7 spiritual goals you should set for yourself
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OptimistMinds
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In this blog post, we talk about the importance of setting spiritual goals. We also give you 7 examples of important spiritual goals you may want to set yourself.
Why are spiritual goals important
The spiritual dimension is often placed at the bottom of our goals list, and we do not even realize its importance until we go through very difficult times.
Then we realize that we need spiritual resources to overcome a crisis.
A reason why we do not set spiritual goals is that we do not know where we want to go spiritually.
We think much easier about the concrete issues of our existence: money, health, family, etc.
But spirituality is something abstract, and you need a spiritual vision in perspective to set some goals in this vital area.
Unlike other areas, spirituality reaches all other dimensions, because you need spirituality both when you are at home with your family and when you are at work, and when you earn money, and when you lose money, and so on.
Spirituality is not just a part of our lives, but it is the basis of our morality and character, the motivation of decisions and happiness, the force that takes you beyond crises in any area of life.
Therefore, it is sometimes possible to confuse a spiritual goal with one from another field, and vice versa.
In order to set spiritual goals for the future, you need to see how God sees you.
God has a plan for you and higher expectations than our ideals. He wants our supreme good.
The revelation of God’s plan for human beings can be found in the Holy Scriptures.
To help you set spiritual goals, I will give you a list of ideas and passages from Scripture in which we find potential goals for our spiritual life.
If you have not yet read the Bible, this may be your first spiritual goal.
Examples of spiritual goals
- Read the Bible daily (see Psalm 119: 9, 105), or study a difficult Bible book, such as Daniel or Revelation (Revelation 1: 3).
- Make a public covenant with God. (see Mark 16:16; Acts 2: 37-38; Acts 22: 14-16). If you have not yet surrendered your life to God, if you have not made a covenant with God in a conscious way, based on your faith in Jesus Christ, this year is the time to do it.
- Put your life in harmony with at least one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17). Read them, and see next to which one you still have to grow. Which of the 10 aren’t you doing well? The Ten Commandments are God’s moral standard for man, a human expression of the divine character. You will not be able to fulfil even one of the 10 commandments if you do not love God, because “the love of God abideth in his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5: 3).
- Experience happiness in at least one of the nine states of happiness (Matthew 5: 3-12). See which of these states of happiness you lack. Set yourself a goal to experience the blessing that comes from applying that happiness. You will not automatically become happy by applying, for example, crying (verse 4), but they become happy when you draw close to God in a real relationship with Him.
- Fulfil at least one of the nine Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23). These are the results of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. It is not because of your effort, but because of your submission to Christ.
- Climb a step higher on Peter’s Ladder (2 Peter 1: 5-7). Peter describes an 8-step spiritual ascension. Evaluate your life, and see how far you’ve come. These are not degrees of holiness, but a map of healthy spiritual development. If you don’t know where you are, start with the first step – faith.
- Pray and work for the experience of saving a soul (Proverbs 11:30; Matthew 5: 13-16; Matthew 13:23; Matthew 28: 19-20). Leading another person to salvation puts us in a position to develop spiritually in an accelerated manner. We cannot literally save a soul, but only be “indicators” that reflect the light that comes from God on those around us. The deeper you are in a relationship with God, the more you will have this experience.
All of the above mentioned spiritual goals are part of the Christian mindfulness.
Proper motivation is needed
Goals can be set in almost every area of life, and the world is full of people pursuing all kinds of goals.
But spiritual goals should not be confused with worldly ambitions. Many of today’s goals are motivated primarily by an obsessive desire for wealth and a high social position and an uncontrollable thirst for power.
But how wrong it would be to pursue a certain goal out of a desire to gain power and prominence!
Instead, the goals that bring glory to God have a direct bearing on his worship and the interests of the Kingdom. — Matthew 6:33.
Whether our motivations are clear when we set and pursue spiritual goals, whether we aspire to greater service privileges or whether we aim to progress spiritually.
However, even goals based on the right motivation cannot always be achieved.
So how can we set goals while increasing our chances of achieving them?
It takes a strong desire
In order to achieve our goals, we must also have a strong desire. What will help us to cultivate such a desire?
