Awakened: Choosing a Daily Relationship with Christ
Teenagers love to sleep. I’m convinced it’s their spiritual gift. If I let my 17-year-old live her life without an alarm clock, she would sleep until 2 p.m.—after going to bed at 10 p.m. Yes… that’s sixteen hours. Sixteen. Hours.
I believe our faith can look a lot like this. We’re the teenagers—spiritually snoozing our lives away, unaware of the truth—until God, through the Holy Spirit, awakens us to Jesus Christ. He is the alarm.
And when that alarm goes off, we all face the same choices:
Do you turn it off?
Do you hit snooze?
Or do you jump straight out of bed?
What we do in that moment is our choice. God loves us so much that He gives us choices, and every one of them carries either a positive or negative consequence. This is literally what I teach my girls all the time—total game changer when you start seeing life like that. (I digress… lol.)
Why Relationship Matters Most
When we share the gospel, I believe the most important thing new believers need to hear—truly hear—is how essential a relationship with Jesus is. Not religion. Not rules. Not perfection. Relationship.
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Have you ever sat in church and listened to the gospel message? That’s where I first asked Jesus into my heart. I am forever grateful for those messages. But it wasn’t until I kept going back—sitting in church, listening, learning—that I finally understood how important it is to actually have a relationship with Jesus.
I believe the gospel is true. God loved us so much that He sent His Son as the final sacrifice and I do believe Jesus died for our sins and rose again.
And I believe something else: the whole purpose of being spiritually “woken up” is so we can know Jesus and have eternal life with the Father.
All I have is my story and what the bible says. I asked God if He was real… and He answered by showing me a giant Jesus sign. To me, this means that his answer to believing whether or not he is real pointed me to Jesus Christ. I believe that he told me to learn about and get to know Jesus!
Titus 3:5- “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
Renewal only comes from knowing Christ. My response to God waking me up (the alarm clock) was “MORE JESUS.” I didn’t hit snooze—I jumped right out of bed. I needed to learn about him. I needed to know Him.. And through reading Scripture, talking with people who love Him, and being part of a Bible-teaching church, I learned that the most important thing I could ever do… is talk to Jesus just like I’m starting a relationship with my new best friend.
Talking to Jesus Changes Everything
When I first started talking to Jesus, it felt so awkward. I honestly felt like a crazy lady.
“Um… hey God. Ahhhh, not really sure what to say… pause, pause, pause… okay, I’ll try again tonight. Amen.”
Then as time went on—and I kept going to church every Sunday, learning, growing—I just kept trying to talk to God. And it slowly became easier.
“Hey God… so… I just want you to know that I feel very sad all the time. I’ve been told You help people… maybe you can help me? Ahhhhh… pause, pause, pause… okay, I’ll try again later.”
The best part of all of this is that God meets you right where you’re at. It’s amazing how those unsure, awkward little prayer moments are actually the beginning of a real relationship with God—God Almighty, all-knowing, all-loving.
The whole purpose of prayer is to depend on Him. He loves you, and He wants you to lean on Him for everything. He is such a loving Father that He actually wants to give you the deepest desires of your heart.
Talking to Jesus leads to heart change.
Talking to Jesus brings Heaven into your everyday life.
Talking (Knowing) to Jesus leads you straight to God the Father—through the Holy Spirit AKA Salvation!
For me, and for anyone who truly understands what we’ve received through Christ, the natural response is gratitude. And honestly, it’s all supernatural anyway. The only real choice I make each day is to continue my relationship with Jesus. To follow Him. To say yes when He calls. To obey even when I don’t fully understand.
Jesus, to me, is my foundation, my cornerstone. I take everything to Him—my struggles with navigating life with a teenage daughter, figuring out boundaries with people, even how I’m supposed to teach and guide my kids. Jesus truly is my all in all. When I talk to Him about everything, He gives wisdom and guidance in abundance.
He is so faithful to teach me as I go. It’s hard to explain, but I just know the direction He’s pointing me in. Sometimes I wrestle with it. Sometimes I talk it out, get stubborn, or flat-out say “no” to what He wants—but He keeps nudging me. And those nudges come from taking everything to Him, from intentionally cultivating this relationship.
And the result? Peace that surpasses all understanding.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:7
That peace? I couldn’t manufacture it if I tried.
Do You Believe in Jesus?
What’s stopping you from getting to know Him?
I promise—truly—that only good can come from walking with Jesus.
Talk to Him like you would your best friend. He’s listening.
Prayer
Dear heavenly father God, I lift up this blog to you, God I pray that whoever reads this blog sees you. Lord, I pray that they desire to see you and to build a relationship with you. Those who have a relationship with you, God I pray that they see you so clearly! That they would focus on you always! You are such an awesome God, a wonderful friend and I know that you love each and everyone of us!! I know with all of my heart that you are the answer and I pray that the peace that you give me finds others who need you so they also can know you more and have a peace in their souls that surpasses all understanding! My biggest prayer is that all would come to know you! Thank you, Jesus!! I love you and I trust you!
Discussion Questions
Which “alarm response” do you relate to most—turning it off, hitting snooze, or jumping out of bed? Why?
What does “relationship with Jesus” look like in your daily life right now?
What’s one obstacle that keeps you from going deeper with Him?
