How to Grow Closer to God: 5 Tips for Strengthening Your Christian Faith
Religion can play an important role in your life, and you might be looking for ways to grow closer to God as part of your faith. Fortunately, you don’t have to look far to find helpful tips on how to strengthen your Christian faith. From spending time in nature and listening to Christian music to volunteering at a homeless shelter and more, there are many ways to nourish your faith.
These five tips will help you get started on the journey of strengthening your faith and getting closer to God.
1. Listen to Music that Touches Your Soul
Listening to music that touches your soul is a great way to start growing closer to God. Not only does it have a spiritual purpose, but it also has the ability to relax you, make you more productive, and even help you sleep better. So find some lyrics that speak to you and listen with an open heart.
2. Maintain a Journal to Get Clear on What’s Important
A journal can be an invaluable tool in discovering what’s important to us as Christians. It can serve as a reminder of all our blessings, who we are in Christ, or what areas of our lives need some improvement.
3. Talk to Others about Your Faith
If you want to grow closer to God, one of the best ways is by talking with others about your faith. Share what’s going on in your life, share what you’re struggling with, and offer up prayers together. It may feel scary at first, but you’ll soon realize it can also be a blessing, strengthening your bond, and helping you discover new horizons!
4. Apply the Word of God
One of the best ways to grow closer to God and strengthen your faith is by applying His Word. There are many Bible passages that can help you improve your relationship with Him. You can also look for a passage relevant to whatever you’re going through and read it every day; you’ll soon feel relieved and accompanied by the words and actions of Christ.
5. Join a House Church
One way to grow closer to God is by joining a house church. A house church is a small, intimate gathering of people who meet weekly in someone’s home to study the Bible and worship together. These churches are usually less formal than traditional churches and provide an environment where people can be themselves without pressure. The intimacy of these gatherings makes them a great place for building friendships with other Christians.
Worship With Us at Household of Faith in Christ
Located in Frederick, Maryland, Household of Faith in Christ gathers each week to worship and sing praises to God. If you’d like to meet a tight-knit group of like-minded individuals who enjoy spreading the gospel and participating in group discussions, we’re the place for you!
POSTSCRIPT
The blog above was first published on the original version of this website. Since then the site has been completely reformatted and upgraded. With this change, the blogs needed to be re-uploaded to correct corruptions that occurred with the transition in 2023. While doing this, some additional information was added at the conclusion of many of the older blogs in a “postscript” section that might not have appeared in the first draft that was published on the first website. Think of this new content as “bonus material”.
Canada and Climate
Here’s something from social media that you can tell was posted long before the past couple of years. The person wrote online: “Canada seems nice.” Of course, now we know differently. Incidentally, an often-neglected problem when moving to Canada is the pounds gained. Due to the exchange rate, people moving to Canada add 35% more weight. So, a 200-pound person immediately weighs 270 pounds once crossing the border. Of course, 270 pounds equates to about 122 kilograms, so that makes it not so bad.
Back in 2017 I knew things were changing, but I didn’t grasp the Woke/Reset language at the time. Looking back, it’s so easy to see.
Here’s what a colleague shared back then:
Yesterday, David Rank, the number two diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, resigned, telling his staff that as “a parent, a patriot, and a Christian,” he could not in good conscience, participate in the implementation of President Trump’s decision to bail from the Paris climate accord. Note Blank’s inclusion of the category ‘Christian.’ So, contrary to the belief of some, that reckoning with the climate is solely a political issue, it’s not. As Blank well notes: this is a Christian issue as well. But not everyone agrees. In fact, a lot of people vehemently disagree. Thus, this week’s blog entry – entering the climate controversy. Your comments and ensuing discussion (related to past blog posts) have been rich and informative. So, keep participating!
All I said in response at the time was:
Christians are clearly called to be stewards of all that God has given us. This includes the environment. Does the Paris Accord accomplish this? At least one professing Christian, David Rank, clearly believes that it does. There are other professing Christians who disagree. It would seem that Christians can agree to disagree over the answer to this question. The importance of stewardship is not up for debate. The importance of the Paris agreement is.
