Many of us set goals and resolutions each year to either lose weight, eat healthier or take the next step closer to our dreams. However, the greatest goal we could make for our lives is to grow in our relationship with Jesus.
Recently, David Diga Hernandez provided some clear, practical steps that Christians can take to strengthen their walk with the Lord.
“You don’t have to struggle wondering, ‘Are these just my thoughts? are those just my emotions?’ or ‘Is this God speaking to me?’” Hernandez says.
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Hernandez points out that sometimes we assume hearing from God is for just a select few Christians, instead of for all of us who love the Lord. However, God loves each of us and desires to commune with us on a greater level.
So, what practical steps can you take to hear the Holy Spirit?
“Number one, be thankful,” Hernandez says. “Gratitude lowers the volume of ambition and jealousy, which clutters the mind.”
Hernandez says that while there’s nothing wrong with us having dreams and goals, working toward those things out of our own ambition will lead us astray.
“When we don’t live in gratitude, we live with this rushed pace of life,” Hernandez says.
Another practice to implement in 2025 is forgiveness.
“Unforgiveness blocks the flow of divine forgiveness…if you want to experience the joy of that forgiveness, the life of that forgiveness, the benefits of that forgiveness in this lifetime, then you’re going to have to unblock that flow of divine forgiveness because unforgiveness disrupts your connection with the Lord.”
Another thing we must do in 2025 is trust that God will speak.
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Hernandez says that one of the things we have to do is trust that God will speak to us. Instead of obsessing over trying to figure out every single thought, emotion or other experience about whether or not its from God, we must rest in the fact that we can trust Him.
“…so obsessed, so fearful about the idea that you might be missing God that it creates this tension, this lack of peace, this angst, even this anger that may come about, this frustration that comes about, all because we think that hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit entirely depends upon us,” Hernandez says. “We can trust God knows how to get through to us…God knows how to get through to you.”
Prioritizing devotional time spent in the Word is also key for growing in your walk with the Lord.
“Ground yourself in the World. Ground yourself in the foundation of God speaking to you through the Scriptures,” Hernandez says.
As 2024 draws to a close, 2025 truly can be the best year yet if we seek Him, trust in His goodness and praise God with a heart of gratitude.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.