Spiritual Goals for the New Year

By Eddie Moody

Happy New Year! A week ago, we all probably woke up with some personal goals for the year. Maybe you set a goal about exercising, drinking more water, or losing weight. Hopefully, you also set some spiritual goals about reading your Bible, praying, or sharing the gospel more.

You may be like me and already finding it hard to meet some of the goals you set. Well, here at the Executive Office, we can’t help much with exercising or losing weight, but we do have some great ideas about spiritual goals.

• Be faithful to church and Sunday School. This sounds like an obvious goal. But the new year is a wonderful time to rededicate yourself to attending church, getting involved in small groups, and serving wherever needed. A church is only as strong as its weakest members. Don't be the weakest link!

• Pray for your neighbor. Jesus called on us to love our neighbors. One way we can do this is by praying for them. I encourage you to use the BLESS app for free (NAFWB.org/bless). Every day, you will receive a prompt to pray for five of your neighbors. You will also receive regular updates about how often you have prayed for your neighbor, along with prompts to encourage you to talk with them, serve them, and ultimately share the gospel with them. Accountability helps us reach our goals. (If your church signs up, you can set group prayer goals.)

• Share your faith. Jesus called us to share the gospel and disciple others. We have found the Hope Initiative is a great way to discover new ways to share the gospel with others. You can purchase the book Pray and Go and personally go through a 30-day process requiring less than 20 minutes a day. As you develop a daily rhythm, you will find it easier to share your faith. Better yet, if your church signs for The Hope Initiative (nafwb.org/hope), you can work together with others. This camaraderie will help you reach this goal.

• Pray for pastors. If we get busy praying for and reaching our neighbors, our churches are likely to grow, and new churches will start. Who will lead these churches? Currently, Free Will Baptists face a shortage of pastors. So, ask God to call and equip the next generation. Then ask yourself: Who in my church meets the criteria to be a pastor? How can I encourage him? Or, maybe, God is leading you toward the ministry. If so, ask God to make His calling clear and perhaps talk it over with your own pastor.

These are simple spiritual goals all of us can pursue in 2026. I hope you have great success on all of your goals, whether about family, career, or personal health. But I especially wish you well on your spiritual goals, which will pay eternal dividends.

About the writer: Eddie Moody is the executive director of the National Association of Free Will Baptists. Learn more: nafwb.org.