Coming up this week…

• A free ebook on the 8 strategies successful people are using now to accomplish more next year.
• Why I believe it’s proper for Christians to set goals…it’s even our “sacred duty.”
• And then, of course, 5 Good Reasons to Set Goals for 2017 (Even If You Hate Goal-Setting)

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Spiritual Foundations

There are those in the family of faith that believe that setting goals is “sinful arrogance”. The argument for this belief comes from the book of James in the New Testament. James, the brother of Jesus, says this…

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

James is echoing the sentiment of this passage from the Old Testament:

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1)

Do these verses teach us that setting goals is sinful arrogance? I don’t think so. In fact, I think it is our duty as Christians to set goals, and I have three strong reasons to support that assertion. We’ll get to those in a moment, but first I want to tackle this idea that Christians should not set goals at all.

People who hold this view (that goal-setting is wrong) usually offer as argument the idea that they are “free to be led by the Spirit”. They want to be sure they are “open to God’s will”. There are at least three incorrect pre-suppostions embedded within this position. If this is your belief, you are assuming:

1. Your “feelings” and “promptings” are the one and only infallible way of accessing God’s specific plan and will for any situation. You can only trust those feelings of yours to know when you are “in God’s will”. Hello, scary cult leader. Our emotions are important for relating to God and what He is saying, but they don’t rule over everything else. Sometimes our feelings are just inaccurate. Even Jesus experienced this. In the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, he was emotionally distressed and asked God to spare him from the horrors that lay ahead. But Jesus ultimately conceded, “Not my will but Yours.” Emotionally, he did not want to experience what was to come – but He knew it had to be done, and He did it.
2. The second pre-supposition those opposed to goal-setting make is that Holy Spirit only leads us spontaneously – that He never leads us to make plans. That is simply not supported by scripture. Paul made plans (Romans 1:13). The early Apostles made plans ( Acts 6:1-3). Jesus made plans (Matthew 10:5-15).
3. Finally, those holding the “no goal-setting” view are disregarding the fact that we can also hear the voice of the Holy Spirit though God’s written word. The Bible makes it clear that we can receive fresh revelation from god through his written word ( Matthew 4:4, 2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Just like we are supposed to be good stewards of our wealth, we are also supposed to be good stewards of our life. Selah.

Tip Of The Week

Get Michael Hyatt’s ebook, “Achieve What Matters in 2017”.

This is an incredible download. More than 30 thought leaders, influencers, and high achievers all share their top strategies for starting the year off with a bang.

You'll recognize many of the names as they include multiple best-selling authors, speakers, and leaders of their respected fields. People like:

• Tony Robbins
• John Maxwell
• Dave Ramsey
• Marie Forleo
• Andy Andrews
• Jeff Walker
• Amy Porterfield
• Lysa TerKeurst
• Andy Stanley
• Chalene Johnson
• Lewis Howes
• and many others…

It's all available here.

As we get closer to the start of 2017, the timing on this couldn't be any better. The insights were pretty incredible, so make sure you take a look for yourself…

Also watch for the Free LifeScore App Wednesday, November 30th, (day after tomorrow, if you’re listening to this on release day)…

If life were a game, what would your score be?

Even if you aren't competitive, how would you rank each area of your life?

• Would you give yourself a good score with your health?
• What about your finances or relationships?
• What if there was a way you could measure yourself in the areas that matter most–so that you can improve?
• What if you could get an overall score for your life, take it to the next level, and create the life you want?

Well, now you can. If you’re not on our email list, get signed up today so we can notify you when this is released Wednesday, or you can go to https://rayedwards.com/lifescore (that link will not work until Wednesday, November 30th).

Feature Segment: “5 Good Reasons to Set Goals for 2017 (Even If You Hate Goal-Setting)”

1. You have goals already – wouldn’t you rather set them consciously?
2. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
3. Goals keep you moving forward, even when it’s tough.
4. Having written, measurable goals keeps you accountable.
5. If you want to be your best possible self, you must have a plan to achieve that.

Some additional thoughts:

• To be effective goals must be written, measurable, and regularly measured.
• There are many systems for setting goals, the one that has worked best for me is Michael Hyatt’s 5 Days to Your Best Year Ever.
• When Michael opens up BYE, I hope you’ll join me in the journey for 2017.

