To make the most of your time, you must believe that God will help you if you trust him.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (ESV). You’re either going to be mastered by the clock, or you’re going to master it. And the only way you can truly master it is with the help of Christ, who gives you strength.

We’re not talking here about positive thinking or pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps, self-help psychology. You need more than positive thinking. You need supernatural help to manage your schedule and your calendar.

Faith is a factor in how you manage your time. Even setting goals is a matter of faith. You have to believe that God will help you. Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV).

Setting FAITH goals is how you manage your time in a biblical way. Here are the five characteristics of a FAITH goal:

Focused. A focused goal is specific. You cannot use the words “more” or “less” in a focused goal, because those words cannot be measured. You must say, “I want to do this by this date.”

Attainable. An attainable goal is possible in faith. If you don’t have enough faith to believe it, don’t set it, because you’re wasting your time. Unrealistic goals are just going to discourage you.

Individual. This means that your goal concerns you, not somebody else. You cannot set a goal for what you can’t control!

Trackable. A trackable goal is measurable. You can measure your progress and prove that you did it.

Heartfelt. You have to feel passionately about your goal. If you set a goal that you’re not passionate about, you’re not going to accomplish it.

Are you ready to set big, bold goals in faith? Start managing your time well by making goals that are focused, attainable, individual, trackable, and heartfelt.