New year. New me.
I was never one to adopt this status, but I can understand how the statement is enticing.
Last week, I shared a post warning against vision boards, as the start of the new year tends to press the button of “goal planning” for many. People want success, jobs, a house, a marriage, a date, etc.
For today, I thought it would be nice to have a balance to last week’s post. Last week warned against things not to do as a Christian. This week’s post will recommend some things for the Christian to consider as she looks toward the new year.
I do recommend watching this really short video by Got Questions. It’s 4 mins long and gives sound counsel on things to consider when we make goals. (See post: What Sort of New Year’s Resolution Should the Christian Make (Got Questions) & Taking Break)
Before We Start…
Taking one piece of advice the video shared, we first need to make sure that the goals and changes we want in our life are God-honoring.
In addition to finding goals that are God-honoring, we need to be committed to God-honoring goals. Last year, I was ministered by the thought that discipline takes discipline and diligence takes diligence. I’m finding the same is true with ambition and motivation. I know the desire to have motivation before we do something is not the most healthy because we keep waiting to “feel” a particular way before we actually do something.
And feelings are so fickle.
It’s like we want the fruit of motivation without the work it takes to get motivation.
What I can say is we need to find a routine, even a small one, and begin there. Find a routine for Bible reading, for cleaning, for writing, for studying, etc. I want to recommend Reagan Rose who has a book out on Christian Productivity. He has some wonderful and practical advice for the Christian.
All right, here are 5 to do’s for the Christian and I hope you find them helpful for the new year.
1. Journaling.
I used to journal a lot more than I do now. But it’s something I’ve been wanting to get back into. Journaling can help with a few things. Journaling:
- Helps memory – writing things down helps us recall better. It’s nice to capture fresh memories so we can look back and see our history.
- Prayer requests – we can see how the Lord answered prayers and fears. (Sometimes not getting what we ask is an answer and later on we might understand why.)
- Can be used as a way to plan our day, week, whatever.
- Favorite scriptures, Christian quotes, can be both edifying and inspiring to jot and reflect on later.
- For Bible studying, journaling can help us think through the text more. We can jot down verses that stood out or questions we have, which can help further study.
2. Memorizing Scripture.
If you want something to help you with studying scripture, memorizing scripture can give you the push you need. Since the early summer of last year, I’ve been slowly memorizing Colossians chapter 1. The more I’ve memorized of Colossians, the more I see the message of the Gospel, the urge for people to gain godly wisdom through His holy word, and the more I realize I don’t know scripture as well as I used to think. It’s pretty incredible to see how scripture connects to other parts of scripture.
Tips for Memorizing Scripture:
- Start with only a verse or two. Begin by memorizing the first couple of words or line. Repeat.
- The method I use to memorize scripture follows the advice of Susan Heck, who has the whole New Testament memorized, and a couple books of the Old Testament. (See: Call To Scripture Memory (Susan Heck)) One thing Susan recommends is to say the scripture as fast as possible over and over. This is not the same as a mantra, it’s purely for the purpose of memorizing. Hearing our own voice helps us remember, and fast speed helps us remember better. One other thing she recommends is to stick to the same translation when memorizing. For me, I’m using NKJV.
- While memorizing portions, you get exposed to those sections for long periods of time. Since studying Colossians, I’ve been able to pick out similar topics that Paul writes in his other letters. Certain themes, especially of the Gospel, are made more clear for me.
3. More Fellowshipping With Other Ladies.
Last year I was so blessed to finally spend time with other sisters in Christ IN PERSON. All of that was thanks to the Lord for providing a solid godly church we could attend. I want to encourage you with a couple of different ways you can fellowship with sisters of Christ in your life.
- First – find a godly church. To find the church we go to currently, we used a church search engine provided by Michelle Lesley. Church allows us opportunities we might not be able to do on our own. Plus, we are not the ones who have to be in charge of all those opportunities, which is nice.
- Say hi to someone you haven’t introduced yourself to. I struggle with this so badly. I am shy with people I do not know. But we are called to love one another. There’s a sister in Christ I met at the church when I said hi to her one morning, and it wasn’t until maybe a month or so later I met her again at a church picnic and she had asked, “Hey, didn’t you say hi to me before?” And from that moment on I’ve been so grateful for our conversations and the times we have hung out.
