How To Get Closer To God

How To Get Closer To God

Have you ever felt that I was distant or far away from you? No. You haven’t. Why? Because you didn’t even know I existed until a few minutes ago. Therefore, we’ve never been close. You and I have never had a relationship. (Unless you know me personally. In which case, I’m so sorry if I’ve ever come across as distant!) The same is true when you want to know how to get closer to God.

The point is, the only basis anyone has for feeling that God is far away comes from a previous experience of closeness. You must know God in order to miss God. Make sense?

It’s unlikely you would experience a feeling of distance without first knowing the comfort of a close relationship with the Lord. Unfortunately, a past relationship doesn’t make your heart stop telling you that He feels distant now. 

It is not uncommon for Christians to occasionally feel that God is far away, and therefore, we have a deep desire to know how to get closer to God.

What Does The Bible Say About Loving God And Loving People?

Follow The Map

Wouldn’t it be great if there were some sort of map or book you could read, or a set of instructions you could follow, in order to close the gap between you and your Creator?

Well, I have great news! Such a book does exist! Not only that, but it is the best-selling book in the world with over 5,000,000,000 copies sold last year.

The even better news is that you probably already own the book in question.

However, the bad news is that simply owning the book doesn’t mean it gets read. And reading doesn’t mean the teachings are applied. 

If you haven’t guessed yet, the instruction book to which I’m referring is the Bible. The Bible is the word of God. It contains all the information that God Himself believes is important for you and me to know about how to spend eternity with Him.

Specifically, it contains information on how to develop and nurture a closer relationship with Him. Essentially, we have a book written by God with instructions on how to get closer to God. Talk about going straight to the source!

What Does The Bible Say About Getting Closer To God?

The Bible has quite a bit to say about how you can have a close, personal relationship with God, but today we will only focus on one.

“Come near to God and He will come near to you…”
James 4:8a NIV

God promises that if you make an effort to get closer to Him, He will make an effort to get closer to you. In the iconic words of Diamond Rio, “I’ll start walking your way, and you start walking mine.” 

“Wait, Pastor Aaron! Are you trying to tell me that the way I get closer to God is by getting closer to God!?”

Well… Yes. But before you throw your shoe at me, let’s go back to what James says. 

Clean Hands. Clean Heart.

“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

To begin with, James explains that it is up to you to make the first move. In the second part of the verse, he details what that first move should be. Namely, “wash your hands” and “purify your heart.” 

No, he is not talking about scrubbing your hands with foaming soap or applying a dab of hand sanitizer. ‘Washing your hands’ is in reference to an ancient Jewish ceremonial cleansing that was done before a priest entered into the presence of God. It was an outward example of an internal cleansing.

Washing your hands and purifying your heart are essentially references to the same spiritual idea of removing sinful practices from your life before attempting to enter the presence of the Almighty God. 

3 Types Of Sin And How To Stop Sinning

God is holy. He is totally pure and void of any sin or wickedness. Essentially, the areas in your life that ignore or rebel against His commands keep God from being near. Isaiah says it like this, “your wickedness has separated you from your God… (Isaiah 59:2 AMP). 

Now we’re getting somewhere! According to God, all you have to do to get closer to Him is remove the sin and wickedness in your life that has separated you from Him. Great! Now, how do you do that?

Go Back To The Cross!

YOU CANNOT REMOVE SIN BY YOURSELF. YOU NEED THE FORGIVENESS THAT JESUS CHRIST PURCHASED WITH HIS BLOOD ON THE CROSS.

Getting right with God cannot be done by working harder. Reading your bible more consistently and praying every day will not bring a closeness to God in themselves. Nor will church attendance, tithing, fasting, or anything else outside of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Don’t get me wrong, all those things are wonderful. I would strongly recommend that you do all of them, and they can all contribute to a closer relationship as long as you begin at the cross.

