Start to shape your 2015, together with God – part 1

I gave this message on the first Sunday of January, and since then I have realised how it takes a concerted effort to put time aside to firstly make plans, & secondly, then wait on God to speak to you about them and sense His input and voice. But I can see how the effort I have made, has allowed me to be much more aware of what I am doing, to correct mistakes faster, and change more effectively:

I got upset with someone last Wednesday on the phone for refusing to cancel a membership for an old gym, felt uncomfortable about my tone and language, wrote them an email to apologise for making their day harder than it needed to be, and apologised to my work colleagues who had to listen to the conversation, and then got an email back thanking me for the apology and offering to refund me the £56.

Here are the notes from the message and a link to the you tube video:

Start to shape your 2015, together with God – part 1

As you look out in to this year, what do you see? Do you know where it is that you are hoping to get to, do you know your destination?

At the start of this New Year it is a wonderful opportunity to clarify our goals, our dreams, and make plans accordingly.

How many days do we have left? …about three hundred and forty something.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

There is nothing more powerful than a focused life.

When our life is focused around a clear vision, then things start to happen that we never imagined.

Make the link between the good decisions and the good outcomes however long the gap is between the two.

The more focused our life is the more impact it will have. Goals are extremely important in life, as is the action on our part it takes to reach them, but too few of us set goals in life.

To focus your life and reach your biggest goals, there are some actions we need to take.

You will always need a dream in your life. You will always need a vision in your life.

Without a dream you drift.

1. Determine your present position.

You can’t figure out where you want to go until you know where you already are. You’ve got to know your present position, your current condition. You have to know where you are right now.

Where am I now financially? Where am I now emotionally? Where am I now in my career or ministry? Where am I now relationally? Where am I now spiritually? What’s my GPS right now?

Then you want to ask yourself the question, What would I like to change?

2. Describe exactly what you want.

I suggest you actually write it down on paper. What do I want to accomplish in the next ten years? Don’t be vague. Vague goals are never accomplished. The more specific you are the better. Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific. And it needs to be clear. It needs to be concise. It needs to be compelling.

To do that you have to ask four questions:

Whom do I want to BE?

What do I want to DO?

What do I want to HAVE?

WHY do I want it?

When I have sat down for myself to go through this process, I realise there are a lot of sub headings, a lot of different areas for me to make goals in:

My relationships: as a husband, father, son, and brother.

My office life, as part of a team in a business.

As a member of the church council, Media team, national finance committee, restructuring committee.

As a manager of an U9 football team.

I just joined a squash league.

My health, finances, etc…

3. Hear God’s promise.

At this step you don’t focus on your problems.

There will be problems in reaching your goal. You focus on the promises, not the problems.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11

Otherwise you’re just filled with fear.

Dozens of times in Scripture, God says “I’ll be with you. I’ll be with you. I’m going to be with you everywhere you go.”

You may not feel God’s presence but there is never a time in your life when God is not with you. We need to find our way to plug in to that power. You need to realize what is reality, and the reality is you are never alone.

True Father as he left the UK on his final visit to our nation said: “I am promising that I will be with you, that I will protect you until the end.” He said this because he understands God’s heart to always be with us, and he wants to also convey that same heart towards us, and he wants us to know that is how it is.

4. Ask God for help.

Is it ok to pray for success? Obviously. What’s the alternative? “God, make me a failure.” Of course God wants you to be all he made you to be. Of course God wants you to develop the talents He’s given you. Of course God wants to bless you so you can be a blessing to other people. When your success helps others and when your success honours God, you’d better be praying about it!

The Bible says this in Hebrews 4,

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. [in other words when we pray] There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

So you need to pray. [remember ask God to help you]

Are you praying about your goals? Are you praying about your dreams? Are you praying about your vision? Are you talking to God about them?

Your prayer reveals two things. First, it reveals how serious you are about your dreams. If you’re not asking God for this to happen in your life, you don’t really care about it that much. It’s not a real deep desire. It’s just a whim. It also reveals how much you’re depending on God. If you never pray about it, you’re depending only on yourself.

In part 2 I would like us to look at some of this in more detail, and so please think about putting regular time aside for planning your year with God.

Start thinking and praying about your goals now!