Christian Living

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Stop!

Wait!

Put that pen down!

Don't do it!

Do not write your goals down. At least not until you have read this blog.

I've gone through this for to many years. Setting goals for the new year and failing at them. Here is how I now look at goals and goal setting. (Short version)

Every thing that man has done, invented or created began with a thought. When Cain killed Abel it began with a thought. When the first horse carriage was created, it began with a thought. When we get up in the morning to get our coffee, tea or soda, it begins with a thought. All we do begins with a thought. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad, it begins with a thought. Here's one of the problem with that. What we allow to enter into our minds and stay there influences our thought process. In turn it affects our beliefs, deeds and attitudes. Eventually we are not living the life we desire but living what we most think about.

I am all for setting goals but it is important to align our thinking to the process of achieving the goals.

What do we need to do to align our thinking?

1. Find out what the plans are for our life.

2. Make it our spiritual, mental and emotional focus.

3. Set our life goals around the plans.

Find out what the plans are for our life.

Today I will be focused on step one.

What does our thinking have to do with step one? Proverbs says, "As a man thinks, so is he." The word man refers to all mankind. We must first believe God has a plan for our life. Most of us know it is written, the Lord knows the plans He has for us. If we don't believe we have purpose we roam restlessly on a muddy road that leads to the crossroads of emptiness and insignificance. So why not find out what those plans are? As I wrote in a previous post, The Architect and the Builder, God has a blueprint for our life and we are the builder who studies the blueprints and builds the life God has called us to live.To study those plans is to "find the call" for your life. Remember Matthew 6? Jesus tells us to seek the kingdom first and all other things will be given us. The kingdom is inside of us. Paul the Apostle states that we have a good work to do. So the first step we can take is to start looking at our own hearts desires. Look at what stirs us up and wakes our passions. It takes time to sort all this through but it must be done so we start heading in the right direction.

Get specific.

Here is what you do. Pick the time of day you think best. Get alone in a quiet place. Have pen and paper ready. Ask yourself a question such as; If there were no hindrances what would I love to do on a regular basis that would bring a high level of fulfillment? Or; What did I dream about as a kid in terms of what excited me or what I wanted to do as an adult? Writing down that you just want to please Jesus is not good enough. That is a cop out and will keep you from fulfilling the call on your life.

Do this regularly and at some point you will start to see a pattern in your dreams and desires. I still do this even though I have a good picture of the plans. I also look at the direction my life has gone and the areas I have been most effective. I started to look at all of it as pieces of a puzzle and started to put the pieces together. Get enough pieces and it starts to look like something. It's as if you are looking at a set of blueprints. Typically the first page of the prints will have a sketched idea of what the builder has in mind. Open the prints and you find page by page details on how to build the building to specifications from the foundation up. So this is with us.

When you start seeing glimpses of the plans, you begin to have a sense of purpose. You begin to see yourself in Gods grand plan and start to strengthen the belief you play a significant part in it. You begin get motivated and invigorated. You organically begin moving into the next step into the process of setting goals. You begin to start connecting spiritually, mentally and emotionally to the life you were called to live.

Here is your homework. Do all I said to do above. Find a trusted friend you can share this with or email me and share with me how this is working for you.

Before you set goals, set yourself up for success by preparing yourself for success. Realign your thinking by "finding the call" for your life first and follow Gods blueprint for your life.

Andy

[email protected]
FindTheCall.com

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