Publishing Secrets

God & Goals Part 3: Take Action

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Episode notes

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

  • How to break your goal down into simple steps and create an action plan to achieve them
  • The secret to moving forward when life gets you down
  • Biblical examples of people who stepped out in faith and took action, even though they didn’t have all the information — and why you should do the same
  • How to get your God-given message heard by the people who need it

In Part 1 of the God and Goals series, we talked about the first step for making your goals a reality, which is to Dream Big. This step is a challenge we make to ourselves to invite God into the goal-setting process. It’s all about taking off the limits and reminding ourselves that nothing is impossible with God. When we do that, He often speaks something into our hearts that doesn't make sense in the natural world — so we must have faith that God planted the seed in our hearts for a reason, and refuse to let fear stop us from dreaming.

Then, in Part 2, we talked about the second step, which is to Believe Big. Once we've come to grips with what God wants us to do — whether it’s writing a book, starting a podcast, creating our own online community, or finally launching that coaching program into the world — it's important to believe that we can achieve that goal. 

Because here's the deal: God is ultimately the one doing the heavy lifting. It's God who creates the opportunities, and it's God who ultimately determines the outcomes. So really, the only thing you and I are responsible for is having faith in His instructions and being obedient. Our job is to stay in lockstep with him. Of course, that means we’ll have to exercise a lot of patience and a lot of trust in God and in ourselves. But through prayerful guidance and hard work, anything that God calls you to can be accomplished. 

Today, we’ll deep dive into the third step — arguably the most important of the three — which is to take action. 

How to Make an Action Plan

The key to taking action is to establish an action plan, something that will keep you honest about your goals and dreams. 

You see, dreaming big and believing big gets you nowhere if you don't take action. So it’s time to take those goals and put them into writing. Then you’ll take those big goals and create mini goals that will ultimately help you stay motivated and focused on reaching the bigger goals. 

As with any plan, though, it's really important to keep it simple. You want to avoid information overload or feeling overwhelmed! So take your big goal and break it down into mini goals. Of course, there will be some pieces that you don’t know yet, and that’s okay. Just release those things to God and commit to taking consistent action. 

Once you’ve identified your mini goals, there are three more steps you need to take:

1. Set a timeline. 

A timeline lets you know if you’re on track to accomplish your goal, which provides motivation when success is achieved. And it also helps you adjust when you need to. 

For example, if your goal is to write a book by the end of the year, you might set a timeline to write one chapter per month or two chapters every other week. Or your timeline might be to set deadlines for when you’ll finish your first draft and send the manuscript to your editor. 

So take your big goal and break it down into mini goals, and that set a timeline for when you’ll accomplish each of those smaller steps. 

2. Start assembling your dream team. 

Many times people attempt goals on their own. But we were meant for community! Scripture reminds us that “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17). So we need to find people who support us and believe in the vision that God has given us, and ask them to support us throughout the process. 

When choosing your dream team, you want people who:

  • Have your best interests at heart. 
  • Are skilled in what you are trying to do
  • Can provide wise counsel, not just opinions, because they operate in discernment
  • Will encourage you, not discourage you from achieving your goals 

Having a dream team is important, because these people can provide the motivation, direction, and insight you need during difficult times. Plus, they can celebrate your successes with you. 

Remember, God often works through people. So if you’ve gotten stuck in the past, it could be because you didn't have the right people around you. Very often, you need both prayer and people. 

3. Keep track of your progress.

This step is all about establishing a tracking system that takes the guesswork out of the progress you’ve made towards achieving each goal and milestone. 

Keeping track of your progress is also helpful because it ties back to course correction. If things aren't working out the way you planned, you can quickly make adjustments before any major damage is done or too much time has passed without you reaching any of your goals or milestones. Tracking your progress ensures that nothing gets overlooked or forgotten along the way.

The Secret to Moving Forward

Reaching goals is not always easy. Life often throws us obstacles, and it can be hard to stay the course. So here’s a powerful secret that will help you keep moving forward towards reaching your God-given goals. 

This secret is found in Romans 12, and it's all about renewing your mind. Scripture tells us that we are “transformed by the renewing of [our minds]” (Romans 12:2). But what does that mean? 

Renewing the mind is a process of keeping our thoughts in alignment with God's word and what He says about us, and making a conscious effort to turn away from negative thoughts or doubts that seek to take hold of us. It's about learning how to direct and redirect the flow of energy within ourselves. It keeps us focused, motivated, and assured, no matter what happens in our lives. 

