5 Ways to Reconnect With God

2020 has been a crazy, chaotic year! How has the madness of the last 9 months impacted your connection to God? If you are feeling it is a little strained, you are not alone. However, the promise and joy of Christmas is a great time of year to reconnect with God.

God makes it clear: If you start moving towards Him, He will move towards you (James 4:8). Here are 5 things you can do to move towards God.

1. Do something to make God proud of you.

• The Bible calls this glorifying God. I know it sounds mystical, but it’s not. Glorifying God is keeping an attitude or doing a deed for no other reason than to please God. The Bible explains attitudes and activities that honor God. God will always loves you, but for him to be proud of you, you must practice a Biblical attitude or engage in a Biblical activity for God’s pleasure alone. It is your Christmas gift to Him expressing your desire to be closer to Him. God always receives your gifts…and beams with joy.
• Here are some ideas to get you started: Be humble, Be grateful, Be generous, Forgive someone, Be kind/loving expecting nothing in return, Be patient

2. Build relationships with people who are committed to following Christ.

• God dwells in people who have received the grace offered through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christian friendship is more than a social network. It is a spiritual connectedness that allows God’s people to give and receive God’s presence to one another in the daily routines of life. If you want to be closer to God, do life with some of His people.
• Here are some ideas to get you started: Attend a small group, Go on a mission trip, Volunteer to be a part of a ministry team, Volunteer with other believers to meet a specific need in the community

3. Read and practice God’s Word when He speaks to you.

• Don’t just read the Bible. Read it and then practice what you read. It is completely okay to read a good devotional publication when reading the Bible (just don’t skip reading the actual Bible verses). If you are not familiar with the Bible, I actually encourage you to use a devotional. Reading a devotional with the Bible is a great way to understanding what God is saying to you. Just don’t act like He didn’t say something. Act on it. God hugs the obedient not the stagnant.
• Here are some good devotional publications: Our Daily Bread (odb.org), The Bible App (bible.com), navigators.org, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For by Rick Warren, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge by Tony Dungy

4. Develop a habit of serving others into your life routine.

• Basically, this means too intentionally and habitually serve others for the purpose of expressing God’s love to them. If you have received God’s grace, God’s love resides in you. The best way for you to experience more of His love is to sacrificially and unconditionally share it with someone else. Fortunately, there are literally thousands of ways to serve someone else, and those opportunities pop up like crazy during the Christmas season. Feel free to be creative, but remember—it must be sacrificial, unconditional, and for the purpose of sharing God’s love.
• Here are some ideas to get started: host a small group in your home, volunteer to serve children or students at a local church, serve the homeless, help refugees in your area, use a skill or talent you possess to help the local church

5. Expand God’s Influence by sharing your faith in Jesus

• If God is moving your life, tell someone. If God has answered a prayer, tell someone. If someone in your circle is afraid, discouraged, or feeling hopeless; tell them how your relationship with God through Jesus helped you when you felt that way. Don’t have reservations about telling others how the living God is encouraging you, empowering you, or directing your life. God shows up when we sincerely share with others our encounters with Him.
• Here are some ideas to get started: Pray with someone after listening to them share their trouble, Share your favorite faith based song with a friend and explain to them why the lyrics encourage you, Explain to someone the real meaning of Jesus’ birth, Tell someone how you came know Jesus, Financially support and pray for a ministry or missionary who is telling others about Jesus

Here is the most important piece of advice I can give you as you move to reconnect with God: Don’t try to do all 5 of these activities at the same time. Pick one and move towards God.

Let me know what happens.

Little Drummer Boy by King & Country has become one of my favorite Christmas songs. May it give you some joy in the journey.

Merry Christmas!