How to Connect with God

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

James 4:8 (NIV)

Many people know that God exists, but very few connect with God. This does not mean that God is hard to communicate with. No, if anything, He is always there ready to connect with His children. 

Look, God is not far away from us. His Spirit dwells in us, meaning that God is with us always. Like any good parent, God is a loving Father who wants to connect with His children. But you need to make the first move. Draw near to Him so that He can draw near to you. Now, drawing near to God should be done by faith. Do not be led by your feelings. 

Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. He wants you to have an intimate relationship with Him. Sadly, most of us don’t open our hearts to Him. Why? Because we are so busy and caught up in so many other things. 

What does “Connecting with God” Mean?

It means being able to hear the voice of God and being aware of His presence in our lives. It means living a life that is led by the Spirit, not the flesh. Connecting with God means having a relationship with God the same way a child has a relationship with their loving father. 

Here is the truth: we do not connect to God the same way. God has wired us differently, and that means what the way others connect with Him may not be the way you connect with Him. Do not compare how you relate to the Lord with the way someone else does. You need to find what works for you and incorporate it into your life. 

Connecting with God happens when we spend time with Him. 

Unfortunately, most of us do not do that. That is why we find ourselves drifting away from our spiritual walk. 

If you have a deep longing to connect with God on a deeper level here are ways for you to do that:

1. Spend Time in God’s Presence

With a hectic schedule, it may be hard for you to find quality time to spend in God’s presence. But here’s the thing if you love someone dearly you’ll always find time for them. It means that no matter how busy your schedule is, you can always find time to connect with God. 

You can choose to wake up earlier than usual so that you can spend time with God. You can also choose to sleep a little bit late after spending time with God. Include prayer time and bible study in your schedule so that you can always have time to spend in God’s presence and hear from Him.

There are so many things that God wants to teach us from His word. But that can only happen if you connect with Him. So be intentional about spending time in His presence. 

Set aside time for prayer and Bible study each day. Prepare your heart before you start reading the word of God. Do not read the Bible, and walk away, spend time meditating what you have read until you get full revelation. 

2. Connect with God through His Creation/Nature

There are so many beautiful things in the world that can help us to connect with our Heavenly Father. Sadly most of us take the beautiful creation for granted. As you walk outside, look around at nature that surrounds you. See how artistic and great our God is. 

Watch the sun as it sets or rises and see the glory of God in it. Instead of always praying inside your house, you can choose to do a prayer walk around your neighbourhood. You can also go to a quiet place, 

lie down, and look at the beautiful skies, which are the works of His hands. (Psalms 19:1)

If you are not an outdoor person, but you still want to connect to God through nature, you can watch channels like National Geographic that show you the beautiful creation God has made. You do not have to limit yourself to one way of connecting with God. 

Creation declares the glory of God and his perfection. When we connect with it, we get to feel the presence of God around us.

3. Talk to God as You would to a Friend

Most of us think that God is difficult. We believe that God is unapproachable. But that is not true. See, God did not spare His only Son. He gave Him up for us all, so why would He not want to spend time with us? Why would He give up His only Son if He did not love or care about us? (Romans 8:32)

The story of the prodigal son shows us how loving and caring our Heavenly Father is. Jesus, the Son of God, is an accurate representation of who God is and how He operates. We only need to look at Jesus’ life by reading the Bible and see how He treated others. He was compassionate and loving, which means God is also kind.

So go to Him and talk to Him like a friend. Pour out your heart to Him and let God know what is bothering you. See, unlike friends who can betray you by sharing your secrets with others, your secret is always safe with your Heavenly Father. 

4. Repent

Sin will cause you to drift away from God. When we sin, we live in guilt as the devil keeps bombarding our minds with condemning charges that push us away from God. 

Do not live in known sin, it will cause you to backslide. When you mess up, do not run away from God like Adam and Eve, who hid behind the bushes after they sinned. Instead, confess your sins to God and accept His forgiveness.

God will help you walk in victory by strengthening you, but this will only happen if you stay connected to Him. 

5. Visualize 

Another great way to connect with God is through visualizing what you read in the Bible. For example, let’s say you’re reading the story of David and Goliath. 

Put yourself in that story, do not just read it and then leave it at that. Imagine how small David was and how big Goliath was and the events that transpired before David killed him. (1 Samuel 17:41-51)

Visualizing the word of God will help you understand God more and see His grace towards us. It will help you to connect with the Lord on a deeper level, and this will cause you to love and have faith in Him more.

God gave us an imagination so that we can use it to connect with Him. Visualization helps you to build a mental image of what God has promised in His word and causes your faith to grow. Before Abraham could have Isaac, he had to visualize it. God showed him the stars in the sky and the sand as tools that could enable him to visualize his many descendants. 

