Many Christians believe that pursuing our goals goes against certain Christian beliefs and counteracts whatever plan God has in store for us. On the contrary – Scriptures encourage us to pursue our goals and achieve success.
Consider these passages from the Bible:
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
1 Chronicles 4:10 “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.”
The Promise of God
In Jeremiah, God tells you there is a plan for you: a wonderful and amazing plan. It’s a plan for success and joy.
Where did God plant that plan? In your heart, of course! God has given you the desire to succeed and manifest His work in this world.
The question is, “How do I find that plan?”
Since God planted the plan in your heart, look in your heart. Look prayerfully.
Try these strategies to discover this plan:
- What is your passion? Your passion holds the dreams which God planted in your heart. Follow your passion.
- Are you pushing it away? Is there something niggling in the back of your mind you're trying to avoid? Bring it to the forefront. Look at it clearly. This may contain God's plan for you that your ego wants to avoid. Your ego is that part of you that wants your will, not God's.
- The “What then?” trick. Ask yourself, “Once I achieve that goal, what then would I want?” Keep asking “what then” until you have this deep ah-ha experience that says, “That's it. That's the ultimate plan for my life.”
