Yes, it’s that time of year. Resolutions. The years 2020 and 2021 had their share of difficulties. In order for us as Christians to navigate what promises to be another difficult year, we need to have our spiritual affairs in order so we can approach whatever comes in a way that honors God and exalts Christ.

So, here you go!

1. Read your Bible daily. That’s right–daily! Find you a Bible reading plan that gets you in the Scriptures every day. The Five Day Bible Reading puts you in the Scriptures every weekday with a weekend margin to catch up. 
2. Confess and repent of sin daily. God calls us to walk in holiness, and to do so means taking sin seriously. 
3. Come to church weekly. COVID accelerated church-attending habits of some. Church attendance is decreasing in the United States because Christians/church members are not attending as frequently. For the sake of our personal walk, our churches, and our nation, this must change. There is a reason why the Spirit commands us to attend worship with our brothers and sisters. Here’s another article on the subject.
4. Encourage someone weekly. Through notes, phone calls, coffee, or some other way–find someone and encourage them. I recently preached on “Being a Ferocious Encourager” should you like to go more in-depth.
5. Find a small group. Studying the Bible by yourself is good–but studying the Bible with others is better. Most of our churches have small groups that are either Sunday School models (which we embrace gladly) or home models. As long as those models are geared about Scripture and biblical fellowship, dive in!
6. Share your faith with someone in your sphere of influence weekly. As recipients of the Good News, we must dispense this Good News. Here’s one way to share it.
7. Read some good biographies. I forget who I heard this from, but they noted that biographies of great Christian leaders serve pastors and Christians better than straight leadership books with their theories. These leaders lived their lives for us to not only emulate but to serve as cautionary tales. 
8. Exercise regularly. We must take care of our “temples” (see 1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
9. Find someone to disciple and to disciple you. We are to “go and make disciples.” We are to develop relationships that strengthen our walk as disciples and where we can strengthen others. This little article can help clarify.