Christian Goal Setting: A 10-Question Process With Prayers

The 10-step Christian goal-setting process with questions, prayers, and Bible verses I use to seek God’s will in my weight loss, business, faith, & more.

As a Christian woman who wants to live a purposeful life, I try to be intentional about regularly setting goals.

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for your printable Christian goal-setting worksheet!

Since my 100-pound weight loss journey is what brought most of you here, I’ll use a weight loss goal as an example in this post, but I have used these same questions, prayers, and Bible verses in writing:

• health goals (losing weight, running a 5k, walking 10,000 steps regularly, eating more vegetables, drinking more water, etc)
• business goals (growing my audience, increasing income goals, sharpening my skills, earning new certifications, etc)
• financial goals (paying off debt, budgeting, tithing, saving for specific things, etc)
• personal goals (sending birthday cards to family, meal planning, meeting friends regularly for coffee, hosting a ladies night, etc)
• faith goals (having regular quiet times, memorizing Scripture, reading a morning devotional, joining my church’s prayer team, praying diligently for close friends and family, etc)

This is the same process I’ve used time and time again to help me keep God at the center of my goals as I continually seek His will for my life.

10 Questions To Christian Goal Setting

So, here are the 10 questions I walk myself through every time I set new goals.

I mention some Bible verses here throughout the questions, but I also use this larger list of 21 Bible verses on goal setting to help me with this process and I recommend you do, as well!

1. What is God’s will for me in this area of my life?

This question is the cornerstone of every goal I set. Often, I might not know the specific answer of what He desires for me (does He want me to join this exercise program or try keto or intermittent fasting?), but I DO know His Word, His character, and His general desires for my life and my heart.

When I was 100 pounds overweight, I was unhealthy, insecure, led by food cravings, doubting my worth, and so uncomfortable with my body.

I know that didn’t line up with God’s will for me.

When I looked into Scripture, I could confidently say that God willed me to be:

• self-controlled in my eating (Galatians 5:22)
• confident in my worth in Him (Jeremiah 17:7)
• honoring God with my body (Romans 12:1)

Lord, I want to serve You with my life. Help me to see areas that I need to change to better do just that. Show me how to live passionately and purposefully for You in this area of my life. Lead me to Bible verses that will guide me toward the life and the character You have for me. I want to walk in Your footsteps, staying in the safety of Your shadow. Draw me nearer to You as I move forward in this goal. Help me to keep my eyes fixed solely on You. Amen.

2. What are my strengths?

This is always the toughest question for me to answer in this process! I can talk about my struggles all day long, but it really takes some time for me to be able to see my strengths!

Now, keep in mind that these are strengths specific to this area (like weight loss), but ALSO just general strengths that you have in life. It’s amazing how God can overlap our strengths by using the same planning skills we use in our business to help us succeed in weight loss!

100 pounds ago, I wasn’t confident in these strengths at all, but they were still present in my life!

I was good at:

• talking to people in 1-on-1 settings
• researching and studying
• praying
• following short-term plans

Lord, it’s hard for me to see the strengths You’ve given me sometimes, but I know they are there because Your Word tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), a masterpiece You created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Show me those strengths in myself. Allow me to see myself through Your eyes.

3. How can I use those strengths here?

Now, try to get a little creative with your answer here. Of course, maybe the obvious answers are all you need, but try to figure out a way to apply your strengths to this area of your life in new and creative ways.

I discovered I could use my strengths above in all kinds of different ways on my weight loss journey:

• talking to people in 1-on-1 settings – I could connect with a workout buddy to help me exercise more consistently and a friend to meal prep with (I found I was much more motivated by another person than just myself!).
• researching and studying – I was really good at finding information on the internet about different workout plans, eating plans, and fad diets to skip.
• praying – I had never prayed for my weight loss journey before. I knew that needed to change and I needed to pray for, not only weight loss to transform my body, but Jesus to transform my heart as I learned to grow in confidence in Him and trust Him more to solidify my worth in God.
• following short-term plans – I was always setting goals that were too big and would lose motivation fast. I am the master of following 30-day plans and while I knew I could never lose 100 pounds in 30 days, those 30 days were a start that could make me feel successful

Lord, I know You want me to succeed in this area. Show me creative ways to use my strengths to honor You here. Continue to reveal new ways for me to glorify You with my God-given strengths. Amen.

