5 Ways to Deepen Your Relationship with God

It honestly feels surreal writing about this topic right now, like literally "right now"- in this moment!

Not because I'm fearful of talking about it or i'm ashamed of my faith or relationship with God, but because I really never saw myself as someone who would create faith based content for my blog.

I've always done the lifestyle, parenting, motherhood posts and felt like my spiritual growth process was separate and for my personal life.

But over the past several months Ive experienced such a transformation through growing closer to Christ that I have to share it- like literally bursting at the seams to share it!

I want to encourage others who may be going through difficulties and have gotten out of touch with God, that it's completely possible to create or reestablish that bond - and it's so worth it to do so!

Deepening your relationship with God is not as hard to do as you may think.

The same principles you use to create a strong bond with friends and family ( trust, quality time, effort, dedication etc.) are essentially the same concepts you want to approach with your relationship with God.

So, here are a few practical tips that can help you create and deepen your relationship with God, and have that connection with him you've always desired!

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You Have To Want It

Just like with anything else in life, if you're wanting to go to new level, you have to really want it for yourself first.

Not for your friends, society, or even your family but for yourself! Having that desire in your heart to draw closer to God was really the first step for me on this journey.

As someone who has been a Christian their whole life, the idea of a deep relationship with God was not foreign to me at all and yet I was always teetering on the fence on wether I wanted to go to the next level in my faith and actually experience that closeness, or stay where I was at and comfortable.

By comfortable I mean, comofortable or relying on my own strength and ability to handle things and just deal with life on my own terms with minimal directives from God.

Close to the end of last year (2022) after a series of difficult situations as a catalyst, I decided to fully surrender to God and let him have his way in my life.

I was just exhausted from trying to do things on my own and I truly couldn't do it any more. I asked, begged God to step in and let his will be done in my life in every area.

I was real with God and challenged him by saying that I was going to give it 30 days. 30 days of doing a bible study and prayer to get closer to him and learn more about his character.

And at the end of that time period I would see what, if anything had changed.

By the end of that month the changes I experienced were so significant. By no means was everything perfect but I knew there was a shift inside me.

My faith, mindset, and daily routine had changed and I felt a peace that I never fully felt before.

Desiring God and his closeness is number one. And even if you don't currently have that desire but you know you want it, just ask him to create that desire in you- and he will (Matthew 7:7-8)

Start A Bible Study Specific to Your Needs

The concept of studying the Bible in and of it's self can be overwhelming and just down right intimidating!

In the past I tried to read the Bible and understand Gods word and would find myself getting bored, confused and impatient- because I was confused and bored!

I found that casually perusing the Bible with no real plan just wasn't going to work for me or my spiritual development.

So what I've done differently this time around, and what really has worked for me is finding a bible study that is focused directly on my needs or a topic I want to learn about.

Pick a topic- any topic: faith, sin, or how to work through anxiety. The more of an interest you have in it the more it will resinate and be absorbed into your spirit.

You can google tons of options for bible studies to fit your particular need.

I started off with a Bible study called God Instead of The World . It's from a website called Love God Greatly.com and I have found some wonderful bible studies there and they're free!

The God Instead of theWorld bible study focuses on who God really is, his character, who we are in him and his purpose for us. It's great for someone in the beginning of deepening their relationship with God, and I learned so much from it! "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17 NKJV

Establish A Routine

Establishing a Bible study routine will help you stay on track and keep you focused while learning and deepening your relationship with God.

Creating a set of daily habits that will help you achieve the new goal is so important.

I started creating my routine by figuring out a way to help me better understand the text that I was to be reading.

This is extremely helpful and allows you get the most out of your time spent with God.

I use the S.O.A.P. method which means: Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. It's a very popular system for getting more understanding and breaking down your bible study plans.

The next step was to commit to setting aside time each day to do my Bible study.

I found it easiest to just pick a time of day (day or night) to study, along with a space (bedroom, office, living room couch) that I feel most comfortable in, and then I tied to recreate that routine each day.

Sometimes I even add in some Christian Lofi music in my background for an even more comfortable and tranquil setting.

Whatever you choose to incorporate into your Bible study routine is up to you and it's a great way to make the experience more intimate, enjoyable and helps you build your commitment and discipline throughout the process.

Remember, Priority over Exclusivity

My pastor says this often when describing Gods' view of us spending time and getting to know and grow closer to him.

He doesn't want you to exclusively and only focus on him at every second of your day and life- that's impossible!

He knows we have commitments to work, family and friends.

What he really wants from us is priority.

We need to prioritize our time spent with God by making sure we are intentionally carving out the space to implement our bible study and prayer routines to be with him.

God wants to be first in our lives ("But first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall me be added to you" Matthew 6:33 NKJV) but knows that he's not the only one in our lives.

Keeping this in perspective when building our relationship with him helps us to take the pressure off a little (I know it does for me) and makes it feel more doable.

Be Patient

The last tip to help deepen your relationship with God is to just have patience.

I know it sounds simple but it's an important concept to stick to during this process.

Understand that getting into a groove with your Bible study, your consistency and your routine will take time.

Give yourself grace and patience during this time, the same way God has given you on so many occasions.

Don't worry about perfection, just focus on your progress and you will be sure to see and feel the power of God in your life and experience the closeness of your deepening relationship.

"Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of the [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own" Phillipians 3:12

What steps are you taking to deepen your relationship with God? Let me know below, I'd love to hear about it!