This Time I Will: Biblical Principles for Effective Goal-SettingSample

Patterns Behind The Scene

Principle #2: The Value of Preparation

If you have ever felt like a failure at not achieving your goals, today, I want you to pause. Take a breath because you are not only normal, but you are actually in the majority.

I, too, am familiar with the sting of disappointment at not achieving my goals. However, if, also like me, you are determined to have everything God has for you despite knowing the statistics, I encourage you to buckle in and read on.

We typically like to think of goal setting as a more natural than spiritual process. Sure, it is a matter of commitment, work ethic, discipline, and other foundational principles, but what if it wasn't limited to just what we see in the natural? What if God is also at work and committed to our process?

All of Scripture teaches us that when it comes to processes, nothing is ever wasted. God can take the seemingly obsolete and mundane details to make them relevant in due time. Whether or not we feel adequately prepared, God is always actively behind the scenes preparing us to face the challenges ahead. David is a perfect example.

In 1 Samuel 17, we see David face his biggest enemy to date – Goliath. He is smaller, younger, and less experienced than his opponent. As he faces the challenge of a lifetime, all the odds are seemingly against him. David, however, seems unbothered and unshaken. When asked why he is confident in the face of a literal giant, David has one response—I've been here before. And, he had—twice.

In a previous test, David had successfully fought and won against a lion and bear, both of which would naturally be faster, stronger, and much bigger than him. I am confident that when he faced those challenges, David had absolutely no idea they were preparing him for Goliath one day.

You and I go through the same patterns. We face daily and smaller decisions that are designed to toughen us for bigger challenges and goals ahead. We may not recognize them for the muscle-building experiences that they are meant to be, but they are there.

Yesterday, we talked about God's nature as one who completes. Another part of God's nature is as one who loves us immensely. His love compels Him to fortify us to complete what honors Him. To do that, He allows us seasons of preparation. Consistent with divine patterns is the truth that He has a way of using our experiences as training grounds for what He wants to do in our lives. David understood this well. Taking down Goliath was less intimidating when he recalled that God, who rescued him from the paws of the lion and the bear, would rescue him again.

This is true for you and me. As we reflect on the patterns in our lives, we can have total confidence that God who enabled us to successfully meet challenges in the past, can do so again. That confidence gives us an advantage to take on any goal in front of us. You, friend, are thoroughly prepared to do what God called you to do.

Reflection Questions:

1. How has God trained me to face my current goals or challenges?

2. Am I approaching my goals and challenges with a posture of fear or complete confidence in who God is and how He has been preparing me?