Seeking God Before Setting Goals

Before we talk about goals, I just want to say that I’m glad to be back posting on my blog again! My hope was to resume writing blog posts after the holidays, and I actually wrote today’s blog post the first week of January. It’s been sitting in Google Docs, though, until I edited it today finally!

It’s good to be back, and my goal is to resume posting weekly right here on my blog. So, with that, let’s talk about GOALS! You might be thinking, “But Jennifer, I already set my 2021 goals. It’s almost February after all!”

But goal-setting isn’t just for the first of a new year. It’s something we should do often throughout the year, and I hope today’s blog post will help you as you seek God each time you set goals.

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What are some of the goals you’ve set for yourself this year? I know everyone has a different system, but I personally like to set goals in four categories:

Spiritual Goals
Relational Goals
Personal Goals
Work Goals

I have more than one goal in each of these categories, but for each category, I’ve picked one main goal to really focus on in this first part of 2021. I feel really good about the goals I’ve landed on, and I’ve been excited to start on them this past month. It was a slow start, but hey, starting is better than not starting, right?

As Christ followers, setting goals is a good thing. We only have a limited number of days on this earth, and we should desire to live wise, intentional lives.

As Psalm 90:12 says,

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (NIV)

When we remember our lives are but mists as James 4:14 reminds us, we can live our days with more wisdom. 

But sometimes we set goals BEFORE seeking God on what goals to set.

I mean, we can set all kinds of goals that have nothing to do with what God wants us to pursue. We can go in all sorts of directions but never actually accomplish what the Lord has called each of us specifically to do.

So how do we set goals that are pleasing to the Lord? Let’s dive in! 

The first step, as you probably guessed, is to pray.

Pray, Pray, Pray

If we really want to discern what goals we should be setting for ourselves, our family, our business, etc., we must sit in a place of humility as we ask God for his guidance and direction.

I try to sit in a place of quiet, humble seeking at the beginning of each week and each month. (At the beginning of the year is great, but you must revisit/set new goals at least once a month if you want to stay on track!) 

I ask the Lord questions like: “What do you want me to do this week/month? What do you want me to focus on? What kind of goals should I be pursuing?”

I’ve never heard an audible voice from Heaven tell me what goals to write down, but it’s more like an impression or a leading from the Lord. I write down in my planner whatever I feel God is placing on my heart.

Be Open to His Guidance

Sometimes what the Lord may impress upon you is surprising or scary or seemingly unattainable.

For instance, one of the goals he gave me in 2020 was to write a devotional. It definitely was not in “my plans,” and it didn’t come up perfectly at the beginning of April as I was goal-setting for that month.

It came more out-of-the-blue after my husband and I had a conversation about my next step in my writing ministry. At first, I told the Lord “no” because that goal was way out of my comfort zone! I felt ill-equipped and had no idea how I would accomplish it.

But over the next few months as I sat before God and sought his help as I wrote, he gave me his grace and strength and wisdom to accomplish that goal. 

Those crazy goals are often the ones that are the most thrilling–the ones we know beyond knowing that they were God’s ideas because they were definitely not OUR ideas. And, as we work on them, we get a front-row seat to watch as he guides us each step to make them happen.

Just remember, as you pray and seek God’s wisdom, God will NEVER call you to do something that is sinful. So if you think God is leading you to pursue something that goes directly against his Word in ANY way, it’s not from him!!

Trust His Timing

There have been other times as I’m goal-setting that I get a nudge that it’s NOT the time to pursue a goal that I’ve been thinking about. But that’s okay, too. I know that if it’s not meant for me to pursue now, it doesn’t mean that I’m never supposed to pursue it.

If you feel that the Lord is not wanting you to pursue a particular goal at this time, jot it down in your prayer journal or in your planner to remind you to pray about it and continue seeking God’s perfect timing.

Seek Wise Counsel

After you’ve sought the Lord, talk with someone who loves Jesus and who is wise about the goals you’ve set. There are so many voices out there promoting all kinds of things. Not all of those things are bad but not all of them are things we should be pursuing. So when I’m feeling a bit insecure about a goal I think I should pursue, I talk with my husband about it. He is my wise counsel. 

Even if my husband doesn’t respond to my goals the way I thought he would, the questions he asks are clarifying and help me think more deeply about my goals so I can be clearer or perhaps change them entirely.

Sometimes, though, you may leave those conversations more confused which leads me to my last point…

What if I pursue the wrong goal?

What happens if you think God is leading you to pursue (fill in the blank), but you’re not 100% sure? Honestly, this is a question I wrestle through and it paralyzes me from setting goals sometimes.

And that’s where we have to trust that the Lord is sovereign over everything. He can use even our mistakes for his Kingdom purposes. There have been times I asked God to stop me if I’m going after the wrong thing since I wasn’t completely sure which direction I was supposed to go. He has always been faithful to give me a course correction when I’m going the wrong way.

That gives me confidence that if I do go the wrong way, he will guide me back to him if I come to him in humility and surrender it all before him.

Let’s Set Some Goals!

After you seek the Lord, set some goals for February and make it a priority each month (and even week) to set goals. Setting goals helps us to live with intention and wisdom instead of wandering around aimlessly.

As Ephesians 5:15-16 says,

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (ESV)

Let us walk wisely and make the best use of our time by slowing down long enough to seek God before we start planning our goals. He will give us his wisdom and guidance along the way.

Pressing on in faith,
Jennifer