Ten Spiritual Disciplines That Create Intimacy With God
Below are ten Spiritual Disciplines that create intimacy with God. Try them and see which one is a good fit for you.
Solitude: Refraining from interacting with other people in order to be alone with God and be found by Him. Just like any relationship, you must put time and effort to deepen the bond. Create your own Fortress of Solitude, where there are no distractions so you simply sit still before the Lord.
Prayer: A conversation with God. The Lord's Prayer is the best template to use to understand how to pray. When we pray we must see God as our loving Father, we can talk to Him like we talk to our own parents when we were children. Having a specific time each day and using a prayer journal can help cultivate a prayer life.
Fasting: Abstaining from eating food for a while (drink water). Fasting can be as short as skipping a meal for one day to being as long as forty days (see medical professional before attempting). From personal experience, fasting enhances prayer.
Study: Understanding the revelation of God found in Holy Scripture (Luke 2:46). If you are reading your Bible correctly, it should help you understand who Jesus Christ is and what he has accomplished for us. The more you understand Jesus Christ, both your self-awareness and your awareness of who God is will increase.
Reflection: Paying attention to our inner self in order to grow in love for God, others, and self. Journaling is a good way of reflecting on the past to help your future. Asking the Holy Spirit to help with reflection is extremely important. Also processing your discoveries out loud with someone else is crucial.
Secret Service: Being a ninja with your good deeds. It’s doing good things like donating your money to good causes with the motive of serving God rather than serving your own personal brand. It’s the love language of giving your time and money without expecting anything in return.
Sabbath: No work! Say no to consumerism and the love of money once a week by resting in what God has accomplished for you in Jesus Christ.
Confession: If you hold on to secrets with a significant other it will destroy intimacy with that person. The same principle holds true with God. We must acknowledge our sin to God and live in the freedom God's forgiveness provides. It is important to confess with another brother or sister in Christ.
Worship: Enjoying the arts that give glory to God. We are made in the image of the Creator who gave us creativity to use. Whether it is music, dance, painting, graphic design; we can connect to God through the beauty of the arts. A common one is enjoying worship music.
Celebration: Taking joy in what God has done. Jesus Christ's first miracle was open-bar at a wedding. It’s important to know how to party (without breaking commandments) to be thankful to God for the milestones in our lives.