How do you get Close to God Spiritually?

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8(NIV)

What would you say if someone walked up to you and asked, how do you get close to God spiritually? Maybe you’ve asked this question before, and now you’re here looking for answers.

Close to God
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The truth is most of us desire to get close to God spiritually. But we get distracted easily with the things of the world.

Our relationship with God is vital in our lives. That is why we need to be intentional about it. It’s not enough to just pray when you wake up and when you go to bed.

Those are great things to do. But to be completely honest, they aren’t the only things that will cause you to have a close relationship with God.

Through this article, you will get to learn how to get close to God. But before we discuss that, let us look at what happens when we get close to God.

What Happens when you get close to God

God doesn’t want us to draw close to him for his own benefit. The truth is God can do great all by himself. But he loves us so much and encourages us to draw close to him for our own good. Here are some of the benefits of getting close to God spiritually:

God will lead you in all Truth

All of us are seeking the truth.  We will do anything to find out the truth about ourselves and the world.  But here is the thing,  God is the only one who knows the truth.  Jesus is the truth, the way, and life.  And it is only by getting close to him that we can walk in the truth.

Getting close to God will help you to know who God is, and he will lead you in all truth.  Like any given relationship, God opens up to people who get close to him.

Instead of seeking the truth from the world about who you are, how about going to God? You will get to know the hidden things of the kingdom when you seek God first.

God will Draw Near to you

God has promised to draw near to his children when they draw near to him (James 4:8). This means that he expects us to work towards getting close to him.

God initiates the relationship by causing the Holy Spirit to convict our hearts so that we can surrender to Jesus. It is up to us to accept that invitation and to work on our relationship with him.

God will never force you to draw near to him. He will only initiate the relationship and then allow you to make the decision. 

Everything Else will be Added to you

The world encourages us to go out there and chase after material things and happiness. That is not the way the kingdom of God operates. We’ve to seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness first, and he promises to add everything to us.

It is good to work hard at your job and in taking care of your family. But how about you work harder on your relationship with God. The Bible says that the things of God are not burdensome (Matthew 11:28-30).

So you will not use all your energy in seeking the kingdom of God. If anything, you will get more energy and breakthroughs when you seek his Kingdom first.

He will make you Strong

We face so many challenges daily. Life is becoming hard by the day because the enemy is intensifying his attack on the church.

We cannot use our own strength to fight the enemy because he will win. He has been fighting man for so many years. He knows what to do if we decide to fight with him through our flesh.

But the good news is that God is our strength (Psalm 18:1). When we walk with our Father, he gives us supernatural strength to overcome challenges.

He also strengthens us so that we can stand against the wiles of the enemy. God will show you the traps and the tactics the enemy is using or planning to use against you. And how to overcome them.

Now that we know the benefits of getting close to God, let us look at how to get close to God spiritually.

Also Related: How to Connect with God: A Simple Guide.

How to Get Close to God Spiritually

How do you get Close to God Spiritually?
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Get Closer to God Through Prayer

How do you build intimate relationships with your friends and family? By talking to them, right? The same is true about your relationship with God. We cannot know who he is if we don’t spend time in his presence. God reveals the deep secrets of the kingdom to his children, those who get close to him.

In the Old Testament, people communicated with God through prophets and priests. But that is not the case today. We can go boldly into God’s throne of grace when we need to talk to God.

The wall of separation was torn into two the day Jesus was crucified. The sacrifice Jesus made for us has made it possible for us to have direct access to God in prayer. (Hebrews 4:16)

Not just that, but prayer enables God to show us his heart. Prayer not only changes us, but it opens up doors for God to use us in mighty ways.

It unlocks closed doors in our lives and enables us to understand why God loves us so much. You get to understand God’s ways intimately when you spend quality time with him.

Get Closer to God Through Fasting

Fasting is something that many believers talk about, but few do it. The idea of not eating doesn’t sit well with most of us. But if we want to get close to God, we need to crucify our flesh. And one of the ways that we can do that is by fasting. (Joel 2:12-13)

Fasting in itself doesn’t cause God to draw near to us. We cannot coarse God into getting close to us. God is always with us.

