6 Fresh Ways to Walk into a New Year with Jesus

Spiritual Life

Audio By Carbonatix

3:30 AM on Tuesday, December 16

By Cindi McMenamin, Spiritual Life

1. Start Each Day with Thanksgiving

Several years ago, I started recording three things to be thankful for every morning before I got out of bed, and three more things to be thankful for every evening before sleep. Even on the worst of days, even during a year in which I was grieving the loss of a parent, recording those things for which I was grateful kept me close to Jesus, in perspective, and ever aware of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17 NIV) that God has given me—including the things I didn’t originally see as gifts. Now, that daily and nightly habit of thanking Jesus and reflecting on His goodness has stuck.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are told to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Therefore, start thanking Him, not just for the blessings, but for everything—even situations that hurt and that you’re not sure how God can redeem. Nothing will grow you closer to Jesus than when you can make a habit of being thankful in all things, especially the things that don’t naturally produce gratitude.

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2. Make “Jesus Time” Anytime

If you want to grow closer to someone, you need to spend time with them. And spending time with God isn’t limited to your “quiet time” with open Bible, a mug of coffee, and prayer. Spending time with Him can happen any time of the day, in any and every way.

In addition to early-morning time in His Word, my “Jesus time” is also my lunch hour when I get out to walk and spend time in nature with Him. It’s also late afternoons if the sun is out, when I can sit by a body of water and read and talk to Him and enjoy His presence. Talk with Him as you walk, anywhere, and turn off the radio when you drive so you can talk to Him then as well. Think of Him as you’re lying on your pillow waiting to fall off to sleep. Sing some praises to Him aloud or in your heart at any time of the day, and carve out some quiet time to listen for His voice in your heart. The more you carve out time to specifically focus on Him, the more natural it will be for you to recognize and enjoy His presence every moment of the day.

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3. Have a Bible Study Plan

If you want to know Jesus and truly walk as He walked and live life answering the question “What would Jesus do?” then you need to know what Jesus would do by getting to know Him better. In John 1:1, we are told Jesus is the Word. To get to know His Word is to get to know Him. And to know Him better, we must be familiar with His Word. You can’t have one without the other. If you don’t have a daily Bible-reading plan, start with the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - and read a chapter a day, adding a psalm and a proverb as well. Then continue through the rest of the New Testament, paying attention to cross references in the Old Testament and looking those up, as well.

Many Bible-reading plans are also available at www.Biblegateway.com, www.YouVersion.com, or on the Bible app. If you already read through the Bible yearly, switch up the version you read, or add a contemporary version (such as the New Living Translation (NLT), the Contemporary English Version (CEV), or The Message (MSG) alongside your preferred version to allow yourself to stay in a passage longer and to expose yourself to different words or phrasing that could penetrate your heart in a new way. The “living and active” component of the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12 ESV) is not limited to certain versions, so trust that God can allow another version you’re not used to reading to prick your heart anew.

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4. Practice the Crucified Life

Sometimes we get so focused on our blessings, or lack of them, that we determine the health of our spirituality—or our closeness with our Savior—by what God is giving or withholding from us. Nothing could be further from what Jesus taught. In Luke 9:23, He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (NIV). The crucified life is not only a prerequisite for following Him, but an indicator that we are His.

In Mark 4:20, when Jesus explained to his disciples the parable of the sower, he said, “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (NKJV). The late Bible teacher and preacher A.W. Tozer explained in his book, The Crucified Life, that to be “a hundred-fold Christian” (one who produces much fruit for the kingdom of God), one must be acquainted with Jesus’ death and know what it means to daily die to self and live “the crucified life.”

The apostle Paul revealed his secret for his closeness with Christ: ^“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (NASB). Do you desire to walk even closer to Jesus? Walk the Calvary road with Him and daily die to self by giving up your rights for what He wants, and thus live the crucified life.

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5. Pray for a Heart Like Jesus

I once heard an old preacher pray, “God, break my heart with what breaks Yours.” I thought long and hard about that. Do I long to have a heart like Jesus’ that literally breaks at what breaks His heart? Or am I too consumed with my own desires and disappointments to think about what matters to my Lord? You and I can grow closer to Jesus as we seek to identify with the heart of God—wanting to do what pleases His heart, wanting to avoid what breaks His heart, and wanting to be moved by what moves His heart. These are the ways to walk closer with God that we might not be able to glean from a 40-minute message at church or in a small-group Bible study. It might be the quiet hours of the early morning or at night as you’re lying on your pillow, reflecting on the day, that you ask God to show you His heart on certain matters and for certain people. It is then that you can listen to His heart and live closer to it.

6. Strive for Humility Instead of Success

It’s natural for believers to strive for success—even in our spiritual life. But Scripture’s advice for success is far different than what you’ll hear in a TED Talk or read in a New York Times bestselling book. Jesus’ advice for how you can find success is the opposite of what the world and this culture teach us. He taught that to be first, we must be last (Matthew 20:16), and in Hebrews 4:10, we are told to humble ourselves before God, and He will lift us up.

Furthermore, David, the psalmist, sang, “You protect me with your saving shield. You have stooped to make me great” (2 Samuel 2:36 NCV). For God to stoop to make us great, we must be low—far lower than God in our own estimation. The further He has to stoop to reach us, the higher He may desire to exalt us. Micah 6:8 proclaims: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (NIV, emphasis added). Want to walk closer to Jesus this next year? Walk humbly. And He’ll be right there with you.

Lord, help us to walk into this new year closer to You than we’ve ever been before. May You be delighted at our desire to live closer to Your heart and to become more like Jesus, our Savior, every day. In the powerful name of Jesus, we ask this. Amen.

For help in growing closer to Jesus this year, see Cindi’s newest book, The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God.