Develop the Strategy for Spiritual Growth
As 2024 comes to an end, now is a good time to reflect on your spiritual growth in 2024. What went well? What was challenging? Where did you have success? What new things have you learned and would like to continue? Have you developed new habits that are serving you well? Have you got rid of bad habits or overcome deeply ingrained self-sabotaging messages?
As you capture these thoughts and reflect on them, take the time to thank God for both the growth and the setbacks. Take time to celebrate both your success and survival. Even difficulties in our lives are growth opportunities (James 1: 2-4).
Whatever happened in 2024, you cannot go back to change anything. But we can learn from these experiences. Here are some guidelines to help you to develop an effective strategy and to stay focused on your path to spiritual growth.
Be Intentional and Strategic
Spiritual growth does not happen on its own. One must be intentional and strategic about it. Why is this the case? Companies know that if they want the business to grow in a competitive environment, they must have a good strategy and invest resources to win. The key word here is competitive. There are a lot of things competing for your attention and priorities. If you are not being intentional to win, your competitors will. Your job demands you to give more strength to generate more revenue, advertisers entice you to spend more money on their products and services, and your family and friends desire more of your time to entertain with them. They all compete with God who wants you to spend time with him and to give your heart, mind, soul, and strength to love him above all others. Matthew 22:37-39
Being intentional is to make a decision for something, and then design your life to achieve it. It starts with a decision. So the first step is to decide that you want to grow spiritually. From there, you create a vision for what spiritual growth looks like for you at the end of 2025. Finally, you make a strategic plan that is targeted, achievable, and that leverages resources that are available to support your goals
Ready for an amazing 2025? Let’s do it!
Create a Vision
Imagine yourself at the end of 2025, what do you see? Do you see someone who is happy, secure, and confident? Or do you see someone who has direction, clarity, and a sense of purpose? Do you see yourself in a new career, in a dating relationship, or engaged to be married? Or do you see yourself healthier and stronger physically? What are your desires? If you could have only one thing in 2025, what would that be?
Be super intentional about who you want to become – not just what you want to achieve (tactical goals). You may have a plan to develop your career or skills, or a financial plan to buy an apartment or to take a trip. But this plan – your plan to grow spiritually - should supersede them all. Why? Because spiritual growth lays the foundation for true success in life. Do your spiritual growth right, and it will support, accelerate, and enrich other goals. You won’t just become a husband, you will build a strong marriage; you won’t just own an apartment, you will make a home filled with joy and laughter.
For the longest time in my life, I wanted to be like Leigh Kinnard. Leigh was the women’s ministry leader in my church. She was a bit older than most of our high-energy, type-A personality ministry leaders in my church in New York. Leigh is from the South and is what we may call a Southern belle – poised, reserved, and graceful. She is my vision of being calm and gentle, patient and kind. I wanted to be like her – she modeled for me qualities in Jesus that I want to grow into.
What spiritual qualities would you like to cultivate in your character? Be specific in your vision, and keep it simple. Focus on the most important things.
Protect Your Time
Time is a precious gift of life. In fact, I see time as life. If you waste $50 on a poor-quality product that breaks immediately, you can take a side job and earn $50 to buy something that works. If you waste five hours fixing something and when it doesn’t work, those five hours are gone forever. You cannot buy that time back.
How you spend your time in 2025 will decide who you will become in 2026, and beyond.
Block out time in your calendar for the spiritual routines and activities you want to engage in 2025. First make sure you already incorporate these fundamental habits for spiritual growth: daily devotional and weekly corporate worship. Block your calendar for the 20-60 minutes you want to spend in the morning with God in his Word, in prayers, in journaling, in mediation and/or in music. Make an appointment on your calendar to attend church worship every Sunday, so that you can worship God in fellowship with other believers. Corporate worship honors God and helps protect and strengthen our faith. Read Acts 2:42-42 and Hebrews 3:13.
Check your church calendar and block out your calendar for special programs like Small Groups, Women’s Retreats, Men’s Nights, Marriage Seminars, Corporate Fast, and more. Decide which one you want to attend and block out your calendar at the beginning of the year – and do it now! Because if you don’t, someone else will, but for their agenda, not yours.
Learn from NY Times Bestseller Author James Clear on developing habits
Nurture Spiritual Relationships
Our lives are surrendered by relationships: family, school friends, coworkers, neighbors, and/or church friends. The time we spend with them has influences on our lives. While we don’t always get to choose our family or coworkers, we can be deliberate in choosing our spiritual friendships.
Who is in your spiritual circle? Whose sermon helps deepen your faith? Who are examples of a Christ-like individual you aspire to be like? Who are your close spiritual advisors? Who do you trust? Who do you confess your sins to?
Whom you spend time with you the most tells what is important to you. If you want to grow spiritually, you want to be surrounded by people who can influence you spiritually. This is logical. But you must be intentional about it! In 2025, make the time for spiritual relationships that will help you grow spiritually. Search, pray, and engage. Then when God brings you the right persons, be ready to invest time in building a deeper friendship and opening up your heart to them.
In the 2006 movie, "The Devil Wears Prada," Nate said to Andrea, the assistant of a very demanding fashion magazine editor, “You know, in case you were wondering - the person whose calls you always take? That's the relationship you're in.”
Commit to Training
Apostle Paul was a hardworking and effective missionary who established churches and forever changed the history of humanity. His journey to success was not without sweat, pain, and sacrifices. He shared his perspective on success here:
“Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly, I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
Paul was not only intentional about his goals, both long term and long term, but he also understood the need for discipline and training. Specifically, he wrote his protégé Timothy:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timonthy 3:16-17).
Yes! The Bible can give us the training we need for our spiritual growth! The formula is simple (Be taught, be rebuked, be corrected, and be trained). However, implementing the process can be quite hard. The key here is putting into practice what we learn. Just reading the Bible, attending small groups, or listening to sermons is simply not enough. That is only step one! You must be prepared to go through all the steps if you are committed to spiritual growth. After you hear a message on forgiveness, do you practice forgiveness? After you read a Bible verse about being a child of God, do you begin to approach God as your loving father? Or do you simply agree that these are good ideas and move on to something else?
Make a commitment to yourself and to God that you will accept the training God wants to give you for your spiritual growth in 2025.
Learn more about being trained by God’s word with this Bible Study.
Bonus Tips and Tricks
Write Up Your Plan - on paper and digitally.
Take Baby Steps
Review Often
Celebrate Every Success - Big and Small
Don't be Afraid to Fine-tune
Find an Accountability Partner
