As believers, it is important for us to have goals that align with God’s will for our lives. We can grab our Bibles to check out what does the Bible say about setting goals, and look for guiding examples and verses about goal setting. The Word of God provides us with guidance and inspiration to set and achieve our goals.
It is good to think thoroughly about things before we set goals, make plans, and act. This is wise to do. However, the best way is to align our plans and goals with God’s plans and goals for our lives. We can find many verses about setting goals in the Bible that can help us align our plans with the will of God for our lives. This will help us set Christ-centered goals for our own lives when we are in the process of goal setting.
The Scriptures give us clear insights on visions and specific goals. We can read those verses, pray about them, journal them, and apply them in our daily lives. It is possible for us to achieve our goals if we ensure they are God’s goals and align with God’s plans for our lives. After all, we are His.
We don’t need to look far, as God already has plans for us, and those are good! His plans are bigger than our own plans. So if you have God-sized goals…go ahead! Trust God. Don’t be afraid.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Whether you are setting New Year’s resolutions at the start of a new year, personal goals, specific goals for a work assignment, or spiritual goals, pick your Bible and receive godly wisdom to set clear goals. The Bible is full of examples of people who set biblical goals. They relied on God’s wisdom. Look at their example, it will help you set your own godly goals.
As God’s children, we need to ensure we set god-honoring goals. Goals that accomplish God’s purposes in our lives. That’s why its important to check what does the Bible say about setting goals.
Here are 42 favorite verses about setting goals in the bible, both from the Old Testament and the New Testament, that will help you in setting and achieving your goals.
Scriptures on vision and goals
One of the best ways of working toward achieving your biblical goals is to first pray and ask God for wisdom. The next step is to do your personal Bible study. Then select verses that speak to your heart and reveal the plans of the Lord to you. Create your specific goals based on these Scriptures and then, last but not least, write them down. Journaling helps you to focus on your goals.
The Bible verse about writing down your vision in Habakkuk adds a promise to that: no matter how long it takes, the vision (your goal) will come to pass, it will happen.
# 1: Habakkuk 2:2-3 NKJV
“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, It will not tarry’.”
Scripture also expresses it is important to have a vision, to prevent running around without aim. The Bible has many scriptures on purpose.
# 2: Proverbs 29:18 KJV
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Bible verses about completing goals
Having a vision is just a start. If you want to complete your goals till the end (with the help of the Holy Spirit), the most important thing is to do your planning and think through things before you set your goals. The Bible has many verses about completing your goals by planning properly.
We need to plan well before we set goals, otherwise we may not complete them because of money, time, temptation, pressure from others, etc. Proper preparation will help us achieve our goals. Good planning well will help you set smart goals.
# 3: Proverbs 24:27 NLT
“Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.”
# 4: Luke 14:28 NLT
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”
Another inspiring Bible verse about accomplishing your goals is in Corinthians. We need not only to think through before we start; we need to finish until the end. This needs our determination to complete what we started, and it means we should continue to ask for God’s strength to help us, all the way to the end.
# 5: 2 Corinthians 8:11 NLT
“Now you should finish what you started.”
Bible verses about our heart’s desires
Our goals often reflect our heart’s desires. God promises to grant those to us if we focus on Him first, not on our desires. He is more important than anything we can ever wish for.
# 6: Psalm 37:4 NKJV
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart”
# 7: Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”.”
# 8: Matthew 6:33 NLT
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
When we have ensured that we place God above our goals, we can pray and ask Him to help us make our plans succeed.
# 9: Psalm 20:4 NIV
“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”
# 10: Proverbs 21:5 NKJV
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”
What does the Bible say about achieving goals?
To achieve our goals, we need strength, stamina, determination, and confidence. God promises us all of that! With God’s help, it is possible to change ourselves for the better. Working on godly goals boosts our spiritual growth.
Achieving our goals doesn’t depend on us, but on God. In His Son, He has provided already to complete and achieve our objectives. In Christ, we can make it!
# 11: Philippians 4:13 NKJV
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
God promised He will be with us and help us. So, if we get discouraged on the way, we only need to lift our eyes up to Heaven. He will answer our prayers and come to our aid. He will help us reach our goals.
# 12: Isaiah 41:10 NLT
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
When our goals are aligned with God’s plan for our life, we have the promise that He will do it. We don’t need to wait till we see the manifestation. We can trust Him we will achieve our goals. It is possible for us to act on it before it becomes a reality.
