Developing Your Spiritual Growth Plan

What are your spiritual next steps?

AT OUR IGNITION KICKOFF back in January, I said that God's great desire for you is that you would grow closer to Him and become more like Him in your thoughts, words, and actions. We're sneaking up on the halfway point of this session and now is a great time to check in with God to see how you're doing in terms of your own personal growth toward Christ. If you didn't set growth goals in January, don't worry, it's never to late to start. Here are some tips to help you set some spiritual next steps:

CREATING SPIRITUAL NEXT STEPS

DEFINE THE GOAL: Do you know what "growing closer to God" actually looks like in your life? If you aren't clear about what your goal is, then you can't grow.

• FIGURING OUT WHAT GROWTH LOOKS LIKE: To figure out what your spiritual next steps are for this spring, spend some time in prayer and reflection asking God WHAT you need to grow in. 
• This could be an internal spiritual practice, it could be a behavior that you want to change, it could be an action that you want to begin taking. 
• WRITE IT DOWN: Once you figure out "what" you growth looks like, make sure to write it down. If it's not written down, chances are you won't do it. So figure out what you want to work on, and write it down!

SET ACTION POINTS: Get specific about what growth looks like. This will set you up for success in achieving your goal(s), so make the choice to get specific, and place that information somewhere that you will see it on a regular basis.

• Here are a few examples of what this could look like:

• EXAMPLE 1: If your goal is to understand God more fully by getting into His Word, don't say "I want to read my Bible more." Instead say, "I want to read my Bible 15 minutes a day, seven days a week, and spend 7 minutes in prayer and reflection at the end of each Bible reading, then stick it on your bathroom mirror so you see it each morning.
• EXAMPLE 2: If your goal is to love God more by loving your spouse, don't say, "I will be more loving and servant oriented toward my spouse." Instead say, "I will do one act of service for my spouse 5 times a week, and will tell them that I love them at least 1 time each day." Then stick it to the back of your cell phone.

 TELL SOMEONE: Accountability will be key in helping you achieve your goals.

• Who are you going to tell? This could be your spouse, trusted friend, co-leader, etc. The important things is that this person is someone who you know will follow up with you to make sure that you're sticking to your goal.  

 MY STORY: For years I've made it  a general rule to study the Bible and spend time in prayer almost every day (with some misses when things got out of control), but 10 months ago I was challenged that I need to be in God's Word every day WITHOUT EXCEPTION, if I truly wanted to continue growing deeper toward God. That day I placed an hour time slot on my calendar for Scripture study and prayer, told my wife about the decision, and began to work my plan. I have not missed a day in God's Word since, and it has been incredible. God's great desire is not simply that we would lead, but that as we lead, we would draw close to Him in amazing ways. Let's set some goal, set some action points, tell someone, and take those next steps!