Girls Night #269: What it Looks like to Begin a Relationship with God (Even if you Have Questions!)
IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
What it means to have a relationship with God
How to actually begin a relationship with God
The life change you should expect to see in becoming a Christian
How to put your full hope and trust in God, even when you cannot physically see Him
How to deal with some of the doubts you might have with faith and trusting in God
(You can also listen right here!👇)
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!
I’m so excited because today we’re revisiting an amazing conversation I had with my dear friend, Hanna Seymour, a few years ago. If this is your first time meeting her, Hanna is an amazing writer, mentor, Bible teacher, and she’s the host of an incredible podcast called No Matter What with Hanna Seymour. She’s also one of my closest friends, and I just love the conversation we have in store for you!
Here’s a little bit of background on this episode before we dive in:
So, awhile back, I got a message from one of our listeners that just stopped me in my tracks. I’m going to read it to you.
She said, “Hey Stephanie, I have been listening to Girls Night for awhile now, and hearing you and your guests talk a lot about God and having a relationship with Him. I am not a Christian, but I think I might want to be one. I think I might want to have a relationship with God, but I’m not sure what that really means, or where to start. Can you help me?”
I LOVED her question because I remember exactly where I was when I was asking the very same thing. Also, as I was writing her back, I realized that there really aren’t very many resources to help with this specific moment in faith.
If you go to church, or read a book about Christianity, or listen to a Christian podcast, you’re usually walking in the middle of the story. It’s sort of assumed that you’ve started the journey, that you have some background information about God and Jesus, and for a lot of us, that’s not true.
When I became a Christian, I didn’t know ANYTHING about God or Jesus. I had been to church a few times, but I didn’t remember a thing from it. I really was starting from square one. (You’ll get to hear more of that story today!)
In this episode, you’ll hear me ask Hanna all of the questions I was asking at the very beginning of my faith journey.
Questions like:
What does it mean to have a relationship with God?
How do we actually begin a relationship with God?
What kind of life change should we expect to see in becoming a Christian? And what if we become a Christian but our lives don’t really change? What do we do then?
How do we put our full hope and trust in God, even when we can’t physically see Him?
And that’s just the beginning.
If you are new to your faith journey, or if you’re like, “I’m not a Christian, but I have some questions,” this episode is for you.
But also, if you’ve been a Christian for awhile, or even for your whole life, this episode is for you too.
I think so many of us come to a place where our faith just feels a little bit stale. We’ve been doing this forever, and so in some ways, it’s become routine. I know for others of us, we’ve been a Christian for a long time, but we’ve never really had a big transformation moment with God. We hear other people talk about how much God has changed their lives, and while we would LOVE to experience God in such a tangible, life-changing way, that just hasn’t been our story.
If you’re in either of those places, I know this episode will really help.
Guys, I have to be honest with you: This is my favorite episode about faith that we have ever done here on the podcast, and I can’t wait to dive in.
PIN ME!
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
✨ Order my book: Create a Life You Love ✨
Steph’s book, The Lipstick Gospel (here’s a paperback copy and here’s a free digital download!)
Steph’s prayer journals, Every Single Moment and The Between Places
Hanna’s podcast: No Matter What
Past episodes with Hanna:
Girls Night #12: A Married Gals Guide to Great Sex
Girls Night #19: The 20-Something Girl's Survival Guide
Girls Night #33: Christian Dating Rules: What are They and are we Supposed to Follow Them?
Girls Night #34: How do you Keep God at the Center of Your Relationship?
Girls Night #49: Newlywed 101: How to Navigate Newlywed Life
Quotes Mentioned:
"God is not vanilla and boring shoes...He is life beyond life" - Stephanie
"I didn't think I needed God, until I did" - Stephanie
"You cannot do this life of following Jesus alone" - Hanna
"Because I gave over this thing that I was holding onto...He was able to swoop in and do so much in my life" - Stephanie
"God wants your whole heart" - Hanna
“A whole lot of what we call ‘struggling’ is simply delayed obedience.” - Elisabeth Elliot
"You get to be on this earth and reflect uniquely a piece of Him (God) that no one else can" - Hanna
"The second you place your faith in Jesus, God sees you as perfect, pure, holy, righteous, new" - Hanna
“There's nothing you can do that will make God love you more or less” - Hanna
"His love never changes for you" - Hanna
"I'm not doing things to be loved, I'm doing things because I am loved" - Stephanie
“God knows 100% of me...and yet He still unconditionally loves me” - Hanna
Scripture Mentioned:
Genesis 3:8
Romans 10:9-10
Romans 10:13
Bible Chapter Hanna suggests to start with - Luke
CONNECT WITH HANNA
Facebook // Website // Instagram