"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11
We do a lot of planning, goal-setting, and making resolutions in our lives. We plan out our futures out from the first moment we can think. We dream of being sports athletes, movie stars, and rock stars. Or, we plan and hope to do what our parents do for a living. This continues when we go to school, what kind of college we will go to, what our major will be, if we are going to skip college and enter the workforce. Even after college and we get our jobs - we still continue to plan. What kind of job will we have and how will I move up the corporate ladder. We also set up goals for our personal lives. What will our spouse be like? Where will we live? How many kids will we have?
We also set goals and resolutions individually. Losing weight, saving money for a vacation, and home repairs are a few items we plan out. With planning, sometimes we realize we have to change our habits to accomplish these goals.
Having dreams, setting goals, and making plans are all good things to do. It helps us to plot out our course and gives us an outline to follow. It gives us a good idea of where we stand in moving forward with our plans.
I am an accountant. I like setting goals and planning out what I need to accomplish. I write down in lists what I need to do to accomplish my day's work. It helps me to focus and plan better.
At the beginning of 2013, I wrote down a list of things I would like to accomplish by the end of 2014. They include:
1. Get my weight down to 200
2. Start to learn a musical instrument
3. Write an online blog
4. Have house in Garfield Hts. sold
5. Have adoption in Taiwan finalized
6. Read the entire book of Psalms (not in one sitting)
7. Organize my comic book collection
8. Create wills for Susan and I
9. Work with financial planner for retirement planning
10. Pay off credit card debt
11. Establish a weekly plan with Susan - spending time with God
12. Invite more people to Intercessory Prayer
I like lists of 12. Some of these I have gotten accomplished (#3 and 4) , some of these have fallen to the wayside (#12), and others are works in progress (#1, #7, #10). But, its good to have an idea.
Some of these items are out of my hands, some require hard work on my end - while others we just need to get started with. Some are fun and some are very deep, important things that should be done. Once done, we need to get in the habit of continuing so as to improve and not to start over. You can make a plan to clean your house and get it accomplished, but if you don't stay in the habit of keeping it clean, you will soon find yourself having to undertake the project again. Thus, we need to develop new habits as well.
In our Christian walk, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of God and who He is. These habits are not a means to an end (i.e. they don't get us saved). But its helpful in our walk.
#1. Pray: This I think is a very important thing to do before anything else. It is important to get a sense of where God is leading you and asking him what his plans are for you. You don't just have to pray at church. My deepest prayers have come while driving or walking. I used to pray to God every time I walked across campus when I was in college. Get a sense of where God is moving and placing you. If you have plans, ask God to bless them. Sometimes God does and sometimes he tells you he has a better idea. But most importantly, ask God.
#2. Be involved in Church: There are plenty of good churches to visit. It is an opportunity weekly to be with fellow believers that go through the same things as you. They have dreams, hopes, and fears just like you. It gives us a place to worship, pray, and learn as a community. We draw support and strength from others who may have faced the same obstacles as you. We are not called to walk this path alone and a church helps with that.
#3. Read the Bible: You probably have one in your house somewhere. If not, bookstores tend to have them and they are relatively cheap. My point is feel free to crack one open and read. You don't have to start at the beginning and read to the end. I'd recommend starting with one of the Gospels. Maybe, pray that God would lead you ahead of time. My guarantee whatever you read, you will learn something. I have gone to church for years, and every time I read a passage, I find something new there.
#4. Join a Bible Study: This is a good opportunity to study Scripture with a smaller group of people. Although you can feel lost at church, depending on its size, a home group can allow you to be connected with others. You develop connections and friendships that can last a lifetime. You get ministry time from others in a "safer" setting especially if you are nervous of asking for prayer at church. Plus, you get to discuss scripture with others and learn more than what you might on your own.
#5. Worship: Not just at church. You can listen to worship songs and even sing along with them. Listen in your car and I assure you that your drive might just be a little easier. Listen to the words and let them be your prayer. I've found that it helps me to focus each morning on my way to work when I listen.
These are a few habits that I try to do. I am more successful in some than I am in others. I try to do a little each day if I can. It doesn't have to be done perfectly (if we could). The best thing to do is to get in habits that will improve your life. You eat healthy to improve your physical health. You create a budget to improve your financial health. How much more to get into habits that will help you discover more about God and what he has planned for you.