How To Help

Subscribe to the show through iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show.

Get The Transcript

Right-Click and “Save As” to Get the PDF Transcript.

Coming up this week…

• Good reasons to get a “checkup from the neck up” and eliminate your “stinkin thinkin”.
• How to avoid a common, heart breaking loss. It’s a shame so many people suffer this, when it’s so easy to avoid.
• And … “Why I Won't Promote Your Product”

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Spiritual Foundations

The single best way to eliminate your “stinkin thinkin”.

We know that we must guard our thoughts, but did you know this is not just a “positive thinking” idea – we find this same advice in the book of Proverbs. Plus in this episode we reveal what it really means to “Fear the Lord”. This may be the most important thing you hear all day!

Tip Of The Week

I was in the Apple Store getting my 7+, and I overheard this snippet of conversation, “She dropped the phone in the water and just wants her photos.”

People… use iCloud to back up your phone! PAY FOR IT. It’s 0.99 cents a month for Pete’s sake!

And by the way, check out iCloud Drive…it’s awesome!

Feature Segment: “Why I Won't Promote Your Product”

Let me start by saying that I like you, and I want you to succeed…but I won’t promote your stuff. That may sound harsh, but in this episode I expose the 7 Problems That Stop Me From Promoting Your Product.

But before you despair and give up all hope, I also have 7 Solutions to the 7 Problems.

Understanding this information could save you from a lifetime of fractured relationships with potential partners, and instead illuminate a profitable path forward with more friends (and sales) than you can shake a stick at.

How To Help

Subscribe to the show through iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show.

Get The Transcript

Right-Click and “Save As” to Get the PDF Transcript.

You probably know “the money is in the list” – the email list. Notably, your email list. The people to whom you have permission to send marketing emails. Press send. Make money. But how does one get an email list. That's what today's episode is all about.

• Halloween is behind us, and the Presidential election is on the horizon…which is a great reason to check out my latest YouTube video appropriately titled, Who to Vote For in the Presidential Election.
• A good reason to spend $5,000.
• And “How to Get 10,000 Subscribers in 9 Days” (sort of).

Click here to download or listen to this episode now.

Spiritual Foundations

Do you know your spiritual ABC’s? No, it doesn’t mean Always Be Closing. Instead, it’s a way of remembering how to communicate with people in a way that is both meaningful and effective.

The Apostle Paul was a master communicator, and in this episode, we’re going to show you how you can use his principles in your business communications – whether you’re speaking to a small staff or a huge stadium.

Using Paul’s communication model, you’ll capture people’s attention at a heart-level. They will be ready to receive your message…because people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Tip Of The Week

I promised you a good reason to spend $5,000 and here it is…the new MacBook Pro is out!

Why am I so excited about this? Let me count the ways…

• Touch Bar
• 2TB SSD
• Lightning-fast processor
• Killer graphics
• A display so amazing it will make you weep

And for those of you keeping score, when you add on all the extra goodies… you’re awfully close to $5,000. It’s another good reason to build a profitable online business (as if you needed another reason).

Feature Segment: “How to Get 10,000 Subscribers in 9 Days (sort of)”

So often, when people tell you how to add large numbers of subscribers to your list, they do so out of theory. We’re actually going to pull back the curtain on a promotion we just conducted, and tell you exactly what we did.

I say you can get 10,000 subscribers in 9 days “sort of”. What I mean by “sort of” is  while the promotion lasted 9 days, the preparation time was much longer.

The promotion was for our Copywriting Virtual Summit. The summit is a gathering of the greatest minds in copywriting and marketing. Inside this episode, we reveal the details of how we generated those 10,000 subscribers including:

• The near-magic power of “OPL”. This accelerates list growth like gasoline accelerates a fire.
• Why a specific kind of mailing means the most. HINT: it’s better to be invited to a party than show up unannounced.
• How to craft an offer that compels email signups. This is where almost everyone drops the ball.
• How to make list-growth a self-funding activity. Do this and you won’t need a marketing budget – your marketing pays for itself.

We also go the extra mile and reveal what went well, and maybe more importantly, what we could do better next time. This episode is like the Invisible Man… totally transparent!

How To Help

Subscribe to the show through iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show.

Get The Transcript

Right-Click and “Save As” to Get the PDF Transcript.