Congress and Covfefe
A longtime friend shared a link about a teen needing a license to cut grass, along with this comment:
This is why I’ve soured on legislative bodies, whether they’re in Congress, state legislatures or county/city councils. They always operate behind closed doors, and people have been trained to believe their “civic duty” is to vote, and then pay no attention. I’m far, far more in favor of SMALL republics and something much closer to the Swiss model of regular constitutional/charter referendum voting. It’s no longer enough for the “people” to simply vote and then walk away. When that happens, this is what happens.
My sarcastic side kicked-in and I responded:
Why all the fuss? Wait a few years and mowing lawns will be added to the list of jobs that American’s just won’t do. Then we can justify having immigrants come to the USA illegally, so that they can cut our grass. And they won’t need a business license because they won’t need any sort of documentation at all. As for the American teens? They can go on welfare. See how simple it all is? Problem solved. (If I’m wrong, robots will be cutting our grass anyway).
Quick aside:
Twitter really is the wild west. It can cost you your job. A person can lie and not have to retract it. It’s insane! Not sure why it’s taken so long for people to realize this. I mean, the letters “t w i t” are right there in the name of the darn thing! And do you recall “Covfefe”? Once we look at it like Harry Caray would have, it makes much more sense. Harry always loved spelling things backwards. Spell the infamous tweet backwards: EFEFVOC. See, that clears it up. (Speaking of the Trump years, whatever happened to Kathy Griffin)?
Transgender Identities in Pagan Schools
The adult daughter of a friend wrote an article affirming transgender identities in public schools.
The woman referenced in the article was subsequently bludgeoned by ad hominem attacks on a social media thread. She’s someone else whom I happen to know. So, I weighed in:
I applaud you, Emily, for publicly and articulately advocating your position on a significantly controversial issue. Amiable discourse and thoughtful expression of social views are far too rare in today’s cultural climate. So, thank you. I would like to perpetuate this friendly community dialog by way of presenting examples from various news sources.
A woman named Carol Santa Fe is reported to be in love with a train station, even claiming to have a somewhat physical (sexual) relationship with the building.
A man named Gary Matthews reportedly believes he is a dog, wearing a dog collar, eating dog food from a bowl, and exhibiting other canine behaviors.
A married father of seven reportedly left his family in order to fulfill what he calls his true identity as a six-year-old girl.
A woman named Nano reportedly says she is a cat trapped in the wrong body, hissing at dogs, avoiding water, and claiming to see better at night.
Are these hoaxes? Who can say with certainty about these sorts of things? For the sake of argument, however, assume that all of these are not hoaxes. What should be the response of the community if these individuals lived in Frederick? They claim to feel joyful and whole, and there’s no reported evidence that they’re physically harming another living thing. Should they be left alone? Or should they be guided to receiving help to escape from what might be described as delusional thinking? What’s the proper and loving response?
I leave these stories as food for thought. I wrap up with three asides:
1- Some might suggest that it’s best to avoid, in any argument, holding up the proven-to-be-politically-corrupt International Olympic Committee as a standard for what’s right and wrong.
2- Recall the recent reports of Andraya Yearwood who was born a male but raced as a girl this year in high school, winning two track and field state titles in Connecticut. Was this right and fair?
3- Like you, I believe the quote attributed to Cindy Rose could be improved. (Cindy might even agree, herself). It would be better if it said, “Education should give a student the tools to accurately understand the world around them and arrive at true conclusions.”
God bless you, Emily. Keep tackling the tough questions.
Emily’s reply was to double down, “If it makes them happy and they’re not a harm to themselves or others, I really don’t care.”
That’s the problem, isn’t it? We need to care about the mentally ill. However, it was an expected answer from her, given her publicly stated opinions. I simply ended the dialog by adding:
Let me say, if I ever start believing that my soul mate is a train station, or that I’m not human but rather a dog/cat, or that I’m a six-year-old girl, you have my permission to intervene and guide me toward receiving help.
Many blessings to you,
Pastor Troy Skinner
