I believe in God, but I can't say I have a personal relationship with Him. In James 1:26 we are warned that one of the simplest parts of our bodies can short-circuit our walk with God—“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” A Warning. I'll mention John Owen as one example. Here's what it really means to have a personal relationship with God. What does it mean to have a relationship with God? God's presence in our lives produces peace, purpose and power. Faith gives you strength: the inner resolve to withstand turmoil. The writer of Psalm 138 says of God, "In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.” When we are right with God, we never go into turmoil alone. Answer: Religion is “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” In that respect, Christianity can be classified as a religion. O that all believers would make it a priority to grow in answering that question! Peace shows itself by the ability to properly relate to God, other persons, ourselves and our world. The Oxford English dictionary defines religion as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” 1 Under this definition, Buddhism and atheism would not be viewed as religions. What Does It Mean To Have A Personal Relationship With God? When, however, you have grown up conditioned to believe what is right and wrong according to a religious dogma, and you’ve been taught that to doubt the religion you were born into means to go to hell, naturally you become afraid of seeking knowledge. That they would join those in church history who have gone deepest in their relationship with God! I have a friend who talks about having a personal relationship with God, but I don't know what that means. However, practically speaking, Christianity has a key difference that separates it from other belief systems that are considered religions. But that does not mean we cannot approach a somewhat universal definition of what being Christian means—the common ground, if you will. Purpose provides understanding of God's desires for our lives. As followers of Christ we also need to be careful that we do not make being “religious” our primary goal. To live means to learn, and life is an ongoing lesson. Theism, the view that all limited or finite things are dependent in some way on one supreme or ultimate reality of which one may also speak in personal terms.In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, this ultimate reality is often called God.This article explores approaches to theism in Western theology and philosophy.. Theistic views of God. I mean the inner resolve to withstand turmoil. 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