Feel Closer to God
Template:AttentionLife can be hard sometimes, but that doesn't mean that you have to go through it alone. Even family members or friends can put you down by just not understanding enough, but there will always be one Person who will and that Person is God.
Steps
- If you are unfamiliar with God and don't know Him very well (ie: vaguely by name) then perhaps you should start by just locking yourself in your room. This will help you to feel that you are now alone with the Sustainer.
- Take a deep breath and try to clear your mind of all things that trouble you. Then, say aloud, "Hi, God. I saved this time for You. Will You please come and talk to me?" This may feel absurd at first but know that God truly listens and cares. Remember, "Ask and you shall receive." There is nothing wrong with asking for God to talk to you.
- Then, as you would speak to a friend or someone you really trust, unloosen your tongue and tell God all that bothers you. Or, tell Him something great that's just recently happened to you (ie: your team just won a game, someone you like asked you out, or you made a new friend). God listens and understands--always--so you won't have to feel silly.
- Another great way to feel closer to God is to get to know Him. What does He like? What does He dislike? What makes Him happy, sad or angry? What does He value? What does He think is foolishness? All these answers are in the book He gave to us through men He loved so we could know Him better. We call that book the Bible. He knows it very well. It has His promises in it that He makes for all of us. It has the story of Jesus (The Gospel of St John)and how He came to the earth and died on a cross, even though He didn't do anything wrong, so that we would be forgiven for our sins. It tells us what a "sin" is. As we learn about our Creator and our relationship with Him, we will get closer to Him.
- We can feel closer to God if we try to do the things He likes. If you came home from work and ignored your wife and brought home a girlfriend or two, you wouldn't have a very good relationship with her. You wouldn't feel very close to her even when you were alone with her. Relationship takes time and effort, and maybe a few flowers! God likes flowers too. He created them and He likes to hear about your enjoyment of them. In fact, God loves a thankful heart. If you don't know what else to say to God, tell Him how much you appreciate all the things He's made, all He's done for you, all He's given to you.
- Don't make promises to God that you can't keep. And if you fail on a promise, go back and make amends with Him. Maybe He will want you to make amends to others. Maybe not. Recognize, when you pray, what your feelings are so that you can understand Him better. Open your heart and be honest-He already knows what's in your heart. YOU need to see what's in there-and be honest about it. If you lie, you are only lying to yourself because He already knows the truth.
- Be aware that He can and will talk to you through your day to day life. He may talk into your heart during prayer ("Wow-I wouldn't have ever thought of that!") or throughout the day through other people who never knew what you said in prayer, or circumstances that are so very unusual. Also, He is usually more interested in answering the "Why?" instead of the "What?" or the "When?" Sometimes He answers "Yes", sometimes "No", sometimes "Not now".
- Enjoy the walk with your new friend.
Tips
- Try to do this everyday until it becomes a habit. You will gradually see that the more you pray and talk to God, then the happier and more light-hearted you will be.
- If you want to begin to pray and not just speak but don't know many or any prayers, you can start by the "Our Father" model prayer. Prayer is also another wonderful way to grow closer to God. But, most importantly, let your prayer be genuine from your heart, not something that is recited and empty.
- Pray to GOD only, through His Son Jesus. Not through the Saints or Mary...they are people, just like you and me. We are to worship GOD only, not His Saints, not Mary, not a statue.
- Jesus said in Matthew 4:10, "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve."
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