How to Get Closer to God: 3 Ways of Practice

The Bible says: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

As believers in God, we all know that it’s very important to draw near to God and have a normal relationship with God. Then, do you know exactly how to get closer to God? Below, we will fellowship about the three paths of how to get closer to God, which will enable our relationship with God to become closer.

1. Pray to God With a Concentrated Heart

God’s words say: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

“First, begin from the aspect of prayer. Pray with undivided attention and at fixed times. No matter how pressed you are for time, how busy your work, or what befalls you, pray every day as normal, and eat and drink God’s words as normal.”

From God’s words we can see that if we want to draw near to God and build a normal relationship with God, the most crucial step is to quiet ourselves before God and pray to Him with a concentrated heart. This is a lesson that we are in urgent need of entering. Because we will encounter all kinds of outside people, matters and things every day that often disturb and occupy our hearts, and quite often our prayers just cling to rules and are just spoken as a formality without really meaning any of it—such prayers are not sincere and God doesn’t approve of them. So, if we wish to get closer to God and have a normal relationship with God, we should first let go of all rules and practices, withdraw our hearts from all people, events and things and focus on quieting ourselves before God, and pray to Him with a sincere heart, speak to Him from the heart and tell Him about our true difficulties to seek His will. Only in this way can we gain the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit, and can our relationship with God become more and more normal.

For example, when our hearts are disturbed by some people, events and things and we thus shun God, we can pray to God with a concentrated heart: “God, my stature is too small and my heart is disturbed by these people, matters, things and environments, and has shunned You. May You care for and protect me so that my heart may be quiet before You, not be disturbed by these external things and not grow apart from You.” When we encounter various difficulties and problems, we should be open and sincere with God, speak to Him from our hearts, tell Him about our real states and difficulties, seek God’s will and the path of practice…. If we always pray like this and speak from the heart, God sees our hearts are honest and that we are not going through the motions, He will work on us, and no matter what situation we experience, He will enlighten, guide and move us so that our hearts don’t leave Him. This way, with God’s guidance, our relationship with God will become even closer.

2. Pray-read and Ponder God’s Words Often

God’s words say: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

“Because you are always pondering God’s words, and your heart is always drawing close to God and always being occupied with the current words of God, those negative things will fall away from you without you realizing it. When new and positive things occupy you, negative old things will have no place, so do not pay attention to those negative things. You need not make an effort to control them. You should focus on being at peace before God, eat, drink, and enjoy God’s words as much as you can, sing hymns in praise of God as much as you can, and let God have a chance to work on you, because God now wants to perfect humanity personally, and He wants to gain your heart; His Spirit moves your heart and if, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you come to live in God’s presence, you will satisfy God.”

Today’s fast-paced life often keeps us busy for our jobs, families, and careers, so that we neglect reading God’s words, cannot quiet our hearts before God, and grow further and further away from God. So if we want to get closer to God and build a normal relationship with God, we must read and ponder God’s words every day. The more we treasure and read God’s words and ponder His will and requirements in them, the more the Holy Spirit will touch our hearts and enlighten and illuminate us to understand the truth and God’s will. This way, our hearts will often be occupied by God’s words and we will gain the work of the Holy Spirit and gain the life sustenance from God. Just like the Lord Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that vivifies; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

Take when we read the Lord Jesus’ words: “Truly I say to you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3), for example. We know from these words that God has the essence of credibility and so likes honest people and requires us to be simple, honest people, and that only honest people can be saved by God and enter the kingdom of heaven. So then, what does it actually mean to be an honest person? What are the standards for an honest person? Could it be that they merely refer to not lying? If we continue seeking God with these questions, God will lead us to understand that not only do the honest no longer tell a lie, but most importantly, they harbor no deceit or cheating in their hearts, can give their hearts to God, can believe in and love God with their hearts, and can be pure and open with God. In addition, honest people deceive neither God nor man, and don’t make deals, harbor motives or seek demands when they expend for God.

After understanding God’s requirements, we reflect on our actions and behavior, and we then see that we are still capable of involuntarily lying and deceiving to protect our own interests, and that our expending for God is not out of love for God or to satisfy God, but to gain blessings and crowns. Once our desires are unfulfilled, we misunderstand and blame God and even betray God, etc. We are far from God’s requirements for honest people. After we see our defects, we will have a direction and a purpose for our practice of the truth in our daily lives and will consciously forsake the flesh, practice God’s words and be honest people when things happen to us. This way, we will feel peace and assurance in our hearts and get ever closer to God. So, reading and pondering God’s words often is a necessary practice for us to get closer to God and have a normal relationship with God.

3. Seek the Truth in All Things

After we were corrupted by Satan, we all began to worship money, power, status, and enjoyment, and are often attracted and tempted by these things. When we see someone get a promotion or a raise, drive an expensive car or live in a luxury house, or see their children test into college, our hearts will be disturbed. We will even think that we are losing out by giving up worldly pleasures for our belief in God and so will want to chase worldly trends as well. Our hearts will thus stray further and further from God. So, this requires us to be quiet before God and seek the truth to find a path of practice in all things.

God’s words say: “If, ordinarily, you do not let anything slide in matters great or small, if your every thought and idea is purified, and if you are quiet in your spirit, then whenever you encounter some issue, My words will immediately be inspired within you, like a bright mirror for you to check yourself against, and you will then have a way forward. This is called suiting the medicine to the illness! And the condition will surely be cured—such is the omnipotence of God. I will surely illuminate and enlighten all those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and who search with sincerity. I will show to all of you the mysteries of the spiritual world and the way forward, cause you to cast off your old corrupt dispositions as soon as possible, so that you may achieve life maturity and be fit for My use.” God’s words show us that no matter whether we encounter big or small things, we should be always quiet before God, seek the truth, discern right and wrong and find a path of practice. This way, we won’t be disturbed and constrained by various people, events and things or distance ourselves from God.

For example, when we see someone get a promotion or get rich, we’ll inevitably be tempted and disturbed by these things. However, if we draw near to God and seek the truth, we will realize that we believe in God to pursue the truth and gain life, while pursuing wealth is for the sake of fleshly enjoyment. This involves the matter of choosing the path in life. The Lord Jesus said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Pursuing the truth and gaining life is so precious and no amount of money is worth trading for our life. No matter what physical enjoyments we have, they are all temporary and not real happiness, much less can they enable us to gain God’s approval. If we lose the opportunity to pursue the truth and be saved by God in order to earn money, then we will lose the meaning of believing in God. When we seek the truth through drawing near to God, we will have a direction and a purpose for our practice—we will be able to reject the temptations of money, fame and fortune, and obey God’s sovereignty and arrangements. Then we will feel a sense of release and freedom in our hearts.

Clearly, it is very important to seek the truth when things befall us. Through seeking the truth, we will understand God’s will and have correct practices. Our heart will no longer be disturbed by these things, and we will gain confidence in believing in God and pursuing the truth. If we don’t draw near to God and seek the truth, we will be disturbed by all kinds of people, matters and things, and will even feel that faith in God is too hard and be even in danger of shunning and betraying God.

As long as we practice and enter according to the above three paths of how to get closer to God, our hearts will often live before God, and we will build a normal relationship with God and grow in life more quickly.

Editor’s Note: After reading this article, do you know how to get closer to God? If this article has been helpful to you, please share it with others so that they too may find the paths of how to get closer to God. If you have any further confusion or questions, please feel free to contact us using the online chat buttons at the bottom.