How to Commune with God (Christianity)

Settling Down

Find a quiet spot where you won't be disturbed. This may be your living area, bedroom, or out in the middle of the desert or the woods. Keep the place in order and neat.

Bring a Bible and a notebook with you as well! You may bring a hard copy of the Bible, or a digital copy on your notebook, smartphone, or tablet. You can get a free copy of an older version from a number of Internet sites.

Sit still and listen. Try to see whether God is talking to you (perhaps, it may be through a still small voice in your conscience). Anything you are impressed that God is saying must agree with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible. The universe and the sounds of nature are his creations and proclaim His majesty (See Isaiah 55:12, Psalm 8). God made the world good, and mankind very good even though sin has tainted everything. The Bible states that "it is better to listen than to talk" (James 1:19,20,). This means that it is better to be quiet, listen and agree with what God's Word - the Bible and Spirit has to say -- rather than talking to Him without listening or meditating on the Words of God. Although it is better to listen, sometimes you need to get your own thoughts out of the way first. God wants to hear from you too! You need an equal amount of talking and listening to have a good conversation. Listening or singing worship songs or hymns is a great way to begin to settle your soul and to concentrate on what God has to say.

Avoid distractions. If you can't get away from your workplace, business or school, that's okay. You can still try to avoid being distracted from communing -- even if for only a few moments/minutes at a time, on a break for instance. Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything, always. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done, is doing and will do, for His continued blessings on you. (Philippians 4:6)

Center yourself. Meditate, be quiet, and open your heart. Begin to acknowledge anything that God could use, and want Him to waken the spirit and soul side of you. You can embrace reflection and remember things that are deeper than filling your time with stuff to do. Don't force God to say something. He will definitely speak when He sees that you are ready to listen. Using an app like Reimagining the Examen is great for concentration, meditation on God, talking with him, and repenting. It's great to do before bed as you examine your day and ask yourself and God what you did right, what needs changing, how you handled relationships, etc.

Repent of anything that keeps you from finding God. Whether you feel you aren't centered or maybe you reject truth or don't believe, ask Him to help and free you from things that distance you from experiencing this. If you have done something that you want God's forgiveness for, then start with it, asking Him to forgive you for those minor or major wrongdoings.

Walk in faith and choose to embrace His command. He is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him. Do whatever you think He is saying and continue to walk with faith - filled with desire to know Him. God will not tell you something bad to do, but without faith it's impossible to please God, so know that He loves you. You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free; he is the author and finisher of your faith that grows with each small step you take to pursue him.

Making Repeated Efforts

Read your Bible. Open your bible to favorite passage and read it. If you don’t have a favorite passage let the bible open to whatever page it lands on and read that scripture. The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are great places to start, as well as the Psalms in the Old Testament. See whether God responds to your questions. God talks to His creation through His word and signs, as "the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among us." (Ephesians 3:20). Write down your prayers, if that helps you to concentrate. Write down what God is telling you as well.

Listen to traditional, spiritual, Gospel or contemporary Christian music, such as hymns, or even Gregorian chants, Byzantium chants, etc. for inspiration and spirituality. Let God speak to you through Christian songs and music. See whether you can hear God's Holy Spirit sending you messages through such songs. Listen to Christian music including southern Gospel singers such as David Phelps of The Gaither Vocal Band and other artists such as Chris Tomlin, Hawk Nelson, the David Crowder Band, Rend Collective, Group 1 Crew, Anthem 4 Today, Abandon Kansas, Amy Grant, Audio Adrenaline, Big Daddy Weave, Britt Nicole, Building 429, Jars of Clay, Steven Curtis Chapman, Toby Mac, Jeremy Camp, Hillsong, Aaron Shust, Phil Wickham, To Tell, and Matt Redman. These are just a few of many more Christian music artists.

Be open to accepting your problems. It can be hard to get into a habit of listening to God and reading your Bible. Find a good time to do it every day. If you are very busy, it can be an area you need to work on so you can commune with God.

Go to a bible-centered church. The pastor can help answer your questions. As you learn, you may have more answers. Inspire others if you know someone who may need your answers. Inspire them by telling them about your story, and how you came to know God. If you are a kid, you may consider going to Sunday school (children), or the church youth group (teens). The pastor can help you realize whether God is talking to you in a way that you didn't realize.

Receiving Jesus

Surrender your thoughts and cares over to the Lord. Try to empty your mind; you can even say “I give it all to you Lord”. Make sure that there are no distractions, and be yourself. Talk to him like you would a good friend. Don’t be afraid if you don’t feel like you got anywhere the first try; God responds by faith, keep believing. Go into a private, quiet space each day. Be sure that you will not have any distractions or interruptions.

Pray. Talk to God about anything you choose. Worship Him for He is the Creator of all things. Pray for others in need. Ask for forgiveness for the things you’ve done wrong; known and unknown.

Accept salvation. Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose to heaven. Thank God for what He has done. Practice thankfulness on a regular basis. Thank Jesus for your life, health, strength, prosperity, family and so on.

Maintain a habit of praising. Whenever you feel blessed of happy, call out His name in happiness. Say, "Praise God" or what you would if you were to thank your "Friend." Think about how you would feel if you constantly helped someone and they only turned to you for more help.

Practice holding back. Talk to Him, listen more as He speaks and speak when you must. The more you talk to Him the better you will feel in your heart. Jesus calls us His friends! Remember "God's love is perfect, and perfect love casts out all fear!" Try not to involve or force others into believing you or your communications with God. Keep it within you. If God wants you to share His word, He will tell you.

Be brave when He commands you to walk on His defined path. When Moses was commanded to free Gods people, he was scared and raised doubts to God. Try to believe in God and have faith that He knows what worries you and He will help you if you believe that He knows your concerns.

Practice good manners while communicating. Respond like a friend and not ignorantly assuming God to know who you are or how you feel inside. Jesus said, "You are My friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:14 and 15). Ask, answer, smile, apologize do everything you would to someone sitting eight before you.

Do relaxing and calming activities after spending time listening and meditating in God's name. It may be tiring so a little bit of pampering in the form of walking, having food, helping someone who needs your help, etc. can facilitate in absorbing deeper what God shared with you.