Doesn’t spiritual growth just happen? Is this really something that I should plan and set goals for? 

If you want a fruitful garden, you will plant the seeds, water them, pull the weeds, and trim the branches. You make sure the plant gets sun. You do all the things that you can to make sure that the plant can grow and produce fruit. In some ways, you don’t control whether you get fruit but you can help or hinder the plant producing fruit. 

The same is true in our spiritual lives. We can help grow through the various things that we do and the things we don’t do.

Spiritual Goals to Set

More Time in the Word – If we are not spending time in the Word, how can we know God? The goal of more time in the Word includes reading and studying the Bible, meditating, and memorizing it. God speaks through his Word. The Word is a lamp to guide our way. (Psalm 119: 105) Memorizing God’s Word helps to keep us from sin. (Psalm 119:11). Meditating helps us to fix our eyes on God. (Psalm 119:15). Set a goal to spend more time in the Word.

More Time in Prayer – Prayer is not us running through our prayer list like it is a shopping list. Prayer is communicating with God. It involves us speaking with God and also listening to God. Prayer involves confession, interceding for others, and praise. A few ideas include create a prayer journal, update a prayer journal, write prayers of confession, or record answers to prayer.

Increase Your Giving – Yes, this is our tithe but it should also be more than giving our tithe. It could be giving time, from our abilities, and physical goods. Give to the Lord from the first fruits and not the leftovers. Giving demonstrates our dependence on God to provide for our needs. Giving is an act of grace. Grow in your giving. 

Increase Your Service – Service demonstrates our love to God and to others. Service could be so many areas from singing to cleaning the church. It could be teaching children’s Sunday School or serving coffee. It might be taking an older person to an appointment. Our service should be with gladness and not a duty. (Psalm 100:2)

Delight in Worship – Worship is to honor God, to give him worth. Our worship should be both corporate gathered together with other believers and personal. Are you regularly attending worship? Are you practicing personal worship? This could involve singing and praising God. THis past year I have done more personal worship and I have to say that it has been some of my most refreshing times. I Choose Worship and it turns to joy. I have begun to create a Worship Journal. Delight in worship because he is your maker. (Psalm 95:6)

Practice Fasting – Yes, you read that correctly, I said, “Practice Fasting.” Why should I make fasting a goal? Don’t I have the freedom to eat and enjoy my food. Here are just a few reasons why you should include a goal of fasting. Fasting turns our focus on God as we give up food we focus on God. When your stomach growls reminding you that you have not eaten, pause and pray, remember all that God has given you. Jesus gave an example of fasting. The early church fasted and prayed. I challenge you as well as myself to set a goal of practicing fasting in the coming year.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Rather compare yourself to you today and set goals based on that. You know what you are currently doing and what would be a goal to grow in these areas. 

Have you set spiritual goals for the year? Do you have goals in each of these categories?

Have you signed up for the newsletter so you can get encouragement through the year?

Be sure to read these posts as well.

5 Dangers of Spiritual Goals

60 Ideas for Spiritual Goals