5 ways to deepen your relationship with God

It’s pretty safe to say that we’ve all had seasons of feeling far away from God, right? That’s pretty normal, but just because this is a space you’re in right now, it doesn’t mean that you have to stay there. Wanting to grow closer to God is one thing, but how do we actually do it? Is there a set of rules we should follow? Where do you even start?

Well, the Bible tells us that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. And why would scripture tell us to do that if there was no good reason to know and be in a close relationship with God? Thankfully for us, we serve an incredible God who wants to have relationship with us, but it takes a bit of work on our side too! We can’t just sit around and expect that we’ll have a perfect relationship with God all of the time without putting any effort in. 

In this blog post, we’ll chat about 5 ways to deepen your relationship with God. It’s a great place to start, and no doubt we’ll be back soon with more ways to grow closer to God.

#1 – Discover who you are building a relationship with

In order for us to grow closer to God, we need to know who it is that we are wanting to grow closer to. For years of my life I knew who God was, but I didn’t have a close and personal relationship with Him. When we don’t truly understand who God is, it’s hard to want to have a relationship with Him. Think of some friends or family members in your life; it’s basically impossible to grow close to them if you don’t actually know them, right?

So who is God, and what does scripture say about Him? Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” This verse gives us insight into who God is. Our God is faithful and he keeps his promises to us. Because of God’s covenant with us, he promises to us that he fulfils all promises, regardless of any condition upon which we fulfil our promises to Him. He is faithful to keep promises and because of this, we can put our trust in Him. 

There are so many characteristics of God that show his immense love, grace, mercy and kindness towards us, so I’d encourage you to seek this out in the Bible. Take time to get to know who God is, and start building a relationship with Him from that space.

#2 – Seek His face

Throughout scripture we are encouraged to seek God’s face. One example of this is found in Psalm 105:4 which tells us to “seek his face always.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “face” is frequently translated to “presence.” Because of our sin nature it’s easy to turn away from God and pursue things of the flesh, but when we are intentional about seeking His face and presence we grow closer to God, receive His blessings and are set free. 

2 Chronicles 7:14 also says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” On top of seeking His face, we are also told here that God’s people will pray and turn from their wicked ways. If we are living in unrepentant sin it’s very hard to come before our holy God, so be sure to check your heart. 

#3 – Spend time in the word of God 

Another fantastic way to deepen your relationship with God is to spend time in the word. God will always speak to us through His word so we will miss out on so much wisdom, guidance and teaching if we do not read our Bibles. Before you start reading the Bible, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and highlight certain passages to you as you read. If you have a pen or highlighter handy it can be great to underline verses so that you can come back to it later. If you feel like God is really speaking to you through a certain verse or passage, make a note of it and meditate on it throughout the day. 

As you get comfortable with reading your Bible more frequently, you’ll start to memorise scripture. Colossians 3:16 says “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” If you’re able to memorise the verses or passages that you read, the word of God will become a part of you. Jesus is a great example of this; he knew scripture by heart and was able to use this as His weapon against Satan when attacked.  

#4 – Pray always

Verse about praying always. Prayer is without a doubt one of the most effective ways to deepen your relationship with God. Similar to any relationship with close friends or family, communication is very important. How can we expect to get to know someone if we don’t talk to them? It’s often so easy for us to just talk to God and tell Him all of the things that we need, but make sure you also sit and listen to what He has to say back to you. 

If you are someone who struggles to pray, try praying about that. You can share your heart and desire to grow closer to God when you are talking to Him. Ask Him to soften your heart and help you draw close to Him in times of need. Being honest is one of the best things you can do during prayer, so don’t be afraid to share your heart’s desires with God.

#5 – Praise and worship! 

Worship, with or without music, is a beautiful way to deepen your relationship with God and it’s something that we are commanded to do. Worship is all throughout the Bible and it’s been a part of the Christian walk for almost all time. One example we see early on in the Bible is in Exodus when God’s children escaped from the Egyptians and crossed the Red Sea. Exodus 15:1-3 shows us the song that they sung to the Lord;

“I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.

“The Lord is my strength and my defence;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.

Singing was also a part of the formal worship in the tabernacle and temple in Israel, and we have chapter after chapter of beautiful Psalms. We see Psalms of sorrow and joy, but all praising the Lord. In Colossians 3:16-17 we also see that Paul instructs them to “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” It also goes on to say “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

In worship we use our physical body to praise and love our God, but the Holy Spirit also ministers to our inner body and soul. God created us with emotions, so let your emotions in worship flow out! Worship can set you free, heal you, and bring you closer with the rest of the body of Christ.  

Key takeaways

So we’ve gone through 5 ways to deepen your relationship with God, but is there more you can do outside of that? Absolutely! James 4:8 says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” Know that when you seek God with all of your heart and draw close to Him, he will reveal Himself to you. There is no better feeling in the world than being in a close, personal relationship with God, so I encourage you to be really intentional about seeking this out. 

If you’re still looking for more, you can read 5 more ways to deepen your relationship with God. Stay strong, you’ve got this!