Goal Setting: The Key to Success - Part 1

London begins impacts back at the child care via educational and financial go anywhere the endeavors that they send me a Christian be challenged to look beyond the typical life proceeds as you learn the key and setting goals. If you know you absolutely could not fail. What three goals would you set for your life if you know you absolutely could not fail. What three goals you set for your life in your present spiritual condition. Could you honestly ask God to help you achieve those goals. Do you really want God's very best for your life.

Are you willing to settle for just what you can remember.

If you keep doing what you doing you'll keep getting what you're getting what you have to ask is this, do I really want the best that God can provide for my life and remember that we have defined success as the continuing achieve of becoming the person God wants us to become and accomplishing those goals that God has helped us to set when you turn if you will to Philippians chapter 3 because in this message I want to talk about goal setting. The key to success.

Well, one of the most goal oriented people all the Bible is the apostle Paul. And in this third chapter just one is read a few verses of it here is not our purpose to expound upon this particular passage, but simply to use it as a point of beginning here concerning a man who was certainly highly motivated and certainly had many goals in his life. But if you'll notice, beginning in verse seven of the third chapter he says, but whatever things were gain to be those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things everything to be lost in view of the surpassing value of what knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, but whom I've suffer the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and then he goes on. If you notice in verse 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I've already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus, brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Here is a man who is not wasting time nor his life, but a man whose life was committed to one thing he had an overwhelming sense of purpose and direction for his life. Well, when I think about this whole idea of goalsetting. One of the things it comes to mind is simply this, people say well is goalsetting Scripture, that is, if you want to live a godly life is goalsetting Scripture well. Sometimes a person will say no I do not believe it is and I can give you a couple of verses so I love to begin with any question to ask the question.

Well, what does God say someone eternity will to Hebrews chapter 13, because in this passage there is a verse that oftentimes people will use and they'll say will that this is true, why should you set go well. The writer of Hebrews says in verse five of this 13 chapter let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for he himself is said I will never desert you know what I ever forsake you that listen to what he does not say he does not say let your character be free from money, being content with what you have, for he himself is that I'll never desert you know, ever forsake you. He says don't let your life, your character be driven by the love of money that go back if you will to Philippians chapter 4. If you notice in this verse of Paul here is speaking of contentment in what he's learned and he says in the 11th verse of this fourth chapter writing from a prison cell. By the way, he says not that I speak from want brought have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am not here to verses it says a person ought to be the content. One of them says listen you now should not be driven with a lot of money but here's the apostle Paul up from a prison, saying that I have learned to be content with what I have now what does this mean oftentimes people say will this means that wherever you are in life, whatever you are one of you have you should be content when you look at this passage and yes is of the questionable first of all, you have to ask yourself the question, what is contentment. Contentment is this realizing that God has provided all that I need for my present happiness. Know what that God has already provided. All I need for my present happiness. Happiness and goalsetting are not synonymous, happiness and success are not synonymous, and so when we look at contentment.

Contentment is realizing that God has supplied everything I need for my present happiness now, does that mean that on the settle down, be satisfied the content so to speak, so that I do not strive to do better be better, accomplish more, achieve more in my life. No, it does not, I can be very, very content with my life and at the same time, have goals adhere that I believe God is laid upon my heart toward which I am working toward, which I desire to achieve and to accomplish and so therefore when a person says to be content and you shouldn't set goals. That means you're just be satisfied where you are, let me tell you I know you don't believe that how many of you are satisfied with what you know about God you just contended. Now I don't learn anything out you just absolutely content what you know about God. I don't think anybody in here feels that way nobody no one listening feels that way.

