SET FAITH GOALS FOR GUARANTEED SUCCESS

Everyone has goals, but not everyone acts on them. We all set goals, perhaps even without knowing it. We don't start out on a vacation without knowing where we are going, don't plant a garden without knowing what we want to grow, or build a house without giving the builder any instructions.

The more intentional we are in setting our goals, the more likely we will be to achieve them. And for the Christian, when we include God in the process, we are assured success.

Why set goals?

Goals provide direction and purpose. They are finish lines. When you set goals, your choices for activity become purposeful. Otherwise, circumstances, other people, and feelings determine where you wind up.

Goals help you crystallize your thinking. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. When you set a goal, you tend to focus your thinking on what you want to accomplish. This is why goals should be written, rather than merely thought or talked about. A written goal gives you an instant focus and reminder.

Goals provide personal motivation. It engages all that you are, all that you stand for, and all that you strive for. Couples should never set a goal apart from or in disagreement with one another. Goals should reflect the direction for both the husband and the wife, unique to the marriage, not to one of the individuals in the marriage.

A goal is a statement of God's will for you. Goals are stated as future objectives, and only God lives in the future. So when you set a goal, you have implicitly made a statement that says, "God willing, I believe I should achieve the following..." Otherwise, for a Christian, a goal is merely a presumption.

How to set faith goals:

Spend time with God. Seek His will and direction and He will respond by giving you that direction.

Record your impressions. As you spend time with God, you need to record what He seems to be saying to you. As you write those things down, assurance and conviction will result. Continually ask God, "What would You have me do?"

Make the goal measurable. After spending time with God and recording what He says to you, you are ready to set a faith goal. A faith goal is a statement of God's will. For example, "To be a good father" is not a goal but a purpose statement. "To spend fifteen minutes a day with each of my children" is a goal that can be measured.

Take action. Faith is acting on the basis of what God wants you to do.

The means of accomplishment may not be evident. But, if it is based on God's will, you can count on Him to show you the means.

The goal may be set with "apparent" inadequate resources. If it is God's goal, it is God's responsibility to provide the resource. And He will because He is faithful.

The goal may require you to set an objective without fully understanding it. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going" (Heb. 11:8).

Ron Blue, at 24, was a successful CPA who left a large accounting firm to go on his own. After eight years he founded one of the nation's largest accounting firms and headed a foundation that developed and teaches Christian-based leadership and management seminars. He has written six books on finances, including Taming The Money Monster, and Storm Shelter. He serves on several foundation boards, and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Judy, and their five children.

For more information about Ronald Blue & Co., please write or call: 1100 Johnson Ferry Road, NE, Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30342, 1-800-987-2987, email: clientservices@ronblue.com.

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