Meriam Webster – the end toward which effort is directed.
Oxford – the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.
What is the difference between a goal vs. a system? Here, I’ll share the benefits of having them both and how, when combined, they can lead you to see the Holy Spirit’s power work through your life, from simply setting goals and making a plan. I’ll show you how a system is a must when trying to reach your goals. You’ve probably heard many people talk about goal setting, but you may not know that having goals without systems is like shooting in the dark. You also hear many worldly guru’s telling you how best to set goals, but here I serve Christians and provide a biblical and practical way of help.
I must say, setting goals, according to the Bible, is a great start, but without a system, the chances of achieving those goals are slim to none if you leave out the middle.
In this post, I will show you how to set up a system to help you achieve your goals. And if you hang around to the end, I’ll share the one goal every believer should set a target for that you’re guaranteed to meet.
Welcome to Cure 4 the Soul, a resource for Christian visionaries dedicated to spiritual and soul growth, goals, productivity, and business success for the believer.
WHAT IS A GOAL:
According to Meriam Webster, a goal is the end toward which effort is directed. A goal is not only the end toward which effort is directed, as defined by the dictionary, but goals are God-given. They give us a reason to stay in the race to live out our purpose. They’re instruments of hope and help us to strengthen our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Goals also serve as good motivation that provides direction that leads us beyond our comfort zone. Goals can be short-term or long-term and can vary in complexity. For instance, when I started writing The Acceleration Cure in 2017, I didn’t realize the complexity of getting to the finished product as God used the book to dig into the depts of my spirit, heart, and soul.
Goals change you and take you to places you never imagined! They help believers focus their energies and prayers, measure and track progress, and achieve spiritual, soul, and physical milestones. Goals bring us closer and deeper in our relationship with God.
Setting dream big goals invite God into our vision and dreams. They’re so big because they’re God-sized goals that force us to depend on Him for the outcome.
Goals challenge us believers to live by faith, trust God, and get better in many areas of life and business. There is nothing like checking a big goal and prayer off of your list.
“In other words, a goal is an aim you put your praying, time, resources, and energy into achieving.” LaTanya R. Quinn
WHAT IS A SYSTEM
Systems are an orderly way of completing or structuring something to meet the desired goal. I’ll go back to my book writing example. There are several steps in getting a manuscript to the published state. If you skip those steps, the goals process can’t happen.
Step one: you need to have a concept, theme, narrative, or theme you want to write about. Step two: who are you writing it to? Step three: Outline. What will you be able to highlight in the outline to convey your idea or argument?
These things are small steps in the writing process. In other words, the system breaks the goal down into measurable baby steps.
Meriam Webster – a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole.
Oxford – a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized framework or method.
Systems are an organized framework to hit your targets.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Most of us heard of or used the S.M.A.R.T. Goals method of goal-setting, this process describes a framework or system. A framework is a coach or guide to help you better understand and implement a process or concept. SMART goals are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Bound
You can read more about the process on BetterUp -10 Smart Goal Examples for Your Whole Life.
God wants us to plan and use our time wisely. This is why I created the Dream Big Goal-setting guide.
START OR REFRESH YOUR BUSINESS OR MINISTRY GOALS
Goal-Setting Aligned with Biblical Principles
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CONNECTING GOALS WITH SYSTEMS
I hope you now have a better understanding of goals vs. systems. To recap, the goal is an aim or target you’re focused on meeting (the what), and the system is how you get there.
As a teenager, you regularly observed your parents and other people driving around in cars. So you decided to learn to drive and obtain your driver’s license more than likely by the time you turned sixteen.
The decision to learn to drive, get your license, and ultimately own a vehicle led you to choose activities aligned with your goal.
Therefore, the goals and system working together looks something like this:
Goal: Get my driver’s license (when I turn 16) by October 24, 2026.
Break the Goals into Steps:
- Price out the driver’s education program.
- Secure a ride back and forth to school.
- Enroll in driver’s education classes by March 18.
- Get my permit by July 30.
- Schedule license exam/road test
System:
- Attend classes three days per week and take notes.
- Study notes, assignments, and practice tests for two hours daily and pass all tests.
- Practice driving two hours per week with my parents or brother.
- Watch driver’s ed videos on YouTube for 30 minutes daily.
Do you see how we had to break the SMART goals into smaller steps? See how the goal is measurable and incorporates a system.
A system is something you incorporate daily or weekly to keep track of your progress. However, if you diligently meet these obligations, your chances of meeting the goal are closer than ever.
Additionally, goals and systems have a level of accountability and measurability. This is what makes systems essential to goal setting, even as a Christian.
Make sure you’re setting up systems for success. In Philippians, Paul writes about his goal to press toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ. Therefore, Paul’s goal is measurable because it carries rewards in heaven and keeps him focused on the prize.
Philippians 3:12-14 NIV says, Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Paul spoke to the church at Philippi to express why he pressed on toward the goal. Nonetheless, Jesus Christ got a hold of him, and when God gets a hold of us, we are never the same. We have a purpose and a destination ahead. God is going to sanctify us and make us holy through the process.
Philippians 1:5-6 NIV because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Spiritual Growth GOAL & SYSTEM EXAMPLE:
An example of setting up a successful system as a believer in business or life is always to incorporate:
- Daily Bible reading/devotional time: 1 hour
- Daily prayer journal time each evening
- Bible study three hours weekly
Indeed, these can be measured because you can write them on a habit tracker, log and document your time in a calendar or Dream Big Goals Planner, and have some accountability.
I hope this post helped you to better understand the difference between goals vs. systems. As promised, thanks for sticking around to the end. The one goal every believer should set a target for that you’re guaranteed to meet (if you prioritize it) is to glorify and honor God in all you do. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10: 31 NIV ).
If you’re a Christian entrepreneur, I encourage you to stay connected with us for our coaching, events, and resources. We trust God to grow the vision for Cure 4 the Soul.
