Tag: #Goals

The Cost of Compromise

Posted on by Kris Valdez

There is a cost in compromising. We ask ourselves, “What difference will it make? Who will know?” It’s questions like these which can lead us into to compromise.

Comprise our values.

Compromise our faith.

Compromise who we are, who God made us to be.

We start compromising in the little things.

At one time we were committed to our health. Then we skipped a day or two at the gym. “Does it matter if I miss a day or two?” we ask ourselves. Will one day or two days make a difference in my health? It might not in the short turn, but the compromise a couple of days could move into a week, then a month, and before we know it, our fat day jeans no longer fit.

For the men that read this blog, you might not understand the fat day jean analogy. Ask any woman in your life. She’ll explain it.

Or we compromise at work. Will anyone know if I’m playing around on Facebook instead of doing my job? Just a quick game of Candy Crush. Then I’ll buckle down and finish my report.

It’s these little slips which lead to more significant compromises. These examples might not seem like a big deal, but how does corporate embezzlement start? A few dollars here, a few dollars there and before a person realizes how far they have fallen from their values, they are being brought up on charges.

I’m not saying if we play Candy Crush at work we’re going to wind up wearing an orange jumpsuit and serving 5 to 10 in the big house. But, we need to live a life of integrity.

In Luke 16:10 (NIV) it says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

We can’t become who God wants us to be unless with stop compromising.We can’t become who God wants us to be unless with stop compromising. Share on X

God wants to bless us with more, but He needs to know He can trust us with the calling He’s placed in our lives.

Stepping into our calling takes courage without compromise.

When we compromise, we can’t step into all God has for us. This doesn’t mean if there is a place in your life where you are compromising that it can’t be changed and restored by God. God is the restorer of all things. He is the God of second chances and comebacks. All He wants from us is to turn back to Him and how He wants us to live in accordance with His laws.

Sometimes we compromise because we think it will bring us freedom from something. It could be financial freedom, time freedom, or freedom from what others think of us. We all have our reasons for compromising. Unfortunately, none of them are reasons to deviate from our calling.

God loves us too much to allow our compromise to continue. At some point, we get caught. It might not be today, tomorrow or in this lifetime, but God knows when we are not giving our best.

Are you giving your best in everything you do or are you allowing compromise to invade your life? Share it in the comments below to help others.

The 2018 Word

Posted on by Kris Valdez

How are your New Year’s resolutions coming?

We are one month in and many people have already ditched their goals. The gyms are getting empty. Sales of junk food are back up because in the United States we have the Super Bowl, which has almost become a national holiday.

Setting all the resolutions aside, what if we chose one word, instead of the long list of things which we didn’t really want to do anyway? Or maybe we did want to accomplish those things, but didn’t know how.

I have a challenge for you. Think of one word.

One word to focus on in 2018. It could be trust or love or blessed or forgiveness or whatever is the one word that you believe will sum up what you want to feel for 2018. Notice I didn’t say accomplish. We’ve put so much emphasis on accomplishments, on getting things done and items checked off the “To Do” list instead of how we want to feel.

What if we let go of what we think we should be doing and just be? Psalm 46:10, (NLT) says, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Another translation of Psalm 46:10 (NASB) says, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

What if we just sat with our God? Listened to what He wants our word of the year to be? I recently wrote a post on thriving instead of striving. We are called to stop our striving. Choosing one word helps us stop striving because it creates simplicity. A single point of focus.

For example, my word for 2018 is: Radical

It’s kind of weird word, I admit. It came to me during my quiet time. But the word wasn’t just radical. It came to me with words after it:

  • Radical Faith
  • Radical Peace
  • Radical Adventure
  • Radical Love
  • Radical Fun

In my mind, it was God’s way of saying He wants me to step out of my comfort zone in radical ways. There is a saying, change never happens in our comfort zone. I’m not sure who to credit for it, but the statement is true.

I need radical for my 2018 to kick me out of my comfort zone instead of settling for what’s good enough. I want God’s best, which for me means, I need to get radical.

It seems 2018 is already passing by me in a flash. The goals I created only a few short weeks ago are slowly moving toward fruition. Even though my word for the year is radical, this doesn’t mean I’m going wild.

For me, this means radical faith. Stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something new to achieve the goals God has laid out before me.

It also means, radical peace. A peace in the midst of the chaos where I can be an example of what a relationship with God truly means. It means peace in the middle of impossible circumstances, circumstances that can crush our soul.

Until, I invite a radical, heavenly perspective into the situation. I believe God has a plan for me. He has a plan for you, too.

This year, it’s about being radical.

What’s your word for 2018? Share it in the comments below to encourage others.

Creating Success with Habits

Posted on by Kris Valdez

Congratulations on making another trip around the sun! It’s a new year! This probably isn’t news to you. The Christmas decorations are being put away, guests rooms are being cleaned and we are getting back into our daily routines.

How are those daily routines? Do they draw us toward our God given goals that we talked about last week? Or are they drawing us father away from what God has called us to do?

Our daily habits present us possibilities for success. We all have habits. It’s in our daily routine where we create small, subtle changes. It’s in the choices we make everyday. Habits are things we do without thinking about them. As you well know, some habits can bring us success, while others can bring ruin to our lives.

I’m challenging myself this year to be present in my habits. Instead of being on autopilot throughout my day, I’m present and fully conscious in my life. For me, I’ll admit, this is easier said than done. Autopilot in my life is easier, but being on autopilot doesn’t lead me to God’s best for my life.

