Digging Beneath the Surface of a Goal

Many of us are familiar with the concept of goal-setting. Perhaps you have personal goals for yourself and your family, or maybe you have work goals you’re aiming to accomplish in the current quarter or year.

One thing we must remember about the goal-setting process is that it is meant to be developmental and not just oriented toward a specific achievement. For example, imagine you set a goal of running a 5K, which is a pretty common fitness goal. If you’re not currently practicing an exercise routine and you’ve never been much of a runner, developing the endurance necessary to run over three miles will be quite the undertaking. However, if you can accomplish the goal, you won’t just improve your physical condition, but you’ll experience a psychological transformation as well. You’ll become someone who values personal fitness to a higher degree, and you’ll have a greater level of self-confidence to pursue goals of various types in the future. 

In other words, setting goals will benefit you in more ways than one. That said, have you ever thought about how choosing the right goal could benefit your spiritual life and your relationship with God? If we think about this potential in light of what we established previously about goal-setting, it’s easy to see how goals can benefit us as we look to grow in our faith and trust in God. Not only will we gain a clearer picture of the short-term progress we desire, but we will also position ourselves for greater long-term transformation and impact. 

We see examples of goal-setting in Scripture even if the specific language is not used. For example, think about the story of Daniel in Babylon, which we use as a primary example in the Proven Results student workbook. Here’s what we had to say about what Daniel teaches us about goals:

“The most important thing we see in this story is Daniel’s desire to set a goal based on his purpose of honoring God in his life. Rather than leaving it up to chance or forcing it to remain an ambiguous concept, Daniel was clear with himself and others about what it looked like for him to live out his faith.”

By setting a specific goal for himself, Daniel clarified what righteousness looked like in his specific context. Based on what he knew about God, Daniel saw an opportunity to live out his faith and glorify God in a foreign land. Moreover, he was willing to take the steps necessary to act on his faith and accomplish his goal.

What about you? What does righteousness look like in your current situation? How can you make specific plans in the form of one (or more) goals, and how will these goals increase the likelihood of experiencing the outcome you desire? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, how will God be honored and made known as you work toward this particular goal?

We are so excited that this workbook is now available for purchase! Grab your copy today, and make sure you get a copy of the full "Abide Factor" book to read as well. 

We also encourage you to consider connecting with one of our trained mentors if you're interested in a more individualized and tailored approach to spiritual growth, you can schedule a free discovery call to learn more about this program.