I cannot speak for everyone, but I believe most people have at some point in their lives set a goal or had a dream. There was something they aspired to do or something they longed to experience. They are BIG! They are small. They are CRAZY! They are within reach. They motivate. They deflate. They are AUDACIOUS! They are hardly worth mentioning. They are different.
Some people might share a similar goal, but have an entirely means they’ve designed to arrive at its end. I and my neighbor may seek to lose 15lbs; however, I choose to exercise while he chooses to moderate portion size. I am my co-worker may desire a certain position at work; however, I choose to network through social media while he chooses to engage people face-to-face.
However you look at it, goals inspire, motivate, and drive us to reach the next level…whatever the next level is for YOU. Goals are how we maximize our potential. Dreams inspire us to greatness. Goals are the prescription for complacency; action is the remedy.
Goals are a GREAT way to escape the traps of despair and depression. Goals are an AWESOME pathway for defeating regrets. Goals are a FANTASTIC tool for reinvigorating your life, for starting fresh, for beginning anew. Goals are KEY to overcoming your hurts, hang-ups, and habits.
Principle 1 states, “Realize I’m not God. I admit that I am POWERLESS to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.” The O in POWERLESS stands for ONLY IF’S; you can’t experience joy in your present when you’re consumed by the guilt and shame of your past. Setting goals, taking a more proactive role in your life, in your future, is one way to break free from the chains of your past. I don’t know about you, but personally, I don’t want O to stand for ONLY IF’S in my life, I want it to stand for OVERCOME.
So, how do you do this? How do you transition your thought pattern from I can’t, I won’t, and I don’t to I CAN, I WILL, I DO? Where do you start? Start by first identifying the areas of your life that present the greatest struggle, areas that need to most attention. Once you’ve identified the problem then you can develop a solution. Here are some examples:
Problem: I smoke.
Goal: I will reduce my smoking by 25% each day until I’m finally done by such and such a date.
Problem: I don’t give attention to my kids.
Goal: I will devote 30 minutes a night to my kid(s) each and EVERY night.
Problem: I look at pornography.
Goal: I will install X3Watch on my computer, laptop, smart phone, etc. and find an accountability partner.
Goals are AMAZING! Goals can change your life and inspire you to achieve greatness in areas of your life that you’ve believed to be hopeless. BUT (isn’t there always a but?) here’s the catch, you CANNOT DO IT ALONE! I’m not just talking about finding an accountability partner, which WILL help immensely, no, I’m talking about turning your life over the care and control of Jesus. Prayer is your single greatest weapon. God is your single greatest provider. God answers prayers. He is faithful to fulfill His promises. He wants to bless you. He wants something FOR you, not something FROM you. Read these words from Peter.
God wants to do something MIRACULOUS in your life. He wants to CHANGE you from the inside out. He wants to FREE you from your hurts, habits, and hang-ups. When you identify your weaknesses, when you admit you need help, you open the door for Jesus to step in and fill you with his PRESENCE, his POWER. When you set your goals and pray for God to make it happen, be READY, because He’s gonna do something RADICAL in your life.
When you’re told to rise up and walk, will you choose to remain seated or will you stand? God’s going to open the door, will you walk through it?
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