How to Know What God Wants

March 15, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 NKJV

I like setting goals. I have gotten in the habit of setting them at the beginning of every year. What I have learned most from this practice is that some goals are my ideas, and some align with God’s goals for me. As the year goes on, I can tell by the progress I make and how I am learning and growing in the process. I want to set those kinds of goals from the start. But how do I narrow down my goals to focus on God’s goals for me? How do I know what God wants?

This is a tough one. There are many plans in my heart and yours. So many things you and I want to do. How do we know which ones to focus on? How do we narrow our goals down to the ones that God has for us?

Here are a few steps.

Pray. This may seem obvious, but it is an easy step to skip. Even when we are working for the Lord it can be easy to leave Him out of the process. We make our plans and work hard, convincing ourselves that we are doing it for God, but it’s very possible that we’ve never talked to Him about it.

This became clear to me when I was working as a full-time pastor. All day, every day I was working for God, but I realized I was losing my connection to Him, and I didn’t want that. I began to pray regularly as I sat down to my desk, Lord, help me do this with You, not just for You. It’s a prayer I still pray, but. more often than not, it’s a prayer I need to remind myself to pray because I just dive into the work. Perhaps you identify with that.

Praying over my goals regularly helps me remember that I can’t accomplish them on my own and that my goals are not about me. They are about His honor and glory. That helps me tweak or abandon goals as necessary. But it also keeps me motivated to persevere in the goals that become clearly His.

Read. God’s goals will always line up with His Word. The best way to recognize God’s goals for you is to know what His word says. Again, this may seem obvious, but it is easy to skip.

How to Set God-Centered Goals — The Word and the Spirit

February 22, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” Ephesians 1:14 NLT

How do you set God-centered goals? If you are like me, you want your life to line up with God’s goals for you. You want to live for His glory. That means you want to set goals that honor Him and advance His Kingdom. A worthy desire! But how?

The key to lining up your goals with God’s goals for you is to know what His goals are, right? But how do you know what His goals are? He has provided all that you need. His Word and His Spirit.

The Word. If you want to set God-centered goals you must immerse yourself in the Word of God. His goal for your life will always line up with His Word. His word is one story from beginning to end. His Word helps you understand the big picture of God’s love for humanity and His plan for their redemption. God-centered goals fit into that big picture.

To know God’s goal for you, you must know His Word. You understand His desires as You understand Him through His Word. Jesus is the Living Word. God-centered goals glorify Jesus and always point to Him.

The Spirit. The Spirit is God present with us here and now. He is the guarantee that our lives belong to God, that we have a part in the inheritance He has planned for His family. What an awesome thought!

ASK: What Do You Want Most?

February 15, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” Acts 20:24 NLT

What is the result of God-centered goal setting? God’s glory. Is that what you want most? That’s a question I must often ask myself. If I want to stay on track with God’s purpose for my life, then His glory has to be the driver for my choices. But it often isn’t. What about you?

The key to setting God-centered goals is to seek God’s glory above all else. Much of the internet and print teaching you find about setting goals has to do with self-fulfillment and reaching your full potential. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but it lacks the aspect of fulfilling divine potential, becoming all that God designed you to be.

So, Dear Friend, ask yourself what you really want. Is it self-fulfillment or fulfilling God’s dream for your life?

When I seek God’s glory, my desires become submitted to His. The thing about God’s glory is that it’s about God, not me. Do you start setting goals by asking what you want to do? Even if you start with asking who you want to be it leaves God out of the picture.

God-Centered Goal Setting: Love is the Motivator

January 25, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways.” Proverbs 23:26 NLT

It’s still early in the year. Have you set some goals yet? If so, did you include God in your goal-setting process? Loving God is about making Him the center of all we do. You and I know that. But do we let our love for Him dictate how we approach setting goals?

Essentially, there are two ways to approach including God in the process. The first is to set goals based on what you want and what you think is best. You may pray and believe these goals are the ones God is speaking to you, which is good. The final step in that process is to ask God to bless your efforts and help you achieve those goals.

There is nothing inherently wrong with that approach. Your desire is to honor God and that is wonderful! However, let me propose a better way.

In the second approach, you put God at the center from the beginning. You ask God what He is doing and how He wants you to participate. You ask Him to guide you in setting goals that achieve His purpose. I grow in my love for God when I focus my goal-setting process on hearing His heart and bringing Him glory. Here’s some perspective.

God-centered goals focus on what He is doing around me. Loving Him and listening to His heart means my eyes are more open to what is happening around me. I recognize when He is at work in a situation. I notice when He wants to move at a slower pace than I prefer. I hear another person’s words through the filter of what He wants to accomplish in and for them.

When I am more aware of what God is doing and wanting to do than my own desires, I can set goals that align with His. There is nothing more satisfying!

