Set Your Heart, Not Just Your Goals - The Crosswalk Devotional - January 5

Set Your Heart, Not Just Your Goals
By: Whitney Hopler

Bible Reading:
“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” – Proverbs 16:3, NIV

When a new year starts, it’s natural to think about goals. You may want to set some New Year’s resolutions to start some new habits, or at least make plans for the year ahead. While it’s good to want to set and achieve new goals, it’s important to focus on more than just accomplishing a list of tasks. God wants you to focus less on doing and more on becoming.

God cares far more about who you are than what you check off a list.

Proverbs 16:3 highlights a simple yet significant truth: If you commit what you do to God, he will establish your plans. The key is first committing your plans to God. You can only do that if your heart is lined up with God’s heart.

When you “commit to the LORD whatever you do,” you’re not just handing God your goals; you’re handing God your whole self. That choice opens the door for God to transform you and lead you into plans that are really the best plans for you.

Maybe that’s why so many New Year’s resolutions fall apart a few weeks into the year. It’s hard to make much progress on goals if you’re relying only on your own limited power to achieve them. But if you’re relying on God’s unlimited power to help you achieve goals God wants for you, you’ll experience the Holy Spirit empowering you to accomplish those goals in any kind of circumstances. The Spirit’s power works from the inside out, so in the process of working toward your goals, you’ll be transformed as a person.

This year, instead of asking yourself what you want to accomplish, ask God who he wants you to become. Think of your goals less as what to do and more as how to be. How does God want to strengthen your character during this new year? Do you sense God calling you to be more courageous, patient, joyful, kind, generous, or trusting? 

When you focus on becoming, the doing naturally follows. Habits flow from the heart. So, your goals will flow from the kind of person you are becoming, with God’s help. 

Jesus didn’t start by giving his disciples tasks; he started by inviting them to follow him. Walking closely with Jesus changed who they were long before it shaped what they did. Their lives were transformed from the inside out. 

God wants to do the same with you! 

So, this new year, bring your goals to God, but bring your heart first. Ask God how he wants you to learn and grow this year so you can become the person he wants you to become. Then listen. Be open and willing to take slow, steady steps closer to God throughout this year and beyond. 

When Proverbs 16:3 says God “will establish your plans,” it means God will shape them so they match his good purposes for your life. It doesn’t mean everything will go exactly how you imagined. Some plans will unfold beautifully. Some will change unexpectedly. Some will be put on hold. Some will lead you into places you never thought you’d go. But when you set your heart in the right place with God, you’ll fulfill all the important purposes for your life. 

This year, don’t pressure yourself to achieve everything you want all at once. Instead, set your heart before God and let him shape you. Focus not on trying harder, but on trusting God more. The more you build a closer relationship with God, the more your own goals will line up with God’s goals for you. 

Give God your year, and look forward to how he blesses your heart! 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As you consider how it’s important to set your heart on God to set the best goals, reflect on these questions: 

• What goals have you made in the past that focused more on doing rather than becoming? 
• What qualities do you sense God wants to grow in you this year? 
• Are there any plans or expectations you need to surrender to God today? 
• What would it look like for you to “commit to the LORD whatever you do” day by day? 
• How does knowing that God establishes your plans give you peace or confidence? 

Further Reading:
Psalm 37:5
Philippians 1:6
Proverbs 3:5-6
Ezekiel 36:26
Psalm 90:17

How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/lilartsy 

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com and on her Facebook author page.

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