How To Walk With God: A Comprehensive Guide
Walking with God is key to living a purposeful, joyful, and meaningful life. If you desire a deeper connection with your Creator and to live according to His will, learning to walk closely with Him each day is essential.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Developing your relationship with God requires regular Bible reading, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and living according to Biblical principles and values.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore principles and practical tips to strengthen your daily walk with God, answer common questions people have about connecting with Him, provide encouragement to persist when challenges arise, and examples of what an intimate walk with the Lord can look like.
Cultivating a Heart Posture Conducive to Walking with God
Desiring God Above All Else
The first step to walking closely with God is cultivating an intense desire for Him that supersedes all other affections. As Psalm 73:25 states, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
When God becomes our highest joy and satisfaction, we willingly rearrange our priorities to pursue closeness with Him. Research by the Barna Group found that 61% of spiritually active Christians who self-reported a “very close” walk with God listed God as their greatest love.
Comparatively, only 28% of believers struggling in their spiritual walk said the same (1).
Maintaining a Teachable, Humble Spirit
Walking intimately with the Lord necessitates a humble, student-like posture towards Him. We must maintain hearts willing to be corrected and directed by God, acknowledging our dependence on Him. As James 4:10 encourages, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
Practicing regular self-examination through prayer and Scripture reading helps us identify areas of pride or self-reliance, granting God access to deeper regions of our hearts. According to research by Lifeway, over 80% of Christianswho self-identify as “completely humble before God” also claim to be “very close” in their walk with Him (2).
Pursuing Obedience and Righteous Living
Lastly, nurturing closeness with God involves pursuing obedient, righteous living through the Spirit’s power. As 1 John 1:6-7 explains, “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” Therefore, we must submit every area of our lives to the lordship of Jesus, allowing the Spirit to align our thoughts, words, and actions with God’s will.
According to the 2022 State of the Bible report, 87% of spiritually active adults who read the Bible daily and follow its teaching very closely also claim to have a “very close” relationship with God (3).
Essential Spiritual Disciplines for Walking with God
Regular Time in God’s Word
Setting aside regular quiet time for reading and meditating on Scripture helps believers connect more deeply with God (https://www.cru.org/). As we read the Bible, we come to know God’s character and understand His plan for our lives better.
The Word of God is described as “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12), meaning it speaks freshly to us today. Many devotees recommend starting your day with Scripture as it centers your mind and priorities for the day ahead.
Daily Conversational Prayer
Prayer is essentially a conversation with our Creator. Having regular two-way communication fosters intimacy in any relationship, including our walk with Christ. We pour out our hearts to Him, and we listen for His still, small voice in return (https://www.navigators.org/).
This can involve confessions, intercessions, petitions, praises, or simply resting in His presence. Setting a consistent time and place for prayer each day provides needed structure.
Fellowship with Other Believers
God designed believers to live in community and support one another. Meeting regularly with other Christ-followers for worship, prayer, study, service, accountability, and fellowship helps us mature in our faith.
This iron sharpens iron principle seeing in Proverbs 27:17 reminds us that we grow better together. Life groups, small groups, missional communities, or other church-connected gatherings offer meaningful ways to walk with God alongside fellow sojourners.
Worship, Praise, Gratitude
Expressing adoration of God through worship music, praise, thanksgiving, and practicing an attitude of gratitude keeps our focus on the Giver rather than just the gifts. This realigns our perspective from self to God as life’s ultimate purpose.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 encourages believers to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This essential spiritual discipline reminds us of God’s presence, power, promises, and provision in every season of life.
Overcoming Obstacles in Your Walk
Lack of Understanding
One of the biggest obstacles in our walk with God can be a lack of understanding about who He is and how He works in our lives. We may have misconceptions about His character that lead us to doubt His goodness and faithfulness (Ps 73:1-28).
Doing regular Bible study and surrounding ourselves with wise believers who can disciple us is so important to grow in understanding (Prov 4:7, Heb 10:24-25). As our comprehension of God’s truth deepens, we gain greater confidence to follow Him through every season.
Distractions of the World
It’s easy to get distracted from our walk with God by cares of this world – busy routines, materialism, success seeking, or pleasures (Mark 4:19). But Jesus urges us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness (Matt 6:33).
We can fight distractions by regularly practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, fasting, simplicity, and service. Setting boundaries around media intake and technology can help us stay focused too. As Dallas Willard said, “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life.”
Let’s slow down and enjoy intimate friendship with God amidst life’s pressures.
Seasons of Struggle or Spiritual Dryness
Seasons of spiritual dryness or emotional struggles can make us feel distant from God. But He promises to never leave or forsake us (Deut 31:6)! During desert times, persist in seeking Him through prayer, Scripture, and Christian community (Ps 63:1). Consider fasting to intensify your focus.
Resist the temptation to pull away in shame; bring your struggles honestly to God (Ps 42:5-6). Recall past faithfulness to encourage future hope (Lam 3:21-24). God often uses dry seasons to purify motives, develop character, and deepen trust in Him alone.
These painful growth periods lead to greater joy and intimacy with Christ (James 1:2-4).
What an Intimate Walk with God Looks Like
Growing Understanding of His Character
As we walk closely with God each day in prayer, study, and obedience, we come to know Him more intimately. We begin to really understand His character – His holiness, sovereignty, grace, mercy, justice, and love (Exodus 34:6-7).
The more we understand who He is, the more we respect, revere, and love Him. We stand in awe of His majesty and goodness. Developing an intimate walk with God leads to a heart that overflows with praise and thanksgiving for who He is.
Increasing Desire to Obey and Honor Him
The natural result of knowing God more deeply is desiring to please Him with our lives. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). As our love for Christ grows, our hearts change. Sin that used to entice us starts to repulse us.
We want to align our thoughts, words, and actions with God’s truth. An intimate walk with God does not lead to perfection, but it does lead to a yearning to honor Him and obey His Word (Psalm 119:10-11).
Seeing Prayers Answered
Walking closely with God enables us to see how He is at work through our prayers. We are encouraged as we see Him guide, provide, heal, and work in situations when we petition Him. Jesus said, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.
Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24). Through answered prayer, our faith is strengthened. We come to rely on God more and more, and we gain a deeper trust in His goodness and faithfulness.
Bearing Spiritual Fruit in Your Life
As we walk in intimacy with God, abiding in Christ each day, our lives are transformed to become more like Jesus. The fruit of His Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – is manifested in our thoughts, words, and actions (Galatians 5:22-23).
This spiritual transformation is a lifelong process as we surrender daily to the Lordship of Christ. But an intimate walk with God will lead to real heart and life changes as we yield ourselves fully to Him.
Conclusion
Walking closely with God day by day enables you to fulfill your purpose, experience His supernatural peace and joy, and leave an eternal impact on those around you.
As you implement the principles explored in this guide, determining to earnestly seek God no matter what challenges arise, you’ll develop an increasingly intimate friendship with your Creator that sustains you through every season of life.
