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What are your plans?
One of the advantages of living a long life is being able to look back at how silly most of your plans were. I had this idea that I was actually in control of my destiny.
As years passed, I revised my plans hundreds of times, and even when they went the way I had planned, I did not find the pleasure that I had envisioned. Have you found this true in your life? Is it possible that you have spent hours planning without seeing the results you wanted?
So, we should ask ourselves how important it is for us to plan out our lives.
The Scripture is full of verses that point to the importance of planning. However, there are just as many that point to the futility of plans that do not take God into account.
You see, God has a plan for you.
Having a plan is important! God gave us minds so we could plan our daily lives. He expects us to use all the skills we have to provide for ourselves and those in need around us.
Our Heavenly Father is not against planning; however, He is against you leaving Him out of your plans. You see, God has a plan for your life that is much better than you can imagine.
First of all, our planning should be how we are to serve the God who created us. Planning is only good when it puts God first.
He sent His Son as a key to our planning. If we leave Jesus out of our plans, they are doomed to fail. God’s playbook centers around Jesus as our leader. He is the center of all successful plans.
Listen to what Jesus says in Luke 9:23 NIV. Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Your plan should include God!
Over the years, I have tried doing a lot of things my way. Some people would say that I did well with my life, even in the early years. However, when I took my eyes off Jesus, I was simply stumbling around in worldliness.
My testimony is that without following Jesus, I was a failure, regardless of how good I looked. I was like everyone else who decided to do it their way.
I have, and I am sure you have known many individuals in life who seemed to have everything. They had what the world calls success, but when you took a closer look, they did not have joy.
They enjoyed high pay, lovely homes, and drove high-dollar cars, yet they were not happy.
The world tells us that if we have all these nice things, we will be happy. They also say that if we have the freedom to do whatever we want, we will be happy. It is all part of Satan’s lie.
Feel-good moments do not bring lasting happiness or peace of mind.
Happiness depends on following God.
God designed us so that we can only find lasting happiness by doing what He created for us to do. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10 NKJV, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Attending Church and giving your tithe is not all God requires. Those two items are important to your spiritual welfare, but doing the good works God prepared for you is the only way you will have lasting peace and joy.
God wants you and me to seek His will for our lives in all we do. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33 NKJV, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
God may grant you wealth to complete the work He has for you, but He may also give you less material things. His blessings as you serve Him may be only happiness and joy. When you seek God first, you will find that material things have little to do with happiness.
Our Loving God gives us the choice!
He could have created us to do only what He wanted. Instead, God gave us a mind and the ability to make choices.
In Bible circles, we call this Free Will. God did not want robots as spiritual children. So He allows us to decide to follow Him or align ourselves with Satan’s world.
Throughout time, God provided massive evidence of how He wanted us to live to receive His blessings. God never hides the truth from us; all we have to do is look at His Word or listen to His prophets.
God gave us His Law because He loved us. First, He gave the laws of life in the Old Testament. Then, when mankind had trouble following His law, He sent Jesus, His Son, to show us the way.
Our Creator will bring events into our lives to help us choose Him, but He will not force us. It is your choice to follow His teaching or not.
Your plans must surrender to God’s Divine Will.
In order to find joy and peace in this life, we must seek to serve Christ. Scripture tells us that we are given the mind of Christ and made partakers of His divine nature. The Apostle says, “3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.“ 2 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV
God has offered us all we need to overcome the world and serve Him in Christ Jesus.
When we follow God’s Plan, we need to remember these truths.
- We are conquerors in Him when we walk with Jesus. Romans 8:37
- Jesus will always lead us to victory in life and in death. 2 Corinthians 2:14
- The impossible becomes possible, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us – Philippians 4:13
You Must Know God’s Purpose & Will in the World Today.
9″ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,” 2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV
We must know the game plan and how it will end. Whatever our position is, it will center on God’s plan and purpose. Therefore, knowing His game plan is vitally important. You need to study and pray to understand His Game Plan.
God has a plan for this game of life.
- Yes, Jesus will build a church so strong that even the gates or the authority of hell would not be able to change it. He will establish His authority and rule the Church, Matthew 16:18.
- He plans for all the earth will be filled with His glory. His plan will be fulfilled in us who believe.
