5 ways to go deeper in your relationship with God
If you’ve got your quiet time down to a science (or honestly, if you’ve been feeling spiritually “bored” lately), this could be a great time to introduce a new spiritual discipline or two into your life.
(Pssst … If you’re still working toward quiet time consistency, check out our last post!)
What’s a spiritual discipline?
Praying and reading our Bibles are two great ways to get to know God personally, but they’re not the only ways!
One thing that can make your time in His presence richer and more rewarding is to add spiritual disciplines. Simply put, spiritual disciplines are behaviors that add to our spiritual growth and maturity. Here are a few that I’ve personally tried and would recommend if you’re ready to go deeper with God:
Scripture memorization
Commit a verse or an entire passage to memory. This can remind you of truth when Satan’s trying to attack you and help you be confident in ministering to others when they’re going through a rough patch. If verses come easy to you, try memorizing a chapter or even an entire book of the Bible!
Recently, I’ve been committing and repeating Psalm 143:8 every morning when I wake up: “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
2. Rest
As a self-proclaimed “recovering perfectionist,” this one’s huge for me! I like to set aside time to be in nature or disconnect from tech so I can ditch my to-do list for a bit and remember what it’s like to simply BE WITH God and trust He’s my sustainer. If you’re constantly focused on being productive, I highly recommend giving this a try for yourself. :)
3. Silence
We pretty much constantly have noise and distractions around us, which makes this one tough but soooo good! Go somewhere you won’t be interrupted — your bedroom, a park, a closet, wherever — and literally sit in silence. Try to quiet your thoughts and see what God brings to mind.
Sidenote: I first tried this for a Bible class (read more here) and it was super challenging for me but also super fulfilling.
4. Meditation
Despite what some may think, it’s not automatically un-Christian to meditate. (Although if you’re using a resource for this, it’s a good idea to know what worldview it comes from.)
God made our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, so it’s perfectly okay to slow down enough to pay attention to them! Instead of focusing on emptying our minds like some other types of meditation, Christian meditation allows us to make dedicated brain space to focus on a particular concept or Scripture. I’ve found this helpful when trying to understand what the Bible is saying in a particular passage.
5. Gratitude
There’s a lot of health benefits to this one! Start simple and try thanking God for three things every day. You can say them to yourself, out loud to a friend or write them down in a journal.
Practicing gratitude was my New Year’s Resolution for 2020 — which just shows God’s sense of humor and bigger purpose outside my own little brain, since we happened to face a global pandemic pretty much right after I started.
As you think about these ideas and take action to grow a deeper relationship with God, I’ll leave you with one final tip. If you don’t know where to start, just ask Him. He’s got you, sis, today and always.
If you want to dive more into the topic of spiritual disciplines, check out our Abide Spiritual Disciplines study.
Which spiritual discipline are you most excited to try for yourself?
Laura Fooks considers herself a curator of people, content, joy and happiness. She’s the cofounder and CEO of Light Speaks Loudest, and loves spending her free time exploring Denver with her husband and goldendoodle pup. You can follow her on Instagram @lauramfooks.