14 Practical Ways to Get Closer to God

Do you ever feel distant from God? Do you long to be close to Him? In today's episode of the Christian Habits Podcast we'll talk about 14 practical things you can do to get closer to God.

Before we look at ways to get closer to God, though, I thought it might be helpful to give some questions we can use to think about our relationship with Him:

1. What would it look like to have a close walk with God?
2. Is a consistently close walk with God possible?
3. Why do you want a close walk with God?
4. What is one thing that keeps you from having a close walk with God?
5. What is one step you could take to have a close walk with God?

The more intentional we are about our relationships, the better those relationships will be. Let's look at some practical things we can do to get closer to God.

14 Practical Ways to Get Closer to God

We'll go more into depth in the podcast, but I wanted to include some of the resources below that we talked about on the podcast also the 10 ways to get close to God in case you don't have time to listen to the podcast.

1. Find something you enjoy doing with Him. If you dread your quiet time, you won't want to do them. In the past, I didn't feel like doing quiet times because I thought they were boring. I found something I enjoyed doing, though, and all of a sudden I wanted to do my quiet times. Some of the ideas we talk about on the podcast are truth journaling, Scripture meditation, the Examen app, topical Bible studies, and any of these renewing of the mind activities. Don't worry about beginning with something simple, as you can always progress later to more Bible reading, etc. The key in the beginning is to establish the habit.
2. Meet with God each day during the time of day that you're most alert. The advice we usually hear on this topic is to have your quiet time as soon as you wake up. That works for me and for many others, but it doesn't work for everyone. If you're a person who has more energy or self-control later in the day, it may be better to schedule your devotional time for that time of day. If you struggle with discipline in quiet times like I did for twenty years, try journaling through these questions and Bible verses.
3. Do a "closeness check" at the beginning of your time together. In the past, I used to begin each quiet time with a closeness check. I'd ask, "Am I feeling close to God?" If the answer was no, I'd think back to the previous day to see if there was anything I needed to talk to God about. I'd confess any sin that I needed to confess (often heart sin such as bad attitudes) and work through anything I needed to work through with Him. We'll talk more about the reasons for not feeling close (sin, idolatry, and not accepting what you need to accept) in the podcast and what you can do about it.
4. Believe that He loves you. Have you ever been in a relationship in which the person actually loved you, but for some reason you felt like they didn't love you? When this happens to us, it makes us not trust that person or feel close to them. The same thing happens when we feel like God doesn't love us. If you feel like He doesn't love you right now, try praying through the following Bible verses and picture God doing the things He s