50 Days of Transformation - Setting personal goals by faith

SETTING PERSONAL GOALS BY FAITH

50 Days of Transformation - Introduction

Rick Warren

January 18-19, 2014

Link: Audio Sermon

Link: Video Sermon

WHY ARE GOALS IMPORTANT TO CHANGING MY LIFE?

You MUST set goals in your life. 
To make the best of the rest of your life.

Intelligence is not measured by education or how well or poorly you did at school or on tests.
Everybody learns differently.  Some learn by listening, others by watching, others by doing, others by talking.  (Auditory, Visual, Tactile, or Verbal Learners).
We forget 90-95% of everything we heard in less than 72 hours.
When you grow spiritually you must do what style works best for yourself.
Reinforcement will aid in learning by combining sensory styles:  
reading, writing, listening, doing.  This will help you learn and remember better.

When you are specific about what you want to change and keep it simple and take baby steps you will experience more developments and transformations in your life. 


1.

Setting personal goals in your life  is a spiritual responsibility. 

To help me focus and aim for something I want to accomplish or achieve.

Paul: “I know that I am not yet what God wants me to be. I haven’t reached that goal, but I keep moving toward it to make it mine because Christ made me and saved me for this. I know that I haven’t yet reached my goal, but there’s one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep my eyes focused on the goal so that I may one day win the prize that God has called me to receive through Christ in the life above. All of you who are spiritually mature should think this same way, too.”Philippians 3:12-15

Do not be conformed to this world. Instead be transformed!
You will be conformed or you can choose to be transformed.
The world wants you to conform.  God wants you to be transformed.
God made you original and unique and special.  We all start out as originals and end up as copies. We conform to this world by pressure and misguided perspectives.
Conforming has to do with behavior and is from the outside in. It is what we do to our self.
Transforming has to do with character and is from the inside out. It is what God does to us.

GOD sets goals too!  He sets the universe according to his goals. History follows His plan. He has plans for eternity.  The Bible has many examples of goal setting.
Jesus often announced publicly what His next goals were. Every successful person is goal directed.

We need to aim for goals to be all that God wants us to become.
Keep our eyes focus on the goal.
You will either go through life by design or default.
You will decide for yourself, or other people will decide for you if you don't have goals and aim for them.
If you don't have goals you are not living you are drifting or coasting downhill and wasting your time and life.
If you are not in control, others will be in control of your life.

The way to truly change your life, is to change the way you think.Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

God wants to change the way we think. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7.  Your thoughts control your actions.  If you want to change your actions, then change the way you think. If you want to be like Christ, learn to think like Christ. 
Allow God to renew your mind through His Word and change how we think about everything.  This will transform your life.  

When you learn to think differently you will live differently. When you think God's way, you will live God's way.
2.

Goals are statements of faith.  A spiritual habit that needs to be developed.

“According to your faith will it be done to you.”Matthew 9:29

Goal will stretch your faith.
As a believer you should stretch your faith to say: "I believe God wants me to accomplish.... in ..... time."
If you don't have any goals, you don't take any risks, you don't have any faith. Faith pleases God.
The bigger your goal, the more faith you will need for God to help you succeed.  And that pleases God.
If you are not exercising your faith by establishing goals you are not pleasing God.
What is not of faith is sin. Having no goals... you are being unfaithful.
God can do far more than you can ever dare imagine or request.
The question is not: "Who do we think we are?"  It is "Who do we think God is?"

Let the size of your God determine the size of your goal!

Big God

Big Goal

tiny god.... tiny goal

no God.... no goal!

Saddleback Church was 120 acres bought by faith in God to do something great.
Dare to dream great dreams!!!
It doesn't cost anything to dream!
Stop thinking small or making excuses.
Start trusting God and dream big!
Let God bail you out.

Be sure your goals are SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time bound

2 Common mistakes we make in goal setting:
1. We set goals too low.
2. We try to accomplish them too quickly.

We overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in ten years.

Dreams don't have deadlines.  Goals always have a time frame.
"According to your faith it will be done to you."
God says you can choose what will be done to you.

Ask, "Will this dream or goal require me to have faith?"

You must go out on a limb to reach the fruit.
Never be afraid to rock the boat if Jesus is your captain.

Trust God to use you in ways you never imagined.

3.

Goals focus my energy. It prevents you from wasting time, money, time, reputation.

“I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air.”1 Corinthians 9:26 (NCV)

Goals turn intentions into actions. 
"Be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers only."  James 1:22
Focus is the key to effectiveness in life.
The more focused you are the more effective, powerful you will be.
Focused light has power enough to start a fire or laser beam.

The world is full of distractions. You can spend, waste or invest your life.

Best investments are in the things that will out last your life.

