Do you dream? I do, every night. I don’t remember them though – or at least I remember bits and pieces but even these memories fade if I don’t explore by writing down what I remember.  And when I walk around the block each day lots of things go through my mind, some of them quite inspirational! But…if I don’t write them down very quickly they are like a mist on the river that is here this morning and gone by lunch time.

It is estimated that the human brain produces 70 -100,000 thoughts on an average day. No wonder we can’t remember things! Research shows that those who take the time to write down their goals have a significantly greater chance of  achieving what they desire in life than those who don’t.

But goal setting is more than writing them down on a piece of paper. We need to think about what we want to achieve. Our goals need to be specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and time-guided or tangible (SMART).

Some things to think about to help you achieve your goals:

1. Know your purpose in life  (do you know who you are in Christ Jesus? What is God’s purpose for you? (see Jeremiah 1:5)).

2. Become balanced (check your life and if you find areas that are unbalanced, ask God to help you make whatever adjustments are necessary).

3. Have a good attitude (the only thing we really have control over is our attitude).

4. Desire excellence (Aristotle said we are what we repeatedly do – if we are consistently mediocre in our attitude and actions then that’s what we are – mediocre).

5. Step by step (break your goals down into little steps; you’ll find the task is less overwhelming and easier to achieve if you do this. You’ll achieve momentum and your faith will be encouraged as you see what you thought impossible become possible as you trust God to move you forward).

6. Don’t bow down to fear (face your fears and know that you can do what God has called you to do because He has given you all that you need, in Jesus, to achieve it).

7. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you (not only will you be encouraged but you will also not want to disappoint them).

8. Remember to enjoy the journey and celebrate little successes along the way – and never, never give up!

So, what is the dream or vision God has put in your heart? Take a few minutes to answer the questions below.

WHAT (What do you really want to achieve?)

WHY? (Why is the goal so important to you?)

WHEN? (When do you realistically want to achieve this goal by and why?)

HOW? (How are you going to achieve this goal?)

REWARD (What will you reward yourself with once the goal is accomplished?)

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
¹¹ For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

I found this poem while looking back through my journal. I had been exploring the difference between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh.

Walk in the Spirit, in the Light
Know He is guiding day and night
Hand-in-hand, step-by-step
Always forward, onward – securely kept.
Safe, assured of His presence,
His power, His essence
Flowing in and through
Always there, always new.
Dreams, visions, imagination
All encompassed in Christ-like formation.

Do you ever feel as though you are adrift in the world? You work hard but just don’t seem to get anywhere. And sometimes it seems too hard – everything is just too hard! Often when I talk with people who feel this way they haven’t taken time to think about what they want from life. They have no formal goals – lots of ideas and plans running around in their head, but nothing formal that they can go back to, to check progress. If you don’t know what you are aiming for it’s very hard to hit it!

When we set goals it helps us choose where we want to go in life. Knowing what we want to achieve helps us concentrate our efforts and, importantly, helps us recognise the distractions that can, so easily, lead us astray.

Goal setting is big with top-level athletes, business people and those who are achievers in any field. They don’t get to be experts or sought after in their field if they haven’t set goals. Having a goal gives us long-term vision and short-term motivation. Setting goals focuses our attention so that the knowledge we acquire relates to the goal – you don’t go off doing studies in nursing if you want to be an engineer! And, having a goal or goals helps us organise our time and resources so that we can make the most of our life.

I was recently reading an article that discussed personal goal setting as ‘planning to live your life your way’. I thought about this and acknowledge that we are encouraged by society to always consider ourselves, and what we want ‘because I’m worth it’ as one popular advertisement declares. I then thought about it in light of those who profess to be a Christian. What should be the focus of the person who wants to walk with God – to live life my way, or God’s?
The apostle Paul is an example of someone who had a goal: he had a consuming passion – and anyone who talks about goals will say that you have to be passionate about your goal or you are very unlikely to achieve it. The one consuming passion of Paul was “to know Him (Jesus) and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal, or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:10-12).
What is your goal? Is it the same as God’s goal for your life? Is it a ‘consuming’ passion? Philippians 3:15-16 encourages us to keep focused on God’s goal for us, make it our own, if we want everything God has for us. If we have something else in mind, something other than total commitment, then let’s allow God to clear the blurred vision that prevents us from seeing His goal for us. Once we are on the right track, let’s stay on it.

What is the goal that God has put in your heart? Can you see it? Or is it out of focus? The goal is the target of our high call, our purpose in Jesus Christ. This goal includes everything God has for us. When we are totally committed to seeing the goal, we will see it. The verses in Philippians tell us that when life seems a little blurry, when we seem to be drifting with no clear direction, what we need to do is choose to focus on heaven’s goal and clarity will come. Come back to what God has placed in your heart, pursue that vision. Don’t be distracted by people or circumstances that build doubt.

Choose this week to set your focus on God’s goal for your life, stay focused and once you’re on the right track, keep going, don’t be distracted for any reason…you will move towards, and into, all that God has for you.

Want some resources or some help in setting your goals? I’d love to hear from you and help you get on track for the first time or get back on track if you’ve wandered a bit and find yourself on the wrong track!