"The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I'm only concerned with your plans for me. I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can't contain your commands!" - King David
Your wildest dreams can't contain God's best plan for your life.
But we have an enemy that lies in ambush to destroy our dreams by our own hands.
In the book "What They Don't Teach You in the Harvard Business School," Mark McCormack tells of a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program where students were asked:
"Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?"
The result:
- Only 3 percent of the graduates had written goals and plans
- 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing
- And a whopping 84 percent had no specific goals at all.
Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were nonetheless astonishing:
- The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all.
- The three percent who had clear, written goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together.
Leaders set SMART, clear, written goals.
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
- Specific.
Goals must be specific.
Hab. 2:2 "And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by."
To set a specific and fine tuned goal, you should be able to clearly identify the goal and answer these questions:
What will you accomplish? Where will you accomplish it? When will you accomplish it? Who will help you accomplish it? Will it cost anything or will it save money? Who do you need to share it with for accountability?
- Measurable.
Goals need to be measurable.
In Luke 19:12, Jesus tells the parable of the master that goes into a distant country and gives his ten servants, ten minas and says "OCCUPY (OR DO BUSINESS) TILL I COME."
When the master returns, he asks for an audit of what he entrusted his employees with. And he rewards them with AUTHORITY OVER CITIES in proportion to the number of times they multiplied their gift.
One brings a 100% return; another brings a 50% return (v16-19.) But one responds in verse 20, "I laid my talent in a towel and buried it."
The last servant says, "I feared how harsh you would be if I did not produce or yield a return, so I did nothing with it; I killed my gift (or potential) by lack of use or indifference.
(Indifference is the absence of compulsion towards one thing or another; the lack of difference or distinction from two or more things.)
And the master responded by giving the ten minas to the one who yielded the highest return, saying: "To everyone THAT HAS shall be given; but from him that HAS NOT that even which he has shall be taken from him" (v26.)
DON'T BE A "HAS NOT."
Cities, nations, responsibility and authority come to those that have accomplished something by the work of their hands.
It's unfair for people to expect you to give them positions (or platforms) you have worked hard for without the same work ethic.
Some people don't put an effort into their work because it is not their dream job; not realizing that God releases "dreams you want" in proportion to what you are giving (in difficult jobs, markets or seasons.)
If you sow a volunteer position, God will reward you with a "paid one." If you sow a good work ethic, God will give you people in exchange for yours. If you sow loyalty, God will keep His promise, even when men don't.
Jesus said, "Occupy till I come."
In other words, "Act as if I am not coming back in your lifetime; Build yourselves houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat the fruit of them. Fix your credit; Get a job; sell and trade what you know; rule and reign in the midst of your enemies. Multiply in that hostile employment market or working environment and do not be diminished. Learn to love the place you are at, as if it were your destiny."
Today, the place you are standing, though it looks like an unfruitful desert, is holy ground; a consecrated place where God has promised to make a table in the midst of your enemies and declares, "TOMORROW YOU SHALL DO WONDERS."
At any time of this stage, ask yourself:
- How will I measure my dreams or success?
- What system will I use to manage my progress, successes and setbacks?
- What is it I truly want to look back on and celebrate?
- Am I doing everything I planned? (If not, what went wrong? What is the next step? Then what's the next step, then what?)
- Is my work (or vision) having the impact I anticipated (producing or moving toward the result targets established by my objectives)?
- Are changes needed in my plan?
RIGHT NOW, "If your dream underwent an audit of current work or progress achieved, would it pass or fail?
Stay tuned for more next week.
DOWNLOAD THE CHAMPIONS SMART DREAM AND GOAL SYSTEM NOW TO GET STARTED SETTING YOUR 2012 GOALS.
