{"id":27006,"date":"2020-07-03T11:19:54","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T10:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=27006"},"modified":"2020-07-03T11:19:54","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T10:19:54","slug":"what-are-your-goals-for-the-second-half-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=27006","title":{"rendered":"What are your goals for the second half of the year?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tope Banso<\/strong>
\n\u201cIf you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done\u201d. – King Solomon
\nWe\u2019ve just entered the second half of this year. Are you realizing the goals you set for the year? Nearly everybody didn\u2019t anticipate the crisis the current pandemic has caused globally. The goals of many people have been affected by the pandemic and the associated lockdowns.
\nFor some people, however, the problem is that they never set any goals at the beginning of the year or they set goals that were not realistic or feasible. Therefore, they have no goals really to review. They can only lament over the consequences of the pandemic.
\nWhile it is true that the pandemic has caused setbacks for people, we cannot continue to agonize. We must not surrender our destinies to the pandemic. We must, in the midst of the pandemic, trust God to make progress and achieve our goals.
\nEcclesiastes 11:4 says, \u201cHe who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap\u201d (New King James Version). The New Living Translation \u201cIf you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done\u201d (Ecclesiastes 11:4).
\nThose who set goals, which have been threatened by the pandemic, and those who didn\u2019t set goals or set unrealistic goals, still have six months to make the most of this year.
\nIn view of the challenges posed by the pandemic, it will be proper for those who set goals at the beginning of the year to review or revise them and make goals that are achievable. Every other person who didn\u2019t set goals or set unachievable goals now has opportunity to to set realistic goals and not waste the remaining half of the year.
\nYou may be in a country or state where there is lockdown, you don\u2019t have to waste this season. You should find ways of turning adversity into advantage. There should be something tangible you\u2019re doing with your life, as you stay at home. If because of the pandemic, you\u2019ve not been at work in the last three, four, five or six months, what have you achieved with your life? It would be bad if you\u2019ve just been sleeping and waking up, and waiting for the time the pandemic will end. Though we are praying, nobody knows the exact time this pandemic will end.
\nIn setting goals for yourself or revising your goals, first find out God\u2019s purpose for your life. In saying that, I assume that you are born again or you’ve given your life to Jesus. If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, I urge you to do that now. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour now.
\nYour goals should be related to your life\u2019s purpose. I am talking about God-honouring goals. Paul speaks about his purpose in life. \u201cBut you know what I teach, Timothy, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is\u201d (2 Timothy 3:10 New Living Translation). Do you know your purpose in life?
\nPeople waste their lives, energy, time and other resources when they are motivated by greed, covetousness, and so on to set and pursue their goals. God is not committed to helping them to realize such goals.
\nSometimes, God may not even oppose such people in realizing such goals, but if they achieve them, they shouldn\u2019t give the glory to Him. He doesn\u2019t need it. Such supposed success is more dangerous than a glaring failure. However, when you derive your goals from your purpose, these goals will transport you to the future God has for you.
\nPrayerfully receive and set your goals. Don\u2019t pick goals from around you, watching what others are doing, what your friends and neighbours plan to do, etc. As a child of God, derive your goals from God, not by copying others. That\u2019s why some people\u2019s goals fail even when there is no pandemic.
\nLet your goals not only be what you want to do, but what God wants you to do. Let it be what God is prepared to help you to accomplish. So pray about your goals and listen to the Spirit of God.
\nSpend time with God and listen to the impression in your spirit. What is the Spirit of God moving your heart towards? What vision is God giving you? What steps is God telling you to take? Don\u2019t leave God out of your goals. Saul, after the LORD encountered him on the way to Damascus, asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” (Acts 9:6a New King James Version).
\nInvolve God in setting your goals. James 4:13-16 says, \u201cLook here, you people who say, \u2018Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.\u2019 How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog \u2014 it\u2019s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, \u2018If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.\u2019 Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil\u201d (New Living Translation).
\nGod does not grant just anything we desire. He is not quick to give us just anything we want. He is concerned about His purpose for our lives and wants us to derive whatever goals we want to pursue in life from that purpose. Many people waste their lives pursuing irrelevant goals.
\nIn this regard, you must be careful that you don\u2019t set high-sounding goals. Beware of grandiose goals. Don\u2019t set goals that suggest you\u2019re just on ego-trip or out to impress others. Don\u2019t play to the gallery; don\u2019t build your castles in the air. If anyone does that, the pandemic won\u2019t be the reason for his failure.
\nBe wise. \u201cSensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth\u201d (Proverbs 17:24 New Living Translation). Wisdom helps you to succeed (Ecclesiastes 10::10b). Wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7a). Ask God for Wisdom and He will give you (James 1:5).
\nYou should concern yourself with what you believe the Holy Spirit is moving your heart to pursue in the remaining half of this year. It may not be an entirely new thing. It may be a new dimension of something you\u2019re already doing. Don\u2019t be moved by competitive jealousy, envy or mere selfish ambition. God is not behind such.
\nThank God for what He is doing for others, but face what He has set to do in your life. Don\u2019t be like Peter, whom the Master, Jesus, had to scold because of his inquisitiveness about the future of another.
\n\u201cThen Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, \u2018Lord, who is the one who betrays You?\u2019 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, \u2018But Lord, what about this man?\u2019 Jesus said to him, \u2018If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.\u2019 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, \u2018If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?\u2019\u201d (John 21:20-23 New King James Version).
\nWhat Jesus told Peter in today’s language is: \u201cFace your business\u201d. I say to you also to face your business \u2013 set your own goals; don\u2019t monitor or compete with others. \u201cThis should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business…\u201d (1Thessalonians 4:11 New Living Translation).
\nYou must forget your past if you must press towards your goal. Paul the apostle said, \u201cBrethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus\u201d (Philippians 3:13-14 New King James Version). Don\u2019t be a slave to the past. Let it not frustrate your destiny.
\nThat something didn\u2019t work in the past, doesn\u2019t mean it is destined never to work. Learn lessons from the failure or success of the past, but don\u2019t be a slave to the past. Don\u2019t waste the remaining six months of this year.
\nPrayerfully set realistic goals and commit yourself to accomplishing them, depending on the Holy Spirit. The SMART acronym could also be helpful. Set and pursue goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
\nWith God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26b). Everything is possible for one who has faith (Mark 9:23b). Trust God and fulfil your responsibilities towards actualizing your goals. Pay the price. You shall not fail in Jesus’ name.
\nIf you\u2019re not born again, repent of your sins today and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Whoever comes to Him, He will by no means cast out.
\nPRAYER POINTS: Father, I will not waste the remaining six months of this year. I shall prayerfully set my goals and pursue them. I shall not wait for perfect conditions. I shall make the most of the remaining months of the year. I shall not allow myself to be distracted or discouraged.
\nThis is wisdom for living, and it\u2019s worth sharing. Please share.
\n(For over 300 in-depth and powerful messages by T.O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
\n\u25aa\ufe0e Banso, an Abuja-based minister, heads<\/strong>
\nCedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria<\/strong>
\ncedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com<\/strong>
\nTel No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523; WhatsApp No: +2349081295947<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tope Banso \u201cIf you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done\u201d. – King Solomon We\u2019ve just entered the second half of this year. Are you realizing the goals you set for the year? Nearly everybody didn\u2019t anticipate the crisis the current pandemic has caused globally. The goals of many people have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":27007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5772],"tags":[1806,1807],"class_list":["post-27006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-faith","tag-1806","tag-goals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27006\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}