Here are some ideas to consider as spiritual goals for 2024.
Face the Truth—Are You a Baby Christian?
The first step to increasing your spiritual maturity is acknowledging your current level of maturity and facing it head on. There is a well-known Bible verse that convicted me a few years ago. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.” (Hebrews 5:12 ESV)
What convicted me were these words: “by this time you ought to be teachers.” If you have been a Christian for several years or decades, why are you still asking the basic questions of faith, continuing to be a baby Christian?
Just as maturity in life, spiritual maturity does not necessarily come with time or age. For decades, I remained a child when I should have been a teacher. In the last five to ten years, I have taken my faith seriously, and by God’s grace have begun to truly mature.
How do you know if you are a baby? If you are still struggling with baby issues—you still cannot walk, you fall all the time, you cannot talk, or you cannot process information like an adult. So if you are still wrestling with questions like, Does God exist? Is the Bible the true Word of God? How do I pray? or Does prayer really work? you may still be a baby Christian.
If you say, “Wes, yes, this is me,” that’s okay, just acknowledge it and pray to God that He may guide you to maturity. Be intentional to grow.
What is your ultimate goal? Like Paul said, “by now you should have been teachers.” Aim to be able to teach spiritual truths. Aim for that level of maturity. Teachers have to be confident and have experiential knowledge. Make that your goal.
Do You Start with Prayer?
I recently wrote an article about prayer. In it I challenge us to examine our theology of prayer. Do we believe that prayer works and that it causes change? If you believe this, then make prayer the first and most important aspect of your day. Currently, I spend the first 15 minutes of my day in prayer. Something interesting started happening recently. My 5-year-old son Danny, our oldest, started seeing me pray in the morning and has decided to join me for at least one minute. When you pray, others around you will start praying, too.
Do You Study or Just Read the Bible?
Aim to study the Bible, not just read it. I share my method with you not so you can emulate it exactly, but to give you an idea of where to start if you are a busy leader like me. I read one chapter per day, then I choose one verse from that chapter and write what comes to mind about that verse. I prayerfully approach the chapter and verse, asking the Lord to teach me. Below is my reflection from today, to give you an example. I read Hebrews chapter 12. I focused on the 28th verse. The following comes from my personal diary:
”Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe…” Hebrews 12:28 ESV
What is acceptable worship? Worship with reverence, sincerity, devotion, and surrender of our whole life versus lip service. What is worship? What we honor, adore, obey, give primacy in our lives. The writer says that we must worship with reverence and awe. Father, teach me how to worship you better, give you acceptable worship, honor you, adore you, obey you, give you primacy in my life, and do all of this with gratitude, reverence, and awe.
Sometimes I write more. Sometimes I research and dig deeper. But this is a sample of how I aim to study, reflect, and apply, and not simply read.
Accountability Partner
Do you have an accountability partner? A close friend and I have agreed to text each other our daily reflections. This has been very helpful to me, and I recommend it. We have no expectation from one another to even read each other’s entry or respond, though we usually do.
Is God First or at the Center?
I learned this powerful lesson from my brother last year, and I submit it to you for your reflection in 2024. Don’t make God first on your priority list, make Him the center of every one of your priorities.
As we conclude 2023, I pray for you, my dear leader friend and sojourner, that the Lord will mature you, protect you, and use you in His Kingdom. May you stay in His will, ever-focused on His presence in your life.
I look forward to 2024 as we serve and grow together, ever-improving as stewards of what God has entrusted us with as Christian leaders.
Your friend and brother,
Wes
How can I support you more as a Christian leader and entrepreneur?
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