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I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:14
One thing about setting goals is to set them according to God’s will and His will is for us to have a closer relationship with him. You can say that you want to draw closer to God. You then have to put yourself into a position where you want to learn and you want to know about God. There are 24 hours in a day. In a year there are 8,760 hours. If you say you only have five minutes to spend with the Lord and you are doing what you want the rest of the day – how do you expect to draw closer to God. If you want to draw closer to the Lord, you are going to spend more than five minutes a day with the Lord. You will spend more than that reading your bible and praying. You will spend more than that getting down and asking God to search out your heart and to help you be what he wants you to be.
Draw closer to God
Have a consistent, effective prayer life
Read and study God’s word every day
Carrying a soul burden for the lost
Being faithful to the house of God
Draw closer to God
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8
There has to be a determination in your heart if you desire to draw closer to God. If you are trying to draw closer to God and there are things in your life that he has shown you to get rid of but you hold on to it, you will not draw closer to God until you are willing to get rid of whatever it is that God wants you to get rid of. If you have a temper, ask for God to help you get victory over your temper. Work at it, be determined, put some effort behind it and God will give you victory. God will give you victory because he has promised us victory. We can have victory every day.
Have a consistent, effective prayer life
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Mark 1:35
Jesus specifically got up that morning but this wasn’t the only time that he did. There were times when he spent all night praying. He knew he needed to get out by himself and pray. There will be times when you need to get by yourself and pray. If you say you can’t find time to pray, that is a cop out. It is because you don’t want to. If we want to pray, we will find time to do it. If we get distracted and have all the cares of life come in, there won’t be time because we will be applying ourselves in other things. It is a prayer life that is important for us to have a right relationship with God.
Read and study God’s word every day
And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. 2 Kings 22:10-13
Reading God’s word daily is necessary to be able to stay close to God and to know how he would have you live your life. The Bible is God’s direction for your life. Show God out of a heart of obedience you will do that because you love him more than you love yourself. If all you do is what you personally want to do, you haven’t crucified the flesh and you will just cater to the flesh. We learn obedience by the things that we suffer. What suffers is our flesh. When it is time to read your Bible, read your Bible.
Carrying a soul burden for the lost
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:9-10
Jesus came specifically to seek and save that which was lost. Do you have a list of people that you pray for everyday? There needs to be a real burden on our heart for specific souls. God wants us to carry a soul burden for specific people. You will ask God if there is anything that you can do to bring them to salvation. We can’t save them but we can be an instrument that God can use. God is faithful to answer the prayer of the righteous. That is why we need to carry a soul burden.
Being faithful to the house of God
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25
Don’t let frivolous things keep you out of the house of God. If we say we love God with all of our heart, we need to be where we can hear the message of God.
Here is an interesting point about New Year’s resolutions. Statistically only about 12% of goals are met at the end of the year. You can meet these goals but it will take patience, work, and effort on our part. You will have to expend some energy. In reaching your goals, you will have to apply yourself and work. There will be times when you don’t feel like reading your Bible or praying. What should you do? Do it anyway.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
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