Renewing the mind allows remarkable things to unfold as we pursue God's plan for us, so we have to make it a priority. We've got to be intentional about thinking about what we're thinking about.

Take Action, Even Without Knowing All the Answers

Remember this: God has done it before, and He will do it again. Let's circle back to some of those biblical heroes we discussed earlier in this series, people who acted with faith and resilience in the face of uncertainty. These people can be a source of comfort and courage for us when we're considering taking action and we're looking at all the things we don't know. They demonstrate what it looks like to take action despite not having all the information.

  1. Abraham and Sarah's journey to Canaan: In Genesis 12, God tells Abraham to go into a new land that He will show him. Keep in mind, not only is Abraham going into a land that he knows nothing about, but he's 75 years old at this point! But he still chose to obey God and leave his home without knowing exactly where he was going or what would happen next. That couldn't have been easy. But Abraham trusted that God had a plan. He trusted that there was a purpose in what God was asking him to do. So off he went, even though he didn't have all the answers beforehand.
  2. Moses leading Israel out of Egypt: In Exodus 3, we witness firsthand how Pharaoh is mistreating God’s people. Moses chooses to take action by leading them out of slavery, despite not knowing exactly where they were going or what would happen next. When you really think about this, it must have taken tremendous courage and faith on Moses' part, because there was so much risk involved in leading this mass exodus with no clear plan or destination in sight. However, Moses trusted that God had a plan for His people, and stepped up as their leader anyway, without knowing every detail ahead of time.
  3. Esther stepping up against Haman: In the book of Esther, we see Esther feeling the fear. Still, she chose to step up against Haman and save her people. She didn't know how things would work out in the end, but she trusted that God would provide a way, that God would rescue them, even if it seemed impossible at first glance. And she was right! She boldly asked, even though she had no guarantees about how things would turn out, and her boldness resulted in her people being saved from death. 
  4. Joshua and the walls of Jericho: In the book of Joshua, we see Joshua leading the Israelites around Jericho. Their victory seemed impossible, though, because they were vastly outnumbered. There were enemies everywhere, and there were thick walls around the city that could not be breached by weapons or tools alone. But God had promised them victory, and that's what they held on to: that if they just followed His instructions, even though they didn't understand how those instructions would lead them to success, they would be victorious. So they acted in faith and marched around Jericho, and finally, miraculously, the walls came tumbling down.
  5. David vs. Goliath: In 1 Samuel 17, David stepped forward as a young boy, with no armor and only five stones, when everyone else was terrified out of their minds at Goliath’s size and strength. But David stepped forward confidently, because he trusted that God would give him victory over Goliath. He didn't have any idea how it would happen, but he chose faith over fear, even though he was completely outnumbered by his enemy. And we know that it ultimately paid off for him.

These stories from Scripture remind us that sometimes we must take action before we have all the details figured out. Because we never know what great things God is going to do through our obedience. We may not always have perfect clarity on everything before making important decisions, but we can still step forward in faith and trust that God will guide us along the way. We just have to be obedient. 

Just as these Bible figures long ago took Him at his word, we too must take God at His word. So let's take a page from their book today. Let's act boldly, with faith, even when it feels scary or overwhelming. Let's say no to complacency when we don't feel prepared. And let’s remember that when we put our trust in Him, He will never fail.

Get Your God-Given Message Heard

You have an amazing gift to offer the world, and you can achieve anything that you set out for with God’s help. But achieving success isn't just about having an awesome book, service or program — it's about finding a way to get your message heard by your audience. 

Thankfully, with our easy-to-follow techniques, you'll be able to take action and learn valuable principles that will help you attract the right attention and interest. By using the power of attraction both emotionally and ethically, you can create an intense desire in people for what you have to offer while still being true to yourself and who God called you to be. 

So don't put it off any longer! Get your copy of the Audience Attraction Formula. Let's make an unforgettable impact on the world together.

 

BIO:

My name is Tamara "Coach Tam" Jackson and I am a published author, Facebook© Certified Digital Marketer, host of the Top 100 Publishing Secrets podcast, and founder of The Christian Authors Network (C.A.N.) Facebook© community. I specialize in helping mission-driven authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs increase their exposure, impact, and income through strategic self-publishing and digital media appearances. Just say yes and we will work together to attract a tribe of loyal followers that 1) "get you", 2) love what you do, and 3) are happy to invest in your book, business, cause, or movement. Plus, we will accomplish all of this without fake, salesy, sleazy, or manipulative tactics. Yes you CAN write, publish, and profit in a way that honors God; join the community today at https://christianauthors.net/fbgroup.  

 

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