Goals, goals, and more goals!
“Setting and Achieving Goals with Prayer”
Once again, it’s that time.
A new year has begun, and it’s a universal experience. Whether you find yourself in Nigeria, the UK, the USA, Costa Rica, or Australia, the commencement of the year is a shared event.
Wherever you may be, as you read this, the new year has officially commenced!
Here’s the incredible part: God has blessed us with readers from every country we mentioned! How amazing is that?
Anyway…
If you’re part of 98% of the world, chances are you set some goals a few days ago and are currently finding ways to justify why you might not achieve them in the near future.
What’s the reason behind that?
I’m talking about setting personal goals, keeping them to ourselves, and then abandoning them when faced with a bit of difficulty.
I used to follow that pattern as well.
I used to frequently establish goals in my mind, and when I didn’t achieve them, it didn’t bother me much because no one else was aware of them.
On one occasion, I distinctly recall making a commitment to myself that I would recommence running.
Each day for the subsequent 30 days (as it’s commonly believed to take that long to form a new habit, or so I believed), I committed to running.
On the initial day, I went for a run, and Jenna applauded my efforts, encouraging me to persist.
However, she remained unaware of the personal commitment I had made.
By the third day, fatigue had set in. My legs ached, and I lacked the motivation to go for that evening run.
Besides, the weather was chilly, and I’m not a fan of the cold. (Laughs)
Had I shared my intentions with her, she would undoubtedly have provided the encouragement needed to persevere.
However…
Since she remained unaware of my plans, her simple suggestion, “It’s cold out there; why don’t you just stay inside tonight?” was enough to dissuade me from putting on my running shoes. This marked the end of my commitment to run every night.
This transpired a few years ago, and our approaches to work have evolved since then.
Here’s the takeaway from all of this: When you establish a goal for yourself, broadcast it to the world.
Make your goal known to everyone.
By doing this, you accomplish two things.
Firstly, you enhance your accountability for achieving the goal. Because, let’s face it, you wouldn’t want to face Sam’s inquiry every Sunday at church, asking, “Hey, how’s that goal coming along?”
And you have to admit, “Ummm, well, I sort of abandoned it.”
But that’s not what you want. Instead, you aspire to confidently tell anyone who inquires, “Yes, I’m crushing it!”
The second effect it has is that it prompts you to begin.
While setting goals is a straightforward task,.
For instance, desiring a private jet—that’s a genuine goal.
However, the real challenge begins as I now have to initiate actions to achieve that goal.
In this scenario, my task is to devise a plan to generate an extra $10 million just to purchase the jet. Subsequently, I’ll have to strategize on how to generate additional funds for hiring a pilot and covering fuel expenses, among other things.
It’s crucial to bear in mind that when you set monumental goals, the journey to achieve them may take a considerable amount of time, and that’s perfectly acceptable.
Two final points to address:
As you embark on the journey of setting and staying true to your goals,
PRAY!
Prayer should play a significant role in all our lives.
We ought to pray, seeking God’s assistance in establishing goals that not only benefit us but also align with His purposes. For instance, consider a goal like losing 20 pounds—how might that contribute to serving God’s greater plan?
In numerous ways, actually. When you feel better and have an improved self-perception, you are more inclined to engage with others, providing an opportunity to share God’s message with a broader audience.
Consider the desire to own a private jet—how does that contribute to serving God? Well, it allows you to reach more places, connect with more people, and facilitate participation in additional mission trips around the world.
Pray when you set any goal.
With God on your side, who can stand against you?
Lastly, I want to inspire you to establish ambitious, intimidating, and daring goals.
By establishing monumental goals, such as owning a private jet or even a fleet of private jets, even if you fall short of reaching the ultimate goal, you’ve propelled yourself significantly farther than if you hadn’t initiated the journey.
Consider this:
Suppose I aspire to own a private jet, but in reality, I only manage to attain ownership of a large airplane. In that case, I am still contributing more to God than if I had dismissed the idea, claiming it to be too challenging and impossible.
