"Sensible people always think before they act, but stupid people advertise their ignorance." Proverbs 13:16 (GN)
If you want to achieve the goals you've made for yourself in 2014, you'll need a plan to get from where you are to where you want to go. You'll need a plan to overcome the expected problems you'll face on that journey. Without a plan all your goals will go up in smoke this year.
Genesis 24 tells the story of Eliazar's ingenious plan to find a wife for his master's son, Isaac. Eliazar had two major obstacles to fulfilling this goal. Where would he find a wife for Isaac in his master's homeland? And how was he going to find a high character woman without observing her long term? Eliazar devised a predetermined plan to solve both of these problems.
First, Eliazar went to a place where women gathered in those days - a well. He had much higher odds of finding a wife at that well than any other place he could have gone.
And, Eliazar knew exactly how to get the type of wife he wanted for Isaac. He wanted to find a compassionate woman, so he looked for someone who would offer to draw up to 15 gallons of water for each of his 10 camels. That's a lot of water!
Eliazar didn't fly by the seat of his pants to accomplish his goal. Instead he prayerfully established a plan, and, ultimately, he was successful. In doing so he proved what the Bible says in Proverbs 13:16: "Sensible people always think before they act, but stupid people advertise their ignorance" (GN).
Good planning - whether that plan is for your family, your work, your ministry, or a different area of your life - has three parts to it:
Studies show that only 5 percent of Americans have written down goals for their lives.
Those same studies show that the same 5 percent are the highest wage earners in the U.S. Successful people set their direction and go for it. Unsuccessful people drift. Life just happens to them. They don't have any goals. They don't know where they're going in life. At the end of 2014, it's just another year down the drain.
Don't let that happen. Develop a plan to reach your goals in 2014.
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