Revive Your Spirit

January is a month known for making goals and starting anew. It is always nice to have a fresh start at the beginning of the New Year. For me the most important thing this year is reviving my spirit. When I am in a good place in my spiritual life, I can approach my goals with confidence since God is giving me the strength to do so.

Here are a few ideas and tips on refreshing and reviving your spirit. Start small and choose a few, or go for all of them! I hope these suggestions help you move towards the goals you have set for yourself spiritually.

1. Accountability
Accountability is the most important when it comes to goals. Having someone to help you along and help you stay on track with your goals is a good way to meet them. Whether it is a friend, a group of friends reaching for the same goal, or a mentor, reach out to whoever can help keep you accountable. Check in with them daily or weekly and talk about how you are doing doing in reaching your goals. Don't be afraid to talk about short comings. Whoever is keeping you accountable can help get back on track. And lastly, celebrate victories, big or small and remember them because it'll help you be encouraged!

2. Schedule Your Spiritual Time
Don't be afraid to schedule out time to read the Bible or pray. It is okay to write it or enter it into your phone calendar to remind you. The Lord sees that you are making an effort to get closer to Him and He loves it when we want to be close with Him. When it becomes a habit, you may not need to write it down anymore!

3. Devotionals
I love devotionals. There are devotionals that last a month and some that last up to a year. Some are long for deep study, and some are just long enough for a coffee break. I love they have devotionals that will fit any need. It is also fun to get together with friends and do a devotional together.

4. Prayer Calendar
Sometimes prayer can get monotonous or there are times where you are just lost for words. A prayer calender is such a great way to make your prayer life purposeful and strong. It is great to pray for what you pray for on a daily basis, but also praying for other matters in the lives of people around you, in the nation, and world is also important. We have one available, just CLICK HERE. For each day of the month, I like to fill it with a specific prayer. I like to general and very specific. For a general prayer I might say, all those ill with the flu. When being specific, I might go as far as choose a specific person by writing, Jane Doe's last trimester of pregnancy. I look forward to looking at my prayer calendar everyday and lifting others up in prayer!

5. Get Involved
Whether a group of friends getting together at home, a Bible Study at your church, or as simple as getting involved at a church, plug yourself in. It helps to get out and have to physically go somewhere as well as have a group to stay accountable too.

6. Giving Back
When it comes to giving, always give what you can and give what you feel to led to give. Feeling obligated or guilty for not giving leads to not giving with a joyful heart. Giving with a joyful heart is what livens up and enriches your spirit. Give to places that are near and dear to you or places the Lord wants you to give. We recently did a post on giving and have some ideas of where to give, find it HERE.

7. Stay In Check With Your Spirit
When getting involved, giving, reading your Bible, and praying make sure to stay in check with your spirit. What I mean by this is make sure you're just not going through the motions or that you are still doing things with the intent that you want it to. If you find yourself losing interest in something or feel like it is getting monotonous, it may be time to change something. Maybe you need to change where you have your quiet time or sit down with who you are staying accountable with talk things through. The point is that whatever you is refreshing and reviving  to your spirit, or it is not worth doing. It is okay if one way isn't working, just reevaluate and try again.

What kind of ways will you be reviving your spirit this year?
I am looking forward to reading through Scripture with some girlfriends and praying with my family daily!

Blessings,