truth.
The ultimate truth of the matter is God saves us because He loves us. Jesus died for us because He loves us. And when this truth penetrates our hearts loving God becomes the reason why we choose to stay saved, not just the fear of hell or the escape of hell on earth.
If you continually to talk to God as your Father daily praying in Jesus’ name you will find yourself desiring to talk with God more and more. This is the making of a “Craving Heart”. Those who have a “craving heart” don’t just want Jesus they need Jesus.
