9 STEPS TO
REACH YOUR
GOAL
(I was blessed
and inspired as
I read the daily
devotional from
Rick Warren
that’s why I
uploaded it here
after little
editing. I’m sure
that you will be
blessed and
inspired also as
you read the
wisdom from
God given to
Rick. All credit to
the original
writer and the
glory always
belong to God.
Enjoy Reading!)
To get where
you believe God
wants you to go
and be what
you know God
wants you to
be, there are
several steps
you need to
take that will get
you focused --
Step #1 -
Determine your
present
position
"Abraham was
now old and
well advance in
years, and the
Lord had
blessed him in
every way."
Genesis 24:1
(NIV)
You’ve got to
know where
you are before
you can know
where you are
going. To do
that, ask
yourself two
questions:
1. Where am I
now? Where are
you spiritually,
financially,
emotionally,
relationally,
physically, and
occupationally?
2. What would I
like to change?
In all of those
areas you
identified, what
would you like
to be different?
Step #2 - Be
specific about
what you want
In order to get
to where you
want to be, you
need to
describe exactly
what you want.
For instance,
Abraham told
Eliezer exactly
what kind of
wife he wanted
for Isaac. He
said, "Don’t get
a wife for my
son from the
Canaanite girls.
Instead, go
back ... to the
land of my
relatives and
get a wife for
my
son" (Genesis
24:3-4 NIV).
You will never
reach a vague
goal. The more
general it is, the
less power it
has. But the
more specific it
is, the more
power it has in
your life.
Ask yourself
these four
questions:
1. What do I
want to be?
2. What do I
want to do?
3. What do I
want to have?
4. Why do I
want it?
You can’t just
know the what,
you need to
know the why -
that’s your
motivation. If
you don’t know
why, you will
give up when it
gets tough.
When Eliezer
heard
Abraham’s goal,
he started
asking "What
if...?" If you
listen to the
what-ifs of your
goal, you will
fail because of
worry and fear.
You don’t need
to focus on the
how for now
because, once
you figure out
the why, God
will show you
how. He will
help you solve
the problems
that stand in the
way of your
goal.
Step #3 - Look
for God’s
promise
Abraham said,
"The Lord
brought me
from the land of
my relatives to
this land and he
has solemnly
promised me
that would give
this land to my
descendants."
Genesis 24:7
(NCV)
When you set a
goal, don’t focus
on the
problems, focus
on the
promises. Find a
promise in
God’s Word that
will take you to
your goal.
This is what
Abraham does
when Eliezer, his
servant, starts
to worry about
accomplishing
the goal he is
given. In
today’s verse,
Abraham tells
Eliezer about the
promise he
received from
God: "He’ll [God]
send an angel
before you so
that you can
find a wife
there for my
son" (Genesis
24:7 NCV).
You don’t need
an angel
because dozens
of time in
Scripture God
has said, "I’ll be
with you no
matter where
you go." God is
always with
you whether
you feel it or
not. You just
need to plug
into the power.
The size of your
God determines
the size of your
goal. And godly
goal-setting
always starts
with a promise
of God. Don’t
look at your
limitations; look
at the promises
of God.
Ask yourself,
"What promise
can I claim?"
With 7,000
promises in the
Bible, you might
not know
where to turn.
To help prepare
you for your
decade of
destiny, we’re
going to cover a
promise a day
in our Drive
Time Devotions.
Step #4 -- Ask
God to help you
"O Lord, God of
my master,
Abraham," he
prayed. "Please
give me success
today, and
show unfailing
love to my
master,
Abraham."
Genesis 24:12
(NLT)
Once you have
found your
promise in
God’s Word,
pray and ask
God for success,
just as Eliezer
did in today’s
verse.
Is it really okay
to pray for
success? Yes! If
you aren’t
praying for
success, what’s
the alternative?
Are you going
to pray for God
to make you a
failure? Eliezer
clearly shows us
that it is okay to
ask God for
success in
accomplishing a
goal as long as
the motive is
right.
When your
success helps
people and
honors God,
praying for
success does
not become a
selfish act. It is
the means to
good testimony.
In fact, here is
what the Bible
says, "So let us
come boldly to
the throne of
our gracious
God and there
we will receive
mercy and we
will find grace
to help us when
we need
it" (Hebrews
4:16 NLT).
