Personal Relationship with the Lord

Developing a Deep Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ 

Establishing a Prayer Altar in Your Heart

As Christians grow in spiritual maturity, we hunger for an deep personal relationship with Jesus, but at the same time we sometimes feel confused over how to go about it. How do you get closer to the invisible God? How do you hold a conversation with someone who doesn't audibly talk back? Yet, the scriptures tell us we know His voice.. The essence of a deeper personal relationship, especially with Jesus, requires sharing.
Jesus has already shared with you through His Gospels. Even though they are not exhaustive biographies of Jesus of Nazareth, they give us a compelling portrait of him. If you read those four accounts carefully, you will come away knowing the secrets of his heart. The more you study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the better you'll understand who Jesus is. When you meditate on his parables, you'll discover the love, compassion, and tenderness that flow from him. As you read about Jesus healing people thousands of years ago, you begin to grasp that our Living God can reach out from heaven and touch your life and others today. Through reading God's Word, your relationship with Jesus begins to take on new and deeper significance.
Jesus revealed his emotions. He got angry at injustice, and disrespect for the Father, showed concern about a hungry crowd of his followers, and cried when his friend Lazarus died. But the greatest thing is how you, personally, can make this knowledge of Jesus your own. He wants you to know him.
What Jesus Wants You to Share....when you have a deep relationship with someone else, you trust them enough to share your secrets. As God, Jesus already knows everything about you anyway, but when you choose to tell him what's hidden deep within you, it proves you trust him. Trust is hard. You've probably been betrayed by other people, and when that happened, maybe you swore you'd never open up again. But Jesus loved you and trusted you first. He laid down his life for you. That sacrifice has earned him your trust. Many of your secrets may be sad, like mine. It hurts to bring them up again and give them to Jesus, but that is the path to intimacy. If you want the closest of relationships with Jesus, you have to risk opening your heart. There's no other way. When you share yourself in relationship with Jesus, when you talk to him often and step out in faith, he will reward you by giving you more of himself. Stepping out takes courage, and it takes time. Held back by our fears, we can move beyond them only through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

It is also so important to understand just how very much He longs for you to come to him seeking His company, setting aside a part of your day, ( first fruits) to spend with Him through His Word, in praise, worship, and prayer
Over time Bible verses will take on new meaning for you. The bond will grow stronger. In small doses, life will make more sense. Gradually you will sense that Jesus is there, listening to your prayers, answering through Scripture and promptings in your heart. A sureness will come upon you that something wonderful is happening. You will learn to sense his voice speaking directly to you. Jesus never turns away anyone who seeks him. He will give you every help you need to build an intensely personal relationship with him. Before long you will derive so much joy from each encounter that you will run to your prayer altar you are establishing in your heart.