5 more ways to deepen your relationship with God

In our last blog post, we went through 5 ways that we can deepen our relationship with God. In this blog post, we’re going to discuss 5 more ways to deepen your relationship with God. 

#1 – Remove distractions

So what are distractions? Distractions are anything that turn our attention away from something we want to concentrate on, which in this case is God. Distractions can come in many forms in our lives.. phones, TV, netflix, friends, family, parties, drinking, music, exercise, eating, literally anything! Satan doesn’t care what that something that distracts us is, all he cares is that we are distracted and aren’t focusing on God. “If the enemy can’t destroy you he will distract you,” is a quote that has been circling around for quite some time, and it’s so true! 

So what does scripture say about distractions and overcoming them?

• Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Let’s fill our minds with good, godly things and pursue him first. Test the things around you. Are they good, acceptable and perfect and pushing you closer to God, or not? It’s on us to be intentional about making sure we aren’t being caught up in the things of this world.
• Another great verse we can look at in the Bible is Colossians 3:1-2 which reads “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Here, we see the importance of setting our mind on things above. If we focus on the things of this world, like the latest TV show, gaming, relationships, or anything else, above our relationship with God, we will put ourselves in a position where we can’t grow our relationship with Him. 
  

So in order for us to deepen our relationship with God we need to do things like praying, fasting and reading the Bible, and it’s really hard to do this, if not impossible, if we are constantly distracted. So let’s be intentional about keeping our eyes focused on God. 

#2 – Seek humility

So we know it’s important, but what are some ways that we can humble ourselves to God?

1. Be thankful – when we are thankful to God we stop pride growing. Acknowledge all of the incredible things God does for you all throughout the day.
2. Confess your sins regularly – when we confess our sins, we are reminded of our sin nature and our need for a saviour. 
3. Pray for humility – if humility is something you struggle, take it to God and ask for help to grow in this area.
4. Be willing to take on corrections from those around you – if you are surrounded by good, godly people they will call you out on any pride they see in your life. It’s not always easy to take it on, but know that they are telling you because they love you. 
5. Get in the habit of putting others before yourself – one great quote is “humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Pursue serving the people around you, just as Christ did for us.  

Matthew 23:10-12 says “Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” It’s vital for us to humble ourselves in order to grow deeper in our relationship with God.

#3 – Surround yourself with people who will encourage and sharpen you

So what are some ways that we can sharpen others or allow ourselves to be sharpened?

• Have honest conversations with the people around you and share what you’re going through.
• Praise the people around you in public – encouragement goes a long way!
• Correct anyone in private, not in front of others – Matthew 18:15-18 gives good guidance about how to correct another if you need it.
• Speak hope and possibility into peoples lives – think about the best that God has for them. 

Surrounding yourself with people who will encourage, sharpen and speak God’s best into your life puts you in a place to be able to grow closer to God and take your relationship to the next level.

#4 – Confess your sins

For many, having sin in their life brings on huge feelings of being condemned. Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” John 3:17 also says “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” 

There is no condemnation for those in Christ. Jesus came to save us and set us free from the grips of sin and death so instead of feeling condemned for our sin, we can approach the throne of grace with boldness. Confession of sin helps us grow in our understanding of the depth of sin and the impact it has on us, and the breath of Jesus’ atonement. We grow in our appreciation of the incredible gift of Jesus, from God, and his unbelievably glory and magnificence.

#5 – Pursue holiness

The Bible is very clear about why we should pursue holiness:

• Romans 12:1 says “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” As Christians, we need to be constantly presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice – this means we need to put down our sinful, fleshly desires and pursue a life of holiness and being set apart from the world.
• Another verse is found in 1 Peter 1:14-16 which reads “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” Peter makes it very clear that we need to be holy, as God is. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to help us be more like Jesus and to convict us of our sin, so lean on Him to help you in this area. 

Without a doubt pursuing holiness is one of the best ways that we can deepen our relationship with God. The more we become like Jesus, the closer we’ll be walking with our heavenly Father. 

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