God-centered goals reveal what He wants me to do to achieve His goals. When I see and hear what He is doing around me my question becomes, “God, how do you want me to fit into Your plan and purpose here and now?”

Goal-Setting Step 1: Ask - Listen for the Unexpected

January 11, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” Psalms 32:8-9 NIV

Tom and I like to begin the year with a season of prayer and fasting. Why? We want our relationship with God to set the tone for the year. What characteristics does He want to build in us? What weaknesses will we work on? What does God want me to know about Him this year? What goals does God want me to set to help me grow toward the person He designed me to be?

Setting God-centered goals starts with asking God what He wants. This goal-setting process begins in the final quarter of the previous year. That is when I begin praying, listening, and looking to discover my word for the next year. That word becomes a guide as I enter the fasting and prayer season. This process of praying and waiting is about staying open. By removing distractions, like sweet treats, social media, or mindless games on my phone, I make space for God to speak. And He does.

God-centered goals often lead us in unexpected ways to unexpected places with unexpected people. Last year one of my goals was to finally finish writing and publish the book that has been in process for a decade, The YES Adventure. That goal led me to apply for an aspiring author’s cohort with a well-known writer and speaker…and I was accepted! I received one one-on-one input from a woman whose ministry I have admired for several years. Her guidance helped me finally see a clear structure for my book. Not only that, but I also received meaningful personal ministry from her at a conference several years ago and was able to tell her how much she had impacted me. After the online meeting she called to tell me she had left that conference discouraged and wondering if she had connected with anyone. I said, “You did! With me!”

I didn’t know about that cohort in January. If I had not recognized God’s nudge to make the book a priority I would never have applied for the group, received clarity on structure, or had the opportunity to encourage my mentor. The goal wasn’t just about the task, but the people who became part of helping me complete the task. Developing tenacity, learning techniques, and influencing people have all been a part of the book project. It’s so much more than achieving a goal. It’s about the growth, more than the goal.

God-centered goals are about God’s plan for my growth.

One Word and a Framework for God-Centered Goal-Setting.

January 4, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

'Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ' Philippians 3:12

It’s that time again. January. When everyone gets a fresh start. As you consider 2025, What do you want to achieve? A more important question: Who do you want to become?

I have found a one-word theme for each year helps me focus and make progress in both of those areas. One word focuses on an area for personal growth, but has also helped me define goals that keep me working toward new achievements.

Here’s a framework to help you discover and build on a one-word theme.

ASK - Ask God what He wants for you in the coming year. Ask Him what one word to focus on. You may be surprised!

AIM – Set goals that line up with God’s word for you and dreams that you know are from Him. Consider all areas of your life: Spiritual, Physical, Relational, Financial, Emotional, Work.

ACT – Design some next steps to achieve those goals. Be sure those steps include all areas of life. When you complete each step determine the next step.

ACHIEVE – Celebrate your wins as you take steps and achieve goals. Then prepare to go through the process again. It’s about the growth, not the goals!

Questions for reflection:

Start with reflection and prayer. There are plenty of resources to help you reflect, and I use several, but here are some questions from me to get you started.

What are you grateful to say goodbye to from 2024?

What has been difficult about this year?

What can you celebrate? What are some of the good gifts God gave you in 2024?

Now, here are some questions to consider as you look forward to 2025:

What do you want to say when you get to this time next year?

How would you like to grow in 2025?

In what way is God calling you to move forward and how will you focus on that?

Let’s take a little more time with that framework.

Don’t Settle For Satisfied.

February 10, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” Ephesians 5:17 MSG

Are you settling for satisfied? Satisfied sounds like a good thing, and it is to a point. But is satisfied fulfilled?

Satisfied is content with the current status. Is that you? Is that enough? There was a time in my life when that was me. I was satisfied but within was an unrelenting awareness that there was more. Satisfied may seem like enough, but is it achieving all that you are meant for? I knew that I wasn’t but wasn’t sure what to do next.

Fulfillment results from doing what you were created to do. Fulfillment comes from being the best you. Fulfillment is found in divine potential. That unrelenting awareness began to dissipate as I set out to pursue my purpose and potential.

Doing what is on your task list may seem like enough. When you check off each task you may feel satisfied. I know I do! But are you fulfilled? I knew I was not.

My challenge to you, Dear Friend, is to reach for fulfillment. Don’t settle for satisfied.

Why?

Focus 2024 With Just One Word

January 6, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3: 12-14

When you look back at 2023 what do you see? For me and my family, it has been a year of BIG changes! Transitions aplenty! Everyone in my immediate family moved into a new home. Tom and I moved to a new part of our state and have entered into a new season of work. Not only did we experience the natural chaos that comes with a move, but we also spent five months in limbo as we waited for our new house to be renovated and ready to move into. It has been a season of settling on the inside even when everything was unsettled on the outside. We have grown tremendously. As 2023 closes, we are in the beginning stages of settling into our new life. But what does God have in store for 2024?

