Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your
sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in
Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people. And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you
rest." (Exodus 33:13-14)
Moses listens as God lays out
His vision for His people and then makes a request, “let
me know Your ways.” It was clear to Moses that he did not have the
wisdom or the plan to carry out the great vision of God. God promised even more than what he asked for by saying, "My presence shall go with you.” To accomplish great vision requires wise
planning.
All the evidence shows that
people who write down their objectives are more likely to achieve them than
those who do not write anything down. It
appears that the act of writing produces a greater sense of commitment. Successful people set themselves clear written
goals and then break them down into manageable intermediate targets so that
they can measure progress along the way. God did this with His warriors as they fought
His battles. They were to follow His
steps. God’s plans often involved more
than the arrangement of the field of battle.
It involved all the areas of their lives.
In how many different areas
of your life do you set goals? It is recommended that you set goals in five
different areas in your life.
1.
Future. What are your ambitions for success in your
work, for promotion, for recognition, for further education, etc? Write out
your plans and think about discussing some of them with those who know you.
2.
Friends and Family. At every stage in life we
should think about our relationships and how we can improve them. Think about
your relationship with your parents, your brothers or sisters, your children,
your friends, your neighbors and so on. Many people find that they are so busy
with work and domestic chores that they never have time to develop the social
life, activities and relationships that they would like. For most people the most important
relationship will be with their partner. If you need to sort out an existing
relationship, think about how it could be improved and plan the actions you can
take to make it better. Don’t take
important relationships for granted.
3.
Financial.
Set clear goals for improving your financial security. This should include
savings, loan reduction, tithing, college funds, your investments and so on.
4.
Faith. Your strength will be in direct proportion to your
faith and your faith will be determined by your knowledge of God. What
goals do you have to grow spiritually?
5.
Physical and Personal. A lot depends
on your continued good health. Most people know the key issues that affect
their health (if you do not then your first objective is to get a health check)
but often they do little about them. Set
clear goals to change your lifestyle in the areas which are harmful to your well-being. What are the skills and experiences you want
to develop? It is important to keep
learning new skills and the best way to make this happen is to plan for it in
your goals.
Your life happiness and
success is dependent upon maintaining a balance in all of these areas. Failure in one can bring the loss of the
others. Are you on cruise control or do
you have your Life Map out and ready to follow?
Scripture to
Claim:
...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. 2 Peter 3:18a
