Introduction
Many people struggle to find a relationship with God, especially if they haven’t been spiritual before. However, having a strong faith can provide immense comfort and guidance, especially during difficult times. In this article, I’m going to share five steps that can help you develop a deeper connection with God.
1.Have a Desire
The foundation for finding God starts with a genuine desire to have a relationship with the divine.
Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
This hunger and thirst for a deeper spiritual connection is the fertile soil that allows our faith to take root and grow. If you’re reading this post, chances are you already have that innate longing for something more – a yearning to understand your purpose, find comfort in difficult times, or forge a meaningful bond with a power greater than yourself. This desire is a gift, a sign that your heart is ready to embark on a transformative spiritual journey.
Without this foundational desire, any attempt to cultivate a relationship with God would be like trying to plant a garden in barren, lifeless soil. No matter how much you try to force it, nothing will take hold and flourish. But when that seed of longing is present within you, it provides the essential nutrients needed for your faith to blossom.
This initial desire may start out small, like a flickering flame that needs tending. Or it may burn brightly, a raging wildfire of spiritual hunger. Regardless of its current state, the key is to fan those embers, to stoke that flame, and allow the yearning for the divine to grow stronger and more vibrant with each passing day.
For it is from this heartfelt desire that the rest of your spiritual journey will unfold. Plant this seed firmly in your soul, and you’ll have taken the first crucial step towards forging an unbreakable bond with the God who created you and longs to be in relationship with you.
2. Plant the Seed
As Jesus taught in the Parable of the Sower, the key to a fruitful spiritual life is to “plant the seed” of your faith and tend to it diligently.
Matthew 13:3-8, he describes how “a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
This parable teaches us that our desire for God, though essential, is only the beginning. We must then take active steps to nurture that desire and help it take root and grow. Just as a farmer tills the soil, plants the seeds, and waters them faithfully, we too must work to cultivate the conditions for our faith to flourish.
This involve accept lordship of Jesus Christ in your life to be born again, setting aside dedicated time for prayer each day, reading Scripture and other spiritually nourishing literature, or seeking out a community of believers to learn and grow with. It may mean taking a class on your faith tradition, volunteering at your place of worship, or simply spending quiet moments in reflection and communion with the divine.
Whatever form it takes, the key is to plant those seeds of faith intentionally and care for them with diligence. For without this active engagement, our initial desire may wither and die, unable to take root and bear the abundant fruit that God longs for in our lives.
So let us tend the soil of our souls, plant the seeds of our beliefs, and trust that with God’s help, a bountiful harvest will one day be ours to reap.
3. Have an Open Heart and Mind
2 Corinthians 3:16, “when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.”
This verse speaks to the importance of approaching our spiritual journeys with a posture of openness, humility, and willingness to see the world anew. Too often, we allow our preconceptions, biases, and doubts to create a veil that obscures our vision and prevents us from fully engaging with the divine. Whether we grew up in a religious household or are new to matters of faith, it’s easy to get stuck in patterns of thinking that limit our ability to grow.
But when we turn our hearts and minds to the Lord, that veil is lifted, and we are granted the opportunity to see the world through fresh eyes. We can let go of the assumptions and expectations that have constrained us, and instead approach our spiritual exploration with a sense of wonder, curiosity, and receptivity.
This openness is essential, for it allows us to truly hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit and follow where it leads. It enables us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, as Paul writes in Romans 12:2, rather than conforming to the patterns of this world.
With an open heart and mind, we can pay close attention to how we feel when we pray, when we read sacred texts, or when we engage in acts of worship and service. We can notice the subtle stirrings of the divine, the moments of peace, joy, or conviction that point us towards a deeper truth.
And as we cultivate this posture of openness, we create the fertile ground for our faith to take root and blossom. For it is only when we are willing to let go of our own limited perspectives that we can truly encounter the boundless love and transformative power of the God who calls us to Himself.
4. Be Consistent
Proverbs 24:16 “The righteous person falls seven times and rises again”.
This verse tell us the importance of consistency and perseverance in our spiritual lives, even when the path ahead seems arduous and uncertain. Nurturing a deep, abiding faith is not a one-time event, but rather a lifelong journey filled with both victories and setbacks. There will be days when our devotion burns brightly, and others when it feels like a mere flicker. It is in these moments of difficulty that our commitment to consistency is truly tested.
Yet, as Proverbs tells us, the righteous person – the one who has aligned their heart and mind with the will of God – is one who refuses to stay down. They may stumble, they may fall, but they rise again, time and time again, determined to keep moving forward.
This consistency, this unwavering determination, is key to helping our belief system take root and grow stronger. For faith, like a muscle, must be exercised regularly in order to become robust and resilient. Whether it’s a daily prayer routine, a weekly gathering with our faith community, or a monthly retreat for deeper reflection, the act of showing up, of engaging in our spiritual practices, is what nourishes and sustains us.
And as we demonstrate this consistency, something remarkable happens – our belief system becomes integrated into the very fabric of our lives. It is no longer something we do, but who we are. Our faith becomes the bedrock upon which we build our lives, the guiding star that illuminates our path, even in the darkest of times.
So let us take inspiration from the Proverbs’ words and resolve to be consistent in our spiritual journey. For it is through this unwavering commitment that we will find the strength to rise up, time and time again, and become the people God has called us to be.
5. Be Patient
James 5:7
“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains”.
Building a deep, abiding relationship with God is not unlike the work of a farmer tending to their crops. It requires unwavering patience, steadfast diligence, and a willingness to wait for the harvest, even when the soil seems barren and the skies withhold their rain.
In our fast-paced, instant-gratification world, this call to patience can be a difficult and humbling lesson to learn. We want our faith to blossom overnight, for the spiritual eyes and ears we long for to open wide and reveal the presence of the divine in our lives. And when that transformation does not happen as quickly as we’d hoped, it’s easy to become discouraged, to doubt the sincerity of our efforts or the faithfulness of God.
But as James reminds us, the farmer must wait patiently for the precious fruit to ripen, trusting that with the early and late rains, the soil will be nourished, and the harvest will come. And so too must we, in our spiritual journeys, have faith that if we persistently plant the seeds of our devotion, if we tend to them with unwavering care, the day will come when we too will reap the abundant blessings of a life lived in communion with the Lord.
For it is in the waiting, in the quiet moments of faithful perseverance, that our souls are shaped and molded, becoming receptive to the gentle whispers of the Holy Spirit. It is there, in the in-between spaces, that we learn to trust in the perfect timing of God’s plan, even when it does not align with our own.
So let us take heart, my friends, and be patient. For the harvest is surely coming, if only we have the courage to keep tending the soil of our souls.
Read also: Moral lessons of Jesus Christ walking on the water
Conclusion
Finding God isn’t always easy, but the rewards are immense. By following these five steps – having a desire, planting the seed, keeping an open mind, being consistent, and practicing patience – you can develop a deep, meaningful connection with the divine. Remember, even a small seed of faith can blossom into something amazing. Give it time, effort, and trust, and you’ll start to see God’s light shining in your life.
