As a Christian Ministry student, finding “practical” steps for a healthier relationship with God is more challenging than it seems. What qualifies something as “practical”? Is our relationship with God “practical”? God is a practical God, He wants to provide for your practical, daily needs. Yet, over and over again, we try and make Him easier to understand and more “practical” than He already is. We can, through God’s will, is corporate practices into our lives, and invite God to speak through those times in a practical way.
As we grow as Christians, some people come across times in our faith journey when they start to feel bored. Feeling bored in your faith is not uncommon, in fact, throughout my whole life I have found myself feeling bored and uninterested in the bland, dry devotions and sermons. It can be so hard to find devotional or personal bible study that fits your needs, time commitment, and relationship with God. Finding what’s right for your relationship with God can be hard, practices like these can make a huge difference.
Purpose:
The purpose of the post is to give you practical ways for a healthier relationship with God. These practices are helpful for all believers in any spot in their faith. I hope these can be aids and supplements to your own devotionals and bible studies. I have provided some general practices and mindsets, because a lot of times, we not only need stress-free practices we can incorporate into our daily lives, but we also need formative mindsets that can jump-start our faith.
Disclaimer: Everyone’s faith and story is vastly different. If these things don’t work for you, continue exploring to find what God wants for you. Ask friends and family for other ways to grow your relationship with the Lord. Know that you are so loved by God and lean on Him for every decision you make.
#1: The Word:
As believers, we don’t just read a book called the Bible because of the cool stories and interesting theology that comes with it. We read the Bible because we believe it is divinely inspired by God, we believe that the Word is flawless and should be taken seriously by every Christian. The Bible can be used in many different ways, to guide our hearts a believers. Practice Lectio Divina or some other form of scripture meditation. Pray that the Lord speaks to you through the scriptures.
#2: Worship:
Worship is more than a list of songs. Let’s get that straight. In one of my classes last semester, we spent the entire class talking about worship theology. I learned that the one thing worship is not, is a song. In corporate worship (like at church), we often get distracted by outside influences that affect our worship time.
Therefore, I encourage you to set aside time to worship on your own. When you wake up in the morning, worship while getting ready, as you are going to bed, worship while you wind down for the day. Start to incorporate worship into the empty quiet times in your day. When I started to do this, I noticed I spent less time scrolling, and less time worrying about what others think of me, and started talking to God so much more.
#3: Prayer:
Prayer has no checklist or guidelines. There is no format for our prayers. Sure, participating in liturgical practices is valuable, but praying to the Lord on your terms provides a tremendous improvement in your relationship with God. As a kid, it was really hard for me to pray. I got distracted easily and couldn’t stay focused. Until I found centering prayer later in life.
Centering prayer essentially involves praying a character of God like “The Lord is my Provider” and when we start to get off track, not ignore the thoughts that flood in during prayer, but gently put those thoughts aside for later and centering back on your original prayer. Praying like this is a beautiful and practical way to grow in your prayer life and have a healthier relationship with God.
#4: Silence and Solitude:
Often in the Gospels, we see Jesus removing himself from a place and going somewhere alone to pray. As followers of Christ, we are called to be like him in many ways. I live a busy life, college, applying to seminary, ministry, and other jobs, I find it hard to intentionally spend time in silence and solitude with God.
Silence and solitude are important because, like prayer, they center us in our relationship with God. It can be a time of reflecting on our testimonies, praising God for His mercy, and asking Him to reveal Himself. Silence and solitude might look like the moments before leaving for work, or taking a walk in the woods after lunch. Whatever it looks like for you, spending time with the Lord once or twice a week in complete silence can help you to have a healthy relationship with God.
#5: Fellowship:
Fellowship is more than having Christian friendships. It’s more than one bible study a week, or an occasional text of “Praying for you :)”. While neither of these things is inherently bad, they often leave us feeling cheated of a true friendship. More than bible studies and texts, true Christ-centered friends desire to live life with you.
Through the highs and lows, fellowship is a deep understanding that life is not meant to be lived alone. Christ-centered fellowship is not surface level but digs deeper into who we are as Christians. We walk through life together as believers, recognizing our sins and failures and rejoicing because God has redeemed us.
These 5 practices are not the extent of our faith. There are many modifications and different ways to strengthen your relationship with the Lord. Your relationship with God is not defined by these practices nor are you more or less Christian because you do these things. Sometimes we need to have practical ways to spend time with God, and according to His will, we can grow through Him! Read this blog to learn more about Jesus in your everyday life!