Godly Goals

I. Goals are Biblical.

A. There are extremes.

1. Some people do not believe in planning at all when it comes to Spiritual things. They assume that is of the flesh. They would rather be “led by the Spirit”. The problem with this is that it is easy to confuse emotions and feelings with the Spirit. The truth is that sometimes we do not feel like doing what we need to do! It’s great to be led by our heart but only if our heart is being led by the Spirit! The heart is easily deceived and quiet gullible at times! God wants us to use our minds too. We should remember that salvation not only gives us a new heart but a new mind as well. These two kind of keep one another in check.

2. Some people plan so much that they do not leave room for the Spirit to lead them. James 4:13-15 rebukes business men that had predetermined where they would go, what they would do, how long they would stay and what they would accomplish. James says to them “For that ye ought to say “If the Lord will we shall live and do this or that”. We can’t be so stubborn as to think that God would not change our plans. He did that with Paul. In Acts 16 Paul planned to go to Bithynia to preach the gospel but the Spirit would not let him. Paul changed his plans.

3. There must be a balance when it comes to planning. We should plan but we should do so in humility. Both our mind and our heart should be used, without the exclusion of either one. We could think of it in this way, we must be led by the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

B. The Jews in our text had missed God’s plan.

1. They had been taken into Babylonian captivity. Look at verse 4. God had sent the Jews into exile. The Jews in their prosperity had forgotten God, depended on pagan nations, worshipped idols and engaged in complete rebellion to God’s commands. God has a plan for us even when we turn away from Him. There is always a plan, sometimes that plan is discipline. God is always in engaged with His creation.

2. The Jews could not see God’s plan. God’s plan was seventy years in exile. They found them some prophets that told them what they wanted to hear. In 28:3 a false prophet told then they would only be there a couple of years. God’s message was “Settle down in Babylon, you are going to be there a while”. Look at verse 5. Build houses, plant gardens, raise families, and look at verse7. Even pray for the city, you have to live there!

3. God’s plan was crystal clear. Look at verse 10. After 70 years they would be delivered. That’s it. It is unchangeable. It was the Word of the Lord. God had already told them that through Jeremiah but they didn’t want to hear it!

C. God’s plan for them was better than they could imagine. Verse 11 is a life verse for lots of folks. A great verse to memorize.

1. God knows what He is doing. “I know the thoughts” (plans). God isn’t making this up as He goes along. He is not merely responding to human action. God has an eternal plan for the world, the nations and the individual! God would use this time to humble the Jews and prepare them for the great work of rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple in the coming years. But Israel needed a time out. They couldn’t see that, comprehend that, but they needed it.

2. The road to peace is not always so peaceful. There is the resistance of the flesh because God’s molding stage can be painful. There is the resistance of Satan because he does not want you on God’s path. The point is that struggle is always a part of being in the middle of God’s will. We’ve bought into the idea that ease is synonymous with God’s will. It’s not and it never has been. Moses faced Pharaoh, Joshua faced the Canaanites, David faced Goliath, Saul and his own son, and Jesus faced the religious leaders. We don’t determine God’s will by measuring the resistance we face or discomfort we feel.

3. At the end of God’s plan for us there is reward. The Jews could not see that God was preparing them so that they would be ready for a new life, one their children and grandchildren would enjoy. Look at verse 12-14. We err when we think in plans as they only relate to this world. God’s plan for us finds its fulfillment in eternity. 70 years is a very small amount of time, not even worthy to be compared with eternity.

So my point is that goals are Biblical because God has a goal in mind. He has a goal in mind for the world, the nations and the individual. God is a planning God. He has planned this whole universe and the lives of its inhabitants out from beginning to end. He is a God or order and purpose.

II. God has plans for us.

A. Those plans involve a life on this earth. Of course it is God’s desire that we go to heaven, and thank God that is in His plans for us. But we should not think that heaven is the only goal God has for us.

1. God has given us this earth to enjoy. Eccles. 2:24 says “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw that it was from the hand of God.” Doesn’t that sound like God wants you to enjoy life on this earth? Creation- stars we gaze at, mountains we climb, waters we swim in, beaches we walk upon, person we marry, children we have creation brings us pleasure. Technology- cars, boats, phones, computers, homes, etc are from the hand of God. Foods- fried broiled, blackened, barbequed, mashed, however you want to eat it comes from God. God wants us to enjoy this earth.

2. God wants us to have a good life. 1 Peter 3:10 says “For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile”. Don’t miss that. God wants us to LOVE life! So many people do not love life: job, spouse, what they have become, etc.

3. God wants us to have an abundant life. John 10:10. Enjoying life has to be in the context of being in Christ. Enjoying sin is not enjoying life. It may be pleasurable but it is not the life the Lord has for us. God wants us to enjoy life on this earth as a believer in Christ.

