You will one day be or may already be old enough to look into your past and wander what if? You didn’t start out as a kid dreaming about playing it safe, thinking small, or even dreaming small. Overtime due to disappointment, distraction, or any number of things you lower your expectations.
A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a first step. However a first step in the wrong direction can actually get us further from our goal. Many of us are farther from our goals than when we began because whether intentionally or unintentionally, we went the wrong way.
Then you bring God into the equation… He has a “promised land” for you. It is to bless you in abundance! Did you know when Joshua was sent into the promised land promised to Abraham and Moses, He said:
29I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. Exodus 23:29-30
God was not going to give it to them all at once because if He did it would crush them. Because God is good and sees the long road he gave it to them little by little. The walls of Jericho came down, but over 7 years and many battles, where they had to fight like crazy, they took the majority of the land. Little by little…
Why does God give us grace or just today? Why is His sufficiency enough just for today? Why did Jesus teach us to pray, “give us today our daily bread?” Why did God give the Israelites the promised land little by little? If He gave us all we need today we wouldn’t realize our need for Him tomorrow. Power, strength, and bread are perishable. What if the promised land was always about enjoying the blessing of God, with God, receiving it by the dependance on God?
So then how do we do it?
- Choose Carefully
Not all goals are created equally. Certain goals like flossing, making the bed, exercise, recording what you spend or eat, and tithing are all habits that cascade into other areas of your life. If you make your bed you are less likely to spend money you don’t have on a credit card. If you tithe you are more likely to care for the things God cares for.
2. Spell It Out Specifically
Make a concrete plan. Paint with bright lines! Don’t say you will eat better, say you will record what you eat and only a certain number of calories. Don’t say you won’t text and drive, say you won’t touch your phone while your vehicle is in drive.
3. Track It Diligently
If you aren’t keeping score, you are just practicing
“Bowling through a curtain might be fun in the beginning but if you can’t see the pins fall it will soon become boring even if you really love bowling.” 4 Disciplines of Effective People- Sean Covey
When you see someone you know watching a game- Whats the score?
Recording your progress is vital to accomplishing your goal
4. Guard it aggressively
Days linked together without interruption toward a goal- aka a streak
Victory is a Small Thing Continually Repeated
Little by little eventually becomes a lot!
“Courage, my heart! Go on little by little, for many littles will make a great whole.” Charles Spurgeon
Live a Better Story
Brandon Sereg
