…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:5-8
I love this verse in 2 Peter. {Read the whole chapter here.} Not only what it says in it’s entirety, but every tiny word and the very structure of the sentences. Look closely. Look at the word “add.” It’s a verb. It’s active, and requires effort. Scripture challenges us and encourages us to add to our faith. Like a plant left without water and sunlight, our faith will not flourish unless we add to it. Without some effort to grow and move forward, our faith will become stagnant. From there, it will be in danger of withering.
Take Peter’s advice and make ever effort to add to your faith this year. One effective way of doing that is to set some spiritual goals. A lot of the tips found in the first two posts {here and here} of this series apply to accomplishing and setting spiritual goals. However, here are five tips specifically geared toward setting goals for spiritual growth.
Center around Scripture.
Sometimes when it comes to spiritual goal setting it can be hard to know where to start. The obvious answers are to read the Bible more often and commit more time to prayer. Those are great–and we’ll talk about them some more in a bit–but our spiritual goals can encompass so much more than that. A thriving spiritual life will include more than that. When it comes to thinking outside the box the Bible can be a great tool for pointing us in the right direction for finding some spiritual goals to set. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the “fruit of the Spirit.” This, and any other passage that lists concrete characteristics, can be a starting point for a goal. Take one of the fruits listed and think critically about how you can manifest it in your life–then make it into a specific goal.
I came across an awesome article from Jelli Bean Journals while researching for this post. She does a wonderful job of explaining this principle of using Scripture to set a spiritual goal. I highly encourage you to stop over and read it. {It’s a quick, easy read!}
Word Goals.
Being in the Word of God is vital to growing spiritually. I tell the teens in our youth group all the time: It’s easier to believe and trust someone you actually know. One of the best ways to get to know the Lord is by reading His Word. I love reading the Bible, and I’m very good at sticking to my reading plan. But when it comes to setting reading goals, I’ve found–at least for me–it’s better to set a daily goal, rather than a deadline for my reading.
Pick a book you’d like to study, then set a daily goal. Maybe that means one chapter, or reading for 15 minutes. Reading the Bible isn’t a race. It is much more important to read, understand and apply the Word, rather than simply read all the words. I wrote a whole post on better Bible reading. You can read it here for more help on how you can reach your reading goals.
Prayer Goals.
Along with reading the word, prayer is our other tool for really getting to know the Lord. Make a goal to pray regularly. In addition, you should also expand yourself to pray in new ways. Prayer is not only about submitting requests to God, it can also be a form of worship, intercession, thanksgiving, and confession.
To help you stay on track find a method that works best for you. Create a daily prayer time or create prayer prompts that you’ll see throughout the day. I use prayer prompts…because often if I pray for too long my mind wanders. Here are some prompts I’ve used…photos of my cousins/niece and nephew taped to my mirror to remind me to pray for them as I get dressed in the morning; an alarm on my phone that reminds me to pray for a certain individual at a certain time each day; prayer when for my doctors when I pull into the parking lots. You might also find these kid’s techniques useful for diversifying and conquering your prayer goals. One is the ACTS method, the other is a hand method.
Mind Goals.
The Bible says …Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. {Romans 12:2a} Transforming ourselves by renewing our mind means we should also set and work toward some mental goals. Here are some synonyms for the word “renew”: Exhilarate, freshen, reawaken, revitalize. {See more synonyms here.} I don’t know about you, but my mind could sure use a dose of revitalization.
Remember that what goes into our minds roots itself in our hearts. What we meditate and dwell will over take us. For better or worse. Set a goal that will renew your mind. This might mean changing your media habits–TV, books, movies, music. Maybe it will mean starting to read books with a strong spiritual backbone, that will push your faith. Maybe your goal will be to sharpen your apologetics skills or memorize some Scripture. Whatever it is, make sure it stretches your mind and feeds your senses messages that Christ would approve of.
Stewardship Goals.
Our faith should be active. As you think about your goals, don’t stop with self-improvement. Think externally as well. Set a goal for being a steward of the Word and the Kingdom. Find a way to get involved and serve. Serve at your church. Volunteer with a faith based organization. Sponsor a Compassion child and start pouring into the heart of a kid across the world. Mentor a younger Christian. Find a way to be a steward.
As you approach your spirituals goals here are a few more things to keep in mind:
- Don’t over do it. Set a few goals–maybe one in each area–then as you accomplish or grow in those areas, set another goal.
- Keep at it. Don’t be tempted to throw in the towel if you miss a day.
- Find a partner–join an accountability group or Bible study
- Make it a family thing. Set goals with your family and your spouse, too. Set goals for your family and marriage.
- If you didn’t read this article when I linked it up on Monday, you should totally check it out. It’s got Biblical advice and 25 verses to meditate on in regard to goal setting.