B. The life God has for us will probably not be discerned if we do not plan.

1. We plan to fail when we fail to plan. I think it is really just laziness that keeps us from planning and striving for goals. Proverbs 6:6-11 compares the ant to the lazy person. The ant doesn’t have a boss at all but it plans for the different seasons, always looking forward to what is around the corner. The lazy person just sits around waiting on life to happen. In the end the lazy person ends up in poverty and a mere insect is doing better than he is. There are people that are in spiritual poverty because for too long they just floated along in their spiritual life.

2. What we are doing now will determine where we are in the future. There is nothing magical about time. It will not change us. Time only reveals what we are already to a deeper degree. If we are not who we should be now, we will only be more of what we should not be in a few years, if we don’t start planning. The question we should ask ourselves is “If I keep doing what I am doing right now, where will I be in five years?”

3. Who we are now is no accident. It is either the result of planning or not planning. Sometimes we are pretty good at planning things like family, jobs, budgets, etc but not so good at planning in our relationship with the Lord. We’ll say “God wants me to marry this person, God gave me these kids, God gave me this job, God gave me this savings” We see God’s hand in that, identify His plan in that. But what about our spiritual lives? So few know their spiritual gifts, are involved in ministry or even know God’s will because we are waiting on all of that to just accidentally fall into our lap. But we sought our spouse, sought our job, made our budget- we put thought time and planning into those things. That’s why we have them and are enjoying them. They were not accidental. And we certainly don’t accidentally keep our spouse, job, money. We plan for it. If we are not enjoying the goals God has for us that is no accident. We planned it by not planning.

C. When we discern and act on God’s plans, they will be established.

1. God’s word promises that. Proverbs 16:3 says “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Psalm 37:5 says “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass”.

2. The key is to hear, discern God’s plans through the pages of Scripture and the voice of the Spirit. Here is a good plan, good goals for all of us at the very base level. God wants me to trust in Christ. God wants me to live a holy life. God wants me to pray. God wants me to study His Word. God wants me to serve in a local church. That is God’s goal for you revealed through the pages of Scripture, very basic, but it is a great start. Those things should be goals for all of us.

3. The voice of the Spirit is a little more difficult to discern. So many other things can be confused with it. But now, let me give you some verses. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths”. When we give it all to God He begins to guide us in the direction our life should be. Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart”. When we enjoy God His desires become our desires. We begin to discern the details of His plan for our lives. We are not driving but at least we are not in the back seat anymore, we can see over the dash and determine the direction we are headed. What a joy it is to know that our hearts are headed in the same direction God’s hand is leading us. It is a joy to know that you discover that what you want to be is the same thing as what God wants you to be. That’s what setting goals is all about. Not asking for God’s approval of your goals, but having God actually write your goals through you.

III. It’s important that we have goals in different areas of our lives.

A. First let’s consider the difference between a goal and a dream.

1. We have all had dreams. Want to be a professional athlete or a princess. At some point we usually grow out of dreams, we think they are a little immature. Or perhaps we just figure it’ll never happen so no reason to worry about it. Dreams just usually are not taken seriously.

2. Adults use the term “goal”. It sounds a little more mature and attainable. We also use the phrase “New Year’s Resolution” or “things I’d like to accomplish” or “bucket list”. We have little goals called “To do lists” that we write on our hands and sticky notes.

3. A dream becomes a goal when we determine to do it. That’s the major difference. So it’s easy to determine if we are dreamers or goal setters. Dreaming can be done while you are asleep, setting goals can’t. We should be setting goals, determining to do what we believe God wants us to do in the different areas of our lives.

B. Set spiritual goals.

1. Grow in your relationship with Christ. Become more intimate with Him.

2. Take an active part in your church. Whatever is keeping you from doing that, change.

3. Determine your spiritual gift. Once you do, serve in it.

C. Set family goals.

1. Involve spouse. Deeper relationship, pray, study, share, help.

2. Involve kids. Being dad/mom/grandparent you should be, be a teacher, more patient, loving, considerate, play with them.

3. Restoration. Restore a broken or bruised relationship. Make that a goal.

D. Set Employment goals.

1. Start with a job. Set goals at that job. Be the best you can be. Exhaust your possibilities there.

2. Shoot for a career. Discern what God wants you to do with your hands. Pray for a job you will enjoy and excel at.

E. Set Educational goals.

1. Do something you’d like to do. Get your HS diploma, go to Votech, college.

2. Deal with emotional weaknesses. Set a goal to get over your depression, anger, bitterness. Quit saying “This is just the way I am”. God leaves no one the way they were!

F. Set Physical goals.

1. Lose that weight.

2. Get healthy. Run, lift weights, workout.

G. Set financial goals.

1. Get out of debt.

2. Save some money.

God cares about every area of your life. He wants to lead you in every area of your life. Find out His desire for your whole life, plan it and do it!