The current economic recession has thrown a lot of people’s lives into a major tailspin. I kid you not…over 50% of the adults @ Courageous Church are currently unemployed – most of them for the very first time in their lives. Because of this, I really prayed and struggled for weeks as I prepared for our very first series that dealt with personal finances because I wanted each message in this series to really connect with the entire audience and not just a sliver each Sunday.
I have primarily been leaning on the words of Jesus and the story of Nehemiah to guide us throughout the series and I want to share one primary principle I’ve learned with you and some of my sermon notes from this past Sunday’s message entitled, “Developing Recession Proof Goals.”
Principle: When our primary concern in life is to do the work of the Lord, God promises to meet our needs day by day. -Matthew 6:32-33
Let me give you the key notes from my message on “Developing Recession Proof Goals” from this past Sunday. All of this comes from Chapters 1 & 2 of the Book of Nehemiah. If you aren’t familiar with his story, it’s a powerful one about having a dream to do good without having the actual means to make it happen. Instead of sulking, Nehemiah established some HUGE goals and got busy moving to make them happen. And…guess what…they did.
1. Pursuing Goals FIRST begins with Pursuing God
When Nehemiah learned that his hometown was in ruins and a sad state of disrepair, the VERY FIRST THING that he did was fall on his face and pray to God. He didn’t just start listing things he wanted God to do like God is a genie in a bottle, but Nehemiah fell on his face and prayed for a renewed relationship with the Lord.
Nehemiah knew what you and I need to know – pursuing goals is a waste of time if you haven’t first pursued God.
2. Do your goals tug at the Heart of God?
Nehemiah had goals that already mattered to God and tugged at His heart! Many of us have goals that the Book of James basically calls SPAM because they don’t really matter to God. When your goals tug @ the heart of God you can operate with a confidence that God will hear you and move on your behalf.
3. Are your goals so big that they require faith and divine intervention?
Nehemiah’s goal of rebuilding the walls around his city was WAY BEYOND his skill set, bank account, experience, etc. Not only did he not even live in that city any more, he had no known construction experience, very little money, and a whole lot of doubters! However, he knew what we need to know – God loves goals that are so big that they require His intervention. This way – when they get done – God gets the glory!
4. Have you enlisted the support of the people around you?
Nehemiah knew literally and figuratively that he could not rebuild the walls around his city alone. Have you ever tried doing something huge on your own? It sucks. Nehemiah needed the help of three types of people. He needed people above him with influence and resources. He needed a few peers to help support, protect, and encourage him. He needed people that he could lead that would bust their butts and get the actual work done. If you can get those three groups of people moving, the odds of your success have greatly improved!
5. Are your goals just dreams or do you have plans with actionable steps?
Nehemiah started out with just a quick, fleeting thought about rebuilding his city that turned into a dream and a prayer for that city. However, between the end of Nehemiah 1 and the start of Nehemiah 2, two things happened. The first thing that happened was some time passed and we learned in Nehemiah 2:1 that the seasons changed. Nehemiah took some time after he had a dream and a prayer to think. The second thing that happened is that Nehemiah made PLANS. He knew that he could not go to the King (or anyone else for that matter) with a dream and a prayer. They needed plans.
Do you just have dreams and thoughts or are you making plans?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Shaun,
Thats a good word. I was just studying that last week as well.
Thanks Guy! What are you learning from the book?
Shaun,
I was looking at Nehemiah and the steps he went through in chapter 1
He cared enough to ask
He heard the need
He mourned, fasted, and prayed
He was sent
The order was important to me. Sometimes I care enough to do number one, but usually skip the rest and just GO… Nehemiah went through these steps and had great success. I'm trying to learn from that.
This is awesome!
Shaun, this is a fantastic Post. I love the book of Nehemiah, have studied it much, and taught about it several times. You managed to strike something in me though that I haven't considered. Thank you. Looks like I need to fall on my face a bit before my God.
That's awesome Andy! I can't get enough of Nehemiah man. I'd love to read your key takeaways from the story.
Great post Shaun, this is just what i needed to read. Our church is planning to do something HUGE right now and this is the spark for our planning. It's never to late to plan, just curious how long in advance do you plan all your big campaigns? is there a good standard to set when developing a BIG movement?
dude that is an awesome word. Miss you a lot bro- praying for you!
Hey Bro!
We are flying by the seat of our pants way more than it may look. We try to plan as far in advance as we can, but we are new and winging it a WHOLE LOT! I have the mantra of "GOING FOR IT" and risking failure instead of being stuck in planning stages. However – planning is very important and will be even more important for our church in the years ahead.
I am sorry I have not yet responded to your email. SWAMPED! Let me know if you have some specific questons!
Miss y'all man! How is everything? Love being able to follow you on Twitter.