Planning “your” life is unique to you. There is no one like you in the world. However, we can learn from each other about ways that might help us plan our lives. I enjoy the process of planning and helping other people plan. While you may not find my process to your liking, I hope you will find a process that works for you and then work it. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

* The first thing I recommend to you is to “have a plan” and make sure your plan is in line with what we know about planning from the Bible. Please read the first post in this series for background about biblical planning.

* The second thing I recommend to you is to spend time looking into how successful people plan. Successful people are often successful planners.

* The third thing I recommend to you is to make your plan “in writing.” Seeing your thoughts on paper (or computer) usually promotes better planning.

* The fourth thing I recommend to you is to begin working out the details of your plan without delay. Delay often leads to failure because little or nothing is ever done about the plan.

As you work on your planning process for 2015, here are some ideas you may find helpful.

Step One – Get Motivated

We all need motivation with planning and carrying out our plan. So, here are some aspects of motivation you may find helpful.

Words That Motivate

God’s Word is a strong motivation for a Christian. Think about Bible verses that have meant the most to you through the years. Why do you think they mean so much to you? Could it be that those are the Words of God that will best motivate you as you develop your plan for this new year?

Scripture 1

Scripture 2

Scripture 3

Scripture 4

Scripture 5

Prayers That Motivate

What prayers in the Bible mean the most to you? Which prayers speak to you – deeply? Why do you think those prayers speak to you? What about those prayers will best motivate you as you develop your plan for this new year?

Prayer 1

Prayer 2

Prayer 3

Prayer 4

Prayer 5

Step Two – Take Action

Motivation should lead us to action. Jesus expects us to serve Him and others as we are in the process of “going.”

Personal Assets

What do you believe is God’s calling on your life? What are your spiritual gifts? What is your personal skill set? What interests you most? What about your natural abilities? How about your personal values?

Calling

Gifts

Skills

Interests

Abilities

Values

Personal Ministries

What type of ministries do you find most interesting? What ministries have you participated in the past that you believe led to the best results based on your understanding of what God wants from you in service to Him? What have you done that people have mentioned to you as being a blessing to them and others? What three types of ministries have you participated in that you would like to do again?

Ministry 1

Ministry 2

Ministry 3

Are you writing down your thoughts? You can always add to your list later. The important thing is to record your ideas as soon as you think of them. You should refer to your written plan at least monthly to make sure you are on track to finish what you started. You can also use your written plan at the end of the year to assess the success of your personal ministry and develop an even better plan for next year.

Please share with us your ideas that work best for you and we’ll share them in our next post.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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