How to Become Closer to God through Scripture, Faith & More

Co-authored by Mark Russell

Last Updated: September 4, 2024 Approved

If you belong to a faith, getting to know God through a personal relationship with him is the most rewarding thing one can do. God offers his friendship freely to all, but many people reject it because they think it means "religion." Having a relationship with God is simple, just as any friendship should be. In this article, we’ll show you 11 simple ways to grow in your faith and forge a unique, personal connection with God. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

1

Read the Bible.

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Read and study the Bible as a personal books and letters, all from God to you.^{[1]
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Zachary Rainey
Ordained Minister

Expert Interview. 19 May 2019.} To get to know God, you must first listen to what He has to say. Start from the beginning with the book of Genesis and gradually read your way through the end of the book of Revelations. Alternatively, you might start with the book of John to gain understanding of the story of Christ, and how he provided for your life in God. He finished the Plan of Salvation so that no one should be lost or alone, but that all should walk in new life in Christ.^{[2]
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Mark Russell
Christian Theology Expert

Expert Interview. 16 August 2024.}

2

Trust in God.

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Trust and believe in God. Realize that God loves you with all His being, and that He wants to help you walk through life by walking with Him, in everyday life and in your Spirit and remember he is always with you.^{[3]
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Zachary Rainey
Ordained Minister

Expert Interview. 19 May 2019.}

3

Abide by God's will.

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and put His Will before everything else. The greatest commandment in the law is to love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:35-38). To love God is to keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3). Hereby we do know that we know him: if we keep His commandments. He that saith, "I know Him", and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked (1 John 2:3-6). Moreover, Jesus said, If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (John 14:21). If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love (John 15:10).

4

Treat others with kindness and love.

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Love thy neighbor as thyself. (Lev 19:18) Jesus said that this is the second greatest commandment like unto the first commandment to love God, and upon these two commandments hang all the laws and prophets. (Matthew 22:39-40) To strengthen our relationship with others is to strengthen our relationship with God.
- Honour your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the earth. (Ex 20:12)
- Do not kill (Ex 20:13)
- Do not commit adultery (Ex 20:14)
- Leave some fruits of your harvesting for the poor to glean. (Lev 19:10)
- Do not steal. (Lev 19:11)
- Do not cheat (deal falsely). (Lev 19:11)
- Do not lie. (Lev 19:11)
- Do not swear falsely, to profane God's name. (Lev 19:12)
- Do not curse the deaf or put a stumblingblock before the blind. (Lev 19:14).
- Do not judge unrighteously. Neither respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness judge thy neighbour. (Lev 19:15)
- Do not gossip or spread rumours. (Lev 19:16)
- Do not hate your brother in your heart. (Lev 19:17) According to Jesus, this is the same as murder. (Matt 5:21-22)
- Do not avenge or bear grudges against your neighbours. (Lev 19:18)
- Do not covet thy neighbour's house, thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Ex 20:17)

5

Ask God for forgiveness.

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Repent of your sins, ask Him to forgive you of all your sins, and mean it well. To repent is to feel genuine sorrow for your sins and to desire to sin no more.^{[4]
X
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Mark Russell
Christian Theology Expert

Expert Interview. 16 August 2024.} If you continue to take pleasure in sinful acts, it is not genuine repentance.
- "For All Have Sinned and Come Short of the Glory of God". (Romans 3:23)
- According to Christianity Jesus as Savior is considered a gift from God and, he allowed himself to be whipped and to die for you so that you could receive the comforter which is the gift of the Holy Spirit "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." (John 16:6, see also John 14:26)

6

Practice gratitude through prayer.

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Be in an attitude of prayer and thankfulness while praising God and blessing others at all times.

7

Get baptized.

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Be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).^{[5]
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Zachary Rainey
Ordained Minister

Expert Interview. 19 May 2019.}

8

Let the Holy Spirit fill you.

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Receive the Holy Spirit. Know that when you receive the Holy Spirit that you are His child and that you will go and live with Him forever when you leave this earth one day.

9

Have faith in God's plan for you.

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Seek for things to happen in God's way and time, not yours. Get started, be patient to learn and serve, and your faith will grow.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Zachary Rainey
Ordained Minister

Expert Interview. 19 May 2019.}

10

Spread the good word.

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^{[7]
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Expert Source

Zachary Rainey
Ordained Minister

Expert Interview. 19 May 2019.} "Seek his Kingdom first and everything else will be added!" Spend time with God, think on Him and the things of Him, and seek His will--to do it. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matt 5:14)

11

Set aside personal reflection time.

