How to set your goals (2)

“Before you were born I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

Ask God to tell you who you are. Bookstore shelves are lined with volumes of books telling us that we can be anything we make up our minds to be. And while there’s some truth to that, it’s not the whole truth! A dog may believe it can fly, but if it tries to, it will go “splat.” A fish may believe it can bark, but it’s not going to happen. Bottom line: dogs and fish may pray, believe, claim, confess, and try all they want, but they won’t succeed. Why? Because God will only empower you to be what He called and equipped you to be. He told Jeremiah, “‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am too young.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, I am too young. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth’” (vv. 5-9 NIV). When God equips you with one talent He doesn’t give you a five-talent assignment, and vice versa (see Matthew 25:14-15). And here’s the great thing: the one-talent person and the five-talent person will one day stand before Him and hear the commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV).

The Word for You Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from Celebration Enterprises, Inc. Copyright © 2024