Faith for Your Goals

Sometimes it is a lack of faith that gets in the way of our reaching goals. When you are trying to reach a goal, you may need to take a look at your relationship to God. If you have accepted His gift of salvation, you have the most powerful sources of help. The Bible, the Spirit of God living in You, and access to God at any time.

Yet, too often, faith is left out of the picture when it comes to setting goals. Somehow it is easier to take full responsibility. Certainly, you must do your part. God expects us to make plans, to be orderly, to seek to be our best, to take care of ourselves, to look to the future. But He is still in control.

I’ve heard this quoted many times over the years. It holds a lot of truth.

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”

—St. Augustine

If you are a Christian, you should set goals in order to accomplish as much as you can toward becoming the person God wants you to become. Let’s ask:

Does he want met to settle for where I am?
Is it showing discontent to make plans and work toward becoming a better you?
Is God pleased when you are careless, hopeless, and apathetic?
Does God want us to sit back and let Him take us to where he wants us to be?

The answer to all of those questions is no.

It is indeed okay to make plans. You are to make plans.

I do believe it is okay to set goals and make plans to better myself in all areas. 

Proverbs 3:5–7
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

Note that it says He will direct your paths. This assumes that you in motion, looking for the next step. You are to acknowledge God—bring Him into the picture—as you make plans, as you go through your daily life.

Proverbs 16:8–10
Better is a little with righteous than great revenues without right. A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

Clearly, it is okay to plan. Scripture says that man devises his way. But note that it is God who directs each step, opening and closing doors. You see, though, that if you are not approaching doors—looking at new opportunities—you will never know if the door would be opened or closed. And for that part the depends on you, you need to prepare yourself, take care of yourself, do your best to be your best, and be actively in pursuit of goals.