How to Have a Closer Relationship With God
Our world is quieting with the breath of winter now. The calendar tells us that we have a month before the winter solstice; meanwhile, the barrenness of the maples at the field’s edge speaks of what is to come. I long for a closer relationship with God, and the emptiness of winter reminds me of the emptiness that sometimes slips into my own soul.
This is the time of year when the walls start inching closer here.
If I don’t revamp my schedule, the darkness and long days indoors get to me.
I revamp my life every autumn as I prepare for the months ahead.
A Closer Relationship With God
Six months ago, a friend asked if the ways I’m seeking God in my quiet time are leading me to life-giving encounters with him.
Are the ways you are seeking God leading you to life-giving encounters with him? #prayer #Biblestudy #seekingGod #encounteringGod Share on XWhen I realized my answer was most often no, I sought God’s heart to encounter him in life-giving ways.
He led me to create a 4-step daily Bible reading plan in which I encounter him, worship him, and apply his written Word to my everyday life.
How to Have a Closer Relationship With God
I’ve put together a free devotional to share my journey and encourage you to seek God in ways that revive your soul, too.
Revamp Your Quiet Time is a 10-day journey to help you learn how to encounter God in life-giving ways.
This is how it works: When you sit down to read your Bible reading for the day (based on whatever plan you are using), you walk through the following four steps, represented through the acronym R-E-A-P:
1. Read the text.
2. Encounter God through his written Word.
3. Approach the throne through praise and worship.
4. Practice what you have learned by applying your reading to your everyday life.
It goes something like this:
1. Read:
This step is simple. Simply read your daily passage with an open heart and mind.
I started this journey in the gospel of Matthew, but you can start anywhere you choose or wherever you happen to be in the Bible plan you are working through. If you are new to the Bible, the gospel of John is a good place to start.
2. Encounter God through his written Word:
God wants your Bible reading to be more than a dry discipline with a lifeless book.
Scripture is not lifeless; it is living and active.
God wants you to encounter his living presence in his written Word. He wants to bring a passage to life, invite you into a moment, or lead you to a deeper revelation of his love and character. When you read your Bible, expect actually to encounter God as you read.
My devotional will help you learn how to connect with God through his Word.
3. Approach the throne through praise and worship:
After encountering God in his Word, spend a few minutes thanking him for his goodness in your life, praising him on his throne, and losing sight of yourself as you worship him in his holiness.
Do this by listening to or singing a song or by simply basking in the radiance of his presence.
4. Practice:
Now it’s time to ask God to lead us to a practical application for the day’s text.
Your goal is to ask the Lord to show you one measurable way to apply the text to your life.
If you feel led to reach out to another person, ask for forgiveness, repent of sin, or study some aspect of God’s character, hold yourself accountable by putting your practical application into words, and aim to live out this application in the course of your day.
Get Your Free Devotional for a Closer Relationship With God Here:
Do you want to encounter God in ways that breathe life into your soul? Revamp Your Quiet Time is a free online 10-day devotional to get you back on track with God. I recently updated this devotional, and it is my prayer this tool will help you find refreshment in God as you seek his face. Click here for your free devotional. 
These two books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
Lean Into Grace
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can buy your paperback or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBook on Amazon right here.
