- Witness to at least one person per day in one way or another.
- Read the Bible every single day. This is food for our spirit, not to mention an increase in knowledge.
- Write some notes down after reading the Bible. This helps to remember what you've read. Remember that the amount you read per day shouldn't worry you, but I would suggest at least one whole chapter of a book until the book is finished, so that you understand the context.
- Pray consistently. There is not a set number of times you should pray, but I suggest praying when you wake up, pray for your food, pray when you're bored, pray when your in your car at a stop light, pray before going to bed.
- Ask God to help you understand your spiritual gift and for the wisdom to use it. If you don't know what your spiritual gift is, pray and crack that Bible open!
- Be a spiritual leader in your family. Lead by example, but be assertive in explaining why you live the way you do.
- At least once a week, choose a subject to study and sit down for 30 minutes, an hour or so, or whatever it takes, to get a good understanding and clarification on what that subject is. Use different versions of the bible, concordances, bible dictionaries, books by writers like John MacArthur, audio like that of Todd Friel, Paul Washer and Ray Comfort (just suggestions).
- If you are experiencing issues with temptations, regardless of what type, get rid of things that can make it easier to be tempted to "fall" into sin. If we give in to sin, after a while, we no longer fall, but live in a pattern of sin. This would be called "diving" into sin. At this point, we'll need to examine ourselves to make sure we are saved.
- Speaking of such, examine ourselves daily to ensure we have repented and placed our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He saves us. We cannot save ourselves.
- Be conscious of your surroundings, temptations, foul talk or dirty jokes, magazine covers at the grocery store line, giving in to peer pressure, and one last thing:
- Ensure you have no idols in your life. It's easy to make an idol out of things we use and enjoy: technology (computers, smartphones, video games) cars, guns, vehicles, vanity, or our employment. It's okay to like these things and make good use of them for the glory of the Lord, but if we love them too much and give them more time than we give the Lord, we've made them an idol, and now we have issues. Remember the first commandment?
Please consider these thoughts and have a great 2013!
Sam
