Goal-Setting For Believers, Part 1: A Biblical Basis

I know there are gazillions of books about organizing and managing our lives out there. My purpose in writing this series of life-management blog posts wasn’t to try to compete with the advice which already exists; instead, my purpose is to view these techniques in light of our faith-walk with Christ.

To kick off this series of blog posts, we began with the broad-stroke picture of defining the hats we wear. Next we narrowed our focus and discussed the use of those God-given roles to create a mission statement. Today and tomorrow, we’ll zoom the camera in even closer to see how to set goals in light of our roles and mission statements.

I’ve heard well-known Christian leaders oppose goal-setting with the rationale of going their own way instead of letting God lead. While I understand their viewpoint, I tend to side with other Christian leaders who believe and teach that goal-setting is not only okay, but Biblical.

So for this post, we’ll take a look at various verses in the Bible that relate to goal-setting and planning. Then in the next post we’ll get down to the nuts and bolts. Consider the following verses and thoughts:

A Biblical Basis for Goal-Setting

Proverbs 24:27 “Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.”

Isaiah 32:8 “But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.”

Luke 14:28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”

Philippians 3:13-14  “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Throughout the Bible, there is evidence of planning and setting goals.

Time Belongs To God and His Plans/Purposes Will Prevail

As Sovereign God who exists outside of this linear thing we call time, we are wise to remember that it’s not our time, but His! Like David, I must acknowledge “my times are in Your hands…” (Psalm 31:15) and “all my days were written in Your book and planned

before a single one of them began.” (Psalm 139:16) His plans and purposes will prevail, and I for one, am extremely glad! I would hate to reach a goal only to find it opposed to God’s plan. In our goal-setting, we must never forget that He is God!

Acts 1:7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority.”

Proverbs 16:4 “The Lord has made everything [to accommodate itself and contribute] to its own end and His own purpose—even the wicked [are fitted for their role] for the day of calamity and evil.”

Psalm 33:11 ”But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”

James 4:13-15 “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

His Desires Become Our Desires

The Bible clearly teaches that if we seek God and His will for our lives, He will guide our thinking to match His desires.

Proverbs 16:3 “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.”

Psalm 37:4-5 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Proverbs 3:6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths.”

I love these verses. As one who leans too heavily toward the paralysis of analysis, scripture reveals how God guides our thoughts when we commit our work and plans to Him. In addition, He promises that our plans (AKA goals) will be established and succeed. LOVE that!

I once had a different interpretation of Psalm 37:4-5, naively (and inaccurately) believing that  if I delighted in the LORD, He’d give me whatever I wanted. Though at first glance that might seem to be true, if you dig a little deeper you’ll realize that when we make God our delight, His desires become our desires.

Don’t Get Hasty or Haughty!

At the same time, a word of caution is advisable. It behooves us to not pridefully rush into anything, but allow time for God to speak His truth to our hearts and minds. Haughty haste in setting our plans and goals can be disastrous. If we’ve truly prayed through things, seeking God’s will, He’ll help us out. And if we take a wrong turn, He’ll let us know that, too!

Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

James 4:13-15 “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

 

God Knows Our Heart

 

As we prayerfully set our goals and plans, we need to do what I call a heart-check. What is the motivation behind our goals? If our motivation is wrong, the goal will be wrong, too. This verse says it best:

 

Proverbs 16:2 “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart).”

The Role of Repentance in Goal-Setting

Job 22:22-28 “Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you. Receive, I pray you, the law and instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up; if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents, If you lay gold in the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brook [considering them of little worth], And make the Almighty your gold and [the Lord] your precious silver treasure, Then you will have delight in the Almighty, and you will lift up your face to God. You will make your prayer to Him, and He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God’s favor] shall shine upon your ways.”

This passage for Job is loaded with valuable wealth for goal-setting. Notice the steps to repentance listed here: confession (agreeing with God); turning back to Him in humble submission; receiving His Word into our hearts, minds, and lives; putting sin behind us; and making God more important to us than anything else.

Now notice the results as related to goal-setting: Our decision/goals will be established.

 

I don’t know about you, but these verses have me both pumped up and prayerful. As believers, we can’t leave God out of our decision-making and planning. To do so is foolish. But we also don’t have to wander around aimlessly, as indicated by the verses above.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about the practice of setting goals.

Please share your thoughts and other scripture in the comments below.

Until then…Live Loved!