“Embark upon no enterprise you cannot submit to the test of prayer”. Anonymous

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

Isaiah 32:8 says, “The noble man makes noble plans.”

Proverbs 16:3 promises, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

“I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 3:13-14

Can you believe we are looking at the year 2014? Have you taken the time to write your goals for the New Year? Have you taken the time to write down the goals and steps you will take to achieve them? We do not want to have any “would’ a, should ‘a”, and could have regrets about not accomplishing our goals for this 2014. You may not have written your goals earlier, but it is not too late for “mapping out your goals for 2014”.

What are your goals and what actions will you take to achieve your goals in the New Year? So I am asking you and I am challenging myself too, write your goals. I challenge you to write at least what three goals (but strive to write all of them as much as possible) you will set for this year and what actions will you take to achieve them.

“Goals are a must for any person who desires to accomplish something great. Planning is a part of the process of truly successful people.” Pam Perry. Creating goals is valuable for it helps one’s mind to focus upon the attaining of the thing desired until the goal is realized.

And it is well worth it to begin the New Year right, before the New Year arrives, with a set of goals which can motivate and “catapult you in the direction of the attainment of fulfilling your dreams” Pam Perry.

What are goals? Simply put, goals are the stepping stones to reach a destination which you desire to fulfill. They serve as the plan, the how to, the path you need to walk, day by day, to the realization of that dream.

A goal is a target, the desired end of our efforts. Paul talks about pressing toward the mark in Philippians 3:14. Having a goal doesn’t always mean hitting the target —but it does mean getting closer than you would have if you hadn’t had a goal at all. Someone once said, “It is better to aim for a star and hit a mountain than to aim for a mud puddle and hit it every time.” See Cynthia Bezek, “What are Your Spiritual Goals? July|Aug 2000 issue Pray! Magazine.

The Bible encourages us to write our goals. Isaiah 32:8 says, “The noble man makes noble plans.” Proverbs 16:3 promises, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” We should have dreams and set goals to reach the dreams, but remember that God holds the authority to say “yea” or “nay”-veto power: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”. (Proverbs 19:2)

Goals can be spiritual such as your desire to develop, improve, and seek an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and study of His Word. God wants a relationship with you. We should press, stretch and get out of our comfort zones to maintain a prayer relationship with Him. It is the goal that will have eternal benefits. It is the goal that will give us power, wisdom and guidance about all of our other goals such as improving family relationships, getting out of debt, starting that business, writing that book, starting an exercise plan or healing relationship issues. Prayer is the key to unlocking God’s power in your life to carry out what God has placed in your heart.

Accordingly, goals can be broken up into categories such as spiritual, financial, personal relationships, health and business. We should remember to pray about our goals. I must remember, that while I plan, I know my future rests with the One who holds the master plan, so I , each of us, must always start and end with Jesus.

There is still time, forget about what you have not done so far. Read the last quote at the beginning of this article. Take the time to seek God’s face first, pray, meditate on the Word. Listen to what He states to you and write it down. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time!” Begin right now praying and thinking about writing your goals for the year. Take the time to seek God’s face first, pray, and meditate on the Word. Listen to what He states to you and write it down. I find this helps me to accomplish the things that are important to me. Sir Isaac Newton, wrote, “All of my discoveries have been made in answer to prayer.”

Again my challenge to each of us is to take time to pray and write at least three goals you would like to accomplish this year. Dr. Deana Murphy, an award winning author and expert on life design wrote: “The key to writing goals is prayer. He gives us the desires of our heart—which are His desires. This is so important”. Indeed, “prayer is the key that opens the storehouse of God’s infinite grace and power”. R. A. Torrey

Some practical suggestions for setting your goals are as follows:

1. Get a journal to write the goals in or a loose leaf notebook and divide the note book under the relevant categories. As Habakkuk 2: 1-4 records, we should “write the vision and make it plain…” so that “…he may run who reads it.” You should then list your goals under specific goal categories such as spiritual goals, educational goals, business/career goals, financial goals and personal goals or other focus areas pertinent to you.

2. Freelance writer, online columnist and former stay at home mom for 15 years, Patricia Chadwick, suggests that you get away by yourself for a day in order to really think about the goals you want to set for you and your family without any distractions. Alternatively, establish 2 or 3 hour sessions until you complete your assignment if you are unable to do this for a day. Turn off the phone and television. Do not go on the Internet –especially Facebook. To set her goals she uses a loose-leaf notebook with a yearly calendar in it and breaks the notebook into 12 categories.

3. Prayer warrior and writer, Cynthia Bezek, in the article “Plan to Grow” suggests that once your goals have emerged, consider each goal and find as many verses as you can to support that goal. Use the concordance to look up key words. Write relevant passages into your notebook. This process helped her to internalize what the Lord was teaching her.

4. Write down promises you may need to rely on and “eat” them in order for God to accomplish each goal in your life.

5. Write down specific action items you must undertake to accomplish your goal in a manner that will help you to measure your progress. Make the steps to the attaining of the goal as practical as possible.

6. Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. — Specific (not just lose weight, but instead “lose 35 pounds”); Measurable (How will you know when the goal has been accomplished by how much or how many?); Attainable (Goal too out of reach may not be completed. 20lbs a week vs 4 lbs a week for the first two weeks ); Realistic (“never eat chocolate again” — , but better to say limit it to one day a week!); and Timely (set a date – If no date there is no commitment).

7. Take immediate action. Master procrastination. Once your goals are set, begin to implement them right away. Do not wait on a feeling to get going. The feelings will come more and more, as you reach one goal after another. So don’t wait on a feeling. Start NOW!!

8. Throughout the year review the goals notebook to see how you’re doing. Make a note of the goals upon which you need to revise or begin work on. If you‘ve accomplished a goal, then check it off.

9. God is sovereignly in control of our future. He enables us by grace to pray about and pursue goals that agree with His perceived will for our lives. He has the ultimate say in our destiny. ( See James 4:13-17). God has the final say about our destiny and we must be prepared for God to make changes in our plans. His sovereignty is no excuse for our failure to step out in faith to write the vision and to take action to implement the vision He give us, or to procrastinate or to remain stagnant out of fear.

Linda Fegins, The Prayer Leader, formerly served as Prayer Coordinator for over 13 years for the Lydia Circle of Christian Business and Professional Women, is a member of the Church Prayer Leaders Network and leader of the Intercessory Prayer Ministry at her church. Further, she serves as part of the volunteer team for Girlfriends Pray Ministries, an international women’s prayer ministry and as an intercessor/trainer with Global Missions Prayer Force, a global prayer ministry. She can be reached by email at LDFaygo@aol.com and her blog address is , https://ladyofprayer.com copyright December 24 2013

Tags: Cynthia Bezek, Dr Deana Murphy, goals, new year, Pam Perry, procrastination