- Bible Studies – If the ladies in your church are doing a study, consider joining them. If the material they are going over is questionable, that might be an opportunity to gently ask questions. Also, doing personal studies with sisters in Christ is wonderful, too. You can pick out a book in the Bible to study, a particular topic in the Bible, a good Christian book, etc. The number one book of the Bible I would recommend to study with a sister in Christ would first be the book of Romans, as Paul breaks down the Gospel and how to live as a Christian.
- Get coffee, go shopping, etc. – Please do not let church be the only time you see sisters in Christ. It’s so nice to do outings. I’ve found, even after an outing, we will be in the parking lot of my apartment still chatting away about Jesus, scripture, and what the Lord is doing.
- Encourage sisters in Christ – send texts, messages. I like going on Pinterest and finding pretty pictures of scripture. A woman at our church shared how she shared scripture with family, and I was convicted to send encouraging verses to the ladies I know. Sometimes just a pretty picture can spark some discussion. But also we can ask someone how their week has been or what scripture has ministered to them lately or how has the Lord ministered to them lately.
- Remember to use the tools we have when we cannot visit people in person. Use your phone. Video chat sisters in Christ. Talk to them (see suggestions above).
4 & 5 – Praying More. Read & Study the Bible More.
- I know #2 touched on one way to increase studying the Bible, but truthfully the other tips are useless if we are not praying and reading our Bibles.
- Find a routine that works for Bible reading – I know today’s world is rushed. We MUST have the word of God as a priority more than eating, drinking, sleeping, and breathing. If our relationship with the Lord is hindered in any way, I promise our physical, mental, emotional, and of course spiritual health will suffer in one way or another. Sin builds itself up. Pride. Self-obsession. Make reading or hearing (audio is an option, check out YouTube) scripture one of the first things you do in the day. If you are doing makeup, brushing teeth, cooking, cleaning, you can have scripture playing on in the background.
- Prayer does not have to be in this cozy corner of your home with a candle burning and a gentle breeze blowing through your window. Not that it’s wrong to have a gentle breeze go through your window or a candle going as you pray. But truth is we do not always have those quiet moments. Throughout your day, we can find things to thank the Lord for. Dishes to wash means we have meals. Clothing to wash means there’s clothes we have to wear. Etc. If you know people are struggling, pray for them. Pray for your struggles. Pray for your weaknesses and ask God to strengthen you in Christ.
May you praise the Lord in all that you do.
The Gospel Message– The Gospel message is good news, which means there’s bad news. We all are sinners and condemned. We all deserve the just punishment of God’s wrath. Christianity is unlike any other religion because we cannot earn our way into Heaven. God saw the weakness of man and his utter depravity. Yet, He showed us grace. Jesus, God, One Person of the Trinity, became God in the flesh, the God-Man. He was always perfect and sinless. And His humanity was perfected on the cross, living the full sinless life. He became our atonement sacrifice. Dying in our place, taking on the wrath of God upon Himself. He died on the cross, and He was resurrected because death could not hold Him. Jesus is the answer. We, as guilty sinners, need His blood to pay off our debt of sin. For all who put their faith in Him – meaning eyes are opened to the Gospel, we see ourselves as a sinner, we see the need for Christ, we desire our Savior, and we see the ugliness of our sin. Putting our faith in Jesus, we seek HIs forgiveness and repent from our sins, we turn away from our old way of life. We, through the work of the Holy Spirit, continue to become convicted of sin daily. Our eyes will never be the same again. We see things in a different light, and the truth of Christ affects how we live and serve Him. Christ tells us to count the cost. Salvation is a serious topic, it is not to be taken lightly. For a breakdown of this powerful message, understanding how Christ could be God and Man, why God required sacrifices, and more -please see: Why Did A Loving God Kill His Son? (Does God Hate?)
If you think you know the Gospel, check out these questions and see how prepared you are for the day someone might ask you why you believe: The Gospel Challenge (30 Question Quiz) – Are You Ready To Defend Your Faith?
Scripture To Meditate On –(ESV) Colossians 1:15-16 – For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Community Prayer – January ‘23
Christian Topics/Series Covered
Personal Blog: Peeking Beneath
Second Blog: UnAshamed Christian Housewife
Godly Men & Women I Recommend: Link To List
Resources For False Teaching: Recommended Websites For False Teachers/Teaching
Video Playlist: Christian Questions, Topics, False Teachers, Insights
Video Playlist: New Christian Believer
Video Playlist: Understanding False Teachings
Video Playlist: Sermons To Grow From
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