4. Where am I struggling the most?

As important as it is to see the areas where you can excel, it’s just as important to see your weaknesses. Not as a way to make you feel ashamed or embarrassed, but to empower you to be proactive in how you navigate those places.

I could have written a LONG list of struggles when I was 100 pounds overweight, but here were a few of the biggest areas:

• always giving in to food cravings
• secret eating in my bedroom at night
• not moving/exercising much

Lord, it is really uncomfortable to talk about my weaknesses. I know they are there, but it feels discouraging to list all of the ways I fall short. Help me to see these areas with fresh eyes, not as areas where I am failing, but as reasons to cling tightly to You, knowing You will provide for all of my needs and fill in all of my gaps. Help me to feel confident, even as I look at this list, knowing that You are still working all these things for my good. Amen.

5. What are the ways I can address those weak areas?

Ignoring the areas where we struggle doesn’t do us any favors. It’s so important to recognize them so that we can brainstorm ways to navigate them.

It’s not a sin to fall short of perfection! We all do and I believe Christ can use those areas to draw us nearer to Him and show us His bigger picture of community and trust as we accept our weaknesses.

Some ideas for possible ways to address your weak areas:

• Reach out for help, resources, and accountability from friends, family, or someone who is strong in that area. It takes some humility, but I believe leaning on others in community is part of God’s design. (Here are some great ways to build a support system if you’re trying to lose weight.)
• Do some research. You can google just about anything these days and get some great suggestions on practical steps to tackle all kinds of areas of your life.
• Add more structure. You could set up a rewards system, a tracking chart, or add specific tasks or reminders to your schedule to make you more successful.
• Memorize Scripture. In our struggles, it’s easy to get frustrated, discouraged, and lose hope. Memorizing Bible Verses is a powerful way to keep your thoughts from drifting to the negative and continually align them with God’s Word.
• Pray. Prayer is crucially important in every area, but especially when it comes to our weaknesses. It’s a way that we can lean into Christ, acknowledging that we can’t do this alone and we desperately need Him.

Here are the weaknesses I listed in the previous steps and some ways I brainstormed that I can address them.

Always giving in to food cravings.

• Use the 3 P’s every time a food craving hits.
• Plan my food a day ahead of time.
• Give myself permission to eat certain healthy foods when food cravings hit (one of the first steps in how I conquered nighttime was telling myself to eat an apple instead of Cheetos if I got hungry in the evenings).
• Memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13 and recite it during tempting moments.

Secret eating in my bedroom at night.

• Recognize that secret eating is not just a habit issue – it’s a character issue. I want to be proud of my choices, not hiding, lying, and shameful about them.
• I will remove all food from my bedroom and not eat behind closed doors.
• I will plan filling dinners with a healthy evening snack to prevent nighttime hunger.

Not moving/exercising much.

• I will use an activity tracker to see how much I am currently moving and set a realistic daily step goal.
• I will use creative ways to get more steps into my day.
• Ask a friend to check in with me once a week to hold me accountable for my step goals.

If you need Christ-centered, grace-filled structure, support, and accountability in your weight loss, I can’t recommend our Faithful Finish Lines 2.0 program highly enough.

Lord, give me boldness and strength to humbly seek help in my areas of weakness – from You, my community, and whatever other resources I need to grow in this area. Give me wisdom and insight in my brainstorming as I try to come up with creative ideas to navigate these struggles and remind me that You didn’t design us to be perfect on purpose. Help me to remember that even my weaknesses have a purpose. Amen.

6. Where have I seen the most results/impact?

The answer to this question could give you more guidance than you think!

Often times, we get so overwhelmed feeling like we have to do all the things that we don’t really zero in on the tasks that are actually working!

Take the time to sit down and think about what is working best for you right now. What has worked best for you in the past? Are there ways that you can use those same concepts and kick them up a notch?

In my weight loss journey, while I really stunk at extreme, sudden changes to my diet and exercise, I was especially good at:

• making one small change at a time
• following 30-day programs (like a 30-day plank challenge for beginners)

This was a really important thing for me to realize because I had continually told myself that those two things weren’t enough.

Let me just tell you that those two bullets right there were the reason I was able to lose 100 pounds and keep it off. The answer wasn’t doing more or finding an elusive miracle solution.

It was simply continuing to do what I was already doing, steadily and consistently.

You just might have already found the key to your success. You just need more time and more practice to get the big results you’re waiting for.

