Setting Personal Goals by Faith

B Y R I C K WA R R E N

Goals give you hope to keep moving forward. They help you persevere and endure.

Even God sets goals. He has goals for planet earth. He has goals for history. He has goals for eternity. And
you can be certain he has goals for your life!

You may have heard me say this before: When you’re going through a difficult time, what do you do? You
don’t make your home there. You don’t even camp out overnight. You just keep going.

You do this by having a goal that goes beyond. The Bible says, “[Jesus] never lost sight of where he was
headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame,
whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God” (Hebrews 12:2 The Message).
He looked beyond the pain to the payoff. God wants you to do this too.

But not every goal is a good goal. Some goals are selfish and unwise. So, how do you know what kinds of
goals to set? Ask yourself these three questions:

Will it honor God?

1 When your goals cause you to trust him more, love him more, and love others more, it brings
glory and honor to God. These are the kinds of goals he will bless. The Bible says, “When you
eat or drink or do anything, always do it to honor God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 CEV).

Is it motivated by love?
2
God doesn’t bless goals motivated by greed, competition, envy, or guilt. He honors goals set
out of love: “God, I want to do this because I love you and want to love others.” When you set
loveless goals, you treat people as projects, and you end up losing sight of what matters most.
That’s why God wants you to “let love be your highest goal” (1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT).

Will it require depending on God?

3 If your goal doesn’t require faith to achieve it, then it’s not a God-pleasing goal. Hebrews 11:6
says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (NIV). Sheer willpower won’t work. You
need God’s Spirit to empower you and God’s Word to guide you.

As you think about your goals for this year, remember: Let the size of your God determine the size of your
goal. Jesus says, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). The depth of your faith
will determine how much God blesses and transforms your life.

PastorRick.com • DailyHope@PastorRick.com • 1-800-600-5004

FACIN G FE ARS
That Ruin Relationships
BY R IC K WA R R E N

God wants to transform every area of our lives, including our relationships. But
sometimes fear can get in the way of relational health. In fact, there are three
fundamental fears that can ruin our relationships.

What are those fears?

Fear of Exposure
One of our deepest fears is the fear of being seen for who we really are. When we’re
afraid of being open and honest, we can become distant from God and others.

Fear of Disapproval
The more we fear disapproval, the more defensive we become. Sometimes even the
hint of disapproval can make us point the blame at others.

Fear of Losing Control

The more out of control we feel, the more controlling we can become—and the
more likely we are to demand our own way.

What’s the antidote to fears that could potentially

ruin relationships?

It’s learning how to live in God’s love. The Bible says, “No fear exists where [God’s]
love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear” (1 John 4:18 GW).

How do you live in God’s love?

Surrender Your Heart to God

Ask God to control your mind and emotions and let him fill you with his love.
Job 11:13-18 says, “Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give
up your sins—even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be
confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and
your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with
hope and emptied of worry” (CEV).

PastorRick.com • DailyHope@PastorRick.com • 1-800-600-5004

Remember What God Thinks About You
Every day, pause to remember what God thinks about you, not what the world
thinks—not what even you think about you. Here are four things God thinks
about you:
• He completely accepts you.
“[Jesus] made us acceptable to God” (Titus 3:7 CEV).
• He unconditionally loves you.
“My love for you will never end” (Isaiah 54:10 GNT).
• He totally forgives you.
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
(Romans 8:1 NIV).
• He considers you extremely valuable.
“You have been bought and paid for by Christ” (1 Corinthians 7:23 TLB).

Offer God’s Love to Others

Jesus said, “I’m giving you a new commandment: Love each other in the same way
that I have loved you” (John 13:34 GW).

God wants you to accept others completely, love others unconditionally, forgive
others totally, and consider others extremely valuable.

PastorRick.com • DailyHope@PastorRick.com • 1-800-600-5004