{"id":326,"date":"2015-12-29T22:02:51","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T03:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christiancompositions.com\/blog\/?p=326"},"modified":"2015-12-29T22:02:51","modified_gmt":"2015-12-30T03:02:51","slug":"3-keys-to-godly-goal-setting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christiancompositions.com\/blog\/3-keys-to-godly-goal-setting\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Keys to Godly Goal Setting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"3<\/a>Do you ever feel frustrated that you don’t accomplish your goals and keep your commitments? Have you decided not to set any goals for the coming year because you don’t want to fail? How can a Christian make, and keep, the right kind of commitments?<\/span><\/p>\n

The new year is almost upon us, and\u00a0is a great opportunity to reflect over the past year, take stock, set goals, and hit the virtual reset button in our lives.<\/p>\n

Sadly, it is easy to\u00a0have a multitude of plans, goals, resolutions, commitments – call them what you will – but we don’t always follow through. There are thousands of books, blogs, podcasts, apps, and other resources out there to try to help us get organized, stay motivated, and achieve our goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the child of God, it is true that we are not to presume that we have tomorrow (James 4:13-15), but we are to be discreet, diligent, and disciplined about our lives and choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

How do we get past the hype of the “New Year’s Resolution” and make Christ-honoring commitments that we will stick to no matter what time of year it is?<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to share\u00a0three very simple things that have helped me (and I still need a lot of help!). \u00a0I hope they will help you as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key #1 – Make Spiritual Commitments Your First Priority<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mt. 6:33)<\/p>\n

It is good\u00a0to make commitments about our health, our homes, our productivity, and other aspects of our lives; but far too\u00a0often we leave the spiritual decisions for last, or leave them out entirely. As a Christian, pleasing Christ should be my first priority. The truth is that most of the areas where we make “resolutions” have an unaddressed spiritual problem at their root. If we would take the time to examine ourselves, and ask the Lord to search our hearts, we would discover that making obedience to Him our priority would resolve most of those areas.<\/p>\n

Case in point<\/strong><\/em>: I struggle with my weight. I love to make resolutions this time of year about eating and exercise, and there’s nothing wrong with that; however, if the root problems are gluttony, or laziness, or a lack of temperance or discipline in my life, they are really spiritual issues. If I do nothing to address the real problems, I will never achieve a lasting solution. Recognizing and confessing the underlying sin, and making those areas a priority in my prayer time and my Bible study would be a much better way to permanently correct them.<\/em><\/p>\n

Key #2 – Make Settled Commitments About Your Path<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (Ps. 37:5)<\/p>\n

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.\u00a0Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” (Pro. 4:26-27)<\/p>\n

Determining biblical principles for your life will help make your way clear when questions arise.\u00a0 God’s Word guides our feet in the right way. Many times we make commitments we cannot keep because they are not in God’s will, therefore God cannot empower and enable us to fulfill them.<\/p>\n

It is natural to be enthusiastic about new projects or plans, but we need to discipline ourselves to run everything<\/strong> we want to do (yes, even good things) through a few “filters”:<\/p>\n