“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”Hebrews 11:6 NIV
You’ve got goals. You may not call them goals. You may call them dreams or aspirations or desires, but you’ve got them. The difficulty with goals— or dreams or aspirations or desires — is that life often gets in the way of seeing them through. The storms of life arise, and you lose track of that destination because of the road conditions. You forget where you are going and get focused on just going. But does just going help you keep going?
How do you find the motivation to keep going through all the unavoidable challenges that life throws at you? Keep your goals centered in God and you will find it.
God-centered goals need God-centered motivation. God-centered motivation is found in God’s Word. Hope for the future grows as you spend time with God’s truth. Hope is an expectation that what you desire will happen. God-centered hope is found in a faith that God will do what He has said He will do.
I know that I don’t have that kind of hope in myself. But I find promises in the Word that build it in me. The motivation to keep going comes from faith that God will do so much more than I can ask, think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) I believe that He has begun a good work in me and will complete it. Philippians 1:6) Scriptures like these come to my mind when I am unfocused or unmotivated and either keep me on track or help me get back on track.
God-centered goals are an expression of faith in God. Faith acts. Saying I have faith is not enough. Faith must be demonstrated. Simply creating and writing out a goal I have worked out with God through prayerful consideration is an act of faith. When you write out or speak out your goal, you demonstrate that you believe this goal is from God and that He will help you see it through.
This has been my experience. The goals that I have set on my own — or dreams or aspirations I have expressed — don’t go anywhere. They fall flat. Even if I reach that goal, there is not the sense of fulfillment that comes from reaching a goal I have set with God. When I have included Him in the process of creating and attaining a goal, there is an indescribable sense of rightness. I know that we have done it together.
When you take the time to include God in the planning and then set that goal, you are declaring that you trust Him to help you reach it.
Hope is a great motivator. True hope is not a pie-in-the-sky thought. True hope has an anchor. It is grounded in trust. Trust in the character of God. Trust that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. That hope is unshakeable because God doesn’t change. What He promises doesn’t change. What He has done in the past, He will do now and in the future. How do you learn His character? In His Word. If you need more hope, you need more of His Word. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. But, most of all, pay attention to how He does all that He promised.
Dear friend, when you recognize that you are losing motivation, or have slipped into “just going” mode, it’s time to step back and re-center on God. Once you find your God-centered motivation, you will regain faith, hope and trust in Him, and you will regain the motivation to keep going toward your God-centered goals.
Key Question: How do you find the motivation to keep going?
A Scripture to Consider: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”Hebrews 11:6 NIV
A YES Challenge: Review your goals if you have them written down. If not, take some time to recognize those dreams and aspirations that continually resurface in your life. Next, prayerfully spend time in the Scriptures and ask God to highlight the promises that will motivate you to keep going.
Prayer: Father, I believe that You will do what You have promised. My dreams, or goals, or aspirations, or desires, are Your responsibility to fulfill, not mine. Show me the goals that line up with Your plans for me. Help me to move forward with faith that You will complete everything that You have planned for me. You are faithful. I can find the motivation to persevere in You and You alone. Amen.