It Is Possible

I have been trying to follow Christ for the last fifty-seven years of my life, and for more than half a century I have found Him to be faithful in all situations. He has forgiven and continues to forgive me when I confess that I have fallen short of doing His will. He has comforted me when I have been confronted with struggles which overwhelm my ability to understand. He has provided guidance when there were multiple choices which could be made, and I did not know which one was best. He has provided peace when the report from the doctor said cancer. These are just snapshots of some of the times He has been by my side in my journey on this earth. In all these situations and many more, I have found it is because of the marvelous grace and mercy of our creator God that I am able to move forward.

My belief is that I am not unique in life. If we live long enough, each of us will be confronted with events and situations which are beyond our ability to manage in our own strength. God’s word speaks to this concept in the words of Jesus: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John. 16:33). Just because we are Christ followers, we are not exempt from issues. The following verses also speak to that reality: James. 1:2–4, and 1 Thessalonians 3:2–4. All these scriptures tell us we will experience trials. Trials are a part of the human condition.

I want us to explore some of the attributes of professing Christians who seemingly come through every situation they face with peace and victory. What is it that enables these individuals to accomplish what would otherwise seem difficult, if not impossible? You see, every Christian has the availability of God’s word which can be used to guide his or her life. We all have the option of leaning on God’s word as we journey through this life on earth. Yet it seems there are those who are always “PLUMs,” and dwell on “poor little unfortunate me.” Jesus has promised us so much more than a PLUM existence. He has promised us abundant life—life to the full.

We all have the ability to follow the path King David speaks about when he makes the following statement. “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees” (Psalms 119:10–12). Believers in Jesus Christ have the promise that the Holy Spirit of God will abide in us daily. When we seek God, He will teach us His decrees.

Jesus gives us the following promise, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16–18). These are strong words from scripture which are given to all of us. Why are there times in my life and the lives of others when we feel defeated and as if we are all alone in our walk? I have found when I have those feelings, I can trust the fact that God loves me and does not condemn me. He gives me a helper and not condemnation.

When I feel I am in the center of God’s will, I believe I can point to some definite personal goals and targets I am actively pursuing. They are important priorities, and I treat them as such. I want to be able to look at the target and say that with God’s help, my behavior has hit the mark. Conversely, when I do not focus on those goals and targets, it is easy for me to become distracted and give the devil room for encroachment into my life. When this happens, my life seems to be out of sync with what I really want to achieve. In those times of being out of sync, I ask for God’s Holy Spirit to minister to me.

In this book we will look at what scripture has to say about the will of God. We will also examine what Jesus said are behaviors which accompany being blessed. We are going to explore the importance of setting personal goals and targets for our lives, and areas in which we need to take personal responsibility for the achievement of certain goals. We will explore the lives of some Biblical characters and see how their goals impacted their decisions.

I pray God will give all of us wisdom as we explore the importance of having the correct set of goals for our life and that God will show each of us what our responsibility is in accomplishing those goals. Lastly, I pray we will allow God’s spirit to guide and empower us to live a life which is “on target” for Jesus Christ during our time in this world. I believe a life well lived will influence others to look to Jesus Christ as their own personal savior.