At a conference I once attended, the speaker encouraged us to make sure we were healthy in every area of our lives. She gave the illustration of our lives being like a pie, divided into many pieces that make up a whole. The pieces included areas like our physical, spiritual, emotional, relational and financial health. We were encouraged to examine each of these areas to make sure that none are neglected. Then, we could make an intentional growth plan for each part of our lives to make sure that we are healthy and whole.

I find that most of us are very intentional about setting goals in many of those pie pieces. When you talk with people, you discover that they are often very goal-oriented in certain aspects of their lives. They have goals for their families, such as getting married or having children. They have goals for their careers, such as getting an education or pursuing a promotion. Physical goals might include starting a diet or going to the gym. Financial goals, such as paying off debt or saving for retirement, are also common. But one area that seems to be neglected more than all the others when it comes to intentional goal-setting is our spiritual lives.

We never see growth in any area of our lives on accident. Every goal that we set requires specific steps to be taken in order to achieve the desired result. For example, no one graduates college without first filling out an application, signing up for classes and actually doing the work. Goal-setting has to involve intentional effort or it amounts to nothing more than wishful thinking.

We recently crossed over into a new year. I enjoy the feeling of a fresh start that often accompanies this season. However, I am challenged with the thought of making my spiritual goals as specific and measurable as the other areas of my life. All of us as believers would agree with the goal, “I want to get closer to God.” But those types of statements are so ambiguous that we will never know if we are making progress, or even what steps are required to achieve it.

Spiritual growth and intimacy with the Lord does not happen accidentally or automatically. It is not something that we just stumble into. In fact, the responsibility of our relationship with God is placed on us. God tells us, “you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) I have heard it said before, “We have as much of God in our lives as we want.”

1 Peter 2:2 tells us that we should long to grow up into the fullness of our salvation. As believers, we should have a desire to mature in our faith. And this happens with intentional effort over the course of our lifetime as we walk with God. So many Christians are pursuing some new revelation. They grab the latest Christian books and attend conferences hoping to find the shortcut that they think will make them the strong believer they want to become. But the Lord has given us pathways that have been around for centuries. And all we need is to intentionally apply them with our hearts and we will grow and mature in Him.

Many refer to these ancient pathways as the spiritual disciplines. We call them disciplines because we have to train ourselves to do them. None of them come naturally so it takes effort and consistency. But the rewards are incredible. And the greatest reward is the intimacy we can experience with the Lord.

Take a few moments to ask the following questions. As you examine your spiritual life, write down some intentional goals that you can set to increase your engagement with the disciplines.

• How healthy is my prayer life?

• What do I want to change about the quality and consistency of my prayer time?

• How can I accomplish that?

• What is the level of my engagement with the Bible in this season of my life?

• What is one thing I would like to improve as it relates to my Scripture interaction?

• How much time do I spend in worship outside of church services?

• What is one way that I can incorporate more worship into my life?

• How often do I fast?

• Is there a way that I can schedule time to fast more?

• What areas of my spiritual life are the strongest?

• Which are the weakest?

• What is one specific spiritual goal that I can set?

Take some time to think about these questions. We can all just drift through life and hope to one day become deeply intimate with the Lord, but the Christian who will achieve a greater walk with God is the one who will intentionally pursue Him. Make a plan, set some goals and do whatever it takes to achieve them. Then, enjoy the spiritual growth that is sure to come.

I created a tool to help believers examine their level of engagement with six of the spiritual disciplines, and to give them an intentional plan to grow in each of these areas. It’s called “Reaping a Spiritual Harvest.” We have printed copies available at our store. For those who want to go to the next level in their relationship with the Lord, this tool can really help you accomplish that.