We do a lot of planning, goal-setting, and making resolutions in our lives. We plan out our futures out from the first moment we can think. We dream of being sports athletes, movie stars, and rock stars. Or, we plan and hope to do what our parents do for a living. This continues when we go to school, what kind of college we will go to, what our major will be, if we are going to skip college and enter the workforce. Even after college and we get our jobs - we still continue to plan. What kind of job will we have and how will I move up the corporate ladder. We also set up goals for our personal lives. What will our spouse be like? Where will we live? How many kids will we have?
We also set goals and resolutions individually. Losing weight, saving money for a vacation, and home repairs are a few items we plan out. With planning, sometimes we realize we have to change our habits to accomplish these goals.
Having dreams, setting goals, and making plans are all good things to do. It helps us to plot out our course and gives us an outline to follow. It gives us a good idea of where we stand in moving forward with our plans.
I am an accountant. I like setting goals and planning out what I need to accomplish. I write down in lists what I need to do to accomplish my day's work. It helps me to focus and plan better.
At the beginning of 2013, I wrote down a list of things I would like to accomplish by the end of 2014. They include:
1. Get my weight down to 200
2. Start to learn a musical instrument
3. Write an online blog
4. Have house in Garfield Hts. sold
5. Have adoption in Taiwan finalized
6. Read the entire book of Psalms (not in one sitting)
7. Organize my comic book collection
8. Create wills for Susan and I
9. Work with financial planner for retirement planning
10. Pay off credit card debt
11. Establish a weekly plan with Susan - spending time with God
12. Invite more people to Intercessory Prayer
I like lists of 12. Some of these I have gotten accomplished (#3 and 4) , some of these have fallen to the wayside (#12), and others are works in progress (#1, #7, #10). But, its good to have an idea.
Some of these items are out of my hands, some require hard work on my end - while others we just need to get started with. Some are fun and some are very deep, important things that should be done. Once done, we need to get in the habit of continuing so as to improve and not to start over. You can make a plan to clean your house and get it accomplished, but if you don't stay in the habit of keeping it clean, you will soon find yourself having to undertake the project again. Thus, we need to develop new habits as well.
In our Christian walk, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of God and who He is. These habits are not a means to an end (i.e. they don't get us saved). But its helpful in our walk.
#1. Pray: This I think is a very important thing to do before anything else. It is important to get a sense of where God is leading you and asking him what his plans are for you. You don't just have to pray at church. My deepest prayers have come while driving or walking. I used to pray to God every time I walked across campus when I was in college. Get a sense of where God is moving and placing you. If you have plans, ask God to bless them. Sometimes God does and sometimes he tells you he has a better idea. But most importantly, ask God.
#2. Be involved in Church: There are plenty of good churches to visit. It is an opportunity weekly to be with fellow believers that go through the same things as you. They have dreams, hopes, and fears just like you. It gives us a place to worship, pray, and learn as a community. We draw support and strength from others who may have faced the same obstacles as you. We are not called to walk this path alone and a church helps with that.
#3. Read the Bible: You probably have one in your house somewhere. If not, bookstores tend to have them and they are relatively cheap. My point is feel free to crack one open and read. You don't have to start at the beginning and read to the end. I'd recommend starting with one of the Gospels. Maybe, pray that God would lead you ahead of time. My guarantee whatever you read, you will learn something. I have gone to church for years, and every time I read a passage, I find something new there.
#4. Join a Bible Study: This is a good opportunity to study Scripture with a smaller group of people. Although you can feel lost at church, depending on its size, a home group can allow you to be connected with others. You develop connections and friendships that can last a lifetime. You get ministry time from others in a "safer" setting especially if you are nervous of asking for prayer at church. Plus, you get to discuss scripture with others and learn more than what you might on your own.
#5. Worship: Not just at church. You can listen to worship songs and even sing along with them. Listen in your car and I assure you that your drive might just be a little easier. Listen to the words and let them be your prayer. I've found that it helps me to focus each morning on my way to work when I listen.
These are a few habits that I try to do. I am more successful in some than I am in others. I try to do a little each day if I can. It doesn't have to be done perfectly (if we could). The best thing to do is to get in habits that will improve your life. You eat healthy to improve your physical health. You create a budget to improve your financial health. How much more to get into habits that will help you discover more about God and what he has planned for you.
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