Lord, open my eyes and show me the things I am already doing that are working well for me. Help me fight against those feelings that want to minimize them and make them seem not good enough. Show me their value and how I can best use them to help me succeed. Give me patience and perseverance as I invest in these things and wait for the results to follow. Amen.

7. What am I doing that isn’t yielding any results?

This question is just as impactful as the last because it helps you to get rid of those extra things that were overwhelming you and not giving you results.

What are the things taking the most of your time and energy that aren’t giving you much (or any) return on your investment?

Recognize those things and get rid of them! This is a beautiful way to simplify and sharpen your focus, working smarter and not harder to accomplish your goals.

In my weight loss journey, those things were:

• quick-fix products (like ab belts, weight loss pills, shakes, etc)
• extreme diets (Atkins, keto, etc)
• extreme workout plans (going from couch potato to intense, long workouts never stuck and made me feel like a failure)

Once I realized this, it saved me so much time and money! It changed the way I picked my 30-day plans and it released me from the unrealistic expectation that my diet had to be perfect to be healthy. I started feeling proud of the small changes I was making and could see my daily victories instead of just constantly feeling defeated that I wasn’t doing enough.

Lord, show me the things in my life that are wasting my time, energy, and money. Give me the wisdom and strength to let them go and refocus on the things that will be most effective, serving You best with my time, strengths, and skills. Thank You for never expecting perfection from me. Amen.

8. What are my top 3 priorities here?

As I’ve already mentioned, it’s easy to feel completely overwhelmed by all of the things we feel like we need to do to reach our big goals. And then, we end up getting paralyzed by the overwhelm and never taking any steps at all!

This question is all about zeroing in on what are the first things I am going to focus on right now.

Sometimes that means breaking your big goals into smaller chunks.

Don’t worry about what your top priorities might be 6 months from now or in 5 years. Those things will come in time as you re-evaluate your goals.

For now, narrow it down to just your top 3 priorities.

In my weight loss journey, I wanted to:

1. Lose 25 more pounds (that didn’t get me to my goal weight, but it was a more realistic stepping stone).
2. Get more active.
3. Conquer my food cravings.

Lord, give me wisdom in narrowing down my top priorities here. I want these 3 things to honor and glorify You, but help me not to get so stuck on choosing the perfect 3 that I stop making progress. You know my heart to serve You here. I want my life to reflect the things that are most important to me and You are at the center of it all. Let these priorities reflect that, as well. Amen.

9. What are my action steps to achieve each of those priorities?

This is where I use SMART goals. It’s one thing to brainstorm general ideas of things you want to accomplish.

It’s quite another to lay out intentional action steps that can take you from where you are right now (not just where you wish you were) to where you want to be.

For each of your 3 top priorities, take the time to create a goal that is:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

Make sure to use the SMART goals post if you’re unsure of how to do that. I won’t include a specific example here since I included multiple examples in that post of SMART goals for weight loss!

Lord, show me how to lay out my goals in a way that makes them achievable. Help me to be intentional about my action steps, making them realistic for me. Don’t let me slip into the comparison trap along the way, measuring my own goals against what others are achieving. Keep my eyes fixed on You and on the path You have laid out for me and me alone, giving me strength, stamina, and perseverance to choose to keep going, even when it gets uncomfortable. Amen.

10. What are my next steps to achieving these goals?

Now you have a beautiful action plan laid out! The next step is choosing exactly where to begin.

What step is your first step? When are you going to do it?

Make the decision. Write it on your calendar. Make sure you do what it takes to take your plan from good intentions to action!

This question is all about zeroing in on just your first step so you know exactly where to start.

Often times, this is the most difficult step of all! It can be intimidating, scary, and it’s easy to develop a fear of failure when you’ve procrastinated something long enough!

For years, I was the person who would buy the pretty planner and pens, lay out beautiful goals,….and never actually follow through with them.

But, take the first step. You can do this, one step at a time.

If your goal is weight loss, try our free 7 Day Jump Start Your Weight Loss Challenge! You’ve got nothing to lose.

Lord, give me the strength, not just to make all of these plans, but to actually take the first step. Help me to actually put all of my good intentions into action. Show me, one step at a time, how to serve You powerfully and purposefully through these goals. I crave to hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Amen.

Printable Christian Goal-Setting Worksheet

Pin This Post For Later