Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 (NKJV)

This is article is especially for those of you who are yet to discover a personal relationship with God. In addition, it’s also for those of you interested in my testimony. Okay…without further ado…this is how it all started:

We’re a family of 4 (consisting of parents and 2 children), and my brother and I enjoyed a reasonably healthy childhood and were raised based on Roman Catholic values. As such, I knew about Jesus Christ, but didn’t know (or never realized) that I could actually possess a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior. I guess the notion of Him being aaalll the way up there in Heaven and not being able to see him kinda clouded my comprehension that a personal and intimate relationship with Him was attainable.

During my teenage years, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I was approached by fellow students who were sharing the Gospel (the good news) of Salvation thru Christ Jesus. They asked me if I desired salvation and explained that it was only attainable thru Jesus Christ. Since I couldn’t recall ever accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I decided to “play it safe” and allowed them to guide me through the sinner’s prayer. I don’t recall the exact date of this wonderful event, but in retrospect I now understand that my walk with Jesus – or rather His walk with me – started since then. Yes, He was walking with me…., because I remained extremely distant from Him and God the Father for many years given my lack of knowledge and proper spiritual guidance.

Years later, I finally decided to accept (one of many) invitations to attend a non-Catholic church service. I enjoyed that service immensely: I had found something that I didn’t realize I’d been searching for nor needed. The Minister at said service had conveyed a powerful message and gave an in depth explanation of the Word of God.

Consequently, I started spending a lot of time reading the Bible and looking at televised religious programs. To this day I enjoy studying the Bible as well as practical Bible teaching messages conveyed by i.e. Joyce Meyer and TD Jakes. About 3 years ago I also started tuning in to programs hosted by Joel Osteen and highly recommend his book “Your Best Life Now” to anyone interested in acquiring information as to how to live life whilst achieving their full potential. Another book that I highly recommend is entitled "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. If you’re wondering about the purpose of life, this book will definitely give you some valuable insight.

I’ve been proper nurturing my spiritual life for 7 going to 8 years now, and I continue to grow in knowledge and understanding of the things of Almighty God. I’m grateful to Him for not giving up on me, and for the wonderful things I’ve experienced and still am experiencing.

Over the years I’ve gradually learned how to “draw near to Him” and I’m truly experiencing His promise to “draw near to those who draw near to Him”. It’s an amazing, fulfilling, and wonderful journey whilst in an intimate relationship with God. I for one am convinced that it has absolutely nothing to do with neither religion nor related traditions for we (Bible-believing Christians from all denominations ie Adventists, Baptists, Catholics, Jews, Jehovah witnesses, Methodists, etc.) can all learn from each other. However, it IS about enjoying (having, possessing) an intimate relationship with God. It’s my sincere prayer that you will be inspired to seek and discover that it is possible to have such a relationship. Be encouraged to “Draw near to God and He will certainly draw near to you”.