Some habits can be good and create success in our lives. Last year, I decided on eight daily habits I was committed to completing before my head hit the pillow every night. Now, those eight things I do automatically. I get a twitch if I don’t finish them in some form or fashion.

The eight habits I chose for myself were as follows: have a daily quiet time, review the vision mantras that I created with God, exercise (yes, I exercise everyday, even if it’s a 30 minute walk around my house), write, read 10 pages of a nonfiction book, take my vitamins, read a chapter of Proverbs and write out five things I’m grateful for at the end of the day.

Creating these habits at first was difficult. There were some days I decided I was too tired. Then I would look at how long I’d kept the streak alive for my daily habits. Since May 19th of 2017, I haven’t missed a day of completing each one of these habits.

I’m not writing out this list to brag or to put pressure on someone else to follow this pattern. What I’m saying is, this is what I believe God has lead me to do in my life to create healthier habits for myself. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, (NLV), it says, “Do you not know that your body is a house of God where the Holy Spirit lives? God gave you His Holy Spirit. Now you belong to God. You do not belong to yourselves. God bought you with a great price. So honor God with your body. You belong to Him.”

My daily success habits weren’t to create a new set of “To Do’s” but rather to replace my unhealthy habits of Netflix binging, spending time scrolling social media or playing games on my phone. When I needed to work on one of my daily success habits, I didn’t have time for the things that were keeping me from living the life God had called me to.

I have been bought at a price. You have been bought at a price.

The price was the cross.

Jesus bore unbelievable pain so I could be with Him for eternity. He has called me to live at a higher standard than simply taking up space in this world.

Now that’s it’s 2018, I’m reevaluating the daily success habits. Is this still where God wants me to be spending my time or is there something else that He wants me to stretch out and do through these small, subtle changes on a daily basis? This is what I’m working on in January.

Are there habits you need to change to create success in your life? Share it in the comments below to encourage others on their journey.

Godly Goals

Posted on by Kris Valdez

On Monday, it’s New Years. New Years is about fresh starts and creating a path for a more productive year. But what if we take our goals and then tell God how we’d like them fulfilled? Is that what God wants from us? I don’t think so. In Proverbs 16:9 (NLT) it states, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” God wants us to work on our goals with Him and through Him. Instead, it says in Proverbs 16:3 (NIV) we are to “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

What does it look like to have a Godly goal? Is this something that we pursue while neglecting everything else in our lives? Should we be so hyperfocused on our goals that we push away all the other blessings God has put in our lives?

Another course is that we go with the flow and don’t take action until God gives us clear direction. It’s as if we have dug in our spiritual heels and we aren’t moving until God gives us an answer or gives us our own way.

Or we are so fearful that the thought of stepping out and doing anything sends us into a tailspin of wondering if we are doing the right thing. In the business world, we call this analysis paralysis. We become so concerned with making sure we don’t make a wrong move that we don’t do anything.

God will honor us stepping out in faith with the goals that we think He has given us. Even if we are on the wrong path, He will gently correct our course if we live close to Him. However, developing a list of goals outside of consulting God can be an exercise in futility. Trust me. I know. I have the t-shirt.

For years, I would spend time developing goals in the vacuum of my mind. Without consultation with others or with God, I would get a wild idea and pursue it. God isn’t going to honor the ideas that come from the latest webinar sales pitch. I love a good marketing pitch and many times I’ve bought whatever program they are selling without thinking it through. I cringe at the idea of how much time and money I’ve wasted pursuing things that weren’t God’s best for me.

This goes back to the Bible verse above, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NLT). We can make whatever plans we want, but ultimately, God is in control. He is the one the gives us every good thing and allows trials into our lives. Nothing, absolutely nothing, touches our lives without the permission of God. Therefore, it’s imperative that we develop our goals for 2018 in conjunction with the One who determines our steps.

Here are four ways to develop goals that are in step with God.

  1. Get alone with God. This is crucial to hearing what goals He wants us to purse. We can’t hear God, unless we spend time alone with Him. I sometimes find myself, waiting to be spoon fed the Word. This isn’t what we have been called to do. I need create a habit of spending time with God, in my prayer journal, but also reading the Bible.
  2. Write it down. This may seem weird at first, but it will get easier the more time we spend alone with God. Write down what you hear during the time that you’ve gotten alone with God. He speaks to us in a way that is most impactful to our heart. God wants us to pay attention to Him and He does this through speaking to us when we are quiet with Him.
  3. Act it out. This means getting into action. We can’t come before God, make our requests, and then sit, waiting for God to move. There is a story in the Bible about the man with the mat by the pool of water. (John 5:1-15) Jesus asked if he wanted to be healed. Of course the man said yes, but answered that he was too slow to get to the pool. Then Jesus told him what he must do. Rise and walk. Do you need to rise and walk to what God has called you to do?
  4. Let it go. This is another way of saying, leave the results up to God. When we have done our part, it’s up to God for doors to open or other paths to be revealed. If we have completed what God has commanded us to do, then we can rest in the assurance that everything will work out according to God’s will.

I’ve leave you with these four questions: Are you spending time alone with God? Are you writing down what you hear? Do you need to take action on what you’ve heard? Do you need to leave the results to God? Answer these in the comments below to encourage others on their journey for Godly goals for their life.