Setting Spiritual Goals for the Year for Christian Marriages

I’ll be honest, I love setting goals. I love the planning and organizing. It’s like Christmas for me! In a perfect world, my husband and I sit down together at a lunch date and set goals for the coming year. We might include travel, financial management goals, and marriage goals like regular dates or an annual trip, just the two of us. The most important goals are spiritual, though. Spiritual goals are ones that grow our faith in God and in turn draw us closer together as a couple.

Introduction

We recently talked about the importance of starting our new year with a Christ-centered marriage. This post is one way to achieve that.

Marriage is a beautiful partnership, and when both spouses commit to a shared spiritual journey, the bond between them becomes even stronger. Growing together spiritually is about more than attending church or praying occasionally—it’s about aligning your hearts and priorities with God’s design for your marriage. This shared journey not only deepens your relationship with God but also strengthens your connection as a couple.

Setting spiritual goals as a team is a powerful way to nurture your marriage. Whether it’s committing to regular couple’s prayer time, studying Scripture together, or serving in your church community, these goals help you stay united in purpose and focus. They provide opportunities to encourage one another, share your faith, and face life’s challenges with God at the center of your relationship.

In this post, we’ll explore why shared spiritual growth is essential for a thriving marriage and offer practical steps for setting and pursuing spiritual goals together. Let’s dive into how intentional faith-building can bring you closer as a couple and to God, creating a foundation of love and unity that lasts a lifetime.

Reflecting on Your Marriage’s Spiritual Journey

In addition to really loving the goal setting process, I also love seeing where God has worked in my life and marriage. When we take time to pray together, read Scripture together, and engage in worship together, I feel like I can actually feel our growth happening. It’s very special!

One of the key ways to plan spiritual growth is to be honest about areas of your life that need growth. This process requires introspection and honesty. For instance, I know that my husband doesn’t read Scripture on his own, but he enjoys watching videos. He’s much more likely to watch a message about Scripture or listen to a Bible reading podcast than he is to sit down with a Bible on his own. Knowing this, I can suggest that we listen to a Bible reading podcast together, knowing that this will help us both with our walk. If I want to read the Bible on my own, then I can do that (and I do – every morning).

Think about the past year and how your spiritual growth progressed. Did you do something special to grow your faith? Did you try something that worked or was unsuccessful? Keep a record in a prayer journal so you can track what’s working well for your marriage. Consider praying about what God’s plan is for your marriage before you begin planning. You want to be sure your spiritual goals line up with God’s purpose for you.

Examples of Spiritual Goals for Couples

One of the spiritual goals a Christian couple might set in January is to establish a routine of daily prayer together. Praying together daily is a great way to not only bring the couple closer to God but also to each other. It fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose, allowing both partners to support and uplift each other through prayer. This practice also helps in aligning their desires and decisions with God’s will, ensuring that their marriage is rooted in faith and trust in God’s plan. By starting the day with prayer, couples can face challenges with a strengthened bond and a fortified spirit, knowing that they are not alone in their journey.

Another important goal for the Christian marriage might be to commit to studying a book of the Bible together. For instance, choosing a book like Proverbs or Ephesians can provide valuable insights into wisdom and biblical principles for a godly life and a strong foundation in your marriage. Studying Scripture together encourages deep discussions about faith, values, and the application of biblical principles in daily life. It also helps in building a strong spiritual foundation and understanding of God’s word, which is essential for navigating the ups and downs of married life. This shared activity not only enhances their knowledge of the Bible but also creates moments of intimate connection and mutual growth in their spiritual walk.

Other ideas include acts of service at church together, joining a couple’s Bible study, or watching mid-week sermons together. You can do Bible reading or study on special date nights, so you don’t have to be tied to the house. Whatever you choose, do it together with the goal of growing your faith as a couple through quality time!

Tracking Progress and Staying Accountable

Regular weekly dates are the perfect opportunity for check-ins with each other. Ask each other how you are doing with your goals. Maybe you planned to read the Bible together but it’s just not working out. That’s okay. Modify the plan so it’s a realistic goal that works for your marriage. If you have young kids, time to check in and modify plans can be tough but keep at it. Here’s a post that may help – it’s about how to keep our kids occupied when we need to be doing something else.

You can also use tools like goal tracker apps or journals to connect about your spiritual goals. You can share an app so that you can both contribute to tracking and logging your progress. Successfully reaching any goal takes hard work so commit to it and keep track of how you are doing. Modify as necessary to make the goals your own.

Conclusion

No matter what, be sure that you are setting intentional goals for your thriving marriage. Time spent on spiritual goals is special time that builds a strong marriage. It’s important to trust God’s plan for your marriage. You’ll only know what that plan is by praying and listening for the Holy Spirit to talk to you.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of marriage and the blessing of companionship. We come before you today, seeking your guidance and wisdom as we set spiritual goals for this year. Lord Jesus, we pray for unity in our marriage, that we may grow closer to each other and to you through our shared faith and commitment.

Help us to establish a routine of daily prayer together, so that we may start each day with your presence and draw strength from your love. Guide us as we study your Word, that we may gain understanding and apply your teachings in our lives. May our discussions about faith and values deepen our bond and strengthen our spiritual foundation.

Bless our efforts to serve together in our church community and may our acts of service be a reflection of your love and grace. As we participate in Bible studies and watch sermons, let our hearts be opened to your message and our spirits be renewed.

Lord, grant us the perseverance to track our progress and stay accountable to each other. When challenges arise, give us the wisdom to adjust our goals and the determination to stay committed. May we always seek your will for our marriage and trust in your plan for us.

We ask for your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with peace, love, and understanding. May our marriage be a testament to your glory and a source of inspiration for others.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.

Peace & Joy,

🌸 Andrea

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