Planning with Purpose: Spiritual Priorities for the New Year
Inside: As we begin a new year, I’m sharing a simple, biblical way to think about planning, faithfulness, and spiritual priorities.
At the start of a new year, we usually find ourselves thinking about goals, planning, decluttering, organizing, relationships, routines, new Bible reading plans, books to read, and I can keep going here. These are all good things, and many of them I do at the beginning of a year and revisit throughout the year. Maybe we don’t sit down and write them out, but we think about areas we’d like to improve in our homes, our spiritual walks, our health, our relationships, or our parenting.
Even as we contemplate them, we still want to look at them through a biblical lens. We want to start with the wisdom of God’s Word. The Westminster Shorter Catechism reminds us that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. So the main purpose of our goals or spiritual priorities needs to be to glorify God.
That truth must sit at the center of everything we plan.
Years ago, I came across a book called Shopping for Time, and it helped me to begin to think about my planning not so much in terms of goals but of spiritual priorities. This helped to reorient my heart and reminded me that the purpose of my plans isn’t productivity for its own sake, but faithfulness to the Lord.
If you’d like to hear me walk through this more slowly and personally, I talk through these spiritual priorities in more detail in podcast episode 157, Planning with Purpose: Spiritual Priorities for the New Year.
Planning With Open Hands
We are called to steward our time and responsibilities wisely, and at the same time, to trust the Lord’s sovereign hand in every detail.
These verses help me to remember the sovereign work of God in my life:
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3)
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)
We plan, yes, but we plan with humility. We hold our lists and calendars with open hands, knowing that the Lord directs our steps and governs every season of our lives.
Identifying Areas of Responsibility
Before setting goals, I’ve found it helpful to step back and ask a simple question:
What areas of responsibility has the Lord entrusted to me in this season?
When we identify those areas, our planning becomes clearer and more focused. We’re no longer reacting to everything at once, but thoughtfully considering what matters most.
For many years, I’ve worked through seven spiritual priorities that help me evaluate my life as a whole:
- Grow in Godliness
- Love My Family
- Serve in the Church
- Fellowship with Christians
- Evangelize Non-Christians
- Attend to My Work
- Care for My Physical Health
These aren’t rigid categories. They’re simply a framework to help me think biblically about the different spheres of life God has given me responsibility over. Your list may look a little different, and that’s okay. (Reagan Rose at Redeeming Productivity refers to them as Domains of Stewardship, and his book Redeeming Productivity and Tim Challies book Do More Better are two I highly recommend. )
Why Setting Spiritual Priorities Matters
Without intentionality, growth often doesn’t happen. At least that’s been true for me.
Setting spiritual priorities helps me:
- Live intentionally rather than reactively
- Identify areas where I need growth or repentance
- Steward my time, relationships, and energy more wisely
- See patterns of growth over time, even when progress feels slow
These priorities aren’t burdens. They’re gifts. Each one is an invitation to deeper faithfulness and greater dependence on the Lord.
How I Begin the Process
I start simply. A blank notebook page is enough.
I write each priority at the top of a page and take time to pray through it. I ask questions that help me evaluate where I am and where growth may be needed. For example:
Growing in Godliness
- Am I consistently in God’s Word and prayer?
- Are there sins I’m battling without seeking the Lord’s help?
- Where do I need to grow in holiness and obedience?
Loving My Family
- Is there one relationship that needs more attention in this season?
- How can I more intentionally point my family to Christ?
- Are there areas where forgiveness or reconciliation is needed?
Serving and Fellowship
- Am I using my gifts to serve the church?
- Who can I encourage, disciple, or come alongside this year?
- How can I practice hospitality in simple, faithful ways?
As I work through these questions, my lists often grow long. And that’s where I remind myself to slow down. I’m not meant to work on everything at once.
I created a Spiritual Priorities Planning Guide for women who want a little guidance in working through this thoughtfully and prayerfully, without overwhelm.
Choosing One or Two Focus Areas
One of the most helpful principles I’ve learned is this:
Choose one or two priorities to focus on for the next three to six months.
Some items on my list are quick and simple. Others are ongoing and take time and patience. The areas that need the most attention usually rise to the surface naturally.
Turning Priorities Into Gentle Action
Once I’ve chosen a focus area, I break it into small, doable steps.
For example, if my goal is to grow in Scripture memory, the steps might include:
- Choosing the passage
- Adding it to a Bible memory app
- Setting aside brief daily review time
- Studying the context more deeply on a quieter morning
Breaking my goal down into steps makes it manageable.
A Simple Planning System I Use
I often get asked about tools, so I’ll share this briefly.
I keep my system very simple:
- Things 3 for tasks and next steps
- Google Calendar for appointments and shared family commitments
- A physical planner for my daily, weekly, and monthly planning, prayer, reflection, and spiritual priorities. This one has been a longtime favorite of mine.
These tools help me to stay organized so I can be more present and faithful in the work God has given me. Over the years, I’ve tried many tools. I’ve learned that simple systems I actually use are far more helpful than complicated ones I don’t.
Planning That Leads to Dependence
This is the most important part.
Jesus Himself withdrew regularly to pray, even when demands pressed in on Him (Luke 5:15–16).
One of my favorite examples of dependence comes from Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 2:4, when the king asked him a question, Nehemiah says simply, “So I prayed to the God of heaven.” After that quick prayer, Nehemiah shared his request with the king. He was in utter dependence on the Lord. That quick prayer tells me he was a man who spent much time in prayer because it was as natural to him as breathing.
That’s the posture I want my planning to cultivate.
Charles Bridges wrote, “God loves to be consulted.”
Even in ordinary tasks. Especially in ordinary tasks.
A Final Encouragement
In the end, our highest goal isn’t conquering all our goals or checking everything off our lists, but it is walking with the Lord in daily dependence. It is living a life of faithfulness.
Plan wisely. Start small. Trust God deeply.
Jesus truly is enough.
Related Resources:
Related posts: