A new year has begun. It offers us a brand new start. We can plan and set goals. Better yet, we can pursue God’s plans for our lives. Let me encourage you to invest time to prayerfully reflect and strategize. A new year offers us new opportunities. We can refresh and look to the Lord for new insight and encouragement. Our dreams are like gardens. We must till the soil and add fertilizer before we plant our seeds. It takes work to see the fulfillment of our dreams.
Praying for God’s Direction
First, we must pray for God’s direction. One question we can ask ourselves is does this plan give glory and honor to God? Also, does it further God’s kingdom. And, is it a goal that is supported in the scriptures.
Here are some God-honoring goals that we can pursue.
- Develop a talent that can bless the Lord and His people.
- Become financially responsible to a greater degree.
- Give more into the Lord’s kingdom.
- Pursue further education to open doors for work and ministry.
- Learn to better take care of your body through nutrition and exercise.
- Obtain promises found in God’s word.
- Grow in your prayer life.
- Become a better student of God’s word.
- Win more people to the Lord this year.
- Grow in our ability to hear God’s voice.
We can ask the Lord to lead us in the areas He desires for us. The scripture says that if we ask God for wisdom, He will give it to us. (James 1:5). Once we know the direction God has for us, we must embark on the journey. Our goals are achieved step by step. Gabrielle Giffords is quoted as saying, “Mile by mile, it’s a trial; yard by yard, it’s hard but Inch by inch, it’s a cinch. Taking small faithful steps towards our goals in a consistent manner is the best way to make progress. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him faithfully, He will help us to hit the mark.
Hope and Diligence
The Lord wants us to have hope for the long haul and diligence for each step. Jeremiah 29:11 a favorite scripture of many says, “The plans I have for you declares the Lord are plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” NIV. Hope is an expectation for God to move – a trust in Him to bless us toward the achievement of a future goal. That hope is our anchor. It keeps us steady. This scripture goes on to say that when we call on the Lord and come and pray to Him, and He will listen to us, and if we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him.
God desires to speak to us and guide us to walk in those things He has for us. He helps us not to falter in achieving our God-given goals. If we do fall, we can take solace in the writings of King Solomon, who said that a righteous man falls seven times but gets back up. (Proverbs 24:16).
For the Right Reasons
When we start to reach higher by pursuing those things that Jesus has for us, it’s important that we do it for the right reasons. It’s important to realize that God takes pleasure in us because we are His children. We are complete in Him already. This is critical because we don’t want to embark in a direction feverishly striving to please the Lord. If our hearts are right before Him, we are already pleasing to Him. But we can pursue God’s goals for our lives to help further His kingdom and to give Him glory.
If you have sinned in any way just ask the Lord for His forgiveness. It’s like when a baby is learning to walk. The child falls but get’s back up, usually with the help of her parent. Then we can go back to pursing God’s plans for us.
Write it Down
It is also good to write down the goal or vision that God is giving you. Habakkuk 2:2 NIV says, “Then the Lord replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.’” Habakkuk 2:2 NIV. Writing down our goals helps us to own them and achieve them. They become more concrete to us when we write God’s plans down.
Set a Deadline
Another important aspect of setting goals is to give them a deadline, when applicable. For instance, one of my goals this year is to finish a novel I have been working on. I would like to complete it by April or May of this year. This is just one of God’s plans for my life. He has much more for me.
What about you? What goals will you pursue this year? Know that the Lord does not give us a heavy burden. We are co-laborers with Him. He calls us to take up our cross, but Jesus also says that His yolk is easy and His burden light. Our Lord is Emanuel, which means “God is with us”. He promises to help us every step of the way.
If you would like to pursue God’s plans for your life, would you pray with me?
Dear Emanuel,
I love you Lord. Please put on my heart the plans that you have for me this year. I desire to pursue your plans for my life. I believe that you desire to speak to me. As I seek you with all my heart, you promise to answer me. Help me to have both hope and discipline to see the fulfillment of your dreams for me. I thank you for your help in my pursuit of all you have for me.
In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
