If you want to succeed, you have to roll up your sleeves.

If you want to see your dreams become reality, you have to put your hand to the plow.

God worked 6 days to create the world, and He did not rest until the 7th day. For in Genesis 2:1-3 it is written:

“Thus the heavens and the hearth were completed, and all their hosts. And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

There really are no shortcuts to success. And you must believe that our awesome God can do awesome things through you … if you are willing to put forth the effort.

In addition to hard work, you must have a clear vision of where you want to go. Sit down and write down your goals. Describe them in detail, and then follow a plan for realizing them.

Here are 4 words to remember during this process of defining your vision:
(1) Goal, (2) Action, (3) Review, and (4) Adjust.

Goal – First define your goal in detail, write down what it looks like, what it feels like, what it smells like, etc. Be very specific about what you want to accomplish. Again, write it down – there is something very powerful about documenting your vision.

Action – Then take action and move toward your goal, even if you must start taking small steps. For example, if one of your goals is to get a college degree, it might seem like a daunting task if you have not yet started college. Thus, a small step which would start moving you toward your goal would be to simply start calling local colleges to inquire about admission, cost of courses, etc. Just start calling. Take action, take a step toward your goal no matter how small that step might seem.

Review – After you have started moving toward your goal, step back and determine if you are still on target. Are the actions you have been taking still moving you in the direction of your goal? Get very clear about the status of your progress toward your goal.

Adjust – If you decide that you have veered off course, simply make the necessary adjustments to get back on course. You know what your goal is, you have stated it very specifically on paper, and so if you notice that you are beginning to miss your target then you will be able to adjust and get back on target.

And the cycle keeps repeating itself. Get clear on your goal, take more action toward your goal, step back now and then to review your progress, and adjust if necessary to stay on target. Then keep dreaming … take more action, and keep moving forward … and keep reviewing … and keep adjusting … and take more action …

But again, reaching goals means putting forth the effort, it means striving to bring your dreams into reality … through God’s strength and blessing.

Say to yourself, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”

Also say, “If God is for me, who can be against me?”

By God’s strength and grace, you can do it!