How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? We all want to get healthy, lose weight, and exercise more after the indulgences of the holidays. However, it’s sad to say the gyms are packed on January 1 and desolate by the end of February.
Instead of New Year’s resolutions, did you ever ask God what goals to set for your life? Not me, until this year when I realized God wants us to set godly goals for our lives. Not just spiritual goals, but personal and professional goals, too.
Instead of figuring it out on your own, seek God’s opinion first. Ask Him what your goals for the year should be. Set your goals to align with God’s will for your life and He will bless them.
How do we know if we are setting godly goals?
Ask yourself these three questions.
Will this goal honor God?
Our aim as Christians is to do the will of God and please Him. Paul writes, “So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it” (2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV).
Did I ask God about it?
Of course, if we want to set godly goals, we have to ask God about them. Most of the time, I go off on my own and decide what goals to set instead of consulting the Sovereign God, who knows all things. Ask God for wisdom to set godly goals. As scripture says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5 NIV).
Does this goal require the Holy Spirit to help me?
SMART goals are a popular tool for goal setting. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely.
However, there is a bit of a problem with “attainable” when referring to godly goals. God wants us to set goals not attainable on our own, so we must depend on the Holy Spirit for strength and success.
God-sized goals give God glory when we achieve them because we could never accomplish them on our own. Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27 NIV).
Also, God-sized goals develop our faith and character. When God blesses our goals and helps us achieve them, we grow closer to Him.
Final thoughts
Scripture states, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 ESV). The Hebrew word for heart is leb, which means inner self, inclination, will, and intention. Our human inclination is to make our plans, but God is sovereign, and “nothing in the universe occurs without God’s permission.” 1
Therefore, to set yourself up for success, set godly goals instead of New Year’s resolutions.
Reference
- GotQuestions.org. (2016, April 28). What does it mean that God is sovereign? GotQuestions.org. Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.gotquestions.org/God-is-sovereign.html.
