I have decided that I will cultivate diligence for 2022 and beyond.

In fact, I believe I was lead to this by the Holy Spirit.

A few weeks ago, maybe months actually, this word just kept flowing into my prayers. I wasn’t aware of it until near the end of the year.

I became more intentional about seeking out my word along with a prompting from my church.

It has become customary for Elevation Church, like quite a few others, to encourage their congregants find their ‘word of the year’.

Elevation even goes a step further by providing a resource to allow us to create beautifully designed words.

They encouraged us to create our own word nearing the end of 2021. However, you can still design your word for 2022 here.

How To Find Your ‘Word Of The Year’

The best way to find your specific word for the year is to ask the Holy Spirit.

This is an excellent prayer point.

We need to simply commit this to prayer, trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide us.

And He will.

It is actually crucial to involve Him in this process.

We don’t want to hone in on what God does not want for us.

We need to make Him have the biggest say in how we plan our year.

Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him],And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

– Proverbs 16:3 AMP

You will feel peace about your choice and that is one way you will know this is Holy Spirit approved.

How To Cultivate Diligence This Year

So, as I said before, diligence just kept creeping into my prayers weeks ago. Then of course, I prayed about it and received peace that this is to be my word for 2022.

Now what exactly is diligence?

The Oxford dictionary defines it simply as ‘careful and persistent work or effort’.

Diligence though, is definitely a biblical concept.

So, led by none other than the Holy Spirit again, I decided to do a word search in my Youversion bible app.

My search yielded 34 instances of the topic or with the specific word ‘diligent’.

Can I tell you?

That immediately birthed even more excitement in me.

See this now means I  have potentially 34 days of deep scripture meditation.

Because sharing is caring, I will gladly list my findings for you below.

34 Verses on Cultivating Diligence in 2022

Using The Book Of Proverbs to Cultivate Diligence

It should come as no surprise that the book of Proverbs contains the most scriptures on cultivating diligence.

I was able to find 9 clear verses on the topic.

More Scriptures On Cultivating Diligence Throughout The Bible

Here are the other verses I plan to explore on my quest to cultivate diligence in 2022.

Nehemiah 5:16

I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

PSALM 64:6

They search out injustice, saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.” For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.

Deuteronomy 13:14

then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you,

Psalm 77:6

I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search:

Exodus 15:26

saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

Psalm 119:4

You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.

2 Peter 1:10

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Deuteronomy 6:17

You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you.

2 Peter 3:14

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

Deuteronomy 4:9

Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—

Ezra 6:12

May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Leviticus 10:16

Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying,

Ezra 5:8

Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

Isaiah 55:2

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Ezra 6:13

Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered.

Luke 15:8

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?

Deuteronomy 17:4

and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel,

Isaiah 21:7

When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, let him listen diligently, very diligently.

Ezra 7:17 

With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 12:16

And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people.

Deuteronomy 19:18

The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,

Ezra 7:21

“And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence,

Matthew 2:8

And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.

Zechariah 6:15

“And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

The Plan of Action for Cultivating Diligence in 2022

So now that I have these verses on diligence, I need to get full use of them.

I keep each verse on diligence highlighted in a special color in my Youversion app. This will help me to easily locate them for regular revision throughout the year.

My plan is to meditate on these throughout the year.

Each verse is a prayer point as well. I plan to pray the verses and share my thoughts and affirmation on Instagram.

The other thing I have purposed to do is to read devotionals on cultivating diligence.

There are a number of them in Youversion.

In a future post, I will share my findings and give a review on these plans.

Final Thoughts

I hope this blog has inspired you to dig deeper in your walk with God this year.

We are in this together.

Let me know in the comments if you found a word for 2022 or if this post helps you to seek one out too.

Remember, we must Make Room for God this year!

Be Blessed till my next post!