If you study
Genesis 24
further, you’ll
find that Eliezer
prayed during
his entire
mission. In
verse 12 he
prays before he
starts. In verse
15 he prays
after he arrives
in Nahor. And in
verse 52 he
prays in front
of Rebekah’s
family.
So my question
to you today is
this: Are you
praying about
your goals? Are
you praying
about your
future? Are you
praying about
your dreams or
are you just
kind of keeping
them to
yourself?
Your prayers
reveal a couple
of things. First,
they reveal how
serious you are
about your
goals. If you
don’t pray
about them, you
really don’t care
about them that
much. If you
only pray about
them once, they
are not a desire,
they are just a
whim.
The other thing
your prayers
reveal is how
much you are
depending on
God to reach
your goals. If
you never pray
about your
goals, never
pray about your
job, never pray
about your
finances, you
are not
depending on
God in any of
those areas. The
more you
depend on God,
the more you’ll
pray.
So determine
your present
position, decide
what you want,
find a promise
from God to
hold onto, claim
it, and then ask
God for help.
Step #5 --
Identify the
barriers
The servant said
to him, "What if
the woman
does not want
to return with
me to this
land?" Genesis
24:5 (NCV)
Ask yourself,
"Why haven’t I
reached my
goal already?"
What are the
barriers,
obstacles, and
road blocks in
your way?
It may be a
financial
problem or a
relational
problem or an
educational
problem holding
you back. For
some people, it’s
an emotional
barrier. A lot of
people sabotage
their own
success because
they think they
aren’t worthy of
it. Whatever
your barrier is,
you need to
identify it
before you can
move forward.
In Genesis 24,
Eliezer had a
number of
barriers to his
goal of finding
a wife for Isaac.
He had to figure
out how to get
to a country
he’d never been
to, then he had
to find the right
woman he’d
never met. And
then he had to
convince her to
go back with
him to a
country she’d
never been to
and marry a
complete
stranger. Oh,
and he had to
convince her
parents to let
her go! Most
people would
call that
"mission
impossible."
Step #6 --
Create a step-
by-step plan
"May he give
you the desire
of your heart
and make all
your plans
succeed." Psalm
20:4 (NIV)
In Genesis
24:12-14, we
see that Eliezer
designed a
simple but well-
thought plan to
find Isaac’s
wife. He took
ten of
Abraham’s
camels with
him, loaded
with samples of
the best of
everything
Abraham
owned.
He journeyed to
Nahor and then
made the
camels kneel
down outside
the town beside
a well.
Eliezer then
prayed, "O Lord,
God of my
master,
Abraham, please
give me success
on this mission.
See, I am
standing here
beside this
spring. This is
my request.
When a young
woman comes
to draw water, I
will say to her,
’Please give me
a little drink of
water from
your jug.’ If she
says, ’Yes, have
a drink, and I
will draw water
for your camels,
too,’ let her be
the one you
have selected to
be the wife of
my master’s
son." (Genesis
24:42-44 NLT)
Now this was a
big deal
because camels
can drink a lot
of water. So that
meant the
woman would
have to draw
20, 30, maybe
40 buckets of
water. That’s a
serious
commitment.
And that’s the
kind of woman
Eliezer was
looking for - a
woman who
was kind,
generous, had a
servant’s heart,
was willing to
help someone in
need and would
go the extra
mile.
And you know
what? His plan
worked. A
woman named
Rebekah
offered Eliezer a
drink of water
and then she
offered to
water his
camels also.
As you make
plans to
overcome your
barriers and
achieve your
goals, I want
you to ask
yourself two
questions.
1. How do I
intend to get
there once I
know what my
goal is?
2. How long will
it take?
The second
question will
determine your
schedule, your
deadlines, and
your timetable.
This will help
you think
through a
course of
action.
Now you may
be thinking, this
is a lot of work.
It’s going to
take time."
You’re right, it
will take time.
That’s why 95
percent of
Americans have
no written
goals.
A recent
Harvard study
showed that
only 5 percent
of Americans
have written
goals and many
of them are
among the
highest earning
people in the
nation. That’s
because
successful
people are
willing to make
sacrifices and
put in the time
of preparation
that
unsuccessful
people aren’t
willing to do.
