We all have goals. Spiritual people have lots of spiritual goals.
And what we often find is our inability to keep them. We have grand ambition with minimal success. Why is that?
How can you make your next spiritual goal succeed?
It’s elementary. You need to tell two specific people.
#1. Talk to God About It
“You mean prayer?” Yes, and no. Pray and ask God to help direct you to what goal you should have. Pray and ask God to strengthen you to see the plan through completion. But I would also encourage you to write it out specifically.
“I plan on reading one Bible chapter every day…”
“I will join a small group and be there every week unless I am sick…”
“I will share the gospel with my co-worker by this time next month…”
What you might notice in all those goals is that they are specific. They are time-oriented. You know whether or not you hit them by the end of the time.
Write out your goal and pray to God about it. Keep it somewhere that you will see it regularly. Apart from His power, you will not be able to accomplish it (John 15:5).
#2. Talk to a Godly Person About It
While you need to talk to God about it, you must also share it with one other person. You need that individual to be someone you see or interact with regularly. This person should be in such regular and consistent proximity to you that you will not be able to avoid questions about your progress.
Pick someone who pursues Jesus as you do. Pick someone who will be around. Pick someone who knows how to encourage you to see it through.
This person can be an accountability partner, a group member, a spouse, a parent, or a mentor.
But it would help if you shared your specific plan, though. Do not tell them you plan to pray more; share the prayer goal with them. Then they can encourage you to see it through.
Find someone encouraging you to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24-25).
Get Started
Have you got a spiritual goal? That’s great! But if you want to see it come to completion, talk to God and a godly person about it. Once it’s out there, it’s no turning back!
If you have a spiritual goal that you want to see through completion, you have two vital conversations you must initiate. Talk to God and a godly person about what you plan to do in order to see it through.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