The few things that are worth doing need your priority and forget everything else.

Some of you are running without a goal... running in circles in the rat race.
Even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat.

Goals keep me moving in a clear direction.
When you are going through hell just keep on going.
The way you do that, is you have a goal beyond look beyond the pain to the payoff.


4.

You must have a goal to keep you going.

Job: “I do not have the strength to endure. I do not have a goal that encourages me to carry on.”Job 6:11 (NLT)

Nazi killed 6 million Jews as well as others.  Survivors had something to live for... those who did not perished by losing hope and giving up.

PMS - "Post message syndrome"... Pastors often get discouraged if they don't focus on their long term goal.
Everybody has failure.
Failure is the only way to succeed.
Failure = education.
Learn to fail fast.
Don't waste failures.
Learn and teach others from your education.

Goals don't have to be big to be important.
Small goals or objectives will be baby steps to get you where you need to be.

If you are discouraged, set new goals.



5.Goals build my character.

Paul: “...I keep striving toward the goal...”Philippians 3:12 (TEV)

Without a vision people perish.
The greatest benefit to your life is not the accomplishments you acquire, but rather what happens inside of your character.  Your success and career is not going to heaven.  God is more interested in who you become. While I am working on the goal, God is working on me!

It takes intention and purpose to work on a goal and while you are doing that God is working on your character.

You will never be the person you intend to be unless you are intent to become that person.

10 years from today you will be in a different phase in you life if you do not intend to be Godly.
Goals build my character.

6.

Good goals will be rewarded.

“If your goals are good, you will be respected.”Proverbs 11:27 (TEV)

Rewarded on earth by people.
Rewarded by God in heaven.

A good goal builds respect, honor and legacy.

Martin Luther King was a man who set good goals. He did not live for himself. He lived for God to fight injustice, etc. So he is honored by a holiday.  Rick was the first white preacher who was invited to preach at MLK's church to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death to honor him.

God wants to teach you how to love and be respected.

“All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.”1 Corinthians 9:25-26a (NLT)

WHAT KIND OF GOAL DOES GOD BLESS?

3 questions to ask when you set goals:

1.

Will this goal honor God?

“God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.”1 Corinthians 6:20 (CEV)

Any goal that causes you to trust God, depend on Him, serve God and others, to be unselfish, love more... those are good goals.

“When you eat or drink or do anything, always do it to honor God.”1 Corinthians 10:31 (CEV)

Do everything with the right motive to be the best you can be for God.

“We make it our goal to please him...”2 Corinthians 5:9 (NIV)

2.

Is this goal motivated by love?

“Everything you do must be done with love.”1 Corinthians 16:14 (NLT)

Love must be your highest goal.
Learn to love the unlovely, loveless, and unloved.
God will always honor your goal that is motivated by love.

God will not bless a greedy goal or goal motivated by competition, grief, guilt, grudges, worry, fear, anxiety, envy, materialism, revenge, anger, ego, pride, etc.

Life is about learning how to love.  God will honor goals that aim towards love as the basis.

“Let love be your highest goal.”1 Corinthians 14:1 (NLT)

If you set loveless goals, you will mistreat people. You will treat them like projects and manipulate and exploit them. You will spoil your marriage, relationships, friends, other people etc.

Goals should not be just about the accomplishment it must consider also the relationship... it needs to be based upon love, kindness and caring for others.



3.

Will this goal require depending on God?

“We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.”Proverbs 16:9 (Mes)

Romans 14:23 "Everything that is not of faith, is sin.."
Don't set goals that don't require much to accomplish it.

Hebrews 11:6 - "Without faith it is impossible to please God."


I NEED

 God's Spirit to empower me.

“You will not succeed by your own strength or power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”Zechariah 4:6 (NCV)

Not will power.  By God power!
Not based on trying. It is based on trusting  (God).


I NEED

 God's Word to Guide me.

“Keep this Book of the Law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully follow all that is written in it; 
THEN you will successfully attain your goal.”Joshua 1:8 (NAB)

God's word will make us stronger as we study it, we will gain understanding and insights and success.
Talk, memorize and follow God's word. Then you will attain your goal successfully!
Become a person who knows God's word.

I NEED

 God's people to support me.

“By yourself you’re unprotected. But with a friend you can face the worst. And a group of three is even better because a rope braided with three strands is not easily snapped!”Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Mes)

You can't reach your goals alone.
It takes a team to fulfill a dream.
A crowd can't support you, but a small group can.

Jesus said, "Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, I will be in the midst of them."

If you hear it, read it, watch it, discuss it, and do it you will transform your life.
Spectators simply watch life.
Participants live life.
Choose to participate.
Step out in faith.
Give God permission to change whatever needs to be changed in your life
and to make the rest of your life the best of your life.

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