How to Live a Life Pleasing to God: 5 Essential Steps
Is living a life pleasing to God even attainable? To this day, this question rattles in the back of my mind every time I struggle spiritually. I hate the feeling of disconnection that comes with behaving in a manner that isn’t pleasing to God.
That said, I’ve come up with five biblical concepts that I’m pretty confident God wants from us, no matter how imperfect we think we might be. I guarantee that by adhering to the following spiritual principles, you will grow spiritually enough to feel confident that you are doing all you can to serve God.
1. Cultivate a Strong Relationship With God
In trying to please God, it’s essential to establish a strong relationship with Him. Let me share some ways you can deepen your connection with the Divine and center your life around His principles.
Importance of Regular Prayer and Communication With God
Prayer is essential to building a healthy relationship with God. It’s a way to communicate openly and honestly, sharing our thoughts, feelings, gratitude, and struggles. Through consistent prayer, we not only seek help and guidance but also thank Him for the blessings in our lives.
Consider setting a specific time each day for prayer, like a daily walk or a quiet moment in the morning. I communicate with the Lord Almighty definitely before I go to bed and immediately when I wake up. In addition, I also speak with God often during the day, depending on what’s happening.
So, develop a prayer routine to help you stay accountable and maintain your spiritual focus. To know God and to foster a strong relationship with Him is numero uno in the Creator’s desires for every human being.
Seeking God’s Guidance and Direction in Decision-Making
Life presents you with different challenges and choices. Turning to God for guidance and direction is vital in navigating these decisions. By seeking His wisdom, you better understand your purpose in life and discern the right path.
As mentioned previously, one way to seek guidance is through prayer. Another way I seek direction from my Father in heaven is by reviewing bible verses about the subject I’m struggling with. Reflecting on God’s word and taking an extended time-out to meditate on it usually does the trick to realign my vision with The Lord’s. This leads me to make more precise decisions.
These practices can flood your conscience with great insights and help align your decisions with God’s will for you as well.
Developing a Deeper Understanding of God’s Word
As alluded to, to foster a closer relationship with God, you must learn about His nature and teachings. This can only be achieved through carefully studying His instruction manual for mankind—the holy Bible.
You might consider joining a study group or seeking mentorship from someone who exemplifies living a faithful and devoted life. Or you can pour over hours of bible lessons on YouTube like I did.
Remember, cultivating a solid relationship with God requires intention and consistent effort. Through regular prayer, seeking guidance, and deepening your understanding of Godly principles, you can live a life that pleases Him and experience the true meaning of God’s presence and love in your life.
2. Practice Acts of Kindness and Compassion
Living a pleasing life to the Divine involves embracing actions of kindness and compassion. I believe that these actions not only bring joy to others but also exemplify the love and camaraderie that the Lord Almighty desires from His children. Let’s look at three key aspects of practicing kindness and compassion daily.
Treating Others With Love and Respect
Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow as yourself: I am YHWH(The Lord).”
This verse puts forth an essential tenet that pleases The Almighty. Commonly known as the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
When you demonstrate love and respect, you open the door for positive communication and understanding, and in turn, it is fully pleasing to your Creator.
Serving Others in Need
Sometimes, opportunities to help others present themselves unexpectedly. At other times, you can actively seek ways to serve those in need. A life dedicated to modeling what God loves may involve volunteering at a local food bank, donating to a charitable organization, or simply assisting someone who is struggling.
Efforts to serve others can take many different forms, such as:
- Sharing with others our time, skills, or resources.
- Simply sharing the knowledge of God and His wondrous ways.
- Empathizing with and comforting those experiencing hardship.
- Displaying kindness and patience towards others even when you yourself are under duress.
Forgiving Those Who Have Wronged Us
Forgiveness is an essential component of a life pleasing to the Divine. Some would say it is a defining feature of faith in the God of the Bible.
After all, repentance and forgiveness are God’s foundational message since our forefathers messed up in the Garden of Eden.
We all make mistakes and fall short of our best at times. So, in the same spirit put forth by the golden rule above, you must allow your fellow man the same grace and forgiveness God affords you when you falter.
Remember that as you continue to practice acts of kindness and compassion, you pave the way for a life that is pleasing to your Maker. And in doing so, you grow not only as an individual but also in your connection to The Most High.
3. Live a Life of Integrity and Honesty
Being Truthful in Your Interactions
I learned this lesson early in life. The strain it took when I was a pre-teen, not only to lie but to keep up said lie, was torture. I got caught red-handed one time by my mom after lying for weeks about taking something without her permission. Lesson learned.
Today, at a societal level, I notice how deception at the highest levels hurts people in a big way. Like the misinformation surrounding vaccine efficacy during the Covid pandemic.
Avoiding all the chaos is why being honest and genuine in all your interactions is a crucial step in living a life that is pleasing to God.
Avoiding Manipulation
Focusing on honesty also requires avoiding manipulation. From a moral standpoint, manipulation undermines the autonomy and dignity of individuals. It involves deceit, coercion, and exploitation, which are contrary to the virtues of honesty, kindness, and compassion that are often associated with godliness.