How many of you satisfied with your relationship to Christ. Take that as you have intention to grow. Just satisfy me just as I would know about the Bible. No, you see the truth is that God places in every single believe an insatiable. That means a never satisfying hunger and thirst the paradoxes I can be genuinely contended with my Lord. I can be delighted in him. I can be satisfied with him at the same time, there is this undercurrent of dissatisfaction you want to know more. Want to go deeper want to understand more one understand his ways, want to know what real intimacy is all about someone somebody uses those kind of verses to say what you should set goals you like. The problem is I think they have little problem with their thinking a little bit lazy in their thinking and I think is very evident in the Scripture that God certainly desires that you not set goals for a light, for example, we spent a whole message last time discussing the idea that God desires that you and not be successful in our life, not just successful success sake because as a believer, the overriding idea and theme of success is that I desire to achieve to become the person God wants me to be and to achieve or to accomplish the goals of God is set for me so therefore that is a legitimate scriptural parent scriptural foundation idea what success is all about. So with that in months about his is one of what's his goal business anyway. What is ago. Well, you might say that a goal is an aim or a purpose RAR a sense of direction toward which you have moved all of your energies and desires and your life. All of your efforts and so when I think about a purpose or an aim are some particular objective out there that we all have those and so what we do we gear I like to move toward the accomplishment and the achievement of that particular goal or those goals. Now when I think about the Scriptures and we listed some of these the last time the first message, let's go back for just a moment and let me just name a few of these. Let's go back to Noah. For example, remembering at this time in Noah's life that things had gotten so bad that the violence in the world was so absolutely corrupt and horrible gods that I can handle and the more this I'm going to wipe out this whole crime to destroy everything that I've created here.

Then he said to Noah, he said no is what he says in the sixth chapter of the dunes is no build yourself an ark. What's that what's in our personal head right because God had created the earth, so the canopy around the earth atmosphere, all the moisture we need was there so blood rain still remembers him to say this at least three times in his message… Amen God never commands you to do anything he will not equip you to do or provide you the resources to get it done.

God will never require view anything that he will not equip you to do or provide for you the resources to get it done so. He said I want you to build an ark and negating all the instructions of how to do it and told him how to do it. So the goal that Noah had set for his life set by God, was the building are in order to save civilization. Then we come along and we see Moses, God said to him, Moses, this is your life work you to go to Pharaoh challenge him.

I want you to lead my Hebrew children out of Egyptian bondage to the promised land. That was the goal very clear. You recall all the arguments that he had with God. Finally he surrendered when you knock ago all the Scriptures naming one biblical character for the other who had God give them a specific goal and as they follow that go God always gave them the resources. He always told him how and he always said to them, I'll be with you. So when we think about how God's work in the lives of these men and I want you to go back to Philippians for a moment and the look at this third chapter, and let's look at the apostle Paul. You recall when he turned to Philippians chapter 3 them. You recall when and when he was saved and that night chapter of the acts and you recall immediately that he received his sight as he spoke with Ananias and the spirit of God came upon him and anointed him for the work then you recall that in the 20 verses says, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogue saying he's the son of God and so if you look to see what happened immediately. What was his goal. His goal this and remember not having them statesman and a Pharisee, having been an aggressive and aggressive enemy of the church doing everything in his power to kill, destroy Christians and the wipe out the brand name of Jesus immediately when God transformed him and saved him.

His goal was different now. His goal was not to lock up Christians increase development and to persecute them and that his goal was to get the name of Jesus and the message of his resurrection to as many people as possible as quickly as possible as is. Immediately he began you're the synagogue and talk about Jesus and so Paul was indeed a very gifted but a very goal oriented person. But what was the highest goal of this man's life. What was the goal that motivated him above everything else is what he wants his goal above everything else and I watch this carefully listen… Amen. When our goals are God-given and they will be right when they are God-given.

When we major on the God-given goals and we major on the priority goal. God will move heaven and earth to enable us to accomplish those other goals that he sent but there has to be a priority goal. What was the priority goal in the apostle Paul's life to know the Lord Jesus Christ to know him in a personal, intimate way and to know him. To the degree that he says he would be conformed to the likeness of the son of God. What does the Bible say in Romans 829 that God Almighty has set as a goal for your life in my life every single one of us has this goal set by God. He says he predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of Christ, which means that our character would buy whatever is necessary be shaped like the character of the son of God. That's what he says this third chapter that's the motivating goal of his letter he says above all else, I'll leave everything else behind. He says to know him the power of his resurrection. He said I want to experience in my life and my data like the same kind of awesome Holy Ghost Holy Spirit power that Jesus Christ experience when the spirit of God raised him from the dead. I want to walk in the spirit. I want to serve in the spirit. I want to serve the living God, and that kind of power that kind of spirit.