Cease playing it safe with your goals and commence taking risks to pursue your BIG, SCARY, AUDACIOUS goals!
Take action.
The concluding part of this emphasizes taking action. However, here are a few things you should do today:
- Pray. Commence by praying. Pray for divine guidance in shaping goals that serve both God and yourself.
- Share with the world. Whether through phone calls, group texts, or social media posts, share your goals with the world.
- Plan. A set of blueprints is essential for constructing anything remarkable. When erecting a house, having a detailed plan ensures the right materials in the right quantity.
Remember, plans evolve, and sometimes you need to remove a wall from the blueprints. Therefore, do not become distressed when you must adjust your plans as you progress. The most successful individuals excel at pivoting.
- Take action. Get started. What are you waiting for? Go out there and initiate your journey right now. To reach a destination, you must move; you can’t expect to reach town if you never leave the sofa.
So, venture out and start doing something, even if it’s not perfect. At least you’ll learn that the wrong way won’t lead you to success this time.
- Pray. Continue to pray.
Prayer should be a consistent part of our daily lives. God aids us in moving in the right direction and guides us every day.
Romans 8:39 asserts, “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In other words, nothing can separate us from God’s love.
A bit more.
When Jenna and I got married, our goal was to construct our own house, raise a wonderful family, and reside close to our existing family.
Our journey began with a blueprint, a plan. Then we embarked on building our house, crafting another, more tangible blueprint. I still recall seeking bids for lumber packages and visiting banks like it happened yesterday.
We approached about five different building material providers. I distinctly remember sitting in one provider’s office, presenting my blueprint on an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper that I had printed from my computer.
He burst into laughter, exclaiming, “You don’t seriously expect to build a house from this 8.5″ x 11″ single piece of paper, do you?”
I didn’t get upset; instead, I stood up and said, “I can see that you are not the right company to support.”
Needless to say, we didn’t purchase anything from that company to build our house.
It doesn’t matter if your plans differ or resemble someone else’s, as long as you have a plan.
Simultaneously, we started engaging with banks for financing. At that time, our knowledge of financing, especially mortgages, was limited. So, we secured approval for a mortgage before obtaining our construction loan.
Ultimately, it was perfect because being pre-approved for a mortgage was essential for obtaining a construction loan. We weren’t aware of that initially.
As we visited local banks, sharing our intention to build the house ourselves while working a 40+ hour-week job, most scoffed at us.
For many, this would have halted their progress, filling them with self-doubt. Not for us.
God had shielded me from their doubt, and it didn’t faze me. I believed that God would provide the perfect situation for our needs.
Eventually, we sat down with a local bank, Alpine Bank. Neil, a young guy in his 30s, was the one we spoke to. He perused our application and called us to meet him. During our conversation, he sensed our enthusiasm about the project and our family’s connection to the property.
Later, he would tell us that his boss advised against funding the construction loan, predicting we would never finish the house on time without returning for more funds. Neil, however, was impressed not just by what we wanted but by us—a young couple with unprecedented ambition.
Against his boss’s counsel, we signed loan papers and immediately got to work.
While constructing our dream house for a family of four (yes, we had two kids and didn’t want more), God surprised us.
While building a house, Jenna approached me with tears of joy, announcing her pregnancy.
Right in the middle of building a house!
What on earth?
Pregnancy was the last thing we desired at that moment. Jenna wanted to contribute to the construction, working side by side throughout the entire project.
Unfortunately, something has disrupted our plans for a perfectly symmetrical house with two identical bedrooms.
In retrospect, this unexpected event turned out to be a huge blessing. (And in case you didn’t catch it, that wasn’t our last child—Jacob came a bit later after that.)
Our goals have now changed.
So, what did we do?
We created a new blueprint. We had to pivot our life goals because the foundation for the house was already poured. We had to pivot.
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