Do not just read the word of God, plainly. Create a mental image of what it says in your heart. See God carrying you between His shoulders in the storm. See Him revealing the secret things of the Kingdom to you.  

6. Listen to God’s Voice

Jesus said in John 10:27-28 that His sheep hear His voice. 

It is, therefore, vital for us to listen to the voice of the Lord. You cannot live in the ways of the Lord without listening to His voice. You need to know what He wants and how He wants His things done so that you can be a faithful steward of the resources that He has given you. 

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How to Be a Good Steward Series:

• How to be a Good Steward of Your Money
• How to be a Good Steward of Your Time
• How to be a Good Steward of Your Talent

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But here’s the thing, most of us have placed our focus on everything but God. We are busy listening to what other people have to say but not God. When we pray, we only talk but do not take time to listen, and even when we listen, we only do it for a short time. For example, your prayer time maybe 30 minutes. So you may spend 25 minutes talking and only five minutes listening. 

While God can do a lot in a second, we need to listen to Him. There are things He needs to tell us so that we can know the direction we’re supposed to take in life. God talks to us in different ways. It can be through feelings, a still small voice, or our thoughts. Journal what He reveals to you so that you don’t forget.

We need to spend most of our prayer time listening to God and not talking. Do not misunderstand; we need to pour our hearts out to God. But we also need to listen to Him because communication is a two-way street. Prayer is not about talking and talking; it’s also about listening to God. 

7. Love yourself

You may be wondering how loving yourself will help you connect with God. Well, for you to genuinely love yourself, you need to connect with God first. You need to know your identity in Christ first, and this can only happen if you commune with God. 

We cannot love others if we don’t love ourselves. It is also hard to serve God faithfully when you don’t embrace who you are in Christ. Connecting with God will help you to treat yourself right. You will stop seeing yourself as a failure and start living in victory. 

8. Listen to Podcasts and Sermons

Sometimes God communicates to us through other people. 

Hearing other believers share their stories, and seeing how God has been faithful in their lives helps us to connect with God on a deeper level. It is easier to get discouraged when all you do is focus on yourself. At times we go through so many challenges that leave us feeling discouraged and disconnected from God. 

But when you hear what others have to say about God, you become encouraged, and your faith becomes strong. The best way to hear other people’s stories is by listening to podcasts and sermons. God is doing so many great things in the world today, but it is only when we hear what others have to say that we’re able to know the great things that God is doing for His children. 

9. Give/Serve

When we talk about giving or serving others, it always seems like it is all for the good of the people that we are helping. But the truth is, giving benefits the giver and the receiver. When you go out there and serve other people, you get to understand the goodness of God towards us. 

Seeing other people grateful and glorifying God because of what you’ve done in their lives will soften your heart. It will also help you to connect with your Heavenly Father, for God loves a cheerful giver. When you give, you affirm your commitment and love to God. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Be intentional about serving others by looking for places where people need help. You can visit orphanages in your area or help homeless people in your neighbourhood. You can also serve others by praying for them. Giving doesn’t have to be in the form of material things. You can pray and encourage your neighbours, friends, and the nation at large. 

Final Thoughts

We need to be intentional about connecting with God. 

You cannot have deep intimacy with God if you’re not spending time in His presence. Our Heavenly Father created us so that we can have a deep intimate relationship with Him, but that can only happen if we spend time in His presence. If you feel that God is far away from you, set time for Bible study. Connect with God through nature, pray and listen to His voice, give to others, and listen to podcasts and sermons. 

Prayer – Connecting with God

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I come before Your throne of grace today in the time of need and mercy. Lord, I feel you are far away from me. I do not like this feeling, for I long to enjoy Your presence every single day of my life.  

Father God, I know this feeling is a lie because it is contrary to Your word, which says that You’re always with me till the end of time. Today I choose to rise above the feeling of loneliness and separation, and I choose to stand firm in Your word. I declare and decree that You’re always with me.

Dear God, if anything is hindering me from enjoying Your presence, remove it from my life. Forgive me for the times that I have strayed away from Your word and chosen the things of this world. Remove any idol in my heart that may cause me to stumble and fall. Help me to seek your presence always. Fill me with deep hunger for Your presence so that I may keep on seeking Your face for the rest of my life. 

Father, I pray for other believers in the world that want to connect with You. Lord, fill their hearts with a hunger for prayer and the Word. Show them the best ways that you want them to connect with You. 

 Lord, I thank You and honour You for answering my prayers. It is in Jesus’ name that I believe and pray, Amen.