Goals Stretch Your Faith
By Rick Warren

“According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29b NIV).

Every time you set a goal, you are saying, “I believe God wants me to do this by ‘such and such’ a date,” and that is a statement of faith.

If you state a big goal, God will work in a big way. If you state a medium-size goal, God will work in a medium way. If you state a small goal, God will work in a small way.

So you can see how goals stretch your faith. They affirm that you trust God, but they are also statements of how much you trust God. The Bible says, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29b NIV).

This means that no goal is really a goal by default. In other words, if you don’t set a goal, you’ve already set it, and the goal is to stay the same.

See how this works:

  • When I ask you, “What’s your goal for your health?” and you say, “I don’t have one,” then your goal is to stay the same.
  • When I ask you, “What’s your goal in your relationships?” and you say, “I don’t have one,” then your goal is for them not to get any better.
  • When I ask you, “What’s your goal for your finances and getting out of debt?” and you say, “I don’t have one,” then your goal is to stay in debt.
  • When I ask you, “What’s your goal for your business career?” and you say, “I don’t have one,” then your goal is to just drift along. 

That’s why the Bible teaches us to have goals. They are a spiritual discipline. They challenge our faith. They develop our character, and they build our hope. 

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Talk It Over

  • How do your goals reveal how much you trust God to do big things in your life?
  • In what area have you neglected to set a goal?
  • What goal will you set today so that you are continually growing in every area of your life?

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit rickwarren.org

book

The Daniel Plan Book

During an afternoon of baptizing over 800 people, Pastor Rick Warren realized it was time for change. He told his congregation he needed to lose weight and asked if anyone wanted to join him. He thought maybe 200 people would sign up, instead he witnessed a movement unfold as 15,000 people lost over 260,000 pounds in the first year. With assistance from medical and fitness experts, Pastor Rick and thousands of people began a journey to transform their lives.

The Daniel Plan is an innovative approach to achieving a healthy lifestyle where people get better together by optimizing their health in the key areas of faith, food, fitness, focus and friends.

This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

You can also listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.