We would like an easy way. I could set my goal to be something that’s easy to reach. That way, I can be sure that I don’t fail. Is that the way to set a goal?
Know your goal. Some people fail to set a goal. Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Some people fail to set the right goal. They set a random goal. So how do you set a goal?
Get your goal from God. He’s alive, you know. He’s available. He’s ready to lead if you’re willing to follow. You must learn to know His Voice. You must be ready to take the attitude of no compromise. If you read the second and third chapters of Revelation, you’ll find that there are wonderful promises to the overcomers. For those who fail, God doesn’t offer those same promises.
“To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7) “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” (verse 11) “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” (verse 17) “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. (verses 26, 27, and 28) “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5) “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” (verse 12) “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (verse 21)
All of these promises are linked closely to having ears to hear. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (utterance) of God. Faith gives access to grace. Grace does the righteousness through us. Righteousness leads to holiness.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” Seek God’s will. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When we seek God and His will, He often says things we don’t like. He tells us to speak when we don’t want to. He tells us not to speak when we want to. He tells us to speak in love when we want to get even. Human flesh and the Holy Spirit are always at odds. They’re mutually exclusive. It’s a battle to the death.
The enemies are the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. Flesh is the body—and the mind that is under control of the body. The flesh wants to fit it. It wants to get along with all the influences of the world. Flesh runs on emotions and irrational thinking.
The world is the culture.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The world consists of the influence of friends who aren’t speaking God’s words or doing God’s will. It consists of people you love. It consists of the media, news, textbooks with half-truths and untruths, opinions on the Internet, movies, movie stars, performers of all sorts, comedians, and many other influences of culture.
The world is also internal. Every experience that each of us has is filtered through our preconceived ideas, our worldviews. Each worldview seems more real than reality to the person who owns that worldview. Everyone has a worldview, a concept of reality. Pardon me for saying something so obvious, but this concept is a concept. It’s not reality.
This is a serious problem with which we all struggle. I struggle with it. Many people don’t even know that they are struggling with it. They fully believe that their own worldviews are reality as it is. They don’t realize that their worldviews are powerful filters.
These filters keep out any parts of reality that conflict with the worldview. They then add the new filtered interpretations of reality to the worldview in the form of confirmation bias. If anyone persists in exposing the errors of the worldview, they perceive such a person as a irrational.
“The devil” refers to principalities and powers.
2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Set a goal to overcome the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh. There’s only one way to do this through Jesus Christ—that’s by grace, which is through faith. Faith comes by hearing the utterance of God. God leads. Faith comes and gives access to grace. Grace does God’s works. This process changes you.
When God leads you, you see who you are and how you fit into the Body of Christ—not all at once, but by incremental steps. As the fleshly veil is pulled away from your face, you see the glory of Christ in yourself and in your brother and sister. You see this as if looking into a mirror image. As you see this, you’re changed into the same image from glory to ever-exceeding glory. This change is executed by the Spirit of God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
You must hear His Voice. That’s where it all starts. How do you hear His Voice?
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Draw nigh to God. Seek the Lord, your God, with everything you have. Praise Him. He inhabits the praises of His people. Discern His Body, the Body of Christ. No longer look at people after the flesh but after the spirit. Are they born again. Recognize the Christ in them. When God leads you, submit to Him. Spend time in prayer. Read the Bible daily. Have a family time of worship every day. Attend church weekly. As you read Scripture, the Holy Spirit will counsel you about many other things where you are to cooperate with Him as He moves through you in righteousness.