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as a Christian to do God's will. (Romans 12:2) You must renew it with the Word of God. Set aside personal time with God to read the Bible every day or at night before you go to bed -- for example, read these verses: II Cor 5:7, Jn 13:34-34, Jn 14:6,23,26,27 Jn 10:10, Phil 4:13,19, Eph 1:3, I John 2:27, Isaiah 24:3 Jn 6:27, Eph 6:10, Hebrews 10:16-17. Meditate and reflect upon God's word and pray regularly for his guidance in your daily life.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Mark Russell
Christian Theology Expert

Expert Interview. 16 August 2024.}

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How can I be consistent with God?

Zachary Rainey
Ordained Minister
Rev. Zachary B. Rainey is an ordained minister with over 40 years of ministry and pastoral practice, including over 10 years as a hospice chaplain. He is a graduate of Northpoint Bible College and a member of the General Council of the Assemblies of God.

Zachary Rainey

Ordained Minister

Expert Answer

Talk to God regularly through prayer. A Christian should “pray without ceasing.” Begin your day with focused prayer, continue to pray in your heart as you perform your activities of the day, take breaks throughout the day to speak directly to God in prayer, and retire to bed with another time of prayer. Your conversation with God never ends.

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How do you stay close to God at all times?

Zachary Rainey
Ordained Minister
Rev. Zachary B. Rainey is an ordained minister with over 40 years of ministry and pastoral practice, including over 10 years as a hospice chaplain. He is a graduate of Northpoint Bible College and a member of the General Council of the Assemblies of God.

Zachary Rainey

Ordained Minister

Expert Answer

Dedicate a portion of your day to invest in reading and memorizing Scripture, prayer, and journaling about your faith. Consider becoming part of a community in which you pray and worship with others who share your faith and provide mutual encouragement to focus upon God. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, look for a place of Christian service.

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I try my best to be as close to God as I can, but temptation to sin always gets the best of me. Can anyone help?

Community Answer

The only way you will get away from temptation is to ask God for help. God wants you to stay with him. When you feel pulled in the direction of your temptation, read the Bible and pray to God instead.

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Tips

Those that take time to seek God will find Him in the Bible and in daily life.

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Find other like minded believers to fellowship with.

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Trust and obey God - the secret to a happy and fulfilled Life.

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Warnings

Know that God is a loving God but you should have a Godly fear (respect) for Him.

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We must breathe our faith into our life, for "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). Enriching your faith with grace deepens your relationship with God as it does with others around you, for "by works faith was made perfect" (James 2:18), but "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). So, we put feet on faith to go outside our gates and into all the world.

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Beware of cult-like movements -- that present themselves as the source of the truth -- but are not in agreement with the word of God in the Bible.

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Christians should always be following God, if they are not, and should, also, be attempting to glorify and honor God, and their belief commands considerable value, when it aligns with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as [it is] presented in the Bible.

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Use discernment in choosing a church body to attend. A church that de-emphasises Biblical teaching and interprets the Bible as its leaders see fit, or one that focus on profits and politics, or one that claims to be the only true church while demonizing other churches, may not be the right one to attend.

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Beware that even those that can do signs and wonders, as when they give a sign, and it comes to pass, are false prophets when they entice you to serve other gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Refuse to listen to anyone that teaches contrary to the Bible, even if he or she does great signs and miracles.

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According to Islam obeying God and living a righteous life will protect you from hell. Christianity says that "by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," (in Jesus Christ) "not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV). You get into Heaven only by the grace of God, not by earning it, as such. Indeed, your faith and God's grace are the gifts of God, not by our power or actions that heaven is open to us, but cannot simply believe to achieve.

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Try to understand the context and use your brain; don't assume you understand it - this could lead to misunderstanding the manual God left you to use. In addition, seek out similar passages so that your understanding is more likely of the Bible, not a single quote, out of context.

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Always love people as Jesus said, "Whatever you do to the least of these; ye do to me!"
- So don't become critical or judgmental as there is one judge;
- You are not better than others but are saved through the grace of God.
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Be aware that there are many options of service to others that God says is actually done to him and for him. "Assisting the widow and orphan in their need, remaining incorruptible by this world is pure religion." (James 1:27)
- If you are converting or accepting God and faith for the first time, do simple research.
- Make sure that you are selecting the faith that best reflects your understanding of the Bible, the spirit of truth, and God.
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"An adulterous generation looks for a sign." They apparently do not have faith and "need" a sign.
- However, Jesus said to believers: "17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages ... 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs." (Mark 16:17-20)^{[9]
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- God is greater than signs and wonders; that's why it requires faith to know God is there and that he will reward those who diligently seek him.
- He can do signs, but don't let your faith fail because of a lack of amazing miracles.
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