How to Set Godly Goals for the New Year

October 10, 2026

As one year ends and another begins, many of us make resolutions. By February, most are forgotten. Christian goal setting looks a little different. It starts with God, not with ourselves, and it holds plans with open hands. Here's a simple way to set godly goals for the new year.

1. Pray before you plan

Proverbs 16:3: "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established."

Before writing anything down, ask God: What do You want to grow in me this year? What should I stop? What should I start? Give Him the first say.

2. Look back first

Spend some time reviewing the past year. Where did you see God's faithfulness? What did you learn? What needs to be left behind? Gratitude for last year builds faith for the next one.

3. Write the vision

Habakkuk 2:2: "And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it."

Write your goals down, and make them plain. Vague goals ("read the Bible more") are hard to keep. Clear goals ("read one chapter of a Gospel every weekday morning") give you something to run with. Keep them in a journal where you'll see them often.

4. Grow like Jesus in four areas

Luke 2:52: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."

This verse gives a helpful, balanced framework. Choose one or two goals in each area:

Wisdom (mind): learning, reading, growing in a skill, Bible study.
Stature (body): sleep, movement, health, rest.
Favour with God (spirit): prayer, Scripture, worship, Sabbath, generosity.
Favour with man (relationships): family, friendships, church, serving others.

5. Keep it small and specific

Three to five meaningful goals beat a list of twenty. Break each into small weekly steps.

6. Hold your plans loosely

James 4:13–15: "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city… For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

Proverbs 16:9: "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps."

Make plans, and let God redirect them. Interruptions may be His invitations.

7. Check in regularly

Review your goals monthly. Celebrate progress. Adjust what isn't working. Show yourself the same grace God shows you.

Choose one verse or word for the year, and keep it in your Bible with a Christian bookmark as a reminder every time you open it.

A prayer for the new year

Lord, I commit this new year to You. Show me what You want to grow in me, and help me write the vision plainly. Give me discipline to follow through and humility to adjust when You redirect my steps. Let me increase in wisdom and stature, and in favor with You and with others. If You will, I will. Amen.

Pair this with our New Year Devotional: Starting Fresh With God.

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