Baby Steps with Christ

Religion vs Relationship: How to Actually Know God

• Leigh Trupin

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Description:

In this introductory episode of Baby Steps with Christ, host Leigh Trupin—author of the award-winning book Dear New Believer, Love God—shares why this podcast exists and who it’s really for.

Although created with new believers in mind, this podcast is for anyone who has been conditioned to believe that knowing God is about rules, church attendance, Bible reading, or religious performance—rather than a personal relationship with Him.

Leigh opens up about her own journey: not growing up knowing God, believing Christianity was nothing more than expectations and religion, and trying to “do everything right” after encountering God—only to become overwhelmed, confused, and spiritually lost. What followed was a painful, life-altering spiritual battle that no church, book, or well-meaning advice could fix.

It was only when Leigh learned—directly from God—that relationship comes first, that real healing and understanding began.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • Why religion is not the same thing as relationship
  • Why church, Bible reading, and tithing are not prerequisites to knowing God
  • How spiritual confusion can happen when we skip the beginning stages
  • Why baby steps matter in your walk with God
  • The heart behind this podcast and the community Leigh hopes to build

This podcast isn’t about pressure, performance, or getting it all right. It’s about learning who God is, one step at a time, in a way that’s personal, honest, and real.

If you’re new to faith, spiritually curious, wounded by religion, or simply tired of feeling like you’re “doing it wrong,” this podcast is for you.

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👉🔗Religion vs Relationship: How to Actually Know God


Baby Steps with Christ

Welcome to the introductory episode of my new podcast, Baby Steps with Christ. I'm Leigh Trupin, author of the award-winning book, Dear New Believer Love God, and someone who walked a long, confusing, and painful road to finally understand what it really means to know and follow God. This podcast, although catered toward new believers, is for anyone that's been conditioned to believe in religion rather than a relationship with God. If you've been told there's a long list of rules of do's and don'ts you must follow in order to know God, then this podcast is for you because I'm here to tell you that's not true.

It’s Not About Religion, It’s About Relationship

Here's the truth: God wants a relationship with you. Period. He's not impressed by your church attendance, and He's not angry at the lack of it. He's not judging you by how often you read your Bible, and He's not disappointed if you haven't read it and don't know it at all. And He's not frowning upon you if you're not tithing. He cares about you. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to personally get to know Him. And how do you do that? The same way you build a relationship with anyone else: by spending time with Him, by learning who He is, by talking to Him, and by listening to what He has to say to you.

This is what I mean when I say it's not about religion, it's about relationship. You can have a real personal relationship with God, and he speaks directly to you in a way that captures your attention and in a way that you'll eventually learn to understand. I didn't grow up knowing God. I didn't even know a personal relationship with Him was possible. I'd never heard that. What I was conditioned to think, even without knowing God, was that Christians must read their Bible, must go to church, and must tithe. What I thought I knew about Christianity was shaped by culture. There was no warmth to it, no personal connection—just rules, expectation, and religion. This is what it looked like to me even as an outsider.

But have you ever heard you don't need to go to church, read the Bible, or tithe in order to have a personal relationship with God? It's true; none of these things are prerequisites for getting to know Him. That said, I'm not here to discourage these things either. They can be meaningful and helpful to your walk with God, but they aren't a "must." And they're definitely not a starting point. A relationship with God comes first. No one ever taught me that.

Traditional Teaching Failed Me

So when God introduced himself to me—and yeah, I mean He literally introduced himself to me—I wanted to get to know Him. So I did what I thought I was supposed to do. I went to church, I read the Bible, I tithed, and I got advice from people who I thought were mature Christians. But none of it worked for me. Everything was too advanced, too overwhelming. I felt like a kindergartner in a college course. You can't understand what's being taught in church and in the Bible without first knowing who God is. And you get to know him through a personal relationship.

No church I attended and no book I read started at the beginning stages with me. No one told me I can go directly to God. No one told me I could have a personal relationship with Him. And the more I tried to learn about God through these traditional ways, the more frustrated I became. The more I sought answers, the more confused I got. And the more frustrated and confused I got, the angrier I became with God. I had begun to associate God with religion. And because religion wasn't helping me, I began to resent God.

I couldn't understand why everything I was being taught to do wasn't helping me. I couldn't understand why my life was spiraling out of control. I had always heard when you follow God, your life got better. Well, mine got worse—much worse. My anger for God turned to pure hate. I wish I'd never gotten involved with Him. I became so angry with God, I hated Him so much, I eventually called out for Satan, who I didn't really believe existed at the time. I just wanted out.

The Spiritual Battle That Changed Everything

I remember standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom and telling God to just get away from me. I stared in that mirror and told God I would rather follow the devil because He couldn't hurt me any more than God did. And just like no one told me I can have a personal relationship with God and go directly to Him, no one taught me about Satan and how dangerous he could be. I had no idea calling out to Satan the way that I did would give him full power over me. And that's when I found out movie-style possessions are real, because that's exactly what happened to me next.

I had opened a door I couldn't close. I was smack dab in the middle of a spiritual battle between God and Satan. I was opened up to a spiritual world that at one time I didn't know existed. And now I was desperate to find freedom from Satan's control over me. So what did I do? I ran back to the church for help. I ran back to the Bible for guidance. And I turned to more of those supposedly mature Christians for advice. Once again, none of this helped me.

I remained in turmoil under Satan's control for four years. It took me that long to learn that the only thing that was going help me was God Himself. But do you know who taught me that? It wasn't the church. It wasn't those supposedly mature Christians. God did. He taught me everything I needed to know about Him Himself. He taught me through trials, tribulations, and eventual transformation. And although His tactics are what some would consider cruel, He taught me in the only way I was ever going to get it. No one else could have taught me that, but he did. And He taught me Himself.

I had no idea any of this was possible because no one ever told me. And if you don't experience God and Satan for yourself, you don't know that they're real. When I was going through my turmoil, I didn't have the support and guidance I needed. I felt alone. So now I want to build a community I never had. I want to teach the things that were never taught to me. That's why I started this podcast. And that's why I wrote Dear New Believer Love God, because it's the book that I was so desperate to read when I was new to all of this. I needed to be walked through the beginning stages with God in baby steps.

That's why I'm here. That's why this podcast exists. So whether you're new to faith, spiritually curious, or have been conditioned to think religion is the way, I'm here to offer you the guidance I never received, one baby step at a time. We're going to take baby steps together. And those steps will lead you toward a real relationship with God, one that's free from religious pressure.

As I dive deeper into these podcasts, I'll share my experience with you in depth. In the meantime, grab a copy of my book, Dear New Believer Love God, on Amazon, follow me on Facebook and Instagram, and visit my website, babystepswithchrist.com. There you'll find more resources to help you learn and grow in your own relationship with God. Remember, you can't understand what's being taught in church and in the Bible without first knowing who God is. And you get to know Him through a personal relationship. So together, let's take baby steps towards building a relationship with God. Here is where you grow at your own pace without any pressure. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time.

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