You heavenly Father will never leave or forsake you. But we, on the other hand, are ever caught up with things that we fail to hear God’s voice. Fasting helps us to discipline our bodies so that it can be in tune with the spirit of God.

Fasting will cause you to desire God in a new way. And this will, in turn, cause you to grow closer to him.

We love eating, but when we fast, we end up realizing that our desire for God is deeper than food. It also makes us sensitive to the voice of God as opposed to the desires of our flesh.

Bible Study

Transformation comes when we take the time to renew our minds. If you renew your mind with the knowledge of this world, you’ll act like the people of this world. But when you transform your mind with the word of God, you become spiritually-minded.

The Bible says that God is a spirit, and those who worship him should do it in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Now, the word of God is spirit and truth.

So when we spend time in the word, our minds stop being carnal, and we become spiritually-minded. We also get to know the truth and walk in it.

Create your own bible study time so that you can read the word and meditate on it daily. One of the best times to read the word of God is early in the morning. Starting your day with God will help you to connect with him throughout the day.

Fellowship with Other Christians

Most people love keeping their spiritual life to themselves, especially today when most of us care about being politically correct. But as children of God, we are admonished to fellowship together. We are all members of one body-Christ, and that means that we cannot function independently.

Just the way a tongue needs the mouth to function, that is the way we need each other to function. How do you get close to God spiritually through fellowship? How will fellowshipping with others help you to grow closer to God?

Well, it is by spending time with people of like faith that you are able to know more about God.

See, God reveals himself to each one of us differently. When we share our testimonies, we get to see God from a different angle than the way we know him. Hearing other people talk about their relationship with God encourages us to want to know God on a deeper level.

Repenting

Sin will block you from enjoying your relationship with God. It will cause you to run away from God instead of towards him.

It could be that you’re living in known sin, and you are wondering why you are drifting away from God. Know that the sin in your life is blocking you from enjoying God’s best.

Understand that there is now no more condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin (1John 1:7). But you should not also take God’s grace for granted.

Repent by confessing your sins to God. And transform your mind with the word so that you can be set free from the cycle of sin.

Also Related: How do you get Close to God Spiritually?

God
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Practice Gratitude

We go through so many trials as children of God that it becomes easy for us to complain. But Paul tells us to rejoice always (1Thessalonians 5:16).

We need to be deliberate about delighting in God. One of the ways that we can rejoice in God always is through practicing gratitude.

You can buy a gratitude journal to make this easier. Write down three or five things that you are grateful to God for.

Try as much as you can to ensure that each day has different things you’re grateful for. Yes, some days will be a bit easier than others, but you need to remain disciplined even in difficult times.

Find the beauty in the challenges that you are going through and then write something that you’re grateful for. Paul was in prison, but he still saw his imprisonment as a source of encouragement to some people.

He believed people would be encouraged to keep on spreading the Gospel when they found out about his sufferings.

You can also find the beauty in even pain and suffering. The more you do this, the closer you become to God.  You will get to understand God’s love and grace. 

Focus On Jesus

When we read about Jesus in the scripture, we get to know God’s character. Focusing on Jesus will help you to understand how much God loves you. You get to understand the great sacrifice God made by giving his only son on the cross for a man so that we can be free.

When we focus on Jesus, we stop focusing on ourselves, and this draws us near to God. Look, when all you do is think about yourself, you will start drifting away from God.

Why is that? It is because you will become very conscious of your flaws. When we focus on our weaknesses, we end up avoiding God because we feel condemned. We also end up misjudging who God is to us.

In conclusion

How do you get close to God spiritually is a question that many believers ask.  God created us so that he could pour his love on us. It’s the love of God that makes us feel complete.

We need to spend time in His presence through prayer, fasting, and Bible study so that we can get close to him. Practicing gratitude and repenting helps us to see God’s grace differently, and this draws us close to Him.

You don’t have to live in condemnation. Jesus Christ made it possible for each one of us to have an intimate relationship with God.

You don’t need a prophet to help you get close to God spiritually. You can enter boldly into God’s throne of grace in your time of need. God longs to have an intimate relationship with you, but it all starts when you draw near to him.

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