Goals are everywhere in business.
Revenue goals. Growth goals. Sales goals. Impact goals. Personal goals.
But for someone following Jesus, there is another question that has to come first:
Whose goals are we pursuing, and who gets to define success?
Phil R. Taylor, founder of Goal Achievers Summit, joined Mark Rowan on the 2000 Cubit Rule for a conversation about achievement, business, sales, adversity, and what it means to pursue meaningful goals while keeping God at the center.
For Phil, pursuing goals is not contrary to dependence on God. In fact, when properly surrendered, goals can become part of how we steward what God has placed in our hands.
God Is Not Against Goals
The name Goal Achievers Summit raises an interesting question for Christians.
Should we really be focused on achieving goals?
Phil believes the answer is yes, but with an important qualification.
Scripture repeatedly shows people planning, building, stewarding, working, and moving toward specific outcomes. At the same time, Scripture makes it clear that our plans remain subject to God.
We make plans. God directs our steps.
That means having a goal is not the same thing as controlling the outcome.
There is room to plan boldly while remaining completely surrendered to God’s direction.
Phil described God as a “goal achiever,” pointing to the intentionality and purpose seen throughout Scripture. Humanity itself was created with purpose, gifts, assignments, and opportunities to steward.
The question is not whether we should pursue goals.
The deeper question is whether those goals are submitted to God.
Success Starts With Identity
One of the strongest ideas from the conversation was Phil’s reminder that believers do not have to achieve their way into significance.
In Christ, our identity is already secure.
That changes everything about how we approach success.
Instead of saying, “I need to accomplish more so that I can become successful,” we can begin from a different position:
God has already given me value, identity, and purpose. Now I get to faithfully steward what He has entrusted to me.
Achievement becomes stewardship rather than validation.
Business growth no longer has to prove our worth.
Recognition does not determine our significance.
And failure does not have the authority to define us.
Our work can flow from who we already are in Christ.
God May Redirect the Plan
Goals also require flexibility.
Mark shared a principle he often returns to: we make plans, but God orders our steps.
Those two realities can exist together.
We can create the plan, set the goal, build the strategy, and move forward faithfully. Then God may redirect the entire journey.
That does not necessarily mean the original plan was wrong.
Sometimes the plan simply gets us moving.
Joseph could never have designed the path that eventually placed him in a position to save countless lives. His journey included betrayal, slavery, false accusation, imprisonment, and years of uncertainty.
Yet what others intended for evil, God used for good.
The same pattern appears repeatedly throughout Scripture. God’s destination may be clear while the route looks nothing like what we expected.
That is why surrender has to remain part of goal setting.
What If Sales Were Really About Serving?
The conversation also turned toward one of the most practical areas of business: sales.
Phil’s approach begins before scripts, funnels, tactics, or closing techniques.
It begins with the heart.
Do you genuinely care about the person in front of you?
That question changes the entire sales conversation.
Instead of approaching someone primarily as a transaction, we begin looking for an opportunity to serve.
What does this person actually need?
What problem are they trying to solve?
Can I genuinely help?
Am I listening?
Am I operating with kindness and truth?
Phil pointed to Proverbs 3 and the pairing of kindness and truth as a powerful standard for communication and business.
A salesperson grounded in both does not need manipulation.
Truth keeps us honest.
Kindness keeps us focused on the person.
Together, they create trust.
Sales then becomes less about convincing someone to buy and more about discovering whether we can meaningfully serve them.
Hope May Be One of Our Greatest Contributions
Phil also shared an insight he heard from Tom Ziglar at one of the Goal Achievers Summit events: people are looking for hope.
That carries particular significance for believers.
Scripture tells us to be ready to give a reason for the hope within us.
That hope is not limited to church environments.
It travels with us into offices, businesses, sales conversations, conferences, partnerships, and everyday interactions.
Someone may first encounter the hope of Christ because they experience something different in the way a Christian conducts business.
They encounter integrity.
Generosity.
Kindness.
Patience.
Excellence.
An unusual willingness to serve.
And eventually they may ask why.
That is Kingdom influence.
Difficulty Can Become Preparation
Phil’s own story has included unexpected turns.
After attending Bible school as a young man, he was kicked out during his second year. His journey eventually took him into sales, entrepreneurship, communication, events, and ultimately the work he is doing today through Goal Achievers Summit.
Looking backward, experiences that seemed disconnected can begin to reveal a pattern.
God wastes very little.
Pain can become preparation.
Disappointment can produce empathy.
Failure can expose what needs healing.
Unexpected detours can position us for assignments we never would have chosen for ourselves.
The goal is not to pretend difficulty is enjoyable.
It is to recognize that God remains at work inside it.
The Kingdom Definition of Success
Near the end of the conversation, Phil returned to Philippians 2 and one of the most countercultural instructions in Scripture:
Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Consider others above yourself.
That is radically different from much of what the world teaches about achievement.
The Kingdom does not eliminate ambition.
It transforms it.
Instead of asking only, “How far can I go?” we begin asking:
Who can I serve along the way?
Instead of asking, “How much can I accomplish?” we ask:
What has God actually entrusted to me?
Instead of asking, “How do I make myself successful?” we ask:
How can Christ live through me in this assignment?
That may be the greatest goal of all.
Not merely achieving more, but becoming more surrendered.
Not simply building something impressive, but allowing God to build something through us.
And not pursuing success for ourselves, but becoming faithful stewards of whatever He places in our hands.
About Phil R. Taylor
Phil R. Taylor is the founder of Goal Achievers Summit, LLC, a national event platform connecting entrepreneurs, speakers, founders, and business leaders. With more than two decades in the events and speaking industry, Phil is passionate about bringing the right people, ideas, and opportunities together to create meaningful growth and impact.
Learn more about Phil and upcoming events at GoalAchieversSummit.com.
Make Room for God in What You’re Building
If God has placed a message, assignment, or vision in your heart, clarity matters.
The Metamorphoo Method helps Christian entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, and speakers clarify the message God has entrusted to them, make it plain, and build a pathway for greater impact.
Explore the Metamorphoo Method and begin putting language and structure around what God has called you to carry.