Nothing just happens! In order to receive what you desire when you pray, there must be a desire and there must be prayer. What do you desire? What are you praying for in your life? What are you goals? Make sure goals are SMARTT goals! SMARTT is an acronym that stands for:
SPECIFIC: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six questions:
*Who: Who am I to work with? Who am I called to minister to?
*What: What am I called to accomplish?
*Where: Identify the location.
*When: Establish a target time frame to start
*How: By what means and method will what I am called to do be executed?
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal. Why am I doing it? Why is it needed?
Habakkuk 2:1-3 King James Version (KJV)
1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
The specifics of a SMARTT goal start with prayer. How can I make a truly SMARTT goal without talking to and hearing from the God that knows everything? I need to watch and see what He will say to me and that is what I will answer with when I am tested, tried, and what I pray for does not arrive instantaneously. Therefore, I need to write down the specifics of what I hear. The specifics keep me from settling for less or being deceived by things that look kinda-sorta-like what I expect God to cause me to receive or achieve. What is your vision, your dream, or your goal? Write down the specifics. We examined the life of the prophet Elisha to see an example of reaching a SMARTT goal. In 2 Kings 2:8-14, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted. Elisha did not say "However you want to bless me." He was specific. He did not just want any anointing. He wanted the same anointing that was upon Elijah. He was also specific about the amount. He said he wanted a double portion. If we compare the number of the recorded miracles performed by Elijah and Elisha, Elisha performed twice as much. Even his death was not enough to stop his last miracle from coming to pass as his bones brought someone back to life. Don't settle for less that what God has spoken to you! Also, (in Kansas City vernacular) Don't Fall for the Okie-Doke by being deceived by counterfeits! Be specific!
MEASURALBE: It can only be measurable if it is specific. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track and stay encouraged along the way to what God has promised you. Elijah told Elisha that his request for a double-portion of his spirit was a difficult thing. Not because it is difficult for God to give but because of the steps of preparation necessary to handle it. Elijah said Elisha had to stick with his endeavor until he saw Elijah go up. Elijah designated reference points and land marks along the way so Elisha could see measurable progress. At Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan, Elijah gave Elisha the option of stopping his pursuit of what He was believing God for. At each of these points, there were other people that refused to go further. However, Elisha knew that at each landmark, he was making measurable progress. What we have to do is break our vision, dream, plan, or goal down into several small tasks. Each task becomes another rung on the climb to success. Every now and then, instead of looking at how far away your goals seem, look and how many tasks you have completed. The saint of old would say "I'm not where I want to be... but I'm not where I used to be!" You are making measurable progress.
ATTAINABLE: When you identify your specific goals and see measurable progress toward them, you are reminded that if God promised it in His Word... it's attainable! God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all you ask or think according to the faith that is working in you. So don't shrink your goals down to where you can attain them. In fact, I encourage just the opposite because you grow to reach your goals. Your self-image is changed by what God does in you, for you and through you! Just make sure your goals are attainable by making sure they fall in line with the promises of God so God can perform it instead of you. Numbers 23:19 says if God if said it, He will do it. If He has spoken it, He will make it good. If it is based on a promise, a principle, and a precedence in the Bible... It is Attainable!
REALISTIC: To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work in good times and bad. If you don't want it bad enough... it's not realistic! In 2020, are you willing to do "20" to receive "20", even when you don't see it happening yet? Are you willing to do your part to reach your goals? A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be by deciding just how bad you want it! A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low goals because high goals yield high reward. Low goals are "take-it-or-leave-it' goal. If it's "take-it-or-leave-it", we'll probably leave it. If you don't want it bad enough to work for it and wait for it, it's not a realistic goal.
TIMELY: A goal should be grounded within a time frame. It's not putting a time limit on when God has to come through. It's removing the option of procrastination for you! With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. You must create artificial deadlines for yourself so you don't put off until tomorrow, what you should have done yesterday. We often say we are waiting on the Lord when the truth of the matter is that God is waiting on us to do what we should have "been-done-did". We postpone doing our part of participating in our own deliverance by saying "When I have more money" or "When I have more time." Ecclesiastes 11:4 says He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. The right time to do what God has given us to do is usually NOW. Otherwise, God would have told you later.
TANGIBLE or TRACEABLE: A goal is tangible or traceable when it undeniable and unmistakable that the hand of God is upon it because it looks just like what God promised. After the mantle fell from Elijah, Elisha could have just picked it up and put it on top of his own clothes. But his faith had not diminished from the time that he made his request. He had not compromised the specifics of his vision, dreams, goals, and plans. He tore his clothes so he could not settle back into his old role. He then smote the waters of the Jordan river with the mantle of Elijah because he expected the same results as when Elijah did it, because that was the original goal. Hebrews 11:1 says faith is substance and evidence. It is a spiritual force that manifests itself in a physical, visible, tangible way because it expects the inevitable, supernatural, intervention of God to show up in a way that looks just like what He promised so it can be traced back to Him and He gets the glory. We must set SMARTT goals for God to get all the glory and our name be put in the story because nothing just happens!
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