But please understand, works alone will not make your heart right with God. Works do not remove sin. Jesus removes sin. Our God is a holy God. He is righteous and just beyond compare. And while ‘being a good person’ might be nice, it does not erase wickedness. Therefore, without the removal of sin, you remain separated from your God.

Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for your sin. God declared in His word that the only acceptable cleansing agent for sin is the blood of an innocent party. I’m far from innocent. I’m sure you would say the same of yourself. In fact, there are no innocent people on the face of the planet. That’s what makes God’s gift so unbelievable. 

Without the cross, there is no ‘closer relationship with God.’

In the simplest terms, without the cross, there is no relationship with God. You need the cross. You need Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus is the only door that leads to a closer relationship with God. He is not a ‘better’ way or a ‘good’ way. He is the only way. Therefore, if you want to move closer to God the answer is found in the person of Jesus Christ and His ultimate gift on the cross. Whether you’ve never accepted salvation, are a new believer, or have been living for Christ for years, there is no path to a closer relationship with God outside of His Son, Jesus. 

But God knew that you couldn’t remove your own sins. He knew that no other person in the world would be able to pay the immense price He had set. And so He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to pay for the sin that separates you from Him. Jesus left heaven, lived in a flesh and blood body, and offered His blood in the place of yours so that you could have the opportunity to have a relationship with God. He died so you do not have to feel like God is far away. He died so that you do not have to spend eternity in a terrible place called Hell, but instead, can experience eternal life in the presence of God. What an amazing gift!

Feelings Are Not Reliable, God Is.

Be encouraged! God is worthy to be trusted and willing to forgive you of all wrongdoings. He wants a close relationship with you. Let that sink in. God, the Creator, wants a deep, meaningful relationship with you. And although it may feel as if He is far away sometimes, He has promised that He will never leave or abandon you (Hebrews 13:5 CSB). 

You might ask, “If God has promised never to abandon me, why do I feel like He’s abandoned me?” That’s a legitimate question. Because, inevitably, we all feel like that from time to time. And I have an answer to that question I hope will leave you feeling uplifted and confident to continue trusting in the Lord. Here it is:

Your feelings will lie to you. God will not.

Basically, as a human, your feelings, emotions, ideas, etc., are constantly changing based on the current situation. Oftentimes your thoughts do not align with the truth. Just because you ‘feel’ a certain way or ‘believe’ a certain thing does not make it true. For example, there are millions of children who believe with everything in them that there is a horizontally challenged, cookie-loving man in crimson pajamas, who travels the globe in one night with the aid of a herd of gravity-defying caribou. They believe this wholeheartedly. But it’s just not true. Their feelings do not line up with reality. 

Bible Verses For Encouragement And Perseverance

But don’t take my word for it. Jeremiah 17:9 ESV, “The heart is deceitful above all things…” Your heart will lie to you. It will deceive you. It will cause you to feel things that do not line up with reality. Have you ever felt so strongly about something only to find out that you were wrong? Sure you have. We all have. 

The good news is that you can combat your heart! You can fact-check your feelings by comparing them to the absolute truth found in the Word of God. Make it a point to read your Bible regularly. You cannot stand upon God’s truths or correct your heart’s untrue feelings if you are unfamiliar with God’s word. In those moments when your heart tells you that God is far away, stand upon His holy promises!

John 14:16
I will ask the Father, and He will send you another Comforter who will live with you forever. 

Romans 8:39
Nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Hebrews 13:5 
I will never leave you nor abandon you. 

Cultivating A Closer Relationship With God Requires Discipline.

If you truly want to develop a closer walk with the Lord, it will demand that you deny the sinful desires of the flesh and seek God above all else. When you indulge in activities that go against the things of God your relationship with Him suffers. He must become a priority every single day. 

In your journey toward a close, personal relationship with God, remember to return to the cross regularly! The power of God is found there at that rugged beam. Remember that your feelings will deceive you if they’re allowed to do so. And above all, continue trusting in the Lord every day. Don’t do anything that would hinder your relationship with Him. In conclusion, simply make an effort to be closer to God and He will make an effort to move closer to you.