God’s Promises Fuel Godly Goals
By Rick Warren
“For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son.” Genesis 24:7 (NLT)
Many people have a regular time to set goals—maybe at the start of a new calendar year or on their birthday. They resolve to lose weight, to spend more time with their kids, to read more, to achieve something specific at work, or some other noble (or not so noble) goal.
But not every goal is a godly goal. Godly goals are aligned with God’s promises in his Word. His promises give you the courage and faith to move forward when it feels much more natural to be scared or worried.
In Genesis 24, Abraham gave his chief servant a very tough goal: to find a wife for his son, Isaac. At first the servant let fear get the best of him. He asked Abraham, “But what if the woman refuses to leave home and come with me?” (Genesis 24:5 The Message)
Abraham then reminded his servant of God’s promise: “For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son” (Genesis 24:7 NLT).
After Abraham reminded his servant of the Lord’s promise, his fear vanished.
The same thing happens with you. It’s scary to put everything you have into a big goal. No one wants to fail. But the Bible urges you not to rely on your own strength to reach your goals. In fact, if you can accomplish your goals in your own strength, you’re not pursuing godly goals in the first place.
What does God’s Word say about your goals? You’ll never know unless you get to know what the Bible teaches. It’s like having an insurance policy but not knowing what that policy covers. You’d worry needlessly about many things.
In the Bible God promises to help you as you get healthy, become a better parent, eliminate your debt, and more. But unless you know those promises and claim those promises, you’ll worry about how you’ll be able to achieve those goals.
The truth is, you don’t need a big faith to accomplish huge goals. You just need a little faith—in a big God! Your God is the God of the universe. He can do anything.
Are you ready to trust God for the unbelievable?
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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