Starting off the New Year Right - Through Christ

Whether 2023 was your best year yet, or not so great, make sure to start off the new year with Christ.

As we reflect on the blessings of this year, we should not forget to thank the Lord for giving us another 365 days of life. Above all this, he has graciously brought us to see another year. Another year to spread the gospel and share his love.

Let 2024 be the year that you grow confident in your faith. Start that Bible in a Year plan. Get that devotional book. Go to church consistently. 2024 is another chance to strengthen your relationship with Christ.

Here are some small things that I recommend for strengthening your relationship with Christ this New Year:

1. Start Your Day with Gospel

A little more than halfway into this year, I realized that I wanted to start listening to gospel more so I made a rule for myself. As music is a huge part of my life, I felt that listening to gospel in addition to my normal shuffle was very important. I would only listen to Gospel music in the mornings. I believe that this rule has really helped me to start every day off on the right foot with an uplifting message. However, this does not mean that you should start your day off with Gospel and then proceed to descend into some questionable music with some questionable lyrics. Keep that positive vibe going throughout the day!

2. Find a Nice Christian Podcast

Christian podcasts are also a great way to get your daily dose of Christ if you are not a huge music listener. Most podcasts are also specialized for specific people in the body of Christ. For example, there are podcasts geared towards Christian girls but also podcasts geared towards Christian boys. There are multiple on Spotify and YouTube.

3. The Bible App

The Bible App is a great way to get daily verses of the day. I recommend setting a notification so that the verse of the day is the first thing that you read when you wake up. They also offer Daily Refresh videos that break down each verse of the day.

4. Less Social Media

I know this is the advice that nobody wants to hear, but using social media less will drastically improve your relationship. Social media is the epitome of "The World" and while it has some truly amazing qualities, it can draw you away from your walk with Christ. I personally struggle with monitoring my daily social media intake so this will definitely be something I work on this year. Unfortunately, no matter how much you think social media is helping your walk with Christ, it most likely is not. Of course, watching videos about strengthening faith is wonderful, but it is not as good as reading it directly from the Bible. Funnily enough, that is where your favorite Christian TikTokers get their content from, so since you have access to the main source, why not use it?

5. Bible in a Year

As I talked about, Bible in a Year is a great way to stay on top of your Bible reading. It gives you a pre-planned schedule for what sections of the Bible to read each day to finish reading the whole Bible in a Year. You can find multiple Bible in a Year pages available for free on my Pinterest or Google.

6. Prayer Journal

Keeping a Prayer Journal is another great way to keep yourself grounded in Christ throughout the day. It can help you make sure you are talking to God every.

2024 is not the year to be lukewarm. It is not the year to be silent about God's love for us. This is the year to get in your Word!

Have a blessed New Year!

- kemi

2024 The Lord