How do you relate to God as a person?

Recently a wise friend asked me a penetrating question: How do you relate to God as a person? His question was anything but theoretical. Its very nature is practical. How do we, as Christians, relate daily to God as a person?

Jesus will say to some who have prophesied, cast out demons and performed mighty works,

"I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23).

It is of central importance that we learn to relate to God as a person according to His design that we not hear these terrible words.

So how do we grow in knowing God, and not merely knowing about Him?