# Faith Hacks: 7 Spiritual Disciplines That Draw You Closer to God Seven Bible-based spiritual disciplines that make room for God, each with a verse and a small first step you can try this week. Source: Pray.com — https://www.pray.com/articles/faith-hacks-spiritual-disciplines Author: PRAY.COM Category: Faith & Wisdom Published: 2026-11-05 Last revised: 2026-11-05 --- **If you want to know how to get closer to God, start with the promise in James: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (****[James 4:8](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/james-4/#v8)****, WEB), and then give that promise a few steady habits that make room for him.** Christians have called those habits spiritual disciplines for centuries. They can’t earn God’s love, which you already have. What they do is put you in the places where he has promised to meet you. In his Transformed series on [Pray.com](https://www.pray.com/), Pastor Rick Warren starts the section on spiritual health with a message called “How to Get Closer to God,” and you can listen to part 1 above. His starting point is simple enough to write on a sticky note: “the closer I get to God the more my life is going to be transformed.” He builds the rest of the message on the story of the prodigal son in [Luke 15](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/luke-15/#v11), a young man who walked away from his father and then found the road home. Paul used a coach’s word for this. He told Timothy, “Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things” ([1 Timothy 4:7-8](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/1-timothy-4/#v7), WEB). Any athlete knows that nobody gets stronger by thinking about the weight room. The seven disciplines below are the reps, and each one comes with a verse from the World English Bible (WEB) and a small way to begin this week. ## 1. Read Scripture slowly God’s word is the main way he speaks to his people, so the first discipline is to open it and stay a while. > > “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.” > > > > — Psalm 119:105, WEB Speed matters less than attention. Psalm 1 describes the person who delights in God’s law and says, “On his law he meditates day and night” ([Psalm 1:2](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/psalms-1/#v2), WEB). Pick one short passage, such as a single chapter of Mark, and read it twice. The second time, stop at the line that catches you and ask what it shows you about God. If you want a plan to follow, [Pray.com](https://www.pray.com/)’s [Bible in a Year](https://www.pray.com/bible-in-a-year) walks through the whole Bible with a short reading for each day. ## 2. Pray in a set place Jesus told his followers to find a door they could close. > > “But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” > > > > — Matthew 6:6, WEB Your inner room might be a parked car, a back porch at 6 a.m., or the chair by the window where nobody bothers you before the coffee is ready. What matters is that you go there on purpose and that you talk to God honestly once you arrive. Jesus himself rose “early in the morning, while it was still dark” to pray alone ([Mark 1:35](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/mark-1/#v35), WEB). If you aren’t sure what to say, pray the Lord’s Prayer slowly, one line at a time; our [guide to how to pray](https://www.pray.com/articles/how-to-pray-guide) has more starting points. ## 3. Own up through confession In the parable, the son’s turning point comes when “he came to himself” and decided to say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight” ([Luke 15:17-18](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/luke-15/#v17), WEB). Warren calls this step owning up, and he is blunt about why it matters. Sin puts distance between us and God, as Isaiah says: “your iniquities have separated you and your God” ([Isaiah 59:2](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/isaiah-59/#v2), WEB). Warren repeats a line he once sent out on Facebook and Twitter: “if you feel far from God, guess who moved?” God stayed where he was. The good news is that the way back is short and open to anyone who will take it. > > “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” > > > > — 1 John 1:9, WEB Try ending each day with two questions: where did I wander from God today, and where did I see him at work? Name what comes to mind, ask for forgiveness, and go to sleep forgiven. ## 4. Fast to make room Fasting is setting aside something good for a time so you can give that time and hunger to God. Jesus assumed his followers would do it when he said, “when you fast,” and he asked them to keep it between themselves and the Father ([Matthew 6:16-18](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/matthew-6/#v16), WEB). A first fast can be small. Skip one lunch a week and spend that half hour reading or praying, and let each hunger pang become a reminder to turn your thoughts toward God. If going without food isn’t wise for your health, fast from your phone for an evening, or from the radio on your commute, and give that time to prayer. Our article on why [Jesus fasted for 40 days](https://www.pray.com/articles/jesus-fasted-for-40-days) explains the background. ## 5. Worship with thanks Psalm 100 gives directions for coming into God’s presence, and they begin with gratitude. > > “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name.” > > > > — Psalm 100:4, WEB Thanksgiving turns your attention from what is missing to what God has already given. Before you ask God for anything tomorrow, thank him for five specific things from today, such as a phone call from a friend, a meal or a hard conversation that went better than you feared. Singing helps too, whether that is in church on Sunday or along with a worship song in the kitchen. For more ideas, see [6 simple ways to practice gratitude daily](https://www.pray.com/articles/6-simple-ways-to-practice-gratitude-daily). ## 6. Rest and be still Busyness is one of the most common reasons people feel far from God, and the Bible answers it with rest. God gave his people a weekly Sabbath, and Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” ([Mark 2:27](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/mark-2/#v27), WEB). Rest is a gift he wants you to receive. > > “Be still, and know that I am God.” > > > > — Psalm 46:10, WEB Stillness can start with ten minutes of silence before the house wakes up, with no music, no podcast and no list. Once a week, plan a stretch of real rest: a long walk, a slow meal with people you love, an afternoon with nothing on the calendar. You can read more about the [Sabbath day and what it means for Christians](https://www.pray.com/articles/sabbath-day). ## 7. Stay close to God’s people No one grows close to God alone for long. The first church in Jerusalem “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer” ([Acts 2:42](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/acts-2/#v42), WEB), and Hebrews warns against “forsaking our own assembling together” ([Hebrews 10:24-25](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/hebrews-10/#v24), WEB). Good teams win because players show up for each other on the days they don’t feel like it, and church works the same way. Find a congregation and keep going back, join a small group if one meets near you, and look for one person each week you can serve with a meal, a ride or a prayer. Service is a discipline as well, because it trains you to see people the way God sees them. ## When God still feels far away Every one of these practices will have dry weeks. Warren is honest that drawing near takes intent. He points to God’s promise in [Jeremiah 29:13](https://www.pray.com/bible/web/jeremiah-29/#v13): “You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” He also puts it more sharply: “you’re as close to God as you choose to be.” That can sound heavy until you remember what the father in the parable did. > > “But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him.” > > > > — Luke 15:20, WEB The son took the first step home, and the father ran the rest of the way. Pick one discipline from this list, practice it for seven days, and expect to find God coming toward you. If you would like to know the story better, read [who the prodigal son was](https://www.pray.com/articles/who-is-the-prodigal-son) and what Jesus meant by it. ## A prayer for drawing near *Father, I want to be close to you. Forgive me for the ways I have wandered, and thank you that you have never moved. Give me a hunger for your word and a place to meet you each day. Teach me to rest, to give thanks and to love the people you have put around me. Draw near to me as I draw near to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.* ## Keep reading and listening - [More from Transformed with Rick Warren](https://www.pray.com/series/transformed/) - [How to Pray: The Only Guide You’ll Need](https://www.pray.com/articles/how-to-pray-guide) - [Hearing God’s Voice: How to Pray and Listen](https://www.pray.com/articles/hearing-gods-voice-how-to-pray-and-listen) - [Who Is the Prodigal Son? The Parable and Its Lessons Explained](https://www.pray.com/articles/who-is-the-prodigal-son)