I want my life to counter the maximum amount potential. I'm willing to lay down my life if necessary in order for it to happen. So Paul's goals were very clear. If you notice what he says on which notice a couple verses if you will. In this third chapter, and let's look if you will, in the look at two words are properly two phrases verse 12 not that I have already obtained or have already become perfect, but I press all it means I diligently follow after he says pressing all means I zealously file after it means that I am attaching myself to that is, he was absolutely committed at all because to knowing the son of God listed.

It is as a result of that particular goal that priority goal his life that you and I can read Romans and Galatians and first and second Corinthians and Ephesians and Colossians and Philippians and the first and second Timothy and all these letters. What we found in those letters we find God giving him such awesome revelations such understanding of the Christian life to whom he gave no one else we find God doing in his life exactly what he desired. I want to know him, I feverishly follow after him like what he says in verse 13 he says reaching forward to what lies ahead like around, he says, stretching with every nerve and every muscle in my body, longing to know and having an insatiable hungering first thing yearning desire and it's very evident that that was the motivation that motivated him in searching and finding and watching and accomplishing and achieving the goals that got it set for his life if I should ask you what goals has God said for your life and I will ask again if you could set three goals in your life and know that you could not possibly fail no matter what would they be asking that twice never beginning because I want you to handle time to think about it. I wonder how many people would have said honestly and sincerely Rod upfront, no hesitation. Don't lie to yourself about it. Don't raise your hand. Of course I wonder how many of you would've mentioned a spiritual goal.

First of all, I wonder how many of you would've thought about some particular goal that you have financially or something you want to own or something you want to do. How many of you your first goal had something to do with your relationship to Almighty God. When our goals and their priorities of our goals are right, God will do absolutely amazing things in a person's life and I realized the very idea of preaching about goals. Some people say will that's that that's not spiritual. All yes it is sickening that doesn't apply to me. Oh yes it does want just a homemaker.

It still applies to want justice. I'm just that, this number that yes it does. If you will listen carefully you will understand. Goal setting does apply for you and applaud you for the simple reason. Listen, God desires that you be a success in your life do what he's called to do because you're a child of God. If you say, and he has a purpose and a plan view life and he's plan the best for you therefore know they have the best in your life in order to accomplish what God is, that if you'd accomplished you need to be wise enough to set goals that fit God's purpose and plan for your life and will talk you in a few moments.

What happens when you do not set them and what is it mean about you when you do not set well when I look at this patch of Scripture in his amended says I'm reaching for. He says I'm pressing on. That is, I'm not giving up. I'm not quitting that negatives have difficult to get stone left for dead. Mr. jail beaten our shipwrecked chart assassinated minimum tabs you think he quit know you know what he was highly motivated goal of anyone motivated by goal that God had given him. Listen a goal so prized a goal so valuable. Nothing on the face of this earth could possibly stop him no matter what and when God finished with imagery and moan until then they couldn't killing.

No matter how hard they try. Now when I think about the apostle Paul and think about the fact that God certainly in his word is very evident by the characters of Scripture that God gave them goals and accomplish those goals. Look at the apostle Paul.

Think about the whole idea of what is ago is a name. It is an objective. It is a purpose toward which we get our inside energy and motivation and desires headed toward a particular direction in order to accomplish and to achieve something is organized plan stretching of my life. You see it as long as you understand where you are emotionally, spiritually, physically, or whatever it might be you will indeed remain there and listen carefully. Progress is made one step at a time. Great accomplishments are made of low accomplishment here a little accomplishment there little accomplishment here and will, and that that's what answer the big accomplishments in life. Thank you for listening to goal setting.

The key to think that if you know more about how family more intense ministries that night and had started writing this back after the presentation, and index ministries Atlanta, Georgia