March 12, 2023- You read about it in the Holy Bible and hear it from gospel songs, but you do not know how to listen to the voice of God. Beloved, a nearness with God is required to listen to Him through the Holy Spirit. Instead of asking, “How can I hear the voice of God?” consider asking yourself, “How can I get closer to God?” Here are five tips for getting closer to God:
Read the Word
Know the Word
Pray
Worship
Fast
1. Read the Word
To start, you must read the Word of God, the Holy Bible. The gospel of John says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). God created everything in the earth, on the earth, around the earth, and beyond the earth, but the Word was in the midst of God’s creation. Verse three says, “All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
Yet, God was not alone with His Word and His creations at the beginning. There was one other: Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Go to verse two, “He was in the beginning with God.” The book of Genesis confirms that God was not alone, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26). How do I know that the “Us” in Genesis 1:26 refers to God and Jesus, not God and the angels? I read the Word and know that while John 1 speaks to Jesus Christ being present in the beginning, Jesus Christ refers to Himself as God, “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:48) (compare this to Exodus 3:14). Since God and Jesus Christ are one, Jesus was present at the beginning and is still present today. .
2. Know the Word
Reading the Word gets you nowhere if you cannot recall the Word. Start memorizing simple verses like the ones listed below:
1 Corinthians 10:31- “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Proverbs 30:5- “Every word of God is pure He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him”
Psalm 19:1- “The heavens declare the glory of God And the firmament shows His handiwork.”
Philippians 2:4- “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Matthew 22:37- “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Matthew 22:38- “This is the first and great commandment.”
Matthew 22:39- “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 22:40- “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Notice how the last set of verses in the list above builds up to a passage? As you memorize verses, use those verses to commit whole passages to your memory.
If you come across an extended verse, separate it into parts and remember each over a day, a week, or whatever timeframe works for you. For example, Isaiah 53:5 is longer than a simple verse. Here is how I broke it down in parts to remember it over the course of five days:
Verse | Part | Day |
|---|---|---|
“But He was wounded for our transgressions…” | Part I | Tuesday |
“He was bruised for our iniquities…” | Part II | Wednesday |
“The chastisement for our peace was upon Him…” | Part III | Thursday |
“And by His stripes we are healed.” | Part IV | Friday |
“But He was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities The chastisement of our peace was upon Him By His stripes we are healed.” | Combined | Saturday |
You need to start memorizing scripture so the Holy Spirit can allow you to recall a good verse at the right time, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26).
3. Pray
Jesus Christ taught us to pray in a secret place, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6). By His teaching, find a dedicated time and space where you will not be interrupted. I know some of you may laugh at the fact of “time and space where you will not be interrupted.” Let us be honest here, life is busy, especially for parents, even more so for parents that work full-time. For busy people, that may mean waking up earlier, going to bed later, or praying during work or school.
In the United States, employers must accommodate those with sincerely held religious beliefs under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This includes Christians that want to pray during working hours. This Act also covers the employer to an extent; your religious practices cannot result in undue hardship to your company[1]. In addition, according to the Department of Defense, military members are protected under the First Amendment of our Constitution and have the right to practice their religion or observe no religion at all.[2] Individual states may have additional laws. Check with your state to know your protection for practicing your faith.
What about schools? The US Department of Education has guidance on that[3]. It protects the practice of religion within schools, provided it is not disruptive. Students cannot coerce others into their religious faith. Teachers, and school administrators can pray as well, as they are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
For those reading this article from another country, check your nation’s and state’s/province’s laws.
4. Worship
One day, I was worshipping, and I had a vision and heard Jesus Christ call me. In the vision, Jesus Christ’s hand reached out to me, encouraging me to continue singing. I cried in worship, and tears streamed down my face as I wrote this. Beloved, if you are not spiritually and emotionally moved in worship, you are not worshipping correctly. Let me explain.
Until Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, some worshipped God the Father in temples or mountaintops. During His interaction with the Samaritan woman, Jesus Christ said, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.” (John 4:21). This suggested that worship was going to change. Verse 23 says, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23).
God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one. Therefore, when He ascended, and even beforehand, and unto today, we worship Jesus Christ, for He said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24). Our worship and our prayers go to Jesus Christ who acts for us in heaven to God the father.
5. Fast
Of all actions to get closer to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, fasting is the hardest thing to do; at least for me, it is. True fasting is eliminating food and water over some time. To fast correctly, you need to eat healthily. Some of you are killing yourselves with unhealthy foods, such as fried or greasy food and food high in sugar. Did you know that gluttony is a sin and fasting cleans not only your body but your soul and your spirit?
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame- who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
Philippians 3:18-21
We fast to show repenting and to cast out certain demons. The Holy Bible has an example of a national fast in the book of Esther, chapter 4. Through the manipulation of King Ahasuerus of Persia, a decree was set out to persecute and destroy the Jews within his kingdom. Esther 4:3 says, “And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.” While fasting, you must show actual signs of repentance. The book of Joel 2:12 says to turn to the Lord with all your heart by fasting, weeping, and mourning.
A boy had epilepsy, and Jesus’s disciples tried, to no avail, to cast out the demon. The boy’s father went to Jesus and, bowing down before Him, asked Jesus for His mercy and to cast out the demon. The Holy Bible says that the boy was healed within the hour that Jesus Christ cast out the demon. Afterward, the disciples approached Jesus privately and asked why they couldn’t cast out the demon. Jesus explained,
Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Matthew 17:20-21
Accepting Jesus
Have you been praying and reading the Holy Bible but have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your savior? Beloved, now is the time to do so. If you are ready to repent from your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your savior, say this prayer:
Father, in the name of Jesus, remove temptation from the readers and the believers as they continue to seek You. Help them in their righteousness path. Please allow the readers and the believers to repent from their sins. Guide them from their act of fasting. Teach them the things that they need. Let their heart, soul, and their mind grow towards you. Hallelujah. Amen!
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