Our guest today on the Everyday Faith Podcast is Andrew Steier, a husband, father, pastor, and founder of Always Going & Overflow Evangelism. In our interview, we learned about how Andrew went from being a fake Christian to a fully alive, fully surrendered Christian, and how a healthy relationship with Jesus creates health in every area of our lives. Today, you’ll learn how to reconnect with God and learn how to get to a place where evangelism isn't hard.
Starting With Fake Christianity
Before Andrew was born, his parents were missionaries in Japan. Unfortunately, his father developed arthritis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and had to return to America. Andrew grew up, as he likes to say, a “Baptist-pastors kid from nowhere, North Dakota.” Andrew grew up fully immersed in the Church, but not believing any of it. He faked his Christianity all throughout his school years. When he got to college, Andrew was excited to renounce his faith and choose his own way.
However, six months in, Andrew didn’t want life without God. He remembers thinking, “If this is life without You, I don’t want that – I need life with You.” On the floor of his dorm room, Andrew prayed the prayer of salvation and fully surrendered to Jesus.
If you’ve never accepted Jesus into your heart, today is your day! Head to our page on salvation and receive Jesus as Lord today: This is For You!
Learning Relationship Before Obedience
“Obedience follows intimacy, but intimacy doesn’t follow after obedience.”
At the Everyday Faith Podcast, we believe you can live out your faith every day by starting with belief, embracing your mission, committing to obedience, and pursuing community. However, your relationship with God is the most important part. That’s where everything stems from. As we see in the Bible, Jesus teaches us that:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5
During our interview with Andrew, he shared with us that obedience meant he’d be approved of. He skipped being present to God to try and perform for God. But over time, Jesus began to heal that part of his heart and repair their relationship.
“God is not opposed to effort. He's opposed to earning.”
It’s incredible to know that God doesn’t want your obedience; He wants you. Obedience is the fruit of a healthy relationship with God. When we’re connected to the vine, Jesus, we start living like Him – not out of a place of obligation, but out of a place of love.
Learn more about the love of God in our blog: 15 Bible Verses About God Loving You No Matter What
Starting Always Going & Overflow Evangelism
A few years into ministry, Andrew started two ministries of his own: Always Going and Overflow Evangelism. Andrew wants to encourage Christians to get so comfortable with sharing their faith that it’s as exciting as sharing the best new flavor of ice cream you’ve ever had with someone. When your identity in God is secured and your relationship with God is thriving, it becomes simple to share the Gospel with others. You just want people to meet the same God that you know!
Throughout our interview, Andrew shared many stories about what everyday evangelism looks like in his life. You can hear all those and more by watching our podcast on YouTube: A Journey to Genuine Belief | Pt. 1 with Andrew Steier
Bible Verses For Staying Connected to God
Throughout Andrew’s walk with God, he’s learned that connection to God is of utmost importance. Through scriptures about staying connected to God and daily prayer, Bible reading, and gratitude, Andrew has seen his relationship with God flourish. Your relationship with God can be healed, repaired, and thriving once again. Read these 7 Bible verses for staying connected to God to fuel your faith and bring joy to your walk with God.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” - John 15:4
This Bible verse about staying connected to God is encouraging words from Jesus Himself! When you think of yourself as a branch that’s snugly attached to the vine, Jesus, you’ll find that you naturally produce fruit. And what is the fruit of the Christian life? The fruits of the spirit! Things like love, patience, gentleness, and self-control are examples of the fruits of the Spirit that demonstrate our connection to God. Scriptures about staying connected to God also mention “fruit” as a metaphor for sharing your faith, leading others to salvation, having a lifestyle of generosity, and even praying for the sick.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” - John 14:27
Bible verses about staying connected to God are found all throughout the book of John. This specific scripture about staying connected to God invites us to receive the special kind of peace that Jesus offers. It isn’t a shaky or inconsistent peace like the comforts of this world. It’s a supernatural gift from Jesus himself that calms our minds, steadies our hearts, and helps us stay connected to God.
