MAKE IT PERSONAL

A 'relationship' with God begins when you realize your need for Him, admit that you are a sinner, and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Your heavenly Father has always desired to be close to you, thus He implemented the 'plan of salvation' ... 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17

Before sin entered, Adam knew God on a personal level, actually walking with Him in the garden. Because of the fall, that intimate connection was severed and the penalty fell upon mankind. 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

Restoration of a relationship with the Father comes through faith in His Son's death, burial, and resurrection ... the only 'atonement' for sin. 

As in Adam all die, so in Christ ... all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22

The good news is your redemption is built on a better promise. Adam was a created being, but now you become a 'child' of your heavenly Father through the 'Spirit of Adoption'. 

He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will - to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6

But know this, pilgrim ... there exists an evil in these last days. 

Satan seeks to use religion to separate men from an intimate relationship with God. He agrees that you need an advocate, a 'go-between' so to speak ... but it is not Jesus Christ. 

He convinces the vulnerable that relying on a priest (or some other self-proclaimed spiritual conduit) is necessary. Obedience to the 'doctrines of men' or avowed identification with a denomination, sect, or church keeps a man from knowing the Lord personally. 

Jesus is the One who loved you enough to give His life ... and He is the One who bridges the gap between you and God. Walk with the Lord, talk with the Lord, and make your faith 'personal'.