Eph 5:15-7 (AMP), 1 Corin 9:23-26, 1 Corin 14:8, James 1 :8, Matt 6:33
As we draw near to the end of the month of January, how many of us can say “so far I’m still on track with the goals I set for 2013?” If you’ve already failed don’t be hard on yourself, you can get back on track. But ask yourself this question, “Did I plan to fail or did I fail to plan?”
On Sunday, our Pastor gave a great sermon on setting ourselves spiritual goals and I’d like to share the message with you.
Our Pastor says, “we shouldn’t live life without a definite aim, as Christians, we should be aiming for something that will bring us to God’s Kingdom.” If you don’t have goals you’re living your life without direction, tossing to and fro whichever way the wind blows, you probably won’t even know when you have arrived at our destination.
There are 8 areas of a person’s life that you should set goals:
1. Spiritual Goals
This is foundational if you don’t get this right; it’s very unlikely you will have success in other areas
What can I do to ensure spiritual growth? What are my goals for my prayer life? Do I make quiet time for myself?
2. Goals for Studying the Bible
What are my goals for studying the Bible; how many chapters to read each day? What Bible Study Plan am I following?
What are my plans for fasting? Have I set aside a day a week? What are my goals for reading to improve my spiritual life? Have you set goals for fellowshipping? Are you planning on starting a life group or joining one?
3. Health & Fitness Goals 3 John 1:2 John 1 Corin 6:19
What are your health and fitness goals – we need to ensure our wellbeing otherwise our other goals can’t be achieved. We honour God by looking after our bodies. We should plan regular exercise to help us continue the work God has called us to do. What are you goals for eating healthily and for getting the right amount of sleep that our body needs?
3 Financial Goals
Have you set a goal to reach a place of self-sufficiency, or for giving (sowing)? How much are you intending to save? Remember, anything not planned will not succeed. Do you want to be debt free?
4 Business or Career Goals
Have you got business or career goals? (Prov 22-29 AM), What are your plans to grow or start a business? Do you want promotion in your job or recognition at work? Will you need to acquire new skills or retrain?
5. Relationship Goals
(Matthew 22:34 AMP) Firstly your relationship with God, then your relationship with your spouse. What are your plans for the relationship with your spouse? Good marriages don’t just happen; it takes a lot of talking together, planning, praying and grace. Do you know what makes your partner happy, angry or sad? You need to study your partner to know all this. Raising good children doesn’t just happen; we have to nurture the child in a loving and supportive environment so that they become confident people. They should not be caught up in arguments, violence or emotional baggage between you and your spouse. Does your daughter have principles with which to measure potential partners? The first male in most girls’ lives is their father; so when young women meet a potential mate it’s what they see in their father that drives them to that man. If you’re a man, does your daughter see you bring flowers home for your wife and admire your romantic side? These are the things your daughter will look for when she’s considering a mate. If your daughter is used to violence, she’ll relate to it, so the upbringing of your children needs to be purposefully planned.
Do you have goals for your parents? They’re not here forever, so what are your goals for spending more time with them? What about your siblings? Do you need to repair old friendships? Do you need to consider your neighbours?
Photo courtesy life123.com
6. Personal Development Goals (1 Peter 4:10)
What are your goals for increasing your knowledge, acquiring computer skills, learning another language or public speaking?
7. Recreational goals
What are your recreational goals to help you add more diversity and dimension to life? A lot of people’s lives are boring, life should be full of diversity and new dimension, and life should be full of spice. Jesus must have been an exciting person to be around; most people should be attracted to our life style.
8 Goals for Ministry
What are your goals for Ministry? (Eph 4:11-12 AMP) We should be serving the body of Christ in some way and if you’re not, then something is fundamentally wrong. Are you serving with the gifts you may have or are you serving with the skills you may have acquired in the world so that the church can achieve its purposes? (Hebrew 6:10)
Ten guidelines for setting and achieving goals
- Prayer is a must (we have an adversary who will come to steal, kill and destroy your goals), – bring every goal to prayer.
2. Be accountable – find a way to make yourself accountable to your goal. Find people who can help you, this will help you to achieve your goals
3. Be consistent – consistency is the key –it’s not just starting today and by next week move on to something else, 6 months down the line you should still be carrying out what you set out to do.
4. Strategize and Plan – organise yourself
5. Set reasonable and clear goals – don’t set goals that are too hard to achieve
6. Track your progress – weekly or monthly or yearly but keep track
7. Celebrate your progress – every month go out and buy something or do something to celebrate your achievement.
8. Start small
9. Have a time frame to achieve your goals
10. All goals must glorify God
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