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Goal Is A Dream With A Deadline
by
John Mason
In
Habakkuk 2:2 the Lord tells the prophet, "Write the vision, and make
it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." The key to
successful goal-setting is revealed in this scripture.
First, the vision must be written down. When you keep a vision in your
mind, it is not really a goal; it is really nothing more than a dream.
There is power in putting that dream down on paper. When you commit
something to writing, commitment to achievement naturally follows. You
can't start a fire with paper alone, but writing something down on paper
can start a fire inside of you.
God Himself followed His Word here, by taking His vision for us and having
it put down on paper in the form of the Bible. He did not just rely on the
Holy Spirit to guide and direct us; He put His goals down in writing. We
are told to make the word of the Lord plain upon "tables"
(tablets) so that it is clear and specific as to what the vision is
"... so that he may run that readeth it."
The key word is "run." God desires that we run with the vision
and goal in our life. As long as we are running with the vision, we won't
turn around. When you walk with a vision, it's easy to change directions
and go the wrong way. You can't stroll to a goal.
In Proverbs 24: 3,4 (TLB), we read: "Any enterprise is built by wise
planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by
keeping abreast of the facts." Simply stated, effective goal-setting
and planning provides an opportunity to bring the future to present and
deal with it today. You will find that achievement is easy when your outer
goals become an inner commitment.
Even though we have the Holy Spirit, we still need to prepare; we are just
better equipped to do so. God's first choice for us in any situation
cannot be disorder and waste of funds or resources. That's why proper
planning is so important. Plan to the potential. Believe for God's biggest
dream. When you plan, look to the future, not the past. You can't drive
forward by looking out the rear window.
Always involve yourself with something that's bigger than you are, because
that's where God is. Every great success was, at the beginning,
impossible. We all have opportunity for success in our lives. It just
takes just a much energy and effort for a bad life as it does for a good
life; yet most people live meaningless lives simply because they never
decide to write their vision down and then follow through on it. Know
this, if you can't see the mark, you can't press towards it.
"Ponder at the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be
established" (Prov. 4:26). You will find that what you learn on the
path to your goals is actually more valuable than achieving the goal
itself. Columbus discovered American while searching for a route to India.
Be on the lookout for the "Americas: in your path. Put God's vision
for your life on paper, and begin to run with His plan. |
