Keep Moving Forward

How can we all keep moving forward?

Moving forward, an act of learning and growing in ability. To be able to do this we have to be able to set goals for success. I know it might sound crazy, but I set new goals every school year. These will usually include short term goals like all A’s, reading a certain number of books, or tutoring a student. Things that all around help me to better myself physically. But, what about spiritually?

Have you ever set a spiritual goal? Have you ever made a point to meet that goal or work on it? Just like in your physical life, there are things you and I need to improve in spiritually. Maybe you do not understand God’s commandments or his prophecy. Maybe there is a whole theme you are missing us on spiritually like hope, faith, love, compassion, etc.

For almost every Christian out there (myself included) we are both in the church and in the world at the same time. To grow we must not only come to God when we need him but when we do not need anything. For us all to grow in our faith we need to be intentional about it. We can not lazily sit in the pool of faith, no, we must dive deeper.

Before setting goals for yourself start with prayer. Spend more than two minutes talking to God. Ask him to show your areas of weakness. Ask him to point you in the right direction. Share with him your areas of concern and struggle and ask him for wisdom on what to do about it. He will always show you how to better yourself physically and spiritually.

Reflect on your life so far. Do not make the same goals you have made before, that would defeat the whole purpose of moving forward. What worked for you in the past? What did not? For example, for me it is easier for me to have a bible study at night. That is my set quiet time. But, maybe for you it may be better in the middle of the day or even first thing in the morning. Were there certain activities or studies that you saw spiritual growth from? This could be anything from group discussions to family bible studies. Was there something that you learned solely from this experience?

At the core of every spiritual goal is God. Create a solid background of knowledge about his inspired word before creating goals for yourself. Find different bible study groups or bible reading plans. Or like I mentioned earlier find a certain theme you would like to study in the bible. I did this a couple years ago on the theme love. If you are a super busy person, maybe you should think about a devotional. These resources can help you start your day or end your day with Lord. This should hopefully later be followed by an in-depth study.

Most of all make sure all your goals have realistic steps to complete them in your desired timeline. For example, if I wanted to learn more about God’s laws, I would need to make a set amount of time each day for solely studying the law of the kind. Find some type of planner to schedule your new study sessions, this will motivate you to look forward to the next time. Make artwork from scriptures you have come to understand! Share the knowledge with others by writing about it or speaking about it in a discussion or study. Whatever way helps you to grow spiritually and become more just like Jesus Christ!

Your spiritual goals should be fun just like your physical goal. If you have never made one, I would start by finding your interests. For some people they really like the history that goes along with the bible. If this is something you are interested in there are many online resources that show where different bible stories were written and in what time. Just start with one easy goal first. These could include praying everyday for a longer period, spend more time reading the bible than reading your phone, writing about what you learned about God or his plan everyday to track your learning progress. Always remember that your spiritual growth does not have a time limit you should always be spending time gaining more knowledge. So go out and run towards your first finish line, spiritually!