Growing Spiritually in the New Year
A few years ago I decided to start writing out a plan to
ensure I didn’t end the year in the same place spiritually as I was when the
year started. Year by year, we might not
notice a lack of spiritual growth in our lives.
You’d be surprised how quickly the years can pass without
having memorized one verse of scripture, without confronting a habitual sin in
your life, without having shared the gospel with an unbeliever, without having
experienced a point in your walk with God that lit a fire under you and caused
you to live differently.
Instead of making “new year’s resolutions” each
year, I sit down with God and ask “How can I grow closer to you this
year?” By being intentional about
setting goals to prioritize my relationship with God, I’ve found the result is
growing in my relationships with my family and friends, as well. Setting
some spiritual goals for the next year also helps me ensure that there is fruit
developing from my life each year instead of being a sponge that continues to
soak it all in, but gives little out.
Here are some examples of a few of the spiritual goals
that I’ve set through the years, many of which repeatedly stay on my list from
year to year. Try a couple of these, and
maybe even come up with some of your own, so that you are one year closer to
Christ—and to those you love—by the time next January rolls around:
1. Meet with God before
anyone else
in the morning. Do you have a plan to meet with God first
thing in the morning before anyone else? It’s one way of prioritizing Him above
anything and anyone. It’s also a way of
making sure you’re at your best, emotionally, by the time you start interacting
with your family.
2. Get into God’s Word every
day. If you’ve owned a
Bible for years but have never read the entire book, this is a great time to
start. There are several good resources
available to help you read through the Bible in a year. Try it in a different translation than you
usually read. Or, ask yourself where you
want to be in your relationship with the Lord by the end of the year and then
set tangible goals for getting there through study.
If you need to slow down and learn to listen for His
voice, study all the Word says about “rest” or “hearing” or
His “voice.” If there are
character traits you know you need to work on, consider an in-depth study of
some or all of the fruits of the spirit. (See Galatians 5:22-23) Or, you can do as I do, and read at least 5
pages a day starting with Genesis all the way through to Revelation. At that rate I can read the whole Bible in
one year.
3. Participate in a weekly
small-group Bible study or lead one among your friends and neighbors.
If you don’t go to a Bible study or a
once-a-week Bible study group, either at church or in someone’s home, you’re
missing out on a lot. We can grow at a faster rate in community because we are
able to share our experiences with one another and hold each other accountable.
I believe it will help you grow closer
to the others, but most of all, you’ll grow closer to God by loving His other
children.
4. Create a prayer journal. Record
your blessings and answered prayers. For some reasons this has been the most
difficult for me. You don’t need any
fancy, leather bound journal book to make your own prayer journal. All you need is a pen and a single notebook. Write the date and day of the week somewhere
at the top. Next, in the far left, write the person’s name or issue. Then write
out the problem and the prayer request.
What happens is that over time, you’ll look back at
people you were praying for, the problems they had, and what the prayer request
was, and it will show you just how good God is. By
writing out these types of things, you will not only be more keenly aware of
how God is working in and through your life, but you will become a person who
is able to “…give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1
Thessalonians 5:18)
5. Pick a verse reflecting a
theme for the year. The
psalmist gave us good cause to memorize Scripture when he wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I
might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) There are two things he is saying, I will hide
God’s Word in my heart (memorizing it, for example) and do it in order that “I might not sin against you.” That’s what this verse means. Sin can help keep you out of the Bible, but
the Bible can help keep you out of sin.
Make some of these action points a priority in your life
this coming year and hopefully, by the end of 2019, you’ll not only be another
year older in your body, but another year older in your faith and walk with
Christ.
How will you grow in your
faith and walk with God this next year?
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you
to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace
with God.
