Goals stretch your faith

by Rick Warren forwarded by a fellow RW According to your faith will it be done to you. Matthew 9:29 (NIV) "No goal is really a goal by default. If you don't set a goal, you've already set it and the goal is to stay the same." 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. Now, 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 my faith. They affirm that I trust God, but that also are statements of how much I trust God. The Bible says, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” (Matthew 9:29 NLT) 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 in 2011? If 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? If 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? If 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? If 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