Learn more about peace in our blog: Can We Have Joy & Peace in Difficult Times?
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. - James 4:8
This Bible verse about staying connected to God promises us that when we take the first step to draw near to God, He will be faithful to draw near to us. We never have to worry about rejection or walking on eggshells with God. Bible scriptures about staying connected to God show us that God is drawn to humility. Once we’re with Him, He calls us to clean out the “double‑minded” habits that are keeping us stuck. By purifying our hearts, we open the door for genuine intimacy with Him. It’s a simple invitation: come close, and He’ll meet you right there.
Get inspired about staying connected to God, even when He feels far: 11 Bible Verses for When You Feel Far From God
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13
When you search for God with everything you’ve got—heart, mind, and soul—you’ll actually find Him waiting. Bible verses about staying connected to God assure us of this. It’s not a vague promise; it’s a personal guarantee that wholehearted seeking leads to real encounters with Jesus. The deeper your desire, the clearer His presence becomes. So dive in fully, and expect to discover Him in the most unexpected places.
Related Post: Bible Verses About Freedom in Christ
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. - Psalm 63:1
Bible verses about staying connected to God often use imagery from nature to paint pictures for us. Imagine you’re wandering in a desert, desperate for water, but can’t seem to find any – that’s an image of the raw hunger that each of us has for God (whether we know it yet or not!) Scriptures about staying connected to God show us that nothing else truly satisfies our souls like Him. Whether you’re in a mountain top season, a season that feels like a valley, or somewhere in between, you will always need the spiritual water that Jesus offers!
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”. - Matthew 6:33
This Bible verse about staying connected to God is another quote from Jesus Himself. Jesus tells us to put God’s kingdom and place His righteousness front and center— like setting the GPS before a road trip. When we do this and prioritize Him above the rest, everything else we need (food, shelter, peace) falls into place as a natural by‑product. Scriptures about staying connected to God show us a promise that God takes care of the details once we focus on Him. When you aim for His kingdom first, you’ll see the rest line up effortlessly.
Learn more about how to study the Bible and practice seeking Jesus and His kingdom: How to Study the Bible for Beginners
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6
As we’ve seen with so many other scriptures about staying connected to God, imagery is used as a metaphor to show us how to stay close to God. Imagine you’re walking a winding trail blindfolded (how intense!) What do you feel? What are you thinking about? Do you trust the person leading you? Sometimes, trusting God is like having a blindfold on and letting Jesus guide you instead. Scriptures about staying connected to God ask us to ditch our own limited logic and hand over the steering wheel to His wisdom and His presence. When we do so, He smooths out the bumps in us and points us toward the straightest path. Bible verses about staying connected to God keep us humble by having us lean on God’s insight, knowing He’s got the perfect route mapped out for us.
Learn more about how to trust the Lord on your journey with our blogs: 9 Bible Verses on How to Trust the Lord & Katherine’s Story: Learning How to Trust God
Conclusion
As you can see, repairing your relationship with God isn’t about ticking boxes or earning points—it’s about reconnecting with the One who loves you unconditionally. While obedience, evangelism, and community are essential to your faith journey, connection with God and a firm foundation of belief are super important to healthy Christianity. Like Andrew discovered through the years, the journey to a thriving relationship with God starts with honesty, intimate fellowship with Jesus, and then, as your cup is being filled, you’ll naturally overflow God’s love into others. Through stories like Andrew’s and Bible verses about staying connected to God, you can find hope, healing, and joy in the Christian life.
We invite you to take a moment today to pause, breathe, and invite Jesus back into the center of your life. Pray this prayer today:
“Jesus, I want to know you more. Sometimes I feel like You’re far away, but I want You close. Help me to grow my prayer life, help me to desire to read the Bible, help me to run from temptation, and help me to choose you, even when I don’t feel like it. Your way is the best way and I want You at the center of my life. I surrender to You afresh, today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
Further Reading:
50 Bible Verses Every Christian Should KnowHow to Explain the Gospel Using Just One Verse 20 Bible Verses About God’s Love For You
