Solutions

Help reignite your heart and get your life in order. Not everything spiritual is “spiritual” (don't look down on mundane realities and activity).

• Read and study the Bible
  • Make time.
    • If you haven’t already, start with 5-10 minutes.
      • Cut time out of less important things.
        • Entertainment
        • Social media
        • A little sleep
      • Go as long as you can.
        • Some days you might be inspired to dig deeper.
        • Don’t make it just a routine you check off.
  • Make a plan.
    • Randomly flipping the Bible open can be fun once in a while, but is not a great way to get the most of the Word.
    • Go easy, but not too easy. Strike a balance.
      • Be realistic about your time and attention.
      • Don’t think you can’t make time to be consistent.
    • EXAMPLE: I used to read the Bible about every year - 2 from OT, 1 from NT. Now, I’m trying to take it slower and be more thoughtful about what I’m reading.
  • Cut out distractions.
    • Go to a quiet place where you can focus.
    • Silence your phone.
    • Get your mind in the “zone.”
  • Expect to learn something new.
    • Scripture is a Living Word.
    • There’s always more to learn.
    • Something might speak to you that you overlooked at other times in your life.
  • Ask questions.
    • Asking questions and finding the answers is a great way to learn and grow spiritually.
    • This is the difference between reading and studying.
  • Pay attention to context.
    • Who is being spoken to and in what context?
    • Try to listen like the original audience.
      • Cultural context.
  • Discuss what you read.
    • Talk about what you learn with your family and friends.
    • Look for ways to bring it up in conversation.
  • For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
    • The Word of God is powerful at overcoming and countering the schemes of the enemy.
• Pray
  • Make time.
    • If you haven’t already, start with 5-10 minutes.
      • Like with study, spend a little less time on trivial things.
  • Make a list.
    • Minds tend to wander.
    • Keep your focus.
    • Not less spiritual.
      • Can feel like you are checking off a box / chore.
  • Be led by the Spirit.
    • Take part of your prayer time to pray as you are led.
  • Pray when needs arise.
    • If you recognize something that you need help with, pray.
    • When someone mentions a need, pray on the spot.
      • Add it to your list afterward.
  • Be watching for unspoken needs.
    • Bringing these up can open up doors of opportunity.
    • Helps you remain mindful of others.
  • Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
• Fast
• Reconcile
  • Make things right
• Share the Good News
  • You may not have noticed, but the previous subjects have included ways of sharing the Gospel.
    • Discussing what you read in your study time.
    • Offering to pray for those that are in need.
  • The Gospel is the only thing that has power to break the enemy’s power over a person’s life.
    • Spreading this word and discipling others is the ultimate form of resistance to the agenda of the enemy powers and principalities.
• Acknowledge that God is pulling you upward - toward power, bravery, and self-order. The things your flesh wants are pulling you down.
• Have peace in God
• Return to your first love
  • If you’ve been a Christian for a while, sit and think for a bit about how you were when you first believed.
  • Write down a list of things that you did.
    • How did they make you feel?
    • How many of those do you still do?
    • Think about what you can do to start doing those things again.
    • Ask God to kindle that fire in you again.
  • Sometimes, we grow distant from God and don’t see how we can go back to the love that we first had.
    • We feel we may have drifted too far.
    • Any attempt to return feels forced or “unspiritual.”
  • If we are truly his, our heart frequently yearns to get closer to Him.
    • This is a sign that we have the Spirit calling in us.
    • The Spirit is our surety - our guarantee - and our promise that it’s never too late!
  • But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first_. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Revelation 2:4-5 (ESV)_
• Get free of addictions
  • Entertainment
  • Social media
  • Negative news
• Look up
  • Don’t lose hope
  • None of this earthy stuff really matters in the end
    • Doesn’t mean don’t resist evil
    • Just that our hope is not here
• Contemplation
• Accurate self-assessment
• Acknowledge that the principalities and powers are in control of world affairs
  • Governments
  • Corporations
    • News
    • Social media
    • Food
    • Pharmaceutical
  • Education
  • Many realize this but still expect them to act in our best interest
  • This can take the form of
    • Socialism and Communism
    • Division
• Stop listening to captured media
  • MSM is propaganda
• Secure your family.
  • The family is the most important institution in society.
• Become self-employed
  • We don’t think of being employed as slavery. However, consider that:
    • Slaves were given a home, food, and clothing in exchange for work.
    • The slaves of Bible times had many freedoms.
    • They could earn money and even buy their own freedom.
  • Compare that with modern-day employment.
    • We can choose who to work for,
    • but as long as we work for someone, we are dependent on them for our food, clothing, and shelter.
    • Some make enough to afford many luxuries,
    • But many live paycheck-to-paycheck.
  • Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 1 Corinthians 7:21
• Become self-sufficient
  • Not all or nothing
  • You yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, ... But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. 1 Thessalonians 4:9b-12 (ESV)
• Manage your time.
  • Time is precious.
  • The enemy wants to keep you distracted and amused.
    • He knows that if you’re busy with the things of the world, you are not a threat to him.
  • Examine your habits, routines, and trivial pleasures.
    • Most people have a morning and evening routine.
      • Morning routines can be modified or you can wake up earlier.
      • Evening routines, besides eating and chores, are often filled with things that help you unwind or veg out.
        • Relaxation is important, but too much can leave you feeling like time was wasted.
    • When unemployed or during time off.
    • Break them down into whether or not they serve your goals.
    • If they don’t replace them with ones that do.
  • See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16
• Have direction.
  • Set goals.
    • Learn new skills.
    • Complete a project.
    • Improve your health.
  • It is difficult to sit down and begin accomplishing something.
    • Hard to know where to start
    • Instead, work backwards.
      • Remember how they taught you to write papers in all those years of English.
        • You need to start with an idea. Pick a topic (end goal).
          • Then sit down and start writing? No.
        • You might need to do some research first.
          • When you’re ready to write, you put your pen to the paper? No!
        • You need an outline.
          • The outline is there to get the main structure of your paper down first, then all you have to do is fill in the gaps.
          • It makes the whole thing seem more manageable.
      • What is the end goal?
      • What are the steps, skills, or things required to meet that goal?
      • What is necessary to accomplish those steps?
    • Chunk
      • Break your goal or the steps to get there into smaller goals.
      • Organize the goals chronologically or by complexity
    • Only focus on completing a specific sub-goal.
    • Set a reasonable timeframe for the sub-goals only.
    • Know the why.
      • It is easy for things to become difficult or tedious when you lose sight of the end goal.
      • What are the benefits of completing your end goal?
      • Keep those in mind.
    • If you get set back, pick up where you left off.
    • Focus.
      • You might have come up with a long list of things you would like to do.
      • Don’t overwhelm yourself.
        • Know what you are capable of.
    • Believe that you can do it.
    • Put in a sustainable amount of effort and don't overdo it in the beginning.
    • Being productive is itself learning process.
    • It’s okay to modify your goals or timeframes.
• Get out of debt.
  • Owe no one anything except to love one another Romans 13:8a
  • Budget and save
• Invest in other people
  • Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Phil 2:4
• Invest in things with inherent value

Sources & Inspiration:

Scripture
Ps 51
Proverbs

12 Steps

12 rules

12 more rules

Solaris

SMART Goals

Workplace education (Integrity Solutions)