Cultivating a Spirit-Led New Year

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy Of: Kelly Sikkema

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;’ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” ~James 4:13-16

Oftentimes, we all rush into a new year, raring to go – we have our brand new planners in hand, our goals mapped out, and our resolutions in mind. But what if, in all this excitement, we are missing out on how we were supposed to be doing life all along? What if, in the making of goals and the forming of plans, we are really actually missing out? What if those pursuits sometimes even stand in the way of what is most important? What if there were a better way?

Well, as believers, I think we can (and should!) live out a better way, a way that has actually been outlined for us in Scripture all along. Here’s what I mean:

4 ULTIMATE GOALS FOR YOUR NEW YEAR

What if, instead of putting pen to paper and mapping out our own year-long goals, we instead made growing in our Christian walk the ultimate goal this year by putting into practice those very things which our God has told us will result in a truly and eternally fruitful life? Rather than wracking your brain for all the things you could accomplish in this new year, focus first and primarily on only these four things, and you will be off to a lasting great start in the year ahead of you:

• Put James 1:5 into practice (and also James 4:13-16, you’re at it!).

If there is a book of the Bible that the reading of should be our annual practice before the start of a New Year as we are prepping our resolutions and planning out our goals, it is the book of James. Two passages stand out in particular:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” ~James 1:5

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;’ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” ~James 4:13-16

As we enter into the new year, the best thing we can do is hold our plan for 2024 – with all our resolutions and goals – in an open hand. As we sit down to “map out” our goals and resolutions for the year ahead, may we make putting James 1:5 into practice the very first thing we do.

This goes beyond merely living with an open hand that is willing to change our plan at any time during the month of January, however. It is something that should extend all throughout the year so that even if we are sure that our plan for the New year came from God, we can be ready and willing to change everything up if God suddenly tells us to. After all, there are not only different seasons in life, but different seasons in a year’s time, too! We have no idea what all 2024 will involve – there may be births, deaths, financial changes, and more, and we have to be willing to be intuned to the Holy Spirit to make any changes as needed as we journey throughout the whole year.

• Ask the Spirit to lead your each and every day (not just your year as a whole!).

In order to live out our first point, we have to break it down into a step-by-step, day-by-day practice of beginning each of our days with a prayer for wisdom, guidance, direction, and the willingness to follow it all. 

I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to idolize my own self-made daily to-do list. This struggle of mine is so bad that if I get interrupted or if my daily plan gets thwarted, I can easily get angry or frustrated (and usually at my kids, who are often the ones whose needs can “interrupt” what I think is important for my day). What God, in His grace, is beginning to show me more and more, however, is that I am not only harming my relationship with my loved ones when I do this; I am also living out a poor example for them.

The reality of what I am doing is that I am actually missing out on the good, perfect, meaningful, and big-picture plan of God! When I so thoroughly schedule and plan out my days that I am not open, available, and able to willingly change things up at the drop of a hat, I am missing out on what may actually be God’s plan and mission for my daily life. 

If I am only concerned with my finite, nearsighted plan and schedule, I am not able to easily hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I am not aware of the people around me (my family, the grocery store clerk, the homeless man, the neighbor, the friend) who may need the good news of the gospel, a warm meal, a caring smile, a listening ear, or a few dollars of God’s money that is currently in my purse. I’m missing out, plain and simple. But this can all be changed for the better if I will but begin my day by first seeking the Lord’s plan for it, rather than my own.

• Remember what is ultimately most important (and it isn’t your 2024 goals, resolutions, or plans!)

What I regularly have to remember is that a truly fruitful life comes not through checking off my to-do lists and meeting all my yearly goals. A truly fruitful life comes from abiding in Christ; it comes from being in His Word and then living it out. It comes from walking by the Spirit and hearing and heeding HIs promptings. If I want 2024 to be my most intentional, purposeful, joyful, and impactful year yet, walking by the Spirit is what I am going to have to do – not merely heed the “wisdom” of the self-help gurus or the productivity “experts”.

What this looks like is intentionally leaning not on my own understanding, but in ALL my ways, acknowledging God, knowing that He will perfectly guide and direct my steps. (see Proverbs 3:5-6; 16:9).

• Remember Christianity is about a relationship.

There is nothing inherently wrong with making goals and plans for the new year; the problem comes when we place our own agenda for our year ahead of God’s agenda for our every day. What God desires for us as believers is a step-by-step, day-by-day intimate relationship with Him. He wants to be involved in each and every detail of our daily lives and welcomed into them. This is what walking by the Spirit is all about.

Lest I confuse you with that terminology, however, know this: walking by the Spirit is just an overarching term for being in close relationship with Him – being in, meditating on, studying, and living out His Word, being in prayer, abiding in Christ, and seeking His guidance. 

Many of us even put something to the effect of “Be in the Word more” on our new year’s resolutions list. But walking the Spirit and being in daily relationship with the Lord is not a box to check off or a reading plan to keep up with. It is a relationship full of grace, mercy, a desire to meet, and freedom from shame when meeting together doesn’t happen. He wants you to want to meet with Him for His sake – not for the sake of completing a reading plan someone else came up with.

As you purpose to incorporate these practices and reminders into your daily life in 2024, you will see change and growth begin to happen as never before, for the power to grow in our lives comes not through self-help, our own power, and our list of perfectly crafted and thoroughly adhered to resolutions. It comes from walking by the Spirit and living our lives in His power. That is what will make a lasting and forever difference in our lives this new year.

Reflection Questions:

1) How is the Lord leading you to cultivate a Spirit-led 2024?

2) How are you going to go about doing just that?