How To Get Closer To God Spiritually, And Really Enrich Your Faith

Have you wondered how to get closer to God spiritually, but didn’t know who to talk to or where to turn?

As a minister’s wife, I often hear from women who ask that same question. Here’s a simple, 5-point action plan for how to get closer to God: Talk to Him, read His book, attend church regularly, seek Godly mentors, and begin learning how to study the Bible. 

Keep reading and we’ll dig into the details. May this action plan ignite your faith and deepen your relationship with God!

How To Get Closer To God Spiritually

1) Talk to Him.

Yes, I’m talking about prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God! Talk to Him like you would a close friend or family member; you don’t need to use rehearsed prayers or memorized prayers. Thank Him for tugging at your heart and giving you the desire to even seek out such things as “how to get closer to God.” Pray that His Spirit would guide you in prayer and give you the words to pray.

If you’re struggling to find your own words to pray, you can:

• pray The Lord’s Prayer aloud (find it in Matthew 6:9-13)
• use the prayer I’ve outlined in my article How To Pray When You’re Hurting
• read my favorite tips for learning how to pray (for beginners)

But, the goal is to learn how to talk to the Lord in your own voice, using your own words, and not to always rely on reading a prayer. He wants to hear from you! Prayer is one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines and it helps us to hear from God, especially when we make it one of our daily habits. The first step is to just start talking to him like you would your best friend! Work on setting a daily prayer time and try to be faithful in keeping it.

2) Read His Book.

Think of the Bible as His love letter to you. I recommend beginning your journey in God’s word with the New Testament. The book of John (one of the gospels, or “good news”) is a good starting point. As you read, prayerfully ask God to bring you revelation through His Spirit. Reading the Bible was never intended to be an intellectual endeavor, it was intended to help us transform into His image and draw closer to Him. The best way that we can receive revelation and transformation is through His Spirit working in our life.

1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

We need God’s Spirit to illuminate His Word and open our understanding! Having His Spirit operating in our life and illuminating what we read in the Bible is one important way how to get closer to God.

Here’s our list of easy Bible reading plans for beginners you can use to get started. There are many simple ways to begin digging into His word! Be sure to set aside daily time for it.

Related: God’s Love Bible Reading Plan

3) Attend church regularly.

Romans 12:2 says “do not conform to the pattern of this world,” and then it also tells us “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” How can we renew our mind so that it aligns with what God has for us?

One great way is by going to church and listening to biblical preaching and teaching. 1 Corinthians 1:21 tells us God uses preaching “to save those who believe,” but it’s made even more clear in the book of Ephesians. Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints…” (emphasis mine). Did you catch that? Learning from our pastors and ministers are one of the ways we are equipped to grow and serve!

Going to church and listening to the preached Word of God is one of the ways how to get closer to God. If you need help finding a good, biblically sound church in your area, where the Spirit of God is moving and working among the people, reach out to me with your city/state and I’ll be glad to help you find one.

Another benefit of going to church is being part of the worship music portion of the service. Feeling God’s presence as we worship alongside other believers is unlike anything else we’ll experience on this side of heaven.

4) Prayerfully seek out godly mentors.

Seek out mentors like those mentioned in Titus 2:3-5, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”

Does your church offer a small group for women? Is there a bible study class you can join and meet other more seasoned women? Can you linger after church and initiate a friendship with someone who shows the fruit of the spirit and good works? Is there a woman who seems to have an intimate relationship with God?

If you can’t seem to find a godly older woman to come alongside you and teach you these things, don’t give up hope. Rather, keep a teachable spirit. Seek out mentors from a distance during this time, by way of blogs like the one you’re reading now, uplifting social media sites, good books, videos, and bible studies. Desire to learn and walk in the fullness of God’s purpose for your life.  

While you’re waiting, learn to walk in God’s ways, rather than walking in your own way. Search God’s Word while you actively seek out godly older women to speak into your life.

5) Begin learning how to study the Bible.

Don’t worry about fancy Bible study methods at this point in time, just begin to write out your thoughts about what you are reading. What is God showing you in His Word?

You can use a simple spiral notebook, or download my 31-Day Time With God Accountability Toolkit. Write that day’s passage, what stood out to you, ideas for applying it to your life, and more. You can even do this as a family, with your spouse and/or children. Each of you can keep a separate toolkit and write your own thoughts, but discuss and share ideas together. If your child isn’t keen on writing, they can draw pictures instead. Cross off each day when you’re done. It’s a powerful way to stay accountable to your quiet time with God!

We’ve also written a detailed post you’ll want to check out about how to study the Bible. There, you’ll learn more about the various ways to study the Bible, such as by breaking down a bible verse, chapter by chapter, chronologically, topically, and more.

How to get closer to God – The next steps

Once you’ve implemented these things, and you’re ready for more, I recommend digging deeper into your Bible, specifically the Book of Acts, where you’ll read about the early church and Jesus’s Apostles. After outpouring the Holy Spirit on people who were praying in Acts chapter 2, onlookers asked them, “what shall we do?!”

The Apostle Peter’s reply to them can be found in Acts 2:38-39, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

God loves you so much! Don’t get discouraged. Your Heavenly Father desires that you grow closer relationship to Him and He will help you if you continue to prayerfully seek Him and grow in your spiritual life!

FREE WEEKLY PRAYER JOURNAL

Our free weekly prayer journal comes to your email and is completely printable, so you can print it as often as you like. It’s beautiful and will help inspire you to dig deeper in prayer. Get it here.

You might also like:

• A Prayer For Finances: How to Pray When Money’s Tight
• 21 Powerful Prayers for the Daniel Fast [Prayer Guide]
• “God Please Help Me Through This” – How to Pray When You’re Hurting