I have a question for you. What is your ultimate goal?
We often define goals for different areas of our lives—our careers, our finances, our spiritual growth, etc. But it is your ultimate goal that determines your direction. Like the GPS on a smartphone, it directs you toward a set destination even if you think you’re headed somewhere else. (Anyone who arrives at an event late because they followed their GPS to the wrong address can relate!)
So again, what is your goal? Is it to have a lot of friends? To be popular? To enjoy a certain lifestyle? To be the best in your field of work? To enjoy health and happiness?
You may respond, “I’d like all of these things.” Most of us would! But what single desire outweighs all others?
It’s important to make this distinction because it will ultimately determine your destination. To continue our GPS analogy, the road to different endpoints may be the same at times. You may be able to pursue two goals simultaneously for a while. But inevitably there will come a point in your journey when the pathways will split and you will have to choose one way or the other.
We are all singled-minded in pursuit of something. As Paul wrote:
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God…Philippians 3:14 NKJV
Years ago, I realized I was pressing toward the wrong goal. Every day, I would pray, “Lord, use me to lead multitudes to salvation, to speak the Word of God powerfully, to bring nations into Your kingdom, to heal the sick and get people free.” I asked persistently and passionately for these things morning after morning.
Months passed and one day God spoke to my heart: “Son, your prayers are off target.”
I was stunned! What could be better, nobler, and more pleasing to my Creator than what I was asking for? I wondered if I had misunderstood what was spoken to my heart. How could all those wonderful spiritual goals be off target?
Immediately, I again heard the Spirit of God. “Judas left all he had to follow Me. He was one of the elite twelve. He preached the kingdom of God. He healed the sick, gave to the poor, and got people free. Judas is in hell.”
I trembled, in shock and dumbfounded. I realized Judas had attained all I was crying out for but was forever lost.
Perhaps if he’d examined his internal GPS more carefully, his ending wouldn’t have been so disastrous. I realized I could unknowingly be in the same category as Judas. I earnestly inquired, “What should be my targeted goal?”
Now I ask you again, what’s your ultimate goal? Is it a good goal, or could the appearance of good be concealing an error (like it was for me)? If you need to reset your goal, what do you think God wants it to be?