The Bible portrays the Holy One as the ultimate depiction of truth and justice. It follows that actions that distort reality and promote deception and injustice are, therefore, displeasing to God.
Upholding Moral Values and Principles
Living to uphold God’s moral values and principles is incredibly important and pleasing to God. These principles often include compassion, integrity, humility, and love—qualities that foster a just and moral society.
On a personal level, following God’s moral directives leads you to a fulfilling and meaningful life. It provides you with a moral compass that guides you through the complexities of life, helping you make decisions that align with the greater good.
Lastly, fearing God and adhering to His moral principles is often associated with spiritual growth and enlightenment, bringing you closer to God.
4. Embrace Humility and Gratitude
Recognizing Your Dependence on God
Just think how awesome it would feel if someone who consistently depended on you expressed their humility and gratefulness on the regular. That would indeed be very pleasing and even borderline embarrassing at times.
Recognizing your dependence on God is no different. The Lord is pleased beyond your understanding when you rely on Him for your daily strength and sustenance.
And this is because your dependence on God brings you closer to your Creator and deepens your relationship with Him. Ultimately, it leads you to a profound sense of peace and contentment because you trust that there is a divine plan for your life.
Acknowledging Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Being mindful of your strengths and weaknesses is pleasing to God because it embodies the virtues of humility, self-awareness, and a desire for personal growth.
And the latter is the principle idea that your Creator values above all. When you sincerely take stock of your strengths and limitations and put in the work to improve — there’s no more significant sign of spiritual maturity and a propensity to live by God’s divine will.
Expressing Gratitude for God’s Blessings
Expressing your gratitude to your Creator should be a never-ending proposition. This action pleases the Lord because it acknowledges God’s goodness in your life. In doing so, you are acknowledging God’s creation as well as His sovereignty and benevolence.
In addition, expressing your gratefulness to God is a form of worship and reverence. It demonstrates an awareness of the interconnectedness of life and the role the Almighty plays in it.
Furthermore, gratitude implies that you understand that blessings are not solely the result of your efforts but are gifts from God. The Lord much appreciates this humility as it opposes pride and self-sufficiency, attitudes that can distance you from relying on and trusting in His grand plan for you.
5. Seek to Make a Positive Impact on the World
Using Your Talents and Abilities for the Greater Good
It is imminently gratifying to your heavenly Father when you use your God-given gifts to help others. We’re not all alike for a specific purpose. And that purpose is to make us commune and interact with each other.
So, in a sense, you were made for this. You were made to find your strengths and then use these gifts to serve others and positively impact those you come across. Taking this assignment seriously is a way to live a life pleasing to God.
Being a Source of Light in the World
As a believer, being a good example to your fellow man is integral to God’s plan for a better world. You should be a source of light and hope for those feeling lost or overwhelmed by their circumstances. Or for those who are lost or unaware that there is a spiritual perspective that can bring peace and relief to their lives.
This is why you must strive to be compassionate, kind, and understanding in your interactions with others. Your display of godly principles in your everyday life can be a guiding light for someone in their darkest hour.
Inspiring Others to Live a Life Pleasing to God
Another area in which the Creator will delight in you involves encouraging others in their journey of faith. Imagine getting others to realize the beauty of leading a life that pleases God.
And this, my friends, is genuinely not complicated. You don’t have to become a clergy member or hold any theological degrees. Simply by living as an example of humble service, obedience, and gratitude, you can provoke others to seek a relationship with God.
Let them see the peace and contentment you experience living according to Divine guidance. Your actions and spirit can ripple effect on those around you and inspire them to want some of the same.
Conclusion
Final Thoughts on the Importance of Living a Life That Pleases God
Living a life that is pleasing to God is truly a gift. That means you’re part of a selected few(by my estimation) who have been blessed with the ability to perceive a world with a higher meaning and purpose than meets the eye.
With that said, I would like to share a few final thoughts to inspire you on this journey:
…Be glad you know Him: As I alluded to above, it is a privilege to be one of the few who are aware of God and His magnificent creation. So, rejoice in the opportunity to serve and love God. I thank God routinely for this blessing as I am constantly being slapped in the face with examples of fellow children of God who are flailing and struggling just because they don’t relate to their Creator.
…Stay humble: Focus on pleasing God and not the world. God doesn’t want you to live for now and nothing else. You’ll find that the world is fleeting and impossible to please. The “eternal life” is truly where the rewards are at.
…Welcome accountability and self-control: This world lacks quite a bit of both of these qualities. God wants you to thrive in this beautiful world He created. The Lord frowns on chaos, and God instead is pleased when you project order and discipline in your life.
…Reflect on your life regularly: God wants us to take a time-out. After all, the commandment to take a day off is smack-dab in the middle of the Ten Commandments. This tells you that God’s will for us is that we spend dedicated time pondering Him, His creation, and our place in it. From personal experience, reflecting on God’s holiness has led me to many great insights over the years. And I’m sure He has to be pretty pleased about that.