We can cultivate the desire to achieve what we set out to do by meditating on the results and benefits of achieving that goal.
The desire to achieve a certain goal can also be cultivated by associating with those who have already managed to achieve it.
Put everything on a piece of paper
When expressed in words, an idea takes shape and becomes clearer. Solomon pointed out that just as “spikes” direct an animal, the right words can guide us in life (Ecclesiastes 12:11).
When they are put on paper, the words are well imprinted in our minds and hearts.
Therefore, it might be useful for us to put on paper the goals we have set for ourselves and, at the same time, how we think we will achieve them, the obstacles we might encounter and the ways to overcome them.
It may be helpful for us to determine what we need to learn, what skills we need to acquire, and who can help us.
Short-term goals help us keep track of our progress
Some goals may seem difficult to achieve at first.
It may be useful for us to pave the way for long-term goals by setting intermediate, short-term goals that are easier to achieve.
By regularly measuring our progress with these indicators we can focus more easily on the target.
Also, if we pray repeatedly to achieve our goals, we will not stray from our path. “Pray without ceasing,” the apostle Paul exhorted us. —1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Determination and perseverance – two important factors
However, despite a strong desire and well-crafted plans, sometimes we fail to achieve our goals.
How disappointed the disciple John Mark must have been when the apostle Paul refused to take him on his second missionary journey (Acts 15: 37–40)!
Mark had to learn from this situation and adjust his goals to increase his work, which he did.
Later, Paul spoke appreciatively of Mark. In addition, he enjoyed a close association with the apostle Peter in Babylon (2 Timothy 4:11; 1 Peter 5:13).
But his greatest privilege was probably to write a divinely inspired account of Jesus’ life and ministry.
Perhaps we will have failures in trying to reach our spiritual goals.
But instead of giving up, we need to see what we have accomplished so far, re-evaluate our situation, and, if necessary, change our focus.
When we face obstacles, we need determination and perseverance.
The wise King Solomon assures us, “Entrust your works into the hand of the LORD, and your thoughts shall be fulfilled.” —Proverbs 16: 3.
Conclusions
In this blog post, we talked about the importance of setting spiritual goals.
We also gave you 7 examples of important spiritual goals you may want to set yourself.
Hopefully, our advice on how to set spiritual goals will make it easier for you to accomplish them.
If you have any questions or want to leave a comment on the content, please do not hesitate to do so.
FAQ about spiritual goals
What are spiritual goals?
Spiritual goals, just like any other goal, is a target for yourself in order to develop your spiritual side.
What are some good spiritual goals?
Some good spiritual goals are:
– Reading the Bible every day
– Improving the quality of prayers
– The manifestation of the fruits of the spirit
– Increasing service to God
– Greater efficiency in the preaching and teaching work
What do you mean by setting your goals with spirit?
Setting Goals with spirit means setting goals that motivate and inspire you to pursue inner peace, happiness, joy, and to become a better self.
How do you set a goal?
To set a goal you first have to decide what your target is and what the time frame is.
It is recommended to write your goal down, preferably somewhere where you can see it often.
It is also important to make a plan in order to achieve your goal.
What does the Bible say about setting goals?
The Bible speaks of people who understood the importance of goals.
Noah worked for about fifty years to ‘build an ark to save his house.’
The Prophet Moses “looked intently at the reward” (Hebrews 11: 7, 26). Joshua, his successor, received the divine mission to conquer the land of Canaan. —Deuteronomy 3:21, 22, 28; Joshua 12: 7–24
Further Reading
- Spiritual Goals Journal: Goal Setting Journal Notebook: Identify And Track The Important Goals In Your Spiritual Life And Get More Done This Year!, by All My Journals
- God in Your Goals: Reconciling your spiritual journey with success ‘in the world’. 2nd Edition, by Rick Seymour
- The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul, by Danielle Laporte
References
Assessing Spirituality Through Personal Goals: Implications for Research on Religion and Subjective Well-Being, (Emmons, 1998)
The Impact of Spirituality on Health, (Tabei, 2016)
