A Guide to Goal Setting
Jan 26, 2026Summary
In this episode of the Arise, Women of God podcast, we dive into the transformative process of Christian goal setting, exploring how to move from drowning in daily distractions to pursuing your divine mission. Host Tamara K. Anderson breaks down a powerful 5-step roadmap that shifts your focus from "What do I want to do?" to "What does God want me to do?"
Whether you are a busy mom feeling stuck in limbo or a woman with a God-sized dream but a screaming calendar, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways. Tamara uncovers surprising insights about the "Sacred Brainstorm"—a method for capturing divine ideas in the quiet pockets of life—and shares the life-changing "Not-to-Do List" hack that can literally find you extra hours in your week.
If you’ve ever wondered about Christian goal setting and how to handle the discouragement that comes when life (or a broken car) gets in the way, you won’t want to miss this conversation. Plus, we share practical steps for casting out the adversary when doubt creeps in, making it easier than ever to apply these lessons in your own life. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on aligning your calendar with your calling, and don’t forget to subscribe for more expert insights on living God’s way!
Episode Takeaways
- The Sacred Brainstorm: Before setting a goal, take 1-2 weeks to simply list every idea that comes to mind in a "judgment-free zone" (even on the back of an envelope!). Then, take that list to God and ask Him to highlight His priority for this season.
- The "Not-to-Do" List: Productivity isn't just about doing more; it's about eliminating the unnecessary. Audit your time to see what can be automated, delegated, or eliminated. (Tamara shares how delegating just three meals a week freed up hours for her ministry!)
- "With God's Help": When writing down your goal, always add the phrase "with God's help" to the end. This simple addition shifts the burden from your shoulders to His strength.
- The Don't Quit Emergency Kit: Expect bumps in the road (sick kids, car trouble). These aren't signs of failure; they are just life. Use the "Grace Inventory" and "Pivot Protocol" to adjust without giving up.
- Cast Out the Adversary: Discouragement is often a spiritual attack. Use specific prayers to cast out darkness and invite light when you feel like quitting.
Resources
Ready to stop guessing and start planning with God? Download our FREE Guide to Goal Setting. It includes the 5-Step Roadmap, the "Not-to-Do" List template, and the "Don't Quit Emergency Kit" mentioned in this episode. 👉 Download the Guide Here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/offers/WyaLn2gS/checkout
Reflection Questions
- If you did a "Sacred Brainstorm" today, what is the one "scary" item you suspect God might highlight on your list?
- Look at your weekly schedule. What is one thing you are currently doing that you could delegate or eliminate to make space for your God-given goal?
- How does adding the phrase "with God's help" to your goal change how you feel about your ability to achieve it?
- When discouragement hits, is your first instinct to shame yourself or to pray for spiritual reinforcements? How can you shift that reaction this week?
Transcript
https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/blog/a-guide-to-goal-setting
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:01.120 - 00:00:43.980
You have a vision in your heart, but your calendar is screaming. Perhaps you want to move forward with a God sized dream, but you're currently just drowning in daily sized distractions.
Or maybe you even feel like you're stuck in limbo between the woman you currently are and the woman God knows you can become. If you can relate to any of these things, today is your rescue mission. We're not just talking about productivity today, ladies.
And today we're sharing a five step roadmap along with one of the most amazing hacks that will literally find you extra hours in your week. Stay tuned.
Intro/Outro
00:00:44.460 - 00:00:54.100
Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes. The Arise Women of God Podcast hello.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:54.100 - 00:10:02.050
And welcome to the Arise Women of God Podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson, founder of Women warriors of Light.
And ladies, believe me, we know what it's like to feel the exhaustion of a busy life and to feel God whispering on your mind. A divine mission.
So today we're talking you through the highlight of our brand new free download, A Guide to Goal Setting, a strategic roadmap for Christian women. And today we're going to cover the Sacred Brainstorm, which helps you find your one big thing. We're also going to share the most amazing hack.
It's called a not to do list. How does that sound for cool? And third, we're going to cover one of the biggest pitfalls of goal setting, what to do when you feel like giving up.
So let's dive into one of the first pages in this download. It's called five Steps to Divine Goal Setting. And most secular goal setting starts with what do I want to do?
Whereas our goal setting here starts with what does God want me to do? And step one in this process is called the Sacred Brainstorm.
And this is important because when we want to set a goal with God's help, it may take time for answers to percolate down into our mind. God speaks to us in those quiet pockets of life which as we know as women don't come very often.
And so as we brainstorm with God, we start with that prayer and just say, God, I want to set a new God guided goal. Please help me as I brainstorm what that could possibly be.
And then just take a week or maybe two weeks or maybe even a month to just kind of start a list. Put it on your phone, put it on a piece of paper, put it in your journal.
Ladies, I wrote my first list on the back of an envelope that was going to be thrown away. That's how this whole process started.
But once you're done with that, you take that list to God and you pray about it and say, God, what of these things am I supposed to do? And he helps guide you to what it is.
For me, that first time I did it, it was like he circled a highlighter around one of the things and it was probably the most scary thing for me to even attempt on the list. It was write that book. And I was like, oh no, God. And I took a big breath and I just thought, oh, I don't know if I can do it.
