Developing a closer relationship with God is an essential goal which comes from a heart that is truly reborn, for only those who are in Christ desire a closer relationship with Him. We must understand that in this life we will never be as close to God as we should be. The reason is lingering sin in our lives. This is not a deficiency on God’s part, but on ours; our sins remain a barrier to the full and complete fellowship with God which will be realized once we are in Heaven with Him.
Even the apostle Paul, who had as close a relationship with God as anyone could possibly have, still longed for a closer relationship.
“But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11.
No matter where we are in our walk with Christ, we can always become closer to Him. And, even when we enter heaven, we will have all eternity to have an even closer relationship with God. But while we are here, I want to bring out four basic things whereby we can develop an even closer relationship with Him.
First, we need to make a daily habit of confessing our sin(s) to Him. If sin is a barrier to our relationship, by confession we remove that barrier. When we confess our sins to Him, He promises to forgive us.
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.“ 1 John 1:8-10.
Forgiveness is what restores relationships that have been damaged. But we must always remember that confession is more than simply saying, “God, I am sorry for my sin.” It is the heartfelt remorse of those who realize they have sinned, and that sin is an offense to God. It is a confession of someone who understands it was his sin that had Jesus Christ nailed to the cross. It is like the cry of the tax collector in Luke,
“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’” Luke 18:13.
And as King David wrote,
“For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, God, you will not despise” Psalm 51:16-17.
The second thing we must do to have a closer relationship with God is to listen when He speaks. Many people today look for a supernatural experience where they hear God’s voice. However, the apostle Peter tells us
“And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19.
The “prophetic word made more sure” is the scriptures. In it, we ‘hear’ God’s voice to us. It is through the Scriptures given to us by God that we become thoroughly equipped for every good work.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
If we want to grow closer to God, we should read His Word regularly. In so doing, we are listening to God speak through the scriptures by his Spirit who illuminates the Word to us. I am not saying God will not speak to us verbally, for He can do all things. But His words in the scriptures speak volumes.
The third thing we must do to have a closer relationship with God is to speak to Him through prayer. If reading the Bible is listening to God speak to us, speaking to God is accomplished through prayer. The Gospels often records Jesus secretly going off alone to commune with His Father in prayer. Prayer is much more than simply a way to ask God for things we need or want. Let’s look at the prayer Jesus gave His disciples as recorded in the gospel of Matthew.
“Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 9:6-13.
Many call this the “Lord’s Prayer”. However, I believe it should be called “A Model Prayer from Christ”. The first three petitions in that prayer are directed for God (may His name be holy, may His kingdom come, may His will be done). The last three petitions are requests we make of God after we’ve taken care of the first three (give us our daily bread, forgive us our debts/sins, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil). Another thing we can do to revive our prayer lives is to read the Psalms. Many of the Psalms are heartfelt cries to God for various things. In them we see adoration, thanksgiving and humility modeled in a divinely inspired way.
The fourth thing we can do is to find a body of believers with whom we can regularly come together with in worship. This is such a vital component of spiritual growth. Too often, we approach church with a “what can I get out of it” mentality. We must take the time to prepare our hearts and minds for worship. Again, the Psalms show us many calls from God to His people to come and worship the Lord.
“Come, let’s sing for joy to the LORD, Let’s shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let’s come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving, Let’s shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments.” Psalm 95:1-2.
God invites us, commands us, to come into His presence to worship Him. How can we, His people, fail to agree to this? Not only does regular church attendance give us an opportunity to come into the Lord’s presence in worship, but it also gives us an opportunity to fellowship with the Lord along with His people. As we come into the house of God in worship and fellowship with His people, we can’t help but grow closer to the Lord as a result.
And finally, a closer relationship with God is built upon a life of obedience. Jesus told His disciples in the upper room,
“If you love me, keep my commandments” John 14:23.
James tells us that we submit ourselves to God through obedience.
“Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7-8.
And Paul tells us in Romans that our obedience is our living sacrifice.
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2.
We must keep in mind that all biblical exhortations to obedience are presented as our response to the grace of God we received through salvation. We don’t earn salvation through our obedience; rather, it is the way we show our love and gratitude toward God for the salvation He has given us.
So, through confession, Bible study, prayer, and obedience, we can develop a close and loving relationship with God. It seems rather simple, if not simplistic. But consider this: how do we develop a closer relationship with other people? We spend time with them in conversation, opening our hearts to them and listening to them at the same time. We acknowledge when we’ve done something wrong and seek forgiveness. We seek to treat them well and sacrifice our own needs to fulfill theirs. It’s not really that different regarding our relationship with our God. I urge you to spend time with Him daily, including Him in everything you do. Jesus put it this way.
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15.
Jesus considers us friends and desires time together with us. The question is, do we feel the same way regarding Him?
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