Another Ten Ways to Get Closer to God

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1. Consider the poor and be generous to others.

Psalm 41:1-3 “Blessed is he that considers the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness."

Isaiah 58:7 "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou sees the naked, that thou covers him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

2. The thought of death, or the actual death of a loved one will draw you closer to God.

Ecclesiastes 7:2&4 “Better to go to the house of morning, than the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” 

Psalm 27:10 “When my father and mother forsake me (in death), then the Lord will take me up.”

3. Have a broken and humble heart.

Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” 

James 4:6&10 “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble…Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

Isaiah 57:15 "For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit."

4. Call upon the Lord in truth.

Psalm 145:18 “The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” 

Matthew 5:6 “They that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled.”

Jeremiah 29:13 "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

5. Suffering and trials will draw you nigh to God.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 “Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” 

Jonah 2:7 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee.” 

Psalm 18:6a “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God.”

2 Corinthians 1:4 "Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

Psalm 147:3 "He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds."

6. Change and forsake your bad habits.

Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” 

Proverbs 28:13 “He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.”

2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

7.  Eliminate time wasters and any other unedifying activities like television in your life.

Psalm 101:3a “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.” 

Psalm 119:37 “Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity; and revive me in thy way.”

Ephesians 5:16 “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful."

8. Your interaction with others will draw you closer to God, if you let it.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one; because they have good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he has not another to help him up.” 

Proverbs 27:5-6 “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

9. Avoid bitterness.

Hebrews 12:14-15 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” 

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness,… be put away from you, with all malice.”

Colossians 3:13 "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against another: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

10. Avoid anger. 

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all… anger… be put away from you.” 

Psalm 37:8 “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any way to do evil.” 

Ecclesiastes 7:9 “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”

Proverbs 16:32 "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city."

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