If you have followed me for a while, then you know that I like to end each year with reflection and start the new year with a one-word theme. Keep reading if you don’t know what I mean!

There are plenty of resources to help you reflect, and I like to make use of them, but here are some questions from me to get you started.

How to Set a Goal That Really Matters

December 2, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3: 23-4

I don’t know about you, but I like to set goals early in the year. Setting goals gives me a direction for my time and energy. Over time I have learned how to set goals that motivate me and help me to move forward. I find that I meet the goals more often than I miss them. That is really encouraging!

An important part of goal setting and keeping is evaluation. Throughout the year I keep my goals in mind. I look at them frequently and I step back to see how I am doing in forward motion toward meeting that goal. But, later in the year, like November, is a good time for some serious evaluation. I look at the goals I set for the year and gauge what progress I’ve made, but I also begin to consider what my goals might be for the next year.

I have learned that setting a goal is an act of faith. I know that I can’t meet any goal without God’s help. So, I prayerfully set the goals with God. Setting goals for next year actually starts now for me. What about you? Do you set goals and stay on track with them? What if I could give you a way to set goals that will help you to make progress in what matters most? It might be a different approach and I hope it helps you end next year knowing that you have moved forward toward fulfilling the potential God put in you!

Several years ago, I began employing a different kind of goal that has guided my other goals. I pray about and choose a word as an overarching theme for the year. I have heard it said that the word really “chooses you” and I have found that to be true!

In the fall, I start listening for what my word might be for the next year. Many times, that word has been a surprise to me. I might be sitting in church or a conference and when the speaker uses a certain word it seems to be on loudspeaker! Or I might be reading – not necessarily the Bible, it could be anything – when a word seems to stand out as if it is. not only bold, but highlighted in fluorescent yellow or pink or green! I give it time and look for ways that word is confirmed before I take my next step.

Once I settle on the word, I begin to pray about an anchor scripture to go along with that word. One year my word was “Perseverance” and the companion scripture was Hebrews 10:36.

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (NIV)

Another year my word was “Loved” and my scripture was Ephesians 3:19 (NLT)

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

The systems I’ve created to keep my word and verse in mind have helped me to memorize the verse but also reminded me to do what it said – to persevere in pursuing my goals or to trust that because I am loved by God I am full of life and power that comes from Him. You get the idea?

Finally, I set some goals for the year. I don’t usually finalize those goals until January, but I begin to think about them as I evaluate the past year. As I craft goal statements, I try to keep my word in mind and align the goal with that word. The theme word doesn’t define the goal itself. It defines how I want to approach the goal. Such as with “perseverance” or to “influence” or from a position of knowing that I am “loved.”

As the year comes to a close, I find myself encouraged at how God has helped me to do so much more than I could do on my own. This year my word was “launch” and I have found myself launched into so many new things. Even though I may not have accomplished all the tasks on my goal list, I have lived out my word. The word is more about what God has done in me than accomplishing tasks. That’s my hope for you. That you would live in a way that allows God to do His work so that you can fulfill all that He has for you.

So, what do you think? Does this process intrigue you? If so, reach out to me. I’d love to talk with you about it. No matter how you approach your goals, my hope is that you will commit yourself to being all that God has called you to be. That is a goal worth reaching for!

Key Question: What are you doing right now to prepare for progress in the next year?

A Scripture to Consider: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3: 23-4

A YES Challenge: Start praying about a word for 2024. Keep your eyes and ears open so that you can be attentive to what God might be speaking to you.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for the progress I have made this past year. At times, it seemed like I wasn’t moving forward at all, but You have been faithful. You have helped me keep my focus and accomplish more than I could without You. As I look back on this year and look forward to next year, help me to discern what You are saying so that I can set appropriate goals. My greatest desire is to honor You. Help me to keep pressing toward my full potential for Your glory. Amen.

Go Further With Friends

October 7, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. John 15:16-17 NIV

Who are your closest friends? Have you ever thought about how those friends influence you? Well, they do! I have some friends who motivate me and keep me on track just by being their wonderful selves. Their forward progress inspires me to keep going and keep reaching for the goals that I believe God wants me to achieve. My friends help me go further.

Whether you recognize it or not, your friends help you go further, too. How do friendships help you achieve your goals?

Friends keep you accountable. We all veer off course from time to time. It’s a fact. We need people who can see what we don’t see to help us get back on track. Friends help us do that. Sometimes they help us do that by calling us out when they see us drifting. But most often, our friends help us stay on track by reminding us of what is important. Just their presence in our lives and the time we spend together reminds us of what we want and what is important to us. That helps us stay on track. Want to accomplish those goals? Schedule regular times with your friends!