But the thing about God giving us a goal is he's not going to give us something that we cannot accomplish with his help.
In fact, that's one of the addendums we invite you to add on when you write down your goal, which is step number three, record it is, I want you to add on with God's help. So for me, that first time that I did this, it was, I will write a book with God's help. Because let's be honest, by ourselves, we are just too weak.
Now, the rest of that five page worksheet talks about diving into the details and then kind of making a line upon line blueprint. But I'll leave that for you to dive into. Now we're going to go into the second thing I promised you. And it's called the not to do list.
And this is one of my favorite hacks.
I use it all the time and I especially use it when my life hits the point when I start to feel really stressed and anxious because there's too much for me to do and not enough time to do it in. And let me walk you through quickly what this looks like. In this download you'll find a Not to do list example.
And this is a real life example that I filled out back in 2021. And what you do here is you list all the things that are taking up the most time in your life and you put them all here.
And when you do this section, make sure that you ask friends or family, what things am I missing from this list? Because often you'll forget things I remember.
As I was making this list the first time, my husband reminded me that one of the things I spend a lot of my time doing is cooking.
And so I added that to the list kind of later on after you've made this list, then you go to this next section which is right beside it, and you get to decide if you're going to automate that thing that's on your list, delegate it, eliminate it Change it or keep it. Then prayerfully think about and talk to God about these things.
Some of the things God tells you to get rid of are like stabbing a knife in your heart. I was recording a segment of a radio show at the time with two of my friends, Brad and Jay, and the inspiration came. You need to stop doing that.
And I was like, no, if you want to truly free up time in your life, then it's wise to follow the inspiration. There's times and seasons for all things, and we let those things go. Now.
Another one of the inspirations that I got, especially after discussing it with my husband, was the cooking one. And he said, tamara, I can cook once a week, and we have several kids who are old enough to help cook a meal every week.
Why don't you delegate three meals a week to us? And I was just like, wow, what would my life look like if I didn't have to cook three dinners a week? And all of a sudden, it freed up all this time.
It was fantastic. So there's little hacks to freeing up your time. And God will inspire you as you pray about it and perhaps as you counsel with loved ones.
What things can I do to free up more time in my week? We're now to the Don't Quit emergency kit. I like that this one rhymes.
And what I love about this one is it walks you through what to do in those moments where the kids are sick, things are falling apart, perhaps the car breaks down and you're feeling super discouraged because you didn't get to work on your goals that week. Before I even share anything else in this, I want to remind you of one important principle. God has inspired you to do this goal.
And God knew when he inspired you to do this goal that you were going to have that car breakdown or your kids were going to get sick.
And we just have to keep reminding ourselves at points in our life like that not to shame ourselves or to let the adversary whisper those thoughts in our mind that we're failing. That's not true. We're living life, and life comes with bumps in the road. So remember that the bumps in the road don't.
God's not disappointed in you for handling those bumps in the road. Some of my favorite points on this worksheet are the emergency prayers that you can pray.
I also like that step number two is to cast out the adversary. And that's a fantastic document that I'll talk about in just a second. As a bonus hack, it has a beautiful grace inventory.
Another section on here is the pivot protocol, because sometimes we'll hit a spot where God wants us to tweak a little bit of our goal. This has happened to me so many times where I'm going forward and all of a sudden God gives me this idea, now do this. And I'm like, wait, what?
And then there's a final tip about remembering past times when God has helped you and that he's not going to leave you alone this time. All right, ladies, finally we have this bonus hack and we're going to talk about the elephant in the room. What about discouragement?
What about when that hits so hard and the negative voices and thoughts in your head are just so persistent?
Discouragement is often a spiritual attack, and this Cast out the Adversary guide is probably one of the most amazing and worthwhile things in this entire download.
And what it does is it teaches you how to cast out darkness and the adversary with all of his spiritual weapons and bring in light and invite angels to be with you and fill you with peace and goodness.
I keep an image of this on my phone and I use it whenever I am feeling discouraged and it makes such a difference in helping me move from discouraged to capable and walking forward in God's light. This amazing download is for you and it's free on the Women warriors of Light website. I'll drop a link in the show notes below.
Now ladies, as we wrap today up, I want to remind you that you're not doing this alone. And stay tuned for the next video which is what is a God sized goal.
And we talk through some more amazing inspiration and tips to help you as you're setting your God sized goal. Until next time, may you arise. Do it God's way. God Strong.
Intro/Outro
00:10:03.970 - 00:10:59.550
Thanks for tuning in to the Arise Women of God podcast brought to you by Women warriors of Light. If you're feeling unsure how to move forward in your calling or just tired of doing it alone, visit women warriorsoflight.com.
you'll find resources, accountability, and a community. Of women who get it.
Sometimes the calling feels bigger than you. That's when you need steady reminders of the powerful God who called you. Subscribe now for weekly inspiration and the courage to keep going.
Because with him, nothing is impossible. And you're not the only one God.
Is calling that friend on your heart right now. Share this episode with her. Your small act of obedience could be the breakthrough she's been praying for. Until next time.
May you arise, walk God's way and stand God strong.
