Just any plan won’t do.
January 1, 2020 –
As you begin to develop your Personal Spiritual Plan, you want to experience a fresh sense of openness in three key areas: Openness to God, Openness to yourself, and openness to opportunity.
1. Openness to God
Start Praying. This is the opposite of, “when all else fails, pray.” Begin your spiritual planning with prayer. Ask God to guide you in developing a personal spiritual plan that will help you to move to a closer walk with Him.
Start Reading His Word. Begin reading through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You may then want to read Acts and Romans. Take notes as you go. Underline passages that provide special meaning. A Bible Dictionary and an excellent Bible Commentary can help you find new understanding and enjoyment as you study. As you read, look for God’s directives to you.
In many cases, we don’t know what results we want in the first place, let alone how we are going to achieve them. Therefore, the first step to a successful spiritual plan is to spend some quality time with God—in prayer and His Word.
Start Asking Questions. God honors an inquisitive and searching mind. When you aren’t sure of the direction, ask God to reveal the goals, strategies, and doables that He has specifically in mind for you.
Start Listening for Answers. After you’ve prayed and presented your questions, pause for God’s answer. When you seek answers from God, remember you’re on Holy ground—be still and listen. Block out the sounds of the world. Remove all distractions. Focus. God often speaks in a small quiet voice, and you will only hear His answer if you’re attentive.
Start Putting Your Thoughts Down on Paper. When you start to place thoughts down on paper, don’t attempt to write a finished product. Write down whatever comes to mind. Capture all your ideas. There will be time to revise and edit later. The more thoughts, the better. Once you run dry of ideas, begin to arrange and rearrange the ideas, so they form a framework for your individualized spiritual plan. As you further commune with God, He will help you flesh out your plan.