Q&A for How to Become Closer to God as a Christian

The Holy Bible provides written material to understand and obey the will of God. In devoting a portion of your day to reading and memorizing Scripture, you can get to know Him better.

If you feel God is important, be willing to invest some of your time and resources into knowing Him better. Dedicate time each day to reading the Scripture, prayer, and journaling about your relationship with God. You should also become part of a community in which you pray and worship with others who share your faith and provide mutual encouragement to focus upon God.

Christians should “pray without ceasing.” You should begin your day with focused prayer, continue to pray in your heart as you perform your activities throughout the day, take breaks to speak directly to God in prayer, and retire to bed with another time of prayer. Know that a conversation with God never ends.

Pray through your heart and give your all to God when you are praying.

Living life in this fallen world with eternity in your heart is a tremendous struggle. But remember that it's not by your own efforts that you draw closer to God; HE is the one who has reached out to you, and whose mercy always makes it possible for you to come before His heavenly throne. There's a scripture that says, "Though the righteous falls seven times, seven times he rises again." The key is to pray, pray, pray, and every time you fall, to get right back up again. You may not be the kind of Christian you want to be, yet, but God will continue to meet you where you are and hold your hand as you stumble forward.

God always answers prayer in one of three ways: "Yes, this is my plan for you," "No, this is not my plan for you," and "what you ask for will come to you later, this isn't the right time."

Go with God. I know it'll be hard, but doing what you now is right in God's eyes is always the better choice. You'll regret sacrificing your convictions just to be accepted by these friends (who, by the way, are not true friends if they don't support your efforts to keep a clean conscience). You won't necessarily lose your salvation by sinning with your friends, but you will harden your heart to the voice of the Holy Spirit and do your body, mind, and soul harm.

Ask Jesus into your life and get baptized. Don't be led astray by the devil. Read the Bible, and, most importantly (the reason God put us on this earth), Praise the Lord!

Almost every person in the world has dealt with the problem you have. The fact that you regret it and desire forgiveness is a great step actually. But to answer your question, God will never be mad at your repentance; He actually rejoices in it! And He will always forgive you no matter what, provided you mean it in your heart and your head. Read Luke: 15 for understanding God's grace and forgiveness. Have a nice day and God bless!

Yes, He surely does. He's your perfect father who takes care of all your needs. "My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore." Psalm 139:17-18.

The fact that you want God's relationship is awesome! But to answer your question, you must submit yourself as a living sacrifice to God. Now doing this doesn't mean to give up everything materialistic in your life, but keep things in moderation. God wants to know if you're willing to sacrifice your worldly things for Him, so once you choose God instead of everything else, you will feel closer to Him. Doing this is very hard because you're starting a habit you've never fully committed to in your whole life, but you can tell God it's hard and He will give you encouragement. God has a place for you in heaven and He won't stop loving you!

Your sins were already forgiven by God when He died on the cross, but He wants you also to ask forgiveness so that you submit to Him and look to Him for the answers (He is the solution). That being said, if you want to feel forgiven, ask for forgiveness with your heart and your head. Sometimes we ask forgiveness so we can receive His blessings; instead of truly seeking God for God, we seek God for his blessings. So to feel forgiven, fully be committed to God and to do what He says and what He creates for your life. You will never feel fully satisfied, but God will always be there for you.

You're human. The Apostle Paul made the very same complaint when he wrote, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I do not carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:18-19). Even after we're saved, there is this tension between our "old self" with its rebellious, stubborn inclinations and desires, and our new nature, which loves what God loves and desires to please Him. Get some Christians around you who know how to pray to help you battle to do what is right. And though you keep stumbling, don't quit chasing after Him!

The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to every believer who has confessed his sins and accepted Christ as his saviour. The Holy Spirit will help you throughout your life if you let it guide you. It will give you the gift of righteousness in every aspect of your life. You may not feel it initially when you receive it, but it will surely make you feel its presence at some point. It will perfect your life from all misery, and righteous and victorious decisions will make their way in your life forever. Also, the Holy Spirit goes on renewing if you put it to work.

Remember that nobody is perfect and God knows it. As long as you pray to him and confess your sins, telling him you did wrong, all your sins will be washed away. After all, that is why he died on the cross, to relieve us from the chains of our sins. No matter what happens, God will always love you, remember that.

Honoring them does not mean you have to accept abuse. Treat them with kindness, dignity, and respect, but do not stay in an abusive situation. If your father will not believe you, find a trusted adult who will.

Reading scripture before bed usually helps me with this problem. I particularly recommend Psalm 91. It is some of the most comforting scripture you could read.

Read the four letters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These will tell you all about how Jesus lived for 33 years. Then start reading Paul's books of the Bible.

This depends on whether the life you choose is against God in any way. If you can give up your worldly things for God, you will be that much closer to God. There is a time for entertainment, but keep things in moderation. The Psalms have plenty of verses that can help guide you towards glorifying God.

You can buy a Bible in a bookstore. You can also borrow one from a library instead.

God has reasons for everything He allows to happen, though unfortunately, you or I are not always able to understand them. It might make you feel better to help work toward world peace in your daily life via activism, instead of praying and waiting.

It depends on what you mean by tiredness. If you mean physical exhaustion, get more sleep and pray that God will allow you to sleep peacefully. If you mean spiritual exhaustion, stay strong. Keep in his Word, in prayer, and of course in fellowship with other believers.

Try to pray or read the Bible. You might feel like the Holy Spirit has left you, but God has a plan for you, and this is part of it.

Think deep, pray with your heart and soul. If you feel love around you or if you feel something good, that is how you know God is close to you. It is the one of the most amazing or if not the most amazing thing you would ever feel in your lifetime. That is only a small portion of God's exponential love for us.

I have struggled with the same thing. I suggest you pray to Him often, telling him your doubts, and ask him for forgiveness, help, and wisdom.

Absolutely! He will weasel into your prayers with evil thoughts. I immediately tell him to get lost and go on with my prayers. He tries this at least once a day.

Open the Bible, memorize quotes. That's the only way. There are no shortcuts, you just have to repeat the phrases over and over until you've got them memorized.

Not at all! Everyone has their way to speak to God. You can sit down in a quiet place, pray out to him, and you can speak to him. God can speak to you through prayer, worship, other people and many other ways.

By letting Him! He already wants to. He wants to live in your heart, so you should let Him.

You can pray and ask God to help you with your depression. Read the Bible daily, perhaps when you go to bed or wake up in the morning. You can start with the four Gospels. Go to church as well, the fellowship can be very empowering and mood-enhancing.