7 Ways to Connect With God and Refresh Your Spirit
Do you want a deeper or stronger relationship with God? You are in the right place. Today, we’ll explore 7 ways to connect with God in fresh ways.
I invite you to join me as I gaze at the autumn tree line, and we’ll talk about how to draw near to God in refreshing ways.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you connect with God.
7 Ways to Connect With God and Refresh Your Spirit
The maples are splashed vermilion, and mist rises ashen from the valley. I take it all in from my morning watch by the window, trying to drink in all this color before the world turns grey. I’ve been contemplating how to have deeper fulfillment in Christ lately and wonder what I might learn from the created world around me.
Maybe God told the leaves to fall because he wanted to remind us how to let go, too.
I don’t let go well.
I tend to hold onto a season with white knuckles, fighting change with all that’s in me, clinging to the familiar, the routines, and the known.
7 Ways to Connect With God When Life Is Challenging
It dawns on me as the elms hold out their honey-colored canopy: Sometimes we have to let go of “good” to make room for “better.” If we want deeper fulfillment in Christ, we need to learn to hold all things lightly.
There are obvious applications of this truism:
Letting go of the comfortable job to pursue the career that coincides with calling.
Giving up escapist behaviors to save room for Daily Bread that sustains.
Resisting the temptation to coast through marriage and putting in work instead.
There are less obvious applications of letting go of good to make room for better as well:
Setting aside your prayer list to allow God to guide your quiet time.
Resisting the urge to force your agenda as you walk through your days; instead, allowing God to interrupt your plans.
Refusing to hurry so you have time to stop and catch up with a neighbor.
Turning off the television to play board games with your family.
And so the question arises: Where is God calling you to let go of “good” and make room for “better”?
Where is God calling you to let go of good and make room for better? #followingJesus #calling #clarity #yourbestlife #encounteringGod Share on XExchanging “Good” for “Better”
The pathway to greater fulfillment in Christ often includes letting go of “good” and making room for “better.” This includes changing the ways we are pursuing God when these ways of seeking him aren’t leading us into life-giving encounters with him.
Are the ways you are pursuing God leading you to life-giving encounters with him? Or are you simply going through the motions?
Let’s look at seven ways to connect with God and find greater fulfillment in Christ. The first three examples will examine ways we can connect with him in our quiet moments. The final four examples will explore how we might follow him into the world and carry his love.
1. Connect with God through his written Word.
Most of us thinking of reading when we think of interacting with our Bibles. But there are many ways to interact with God’s Word.
Here are a few ideas:
Read the Bible using a Bible reading plan. Many reading plans can be found online. These will guide you to daily Bible readings as you aim to connect with God in his Word.
Try reading and reflecting using a journaling Bible.
Interact with the Bible by memorizing a verse every week.
Do a Word study of the Greek or Hebrew language as you read daily, using biblehub.com.
When you read the Bible, imagine you are within the text. Put yourself in the scene. Reflect on how it would have felt to be with Jesus.
Use a study Bible or commentary to slowly read through the Bible and study it in greater depth.
2. Connect with God through prayer.
Many of us focus on making requests when we pray. God wants us to bring our requests to him, but his greatest desire for prayer is a closer relationship with each of us.
Aim to actually encounter God when you pray.
Listen as well as talking. Also, learn to pray without words, sitting silently in God’s presence. We’ll talk more about this shortly.
Here are some ideas to help you connect with God in prayer:
Try using a prayer journal and writing your prayers.
Incorporate physical postures into your prayer time.
Pray through the names or promises of God.
Use a method of walking through prayer steps, such as stillness, thankfulness, supplication, intercession.
Try contemplative prayer.
(Read here for ideas to help you with your quiet moments.)
3. Connect with God through fasting.
Fasting reminds us that our deepest spiritual hunger is for God, not the comforts of this world.
Most of us think of food when we think of fasting, but we can fast from other activities as well.
Here are some ideas:
Fasting from technology, social media, shopping, TV, or anything that typically brings you comfort.
Every time you feel tempted to turn to the object or activity from which you are fasting, turn to God in conversation. Ask for his help. Press into him.
4. Connect with God in silence and solitude.
Commit to spending a given amount of silence and solitude each day. During this time, aim to rest with God.
I like to spend this time sitting outside or sitting beside a window. I keep my mind on a centering thought, such as, God loves me so much. The goal of this time is to sit quietly in God’s presence, enjoying him.
5. Connect with God by decluttering your mind with him.
We all face jumbled thoughts throughout our days.
God wants us to bring those thoughts to him so that he can help us sort through them.
Learn more about decluttering with God here.
6. Connect with God in worship.
Worship is powerful. It takes our eyes off our temporal circumstances and fixes them on God.
Ultimately, we were created to worship God, and all followers of Jesus will spend eternity in heaven worshiping him.
We can connect with God through worship alone in our homes, and this is a life-giving practice. God also wants us to worship him with others.
If you want to connect with God, find a local church where you can plug in. By building relationships with other believers, you will also grow closer to the Lord.
7. Connect with God by joining him in his work.
We connect with God when we join him in serving others.
Make a bed, hang a towel, take the garbage out, or go out of your way to complete a chore that normally belongs to someone else. Don’t ask for or expect affirmation for this act of kindness.
Is there an elderly family member, neighbor, coworker, or member of your community who could use a visit? Send a card, or better yet, offer the gift of your time by showing up to visit for an hour.
Jesus declared that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for him (Matthew 25:40).
Hold a door, pay for a stranger’s coffee, offer a kind word to a tired clerk, or lend an extra set of hands to an exasperated mom.
Offering care to others unites us with Christ, who was the ultimate example of a servant leader.
If these 7 ways to connect with God encouraged you to turn toward him, I invite you to explore our family devotionals and library of free devotional eBooks below. Be blessed as you connect with the King of kings.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
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!
A Free Devotional Book to Help You Apply These 7 Ways to Connect With God to Your Life:
Lastly, is it time to get the fire back in your walk with God? If these 7 ways to connect with God blessed you, my free gift to you is my 10-day devotional, Fan the Flame. This devotional offers dozens of practical ways to connect with God in both your quiet moments and your busy everyday moments of life. Click here, and I will send this devotional directly to your email inbox. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