You can either
drift through
life or you can
be directed
through life by
taking the time
to think through
where God
wants you to
be. Is your
future worth
the effort? Yes,
absolutely!
Step # 7 -- Be
patient and
persistent
"These things I
plan won’t
happen right
away. Slowly,
steadily, surely,
the time
approaches
when the vision
will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow,
do not despair,
for these things
will sure come
to pass. Just be
patient! They
will not be
overdue a
single day!"
Habakkuk 2:3
(LB)
Nothing great is
ever
accomplished
without
persistence and
patience
because, in
order to be
successful, your
dreams must
translate into
work. The
people who
succeed in life
are the people
who are willing
to do what they
don’t feel like
doing. They are
not mastered by
their moods,
they are
mastered by the
Master, and they
establish their
goals and plans
according to
God’s will.
Eliezer was a
great example
of patience and
persistence. We
saw his
patience in
choosing the
right woman by
making a
detailed plan. He
didn’t make a
snap judgment.
He wasn’t
impulsive.
The Bible says
in Genesis 24:21
(NIV), "Without
saying a word,
[he] watched
her closely to
learn whether
or not the Lord
had made his
journey
succeed."
Later, after he
got invited to
Rebekah’s
house for
dinner, the Bible
says, "The food
was set before
him (Eliezer), but
he said, ’I will
not eat until I
have told you
what I have to
say’" (Genesis
24:33 NIV). Now
personally, I
would have
eaten first. But
this guy was
focused.
What’s the
point? If
you are going
to really reach
your goals in
life, sometimes
you have to
delay
gratification.
You have to do
the tough thing
instead of the
fun thing, the
right thing
instead of the
pleasurable
thing.
And the reason
that’s so hard is
because most of
us don’t want to
delay
gratification.
That’s why
we’re in debt.
Our attitude is,
"I want it and I
want it now."
And if we can’t
afford it, then
we put it on our
credit cards.
It’s important
for you to learn
this lesson
because any
goal that’s
worth achieving
is going to have
obstacles in the
way. You need
to have a long-
term view so,
when
difficulties
come, you can
persevere
knowing that
you are going
to get past it.
I love today’s
verse. It’s a
great reminder
that God’s
timing is perfect
and ours is not.
When you find
yourself in
God’s waiting
room, just be
patient and
persistent. A
God-given
vision will
always be
fulfilled.
Step # 8 --
Enlist a team
for support
"One person
standing alone
is easily
attacked and
defeated, but
two can stand
back-to-back
and conquer.
Three people
are even better,
for a triple-
braided cord is
not easily
broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:12
(NLT)
I’ve been to
Africa many
times and heard
this proverb
over and over:
"If you want to
go fast, go by
yourself. If you
want to go far,
go with others."
We think it’s
important to
make a speedy
decision, but it’s
more important
to make the
right decision.
Success is never
a one-man job;
it takes
teamwork. God
wired it this
way because
the most
important
lesson he wants
you to learn
here on earth is
to love people.
Not only that,
there are some
things in your
life that you will
never be able to
change without
the support,
prayers, and
encouragement
of other people.
That’s why it’s
so important to
be in a small
group.
Our verse today
says it all. The
stronger your
team is, the
more you can
fulfill your
dream.
The last step to
going after
your dream is
this: you must
pay the price.
Success never
comes without
a price tag.
Step # 9 -- You
must pay the
price
The only thing
free in this
world is
salvation from
God through
Jesus Christ, and
that one’s free
because Jesus
paid the price
on the cross.
Eliezer had to
pay a price to
get Rebekah to
come back with
him and marry
Isaac. Genesis
24:53 says,
"Then he
brought out
gold and silver
and articles of
clothing and
gave them to
Rebekah; he
also gave
expensive gifts
to her brother
and her
mother." Great
goals require
great sacrifice.
If you are
serious about
getting a
focused life you
need to ask
three questions.
1. What will it
cost?
2. What am I
willing to give?
3. Is it worth it?
The greatest use
of your life is to
invest it in
something that
will outlast it.
Jesus said,
"What good is it
for a man to
gain the whole
world, yet
forfeit his
soul?" (Mark
8:36 NIV). Don’t
begin working
toward your
goals until
you’ve counted
the cost.