My church does a corporate fast at the beginning of each year. They encourage everyone to give up food as part of the fast, because food is the most tangible thing that humans can give up. There are three options that most people choose from: one meal, Daniel fast, or whole foods. Last year I tried doing the Daniel fast, but I wasn’t successful at completing it. Honestly, I don’t think I made it a whole week. This year I am trying to do the one meal instead. I’m going to try to abstain from lunch (my favorite meal) for the duration of the fast. Instead of eating during this time we are supposed to spend time with God instead.

I thought it would be a good idea to set up goals and prayers for this time. Things I want to go after for this year or hope that God does. I have two prayers that I hope God answers and three goals for me for the year of 2018.

I have three goals or things that I want to go after for this year. The first goal is to read the Bible more. I hope to have the whole bible read again before the end of the year, and I hope to have the New Testament read by the time that I graduate college.

Another goal is that I am more comfortable about sharing my faith. I pray that it’s more of a natural reaction to speak about God and how great He is. It’s not like I don’t speak about God and church. I’m one of those people that will tell the customers in my line at the grocery store that I work at about my church. Though I have realized that it’s usually about me and my relationship with Christ. I never give people the opportunity to grow in their relationship with Christ or invite them to the church I go to.

The last goal of mine is to grow in patience. I feel like 2018 is going to be a waiting season for me. I can tell that God has great things in store for this year, but I am not sure what that looks like. I hopefully graduate in May, and I’m not certain what I am supposed to do after college. I have an idea of what I would like to do after graduation. I am not certain for sure what my future will look like at this point.

I also have two prayers for God to move in my life for 2018. One of my prayers I am not comfortable about posting about right now. I might in the future write about what it is, or if the prayer is answered in the future, then I’ll probably write about it.

The other prayer is that God shows me a friend group to join. A group that I can sort of “belong” to, and will be friends that I go to a good amount of activities and events with. I’m not writing this to say that I don’t have friends. I have a good number of friends, but it’s mostly 1 or 2 people that I hang out with at a time. I have friends that have a certain group that they do most stuff with. If an event comes up these friends more than likely will know who they are going with. Where I must think, who am I going to go with and hopefully find someone to go with me.

I hope and pray that God will answer these prayers. Even if God doesn’t answer these prayers I’ll still praise him and give him the glory in what He does have happen this year. I know by the end of the year that I’ll be closer to Christ than I am today, and I am excited to see how God moves this year!

Scripture References:

• “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength” ~ Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
• “Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring” ~2 Thessalonians 1:4 NIV
• “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” ~ 1 John 5:14 NIV

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