My, Devotion to Him #293
Where are you going? This is a crucial question that we must all ask ourselves. If you don’t know where you’re going then you don’t know if you’re ever moving forward. Short, medium, and long term goals should be apart of who we are because they will help us to press forward. You cannot measure growth if you don’t set goals in life. Let’s get on the right track today and work towards some goals.
Prayer
The most critical aspect of a Christians life. Prayer does so much more than asking for things. It is in essence a one on one conversation with God. The One whom put the universe in place. Think about that for minute. We have the opportunity to talk with the very One who is the Creator of all things, knew you before you were born and has seen all that will unfold in this life before it ever began. Our conversations with Him brings us closer to Him, it draws us into a deeper relationship. He knows all, sees all, and hears all. But is still interested in hearing your voice. He is still interested in you and your life. Your ladder of growth, success, development, and goals might be leaning against a false wall if you have not placed it against prayer. A life of prayer if fundamental to everything else.
Verse Passage: Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” – ESV
Converse with God throughout the week. A relationship with the King should not be restrained to Sundays only. If you desire to make a change in your situation, if you want something different that is better than what you have then you must do something different. The number one factor that is powerful enough to transform what is around you is a life of prayer. This doesn’t mean you will never ever have to go through anything hard but surely a more meaningful relationship will the Lord is a step we should never skip.
Write It Out
My parents taught dream building. It’s never enough to just think about your dreams, plans, desires, wants, and goals in life. I repeat, it is and will never be enough to just think about them. Too many things in life is thought about but no other action is taken. Don’t subject your goals to the same amount of energy as what you might want to eat today. Because at some point you make more effort to feed yourself by taking yourself somewhere or going home and cooking food. Then you have devalued your goals by taking more action on your temporary hungry than on a dream, on growth, on success.
Write these things out. Put them on a wall, cabinets or whatever you have to do to start taking more action. Write a plan. How will you attempt to do this. Then start taking those steps and putting action behind the thought.
Verse Passage: Habakkuk 2:2-3 “And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” – ESV
Goals are important so write them down. Give them a place. Give them a sense of permanency. Let these words energize you, and help you to focus where you are going. They may take time. You may have spiritual goals or personal ones and both are great to have. Do not be discouraged that it did not come to pass today but take hold of them for they surely will at some point. The mind and tongue are powerful tools that when under control can be a reckoning force for the betterment of your life or can trap you in a box of depressing destruction. God wants the best for you but we must take action. Write them down, speak them out, and create a lifestyle of prayer.
Taking The Steps
I hate deadlines. I know some of you find them very enjoyable and others despise them with a passion. However, even though I don’t like them I find that deadlines provide a tool that we need in this life. They keep us focused. They help to provide a sense of urgency within. Life itself can form a field of distractions all around us which allow procrastination to seep in and stall meaningful progress. Too many stories I’ve heard of people arriving at 30, 40, 50 and don’t know where the time went. Never having reached goals they wanted. Never getting to places they had hoped or dreamed for. Most of the time when studying what went wrong you will find it was not one thing but several things together worked against them. There was not a force that was actively working against them but instead there was things they did not do which led to their current situation in life.
Not taking steps towards a goal which always result in you never reaching that goal. You cannot move forward if you never take a step in that direction. Many hoover in the same spot their whole life. Some unfortunately fall backwards. Each of these principles are to help you move forward.
You can have a plan but you need to know how to execute this plan, when to begin, and when to end. Sometimes plans take longer than expected. However, that does not change the fact that we should put an end date when starting a plan (goal).
When you are trying to go somewhere and put the address into google maps or chart it out on a map you find a path towards that address. That destination. This path shows you where to go, how long it takes, and on gps what you might expect; heavy rain, detour or construction work, etc.
If you do not lay out a path to achieve your goals spiritually or personally you won’t know where to go. Which way to take, how long you could expect before you arrive or what could happen along that road.
A prayerful life is an insightful one which will help guide you, and even bring an understanding of what you could encounter along the way.
Writing it out provides you with a visual of your destination. This goal you are trying to get to. It keeps this place in the forefront of your thinking and helps you to maintain the focus.
Taking steps is your vehicle to get there. What turns you might need to take, changes that need to be made. A constant step by step process to get you from A to B.
Prioritize Your Steps
If I was going to travel I need to know how far the journey is. I should chart a path first before getting in my car and taking off because I might not know how I am to get there.
You make your plan, chart its course, pack, fill up, make sure the car is running good (yourself), before you actually go.
I’ve seen people in such a convoluted mess because they rushed forward and never prioritized their steps. Back tracking, moving forward in the wrong direction, turning around, jumping lanes, recklessly speeding in and out of traffic because they did not plan, nor did they take the time to figure out which steps where most important first.
Verse Passage: Ephesians 5:15 “Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” – NIV
I pray that 2022 will be a year in which plans are drawn out, steps are prioritized, steps are taken, and hearts dive into prayer.
God Bless,
Copyright © 2022 by Jacob Olinger
Spirit Warrior Ministry 