# 13: Isaiah 54:2-3a NLT
“Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! For you will soon be bursting at the seams.”
Biblical goal setting: our attitude toward our goals
It is important to remember God is in control of our plans, not us. Without Him, we are nothing, no matter how well we may do in realizing our goals and plans. Following the principles of goal setting in the Bible will help us do this.
It is a good thing to acknowledge God when we talk about our plans, not just at the start.
# 14: James 4:13-16 NLT
“Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.”
What does James 4 15 say? We must know without God, our plans will be fruitless. Many Bible verses speak about that and encourage us to keep God in our plans for the future and our future goals. It is then that we will achieve our goals, to the glory of God. Success depends on God.
# 15: Proverbs 6:6-11 NKJV
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.
# 16: Proverbs 16:9 NLT
“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
# 17: Proverbs 16:3 NLT
“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”
# 18: Proverbs 19:21 NLT
“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”
# 19: Proverbs 20:5 NKJV
“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.”
# 20: Psalm 127:1 NLT
“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.”
# 21: Proverbs 24:33-34 (NLT)
“A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”
# 22: Psalm 127:1 NLT
“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.”
# 23: Isaiah 32:8 NIV
“But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.”
# 24: Romans 12:2 ESV
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
What does the Bible say about plans and goals?
As much as we can plan things ourselves, we need others as well. Sometimes our focus is so much on our goals that we miss out on vital signs. God is our number one person to go to for advice, but we need our fellow humans as well. God shares His wisdom among us.
God encourages us to make plans and set goals, but with wisdom. We need His help and often that of wise people as well. Here are powerful Scriptures about asking advice to achieve our plans.
# 25: Proverbs 15:22 ESV
“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”
# 26: James 1:5 NLT
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
Even nature can teach us things:
# 27: Proverbs 6:6 NLT
“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!”
Above all, God’s Word is rich in wisdom and advice. We can keep reading Scriptures to continue to receive godly counsel and wisdom. He will direct us.
# 28: Joshua 1:8 NLT
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
# 29: Proverbs 3:6 NLT
“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
What does the Bible say about running to achieve your goals?
Scripture tells us to endure until we achieve our goals. It is then that we will receive the prize, not if we give up on the way. And while we run, we need to keep an upright heart, full of expectation, generosity, and love.
This means, when setting goals, we also need to think of the interests of the others.
# 30: Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV)
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
The apostle Paul talks about goals in Hebrews.
# 31: Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”
# 32: Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
#33: Isaiah 32:8 NLT
“But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.
# 34: Colossians 3:23 NKJV
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
We can’t look back and realize our goals. We need to keep pressing on. Looking at the future, keeping our eyes on Jesus.
#35: Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
# 36: Colossians 1:29 NLT
“That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.”
# 37: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
# 38: 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”
Bible verses about grace to realize our goals
Above all, we need to recognize it is not our effort or smartness that leads us to goal realization. It is grace and grace alone. When we keep that in mind, nothing is impossible! We can set audacious God-sized goals. BIG goals!
# 39: Matthew 19:26 NLT
“Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible’.”
# 40: Ephesians 3:20 NLT
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
More scriptures on setting goals in the Bible
Christ Jesus knew His purpose, His goal for being here on Earth. We can endeavor to live and love like Him and be an example for others.
#41: Galatians 5:22-25 ESV
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
This verse speaks about the goal of showing the fruit of the spirit in our lives. We can add this to our list of goals. At the same time we need to realize it is by God’s Spirit that we will be able to exhibit His fruit–not by our own power.
#42: Ephesians 5:1–2 NLT
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”
Living like Jesus, imitating Him in everything we do, and loving others, is the ultimate goal of every Christian.
Take-Away what does the Bible say about setting goals?
So, is goal setting biblical? As long as you align your goals with God’s plans for your life and check what does the Bible say about setting goals, you are on the right path.
The Bible is full of scriptures about setting goals and people who set goals. Above all, we can remind ourselves that God Himself is a goal setter. His plans for us individually and humanity as a whole, are His plans. God’s love and His perfect will for us, gave us His son–the son of Man.
We can take an example of God and be intentional with our lives. We can aim to live like Jesus in everything we do. That is our ultimate goals while here on earth. We can use God’s Word to help us in our goal-setting and goal-getting endeavors.
Above all, we rely on God and trust Him to let our godly goals come to pass.
2 Comments on What Does The Bible Say About Setting Goals?