Being SMART is NOT Enough! You may accomplish some things because you’re SMART, but it won’t be good enough. It won’t be enough to bring lasting change to your life—at least not the change you’re probably hoping it will bring. Being SMART is not enough to become excellent in your Godgiven purpose. It’s not enough to go the distance for God. With the new year quickly approaching, goal setting is likely all ablaze for a great number of people. Most of us are familiar with creating SMART goals—goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable or Achievable, Realistic or Relevant, and Time-bound. But there’s somethings else! Specific – detail exactly what you want to accomplish. Describe your goal(s). Measurable – you need a way to determine if you have achieved them. How will you track your progress? Attainable or Achievable – choose goals that you are capable of attaining. Who is going to help you with the goal? Your accountability partners? How often will they check in with you? Realistic or Relevant – Goals should be set with the “big picture” in mind and should have a clear purpose. They should practical, real, and reasonable; they should be resourced and result-based. What skills and resources do you need? Time-bound – set goals that you have time to complete. They should be time sensitive. What are the check-in dates? Expected completion date? All of these are good steps to help us on our way to developing and achieving wonderful goal-oriented results in 2019, but they are still not enough. As disciples of Christ, we not only need our goals to be SMART, but we need them to be SUPER SMART! Making our goals SUPER ensures that we are starting out in the right direction from the very beginning. How futile to determine goals that are not aligned with the Lord’s direction for our lives! What good is it to head out in the SMART direction and at the same time the wrong direction? So how do we make sure that our goals are SUPER SMART? Here’s how: S – sensitive to the Spirit. Because we are followers of Christ, all our goals must be Spirit-led. Reading the Word of God and spending time with Him in prayer are non-negotiables when trying to ascertain His will for our lives. Ongoing sensitivity enables us to tweak or alter goals in varying seasons of our life, according to His will. Proverbs 3:5-6; Philippians 2:13. U – unwavering in faith. Even though the goals we have embraced have been directed by the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t mean they will be easy to achieve. There will be times when our faith will be tested, and we will need to be unwavering. Mark 11:20-24; Hebrews 11:6.
P – praying fervently. Prayer, in its simplest definition, is communication with God. It conveys talking to and listening to God. Prayer is crucial in the challenging times pressing toward the goal (the ebb), but also in the ease of times (the flow). Unbroken fellowship with the Lord is an essential component of prosperity (actualizing according to His will). Matthew 6:6; Mark 1:35; 1 Thessalonians 5:17. E – earnest in effort. All worthwhile goals require diligent effort. James reminds us that our faith should result in good works (James 2:20). It’s getting off the bench and getting in the game with a forceful drive, as if it were our last opportunity to play—ever. 1 Corinthians 15:58. R – recommitting daily. It’s a daily grind. It’s a daily resolve. It’s a daily commitment. Daily, we must remind ourselves of the goals that God has given us and the strategic plan that He has put into place to achieve them—and be committed in alignment. Philippians 3:12-14. Start with Christ. It is through our relationship with Christ that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to guide and direct us. The Spirit of God gives us everything we need to prosper in the will of God, achieving all that God desires for us—in 2019 and thereafter into eternity. Keep the acronym, SMART, handy; it is beneficial. But move purposefully into this new year embracing the SUPER over the SMART. Being SMART is simply NOT enough!