Want It. Will It. Work It.

Nehemiah 6:15-16 (ESV)

15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

There are so many days where I don’t feel like working out, eating right, or going to bed early enough to wake up refreshed and ready to go. I don’t feel like training when I’m sore or tired or busy. But I do it anyway, because that’s what it takes to be my best. It takes unwavering, uncompromising dedication to the goal.

I’ve discovered the formula for success in reaching a goal can be summarized in three steps:

1. Pick Your Prize: Start with setting a wildly important goal—a goal so bold it stretches you beyond your comfort zones. Identifying the things God has made you passionate about helps you pursue them with the right heart, glorifying God regardless of the outcome (1 Corinthians 9:23-25).

2. Count The Cost: Nothing worth achieving will come easy. Examine the cost. What decisions and disciplines will be required along the way? Jesus encourages us to consider what it will take before we begin (Luke 14:27-29).

3. Pay The Price: Once the first two steps are complete, the real work begins. Making daily progress—regardless of how you feel—is what will keep you on track. You have to crush the little compromises, celebrate small successes, and go to work every day (Colossians 3:23).

Dedicate yourself to pursuing God-sized goals, and get to work. It will be the most exhilarating pursuit of your life.

Dear Lord, we come before You, asking You to show us the God-sized goals You have prepared for us. Show us what and where those are, and fill use with Your Spirit, committing to them with all we have and knowing nothing is impossible through You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.