When It Comes to Your Goals, Be Specific

“Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”

Genesis 24:3-4 (NLT)

Eleazar’s example is a roadmap for how to succeed in reaching your goals.

In Genesis 24, you can find nine steps to success in the story of Abraham, Isaac, Eleazar, and Rebekah. In the last devotional, we looked at the first of those steps: Determine your present position.

The second step in getting where you want to be is to describe exactly what you want.

Vague goals are never accomplished. When you are specific, you figure out not only what you want but also what you don’t want.

Abraham was very specific in the task he set before Eleazar. Genesis 24:3-4 says, “Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac” (NLT).

Do you have a dream for your life? Ask yourself: What do I want to be or do or have? Why do I want it? 

Don’t ask how. We’re always so concerned about the how. How am I going to do it? How am I going to pay for it?  How am I going to find the time?

In life, never confuse the decision-making phase with the problem-solving phase. Most people try to solve all the problems before they set their goal. Bad idea. If you try to solve every problem first, you’ll never move forward.

God says you need to ask why first, not how.

Knowing what is not enough. You can set all kinds of goals, but if you don’t know the why, you’re never going to achieve them. The why keeps you from giving up when times get tough. It’s when you know the why that God shows you how.

During my time as pastor of Saddleback Church, we set enormous goals for our church in every decade. And every time we set those goals, we had no idea how we were going to accomplish them. But that was okay, because God showed us how as we moved forward, once we knew why we were doing it. And he was always faithful to help us succeed.

Ask God to help you clarify what you want to be or do or have in life. Then take the time to figure out why you want it. And be specific.

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Talk It Over

Have you ever chased a vague goal? (Maybe you said, “I’d like to get healthier” or “I’d like to save more money.”) How did that turn out for you?
Have you ever chased a specific goal? (Following the example above, maybe you said, “I want to exercise five days a week and lose 10 pounds over the next two months” or “I’d like to save $100 extra per month.”) How did that turn out for you?
Think of the goal you have in mind right now. What is your why for accomplishing that goal?

Where will you spend eternity?

Your sins separate you from God. And it is only God’s grace that allows you back into a right relationship with him.

The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).


If you’re ready to make peace with your Creator, then pray this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. You have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.

“I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I believe you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today, I’m turning over every part of my life to your management.

“I want to live the way you created me to live and use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.

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