Bringing Your Life Into Focus - Day 4

…But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:22-23

Many people are all talk and no walk. They’re all show and no go. They’re all bark and no bite. They’re all meow…well, you get the idea. They have no plan. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Remember, mere talk only leads to poverty, but those who plan and work hard will find a profit.

In 1 Chronicles 28:19, when David was seeking God’s will for the temple, he said, “All this I have in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, and He gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.” God knows the end from the beginning. God has a plan and a purpose for your life, and He will give you the details of the plan.

The question is, How do I get from here to there? How do I move from where I am to where God wants me to be? The answer is, you rely on God to get you there one step at a time. In the movie What About Bob?, there’s a key phrase that Bob’s psychiatrist tells him over and over again: “Take baby steps.” One small step after another will take you from where you are to where God wants you to be.

So how do we devise the plan? We’re going to set short-term goals for long-term victories.
2 Corinthians 5:9 says, “So we make it our goal to please God, whether we’re at home in the body or away from it.” What’s your goal?

When you set goals, there are three things you need to keep in mind:

• Goals must be specific. When you’re setting a goal, don’t set a vague target. Don’t just say, “I want to get in better shape,” say “I want to lose ten pounds,” or “I want to start working out three times a week.” Ask God to show you a specific goal.
• Goals must be attainable. If I set a goal to play in the NBA, that goal would not be realistic because I’m 6 feet tall and I can't jump and I can't shoot! When you set goals, make sure they’re attainable.
• Goals must be written. This is very, very important. What is written and measured is far more likely to be accomplished. “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.”

Before you set your goals, embrace this thought: You cannot change what you are willing to tolerate. Ask God to give you a divine discontentment for where you are and a deep desire to fulfill His plan for your life. As you’re seeking God’s direction for your goals, here’s where I suggest you start: Seek God and list three to five significant goals that you believe He wants you to accomplish in the next three to twelve months.

Start with short-term goals for long-term victories. Make sure your goals are specific, attainable, and written. Be honest with yourself about where you are. You must know where you are before you can get where you’re going. What needs to change in your life? What is God calling you to do? Devise a plan. Then attack it. You will never possess what you are unwilling to pursue.

Remember: When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Next Steps for Today:

• Today’s assignment is to prayerfully develop your list of 3-5 significant goals to accomplish in the next year. Remember: specific, attainable, written.
• Then write three action steps for each goal that will help take you to that goal.

Prayer for Today:
Lord, please give us clarity for uncovering our goals. Please reveal to us what you have in store for the next year, and give us the strength and endurance to achieve these goals. Please give us a divine discontentment in areas that we need to surrender to You. Disturb our plans with plans from You!