Ever feel like January is a bunch of Groundhog Dayâs stitched togetherâŠlike an iPod stuck on replay?
Perhaps youâre like me in the sense you wonder why so many are still hopping on and off the resolution bandwagon, scrambling to find the right short-term fix for their long-term âneedsâ.
If you can relate, then hear me out. âCause today weâre going to talk about how we can better fine-tune our resolutions1 by focusing on three practical âheart goalsâ we can all aspire to in 2016.
- PrayâŠmore.
Okay, okayâŠI know this is a âchalkâ point2; however, itâs still worth mentioning considering itâs the most powerful form of communication we can experience.
Think about it: God loves us so muchâŠHe gave us a limitless lifeline (i.e. prayer) so we can dial into Him at any time…and join Him in making a difference.
I donât know about you, but I find this [very] encouragingâŠknowing we can pursue God through prayer and partner with Him in His work no matter where we are or what weâre going through.
Granted, as bivocational believers, there will be times the enemy tempts us into thinking our prayers are less effective (compared to full-time ministers)âŠand distracts us into less frequent, circumstance-driven prayer.
However, the truth is: we can pray boldly and effectively because weâre made righteous through Christ (James 5:16)âŠand are equipped with a purpose and a plan that no one can strip away.
Thus, itâs important we take time to consider how God wants to use us through the power of prayer in 2016, whether it involves healing the brokenheartedâŠopening closed doors to advance the mystery of GodâŠand/or shedding light on the truth of who God is (Colossians 4:3, Ephesians 5:13).
2) MemorizeâŠmore.
To be honest…I’m not the biggest fan of memorization; not because it’s a waste of time3, but because I’m simply not that good at it…it’s somewhat rudimentary (as a learning technique)…plus I’m perfectly content being familiar with as many things as I can.
So it should be no surprise when I say I don’t often involve memorization when studying the Word, considering I’d rather get the concept than the verbatim.
HoweverâŠthis doesn’t mean memorization doesn’t have a place in our spiritual walk…or that I’m even correct in my overall assessment. In fact, I’d submit it’s one of the most underrated forms of spiritual preparation (abiding + equipping).
Consider 1 Peter 3:15: “…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”
At the sake of sounding cheesy, whenever I hear “being prepared to make a defense“, I immediately imagine a 19th century cowboy minister being able “draw” the words of God on demand…like John Wayne, except instead of a Winchester Model, you have powerful words of two-edged truth.
But though Peter isn’t emphasizing a particular apologetic discipline here, it can be said memorization is a worthy component to any readiness strategy, given its tendency to root head faith deeper into heart faith.
My advice? Don’t hesitate to memorize more…and take advantage of the fact there’s an app for that (See “Fighter Verses” app (right screenshot); Jeff Lingâs post for more insight here).
3) Reach outâŠmore.
Whenever we hear âreach outâ, itâs easy to think go on more mission trips or go to the soup kitchen every weekend. But in this case, when I say âreach outâ, Iâm talking about confidently pursuing life-on-life opportunitiesâŠin the flesh. Person-to-personâŠface-to-face. Yes, there is a place for online community and virtual relationship (as I wrote about a few weeks ago); however, with more of our social interaction taking place by âi-Productsâ these days, itâs important we commune intentionally, especially if leaving a Kingdom legacy matters to us.
Case in point: A couple years back, my wife and I talked about this issueâŠand at the end of our conversation, she challenged me to initiate three hangouts/phone-calls (outside my normal routine) a month for three months.
At first, I had my reservationsâŠespecially since we were in the middle of a relationally dry season. But as I started to carry out the charge, it wasnât long before I realized this is what I was made for; this is what I should be doing more often!
Iâm telling youâŠsimply putting myself out there was a game-changer. In fact, had I not gone into âchallenge acceptedâ mode, I wouldnât have been able to listen, encourage, and pray Godâs will/best into action the way God had for me.
You seeâŠoften times, we think we have something to lose being vulnerable and available, but once we realize this kind of withdrawal mentality doesnât come from God, we can take it captive and ultimately discover the pure thrill of reaching out on purpose.
In light of this, my encouragement to you, friends, is to keep the foot on the gas pedal this yearâŠto keep doing the good things youâve been doingâŠjust more of it.
Seriously, just imagine if we all got in on thisâŠhow many more lives would be impactedâŠ
Footnotes
- As January fades into FebruaryâŠI find the transition to be a great time to reevaluate my resolutions. After all, when we aim to cling to what is good, we should also want to cling to what is necessaryâŠand appointed for such a time as thisâŠso at the end of the day, we may reach the prize to which weâre running towards
- âChalkâ point = an obvious statement worthy of mention
- Though I’d say otherwise if it’s used as a primary means of retaining knowledge
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