3 Habits to Grow Closer to God as a New Christian

I am in my early twenties and am a few years into my walk with the Lord. I did not grow up in the Church, although growing up in Britain meant there was a Christian element to my primary education, with the singing of hymns in assembly and the occasional visit from a local pastor. This meant when coming to Christ, everything was new. It was a lot to wrestle with. After all, I had been initially converted to Christianity through experience, so to speak. I have learned a lot in the past few years and I look forward to the learning that lays ahead. After all, as beautiful as our Heavenly destination will be, I am equally as excited by the journey in which we arrive there.

From my perspective, this is one of the most beautiful aspects of the faith, we get to journey with a God who promises to uphold us, who promises to protect us, and who promises to love us, every step of the way. In light of this it is important to recognise that no two journeys are the same, there is no magic formula when it comes to walking with God – my walk may look very different to my neighbours. As important as it is to recognise this, it is equally important to understand that in spite of these differences there are many common challenges that we share as Brothers and Sisters in Christ. It was not long ago that I was a new Christian – really I still am – and I recount one of the biggest difficulties around this time was in building a relationship with the Lord. Speaking to other Christian’s my age I know that this is one of those common challenges for those who are new to the faith, like I was. It is for this reason that I have decided to share, in no particular order, three practical steps one can take to create intimacy with, and therefore grow close to, God. I would like to note that I have left off the act of finding/attending a Church as this is a rather big topic that I will likely dive into at some point in the future.

Wake up and give thanks – Whilst listening to a speech given by Denzel Washington to graduates at Dillard University, I was particularly impacted by something he said. His speech was centred around hard work, helping others and putting God first. It was on that final point that he said the following “I pray that you put your slippers way under the bed tonight, so that when you wake up in the morning you have to get on your knees to reach them. And while you’re down there, say thank you for Grace. Thank you for Mercy. Thank you for Understanding. Thank you for Wisdom. Thank you for Parents. Thank you for Love. Thank you for Kindness. Thank you for Humility. Thank you for Peace. Thank you for Prosperity. Thank you in advance for what is already Yours'”.

It is easy for us to focus on the things that need fixing in our lives, to be consumed by the things in which we need help from above to solve. The world is a tough place, the Lord knows this better than anyone and I know he is pleased when we go to him as a first response rather than a last resort. But what if we were to change the foundation of our prayer life to one of thanks. Before I go further, please hear me when I say this, God wants us to rely on him to provide for us. Christ himself states this in Matthew 7:7, “Ask it will be given to you…”. I am not opposing Christ’s instruction, I am simply proposing that the hierarchy of the agenda of our prayer life be slightly reordered. What if every morning we got up and, slippers or no slippers, we got down on our knee’s and gave thanks. Giving thanks for the opportunity to see another day, thanks for the breath in our lungs, thanks for the rest we received. Thanks for the roof over our heads. Then ask for the strength to face the day. For him to protect our loved ones. For our ways to align with his will. Now, first thing in the morning I appreciate this may not feel like it comes from the heart and therefore it may not feel overly genuine. But I have found that over time this has helped me to cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude that flows into all aspects of my life not just my faith. Through this greater recognition of God’s generous and caring nature, I have grown certainly seen growth in this relationship.

Read your Bible – I personally love to read books. Fiction, History, Books about Business, Memoirs. But I must confess, me and the Bible did not gel straight away, in fact, a few years on this is still something I am working on. My best advice if you also struggle with this would be to pick up a New Living Translation (NLT) or a New International Version (NIV) as these are widely regarded as the most ‘readable’ editions and will therefore mitigate friction in what may already be a difficult endeavour. I also believe it best practice to pray before opening the Word, asking God to speak to you through his Word and asking for understanding. As for how much of the Bible you should be reading, if this is something you are struggling with start small and build consistency. After a while, read a little more per day. I read a chapter a day, 2 at most, and I am not ashamed to say that It took me a long time to develop this practice. As for when to do this reading, I like to read in the morning as I find this helps me to set the tone for the day. However, If reading your Bible in the evening works for you, great. Find what works for you and build that consistency, growth in your relationship will follow. In the words of Christ, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” – Matthew 4:4.

Walking – Over a year ago I suffered an injury to my knee. Nothing too serious but still enough to prevent me from running for a prolonged period. It was in this time that I fell in love with walking. See, prior to this injury I thought to myself, “Why would I walk somewhere if I could run?”. Over time, I came to understand that the two are both equally purposeful. People walk for different reasons but for me, the act of walking has become an un-skippable part of my daily routine. No headphones, just me, the Lord, and the outdoors. I find carving out this time everyday helps me escape the noise and chaos of the world, pushing me further into the presence of God. It is here in which that small voice, so often drowned out by the noise of our daily lives, speaks so powerfully. It is here where I personally have experienced the most spiritual growth over the past few years.

Although these habits have helped me become more intentional in developing a relationship with God, it would be foolish to think that God’s ability to work in your life is limited by the implementation of these specific practices. There is no formula. These are just ones that have I have found beneficial, and I hope they can help you too.

God bless you all.

Signed,
The Faithful Harvester.