From Knowing About God to Walking With Him: Building a Real Relationship With Jesus

There's a difference between knowing about God and actually learning to walk with Him.

You can know the language of faith. You can go to church, listen to sermons, believe in Jesus, and know what you're supposed to do, while still feeling like you're trying to perform Christianity correctly.

My new friend Amanda describes herself as a "baby Christian," even though Jesus has been part of her story for most of her life.

At 51, something shifted.
Amanda describes it as moving from being a believer to becoming a disciple.

In this episode of Perspectives Into Practice, Amanda and I talk about what changed when she stopped trying to come to Jesus the way she thought she was supposed to and started learning how to build an honest, personal relationship with Him.

For years, Amanda relied heavily on other people to help her understand Scripture and tell her what it meant for her life. But as she began learning how to read and study the Bible for herself, pray differently, pause, listen, and seek God's direction, her relationship with Him began to change.

She started realizing that she could bring her questions directly to God.
She could search Scripture.
She could pray for clarity.
She could wait when an answer didn't come immediately.
And she could make decisions with greater confidence because she was learning to recognize God's voice and bring everything back to His Word.

We also talk about Amanda discovering later in life that she is neurodivergent and how understanding the way her brain works helped her stop trying to experience faith exactly like everyone else.

Her relationship with Jesus didn't need to look exactly like someone else's.Neither does yours.
Amanda uses a picture I love: let God drive the boat.

That sounds great when the water is calm. It's a little harder when God changes direction, life doesn't look the way we expected, or we're making a decision and can't see where He's taking us.

But Amanda is learning that she doesn't have to grab the wheel every time the direction changes.
She can trust the One driving.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The difference between knowing about God and walking with Him

• Moving from simply believing to actively following Jesus

• Building a personal relationship with Jesus

• Learning to read and understand Scripture for yourself

• Taking questions back to God's Word

• Praying, pausing, and listening for God's direction

• Waiting when God doesn't immediately give you an answer

• Using outside resources without replacing Scripture

• Recognizing God's voice in everyday life

• Making decisions with biblical confidence

• Learning how God created you instead of trying to copy someone else's faith

• Amanda's experience discovering neurodivergence later in life

• Finding Christian community that supports how you're wired

• Becoming a doer of the Word instead of only hearing it

• Trusting God when He changes the direction of your life

• Seeing fruit begin to grow from a deeper relationship with Jesus

• Finding God in ordinary moments

• Continuing to seek Jesus even when it takes longer than you expected

One thing Amanda says at the end of our conversation really sums this up:

Don't give up.

If you've spent years believing in God but still feel like you're searching for the kind of relationship with Jesus other people talk about, keep seeking Him.
You don't have to perform your way into a relationship with Jesus.
Open His Word. Talk to Him. Ask questions. Pause. Listen. Find other believers who can walk alongside you, and keep coming back to Him.

Maybe today isn't about adding one more thing you're supposed to do as a Christian.
Maybe it's simply turning toward Jesus and asking:
What does following You look like for me today?
Then pay attention.

He may meet you in His Word, in prayer, through another believer, or in one of those ordinary moments you might normally overlook.

You can learn more about Amanda and connect with her at RegenerationRecovery.org

And if you're looking for a place to share what God is doing in your life while He's still writing the story, I'd love to invite you into The Story Haven. It's a free community where Christian women share the real, right-now stories of what God is doing, encourage one another, and build genuine relationships as we walk out our faith together. Join us at TheStoryHaven.net or search The Story Haven on your mobile device.

If God is doing something in your life right now that you feel called to share, I'd love to hear from you too. Visit PerspectivesIntoPractice.com to learn more about becoming a guest on the podcast.