Setting Goals (Part 3)

In my last two posts, Setting Your Personal Goals for 2015 and Without Goals You Have Nothing to Shoot For, I have been encouraging you to think about establishing personal goals for yourself.

The first category of goals I presented for your consideration was “goals that will help you grow in your relationship with God.”

James chapter 4 verses 7-10 gives us ideas for some very practical goals for this category.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

 

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. … (James 4:8)

• Desire to grow closer to God.

 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; (Isaiah 55:6 ESV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness… (Matthew 6:33 ESV)

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! (Psalm 105:4 ESV)

 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7 ESV)

… seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29 ESV)

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… Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

• Recognize and detest the works of Satan

… Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. (Romans 12:9 ESV)

… but test everything; hold fast what is good.   Abstain from every form of evil.
(1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 ESV)

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… Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. (James 4:8-9)

• Be quick to repent of sin

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! (Psalm 51:2 ESV)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:17 ESV)

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Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10)

• Gain a better understanding of what it means to walk in humility.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility … (Ephesians 4:1-2 ESV)

 

Suggested goals for 2015:

• In 2015 I desire to grow closer to God.
• In 2015 I want to be able to recognize and detest the works of Satan.
• In 2015 I want to be quick to repent of my sins.
• In 2015 I would like to gain a better understanding of what it means to walk in humility.

Without goals you have nothing to shoot for.

 Check out www.seekinghiskingdomministries.com for additional posts.