Godly Goal Setting

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." - Proverbs 16:9

I love to make plans and work towards something. There's something about building something from the ground up that excites me.

I love checking things off my list.

I love personal growth.

I love to grow and excel and get better.

My wife thinks that I buy too many books. Maybe you're like me and your Amazon cart is full, and you should probably finish reading the books you have first before buying anymore. 

One of the long understood truths of personal growth has been to establish goals. For Christians, setting goals is a good thing! It's a noble thing to have a vision for your life and working towards it. The challenging part for us as Christians is ensuring that our goals align with God's will- not our own. Setting personal goals is a vital part of personal growth. However, as followers of Christ, our goals shouldn't be independent of our faith. It They should be intertwined with it.

This means ensuring that our ambitions align with things that God finds holy and pleasing. To do this, we must spend time understanding what God loves through prayer and scripture. This helps us build a spiritual foundation that equips us to reflect on our own ambitions, and question if they truly honor and serve God or ourselves. 

It's also beneficial to seek biblical counsel from spiritual mentors or leaders. Their insights and guidance can be a valuable resource in aligning our personal goals with God's greater plans. God desires for us to be in community, and it is often times through this community that truth can be spoken into us. If you want to know if what you're striving towards honors and serves God above all, ask those around you.

While aligning our goals with God's purpose is essential, it's equally important to continuously seek His guidance. As we plan out a blueprint for our lives, we should approach God like a trusted and experienced builder. James 1:5 reinforces this by encouraging us to ask God for wisdom when we're uncertain. He WILL guide us in the right direction. We must be willing to be open to the fact that our plans may evolve as we grow and learn. Above all, we must trust in God's ways over our own. He is the experienced builder. We are not.

We must surrender the outcomes of whatever we plan to God. We learn in Proverbs 16:9, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." 

There have been countless times in my life where I think I have my life all planned out, and God turns me in a different direction. He recalculates our journey to where He wants us to go. He changes the blueprint from what we think looks right, to what He ultimate views as right. Our responsibility then is to trust Him, work diligently towards our goals, and leave the results in His capable hands. What a comforting reminder that God is in control! 

No matter what the outcomes are, we should see them as opportunities for learning and growing- not for our own selfish ambition, but so we can grow closer in relationship with Him and bring His name glory.

We can be confident in this truth: God uses all experiences to shape us and fulfill His purpose in our lives. 

It's for His glory that we build after all.

Coach T