Godly Desires
It is great to have desires that would be according to the will of God. However, many times our disappointments are because we have put all our hope and dreams on a desire that depends upon cooperation of other people, the success of events or favorable circumstances. Some of our desires will be blocked and at times are impossible to be meet, even by God Himself.

When our desires become goals, we can become angry, anxious, and depressed if we don't achieve our desires. Because our desires involve people that we have no control over we can become angry with them if they interfere with our desires. Or we can become depressed if events or circumstances don't go our way.

There is nothing wrong with having godly desires: to have a happy, harmonious home; to have the best youth ministry, to have an enjoyable job, to be healthy, etc. Of course, these are much better than ungodly desires. And this is why it is so hard to face opposition to our desires. Don't let this discourage you. Keep the godly desires, just realize they may not be fulfilled.

Godly Goals
A godly goal is any specific orientation that reflects God's purpose for your life and is not dependent on people or circumstances beyond your ability or right to control. And we do not have the right to control any person. The only person who can block a godly goal is you.

So what are godly goals? To become the husband and father that God wants you to be. To be an employee that shows integrity at the workplace. To honor your father and mother. Regardless of what your spouse may do, regardless of the working environment, and regardless of how your parents act, by the grace of God, you can fulfill these goals. Yes because of circumstances, it may be hard to obtain these goals. Yes, it can even be discouraging at times. But we have the assurance that if we stay committed to our goals they can be fulfilled.

God has desires and goals
It is God's desire for all to be saved. It is His desire for us to not sin. It is His desire for mankind to leave in peace and harmony. However, because of the free will of man, some of these desires of God will not be accomplished. It saddens His heart, but His response is not anger, anxiety, or depression.

Does God have goals that will be fulfilled? Yes. Jesus Christ will return to take us to heaven. Satan will be destroyed. Rewards will be given to followers of Jesus.

In our next nugget we will discuss the topic of "Disappointments Can Be Good".

Some of these concepts are from the book, "Victory Over The Darkness" by Neil T. Anderson. You can order it by going to:
http://www.creatingfutures.net/main.html and clicking on the Christian Book logo.

Copyright Ó 2001 Richard D. Dover. All rights reserved.
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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations used are from the New American Standard Version (NAS).