- The Church, as the body of Christ, will manifest His great glory throughout all the earth. The Church will grow in the fullness of His glory until it reaches the fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ. Then, God will conform us to His image – 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, Ephesians 4:13.
- We are to preach the Gospel to all nations as a witness, Matthew 24:14 NKJV.
- Jesus will establish His truth in the Church, the pillar and ground of all truth – 1 Timothy 3:15.
- Our Savior will have a great army that shall reclaim and restore all lost in the fall – Joel 2:2-11.
- The King of Kings will establish righteousness on earth as it is in Heaven. – Matthew – Matthew 6:10.
God’s Purpose and Perspective Must Fill Our Hearts
God called us for His purpose. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. God’s desire for each of us is for our eyes to be open so we can see and understand our calling. He calls us to fulfill His divine purpose. Not our earthly desires. 1Peter 4:11 NIV
Athletes need to learn the game plan to execute the plays correctly. So, likewise, we must get to know God and his game plan to be perfectly positioned as He calls upon us to complete our tasks.
Daniel says, “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Daniel 11:32b NKJV
Young David was an example when he took on Goliath. He saw things from God’s perspective. He was a giant to men but nothing to God. So David said, “Who is this Philistine that he should defile the armies of God?”
We Must Have a Heart of Faith and Expectancy.
We must believe God can empower us. Jesus taught His disciples to have faith and believe that all things are possible to those who believe. It is true even amid difficult times. They learned to serve God with all their heart.
Mark 9:23 ” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
We should expect God to move in our lives supernaturally. Therefore, you must have faith, expectancy, and commitment to be used by God supernaturally.
When football players line up on the scrimmage line, they are not standing there with their arms folded, waiting for something to happen. Instead, they hunch down in an aggressive posture, acutely aware of every move around them, waiting in expectancy to execute the play.
As Christians, we must position ourselves to respond to the Divine appointments God wants to bring our way. Or are you standing around waiting and wondering if God will ever use you? He will use anyone willing. So if you’re going to see God at work, make yourself available.
If You Are In The Battle, You Will Get Wounds & Disappointments
Just like athletes, you will get hurt from time to time. You can recover most of the time quickly, but be aware evil men have beheaded some of our brothers and sisters. As a result, we may face great hardships in sharing the Gospel in the future.
If we fail to do our job while it is easy, what will happen when it becomes hard to serve Christ? Unfortunately, you can not go through life and ministry without a few dings on your spirit.
- You will face trials, and those trials will try to steal your passion and joy. If you lose your passion, you will also lose your sense of purpose and destiny.
- We care less about finishing the race and are no longer positioned for God to move in our lives the way he desires.
- We tend to settle into existence as Christians rather than a walk of faith. We must overcome that mentality and attitude. God ordained us for a purpose. To reach that purpose, we must fight hard.
Paul said, “That his goal was to finish the race.” But, unfortunately, he got banged up a lot – probably more than any of us will ever begin to experience. However, he did not give up the race and kept going until his life’s end. He rejoiced in all God was doing.
Do you see things as God does?
Does your view on life allow you to continue in God’s purpose and destiny? Sometimes the circumstances of life rage against you.
Look at Peter: Peter had a reason to wallow and sulk in his misery and defeat. He denied the Lord, not just once but three times, while the Lord looked right at him.
After denying the Lord, he went out and wept bitterly. His spirit was severely wounded.
Yet we see Peter as the one who came forth powerfully. He made one play after another from God’s playbook with vision and purpose.
Peter was continually perfectly positioned when divine appointments came his way.
- God used Peter to usher in the New Testament Church’s birth – Peter’s first sermon netted over 3,000 converts.
- Amid persecution and mockery, he powerfully stood up to the religious leaders.
- Angels delivered him from prison.
- As Peter’s shadow touched someone, Jesus healed them.
- We can also note that Peter was the first of the disciples to raise someone from the dead.
- Peter was used to opening the door to the Gentile believers.
- Rome crucified him upside down for his testimony of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Even though he blew it once in a while, he finished his course with faith and passion.
Have you allowed your wounds and disappointments to take you out of the game?
You must make every effort to follow God’s Plan for us.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14-15 NIV
In Conclusion:
God wants to do great things in your life, so put on the armor of light and be about your Father’s business. He wants to use and bless you more than you can comprehend or imagine.
Today, Christ’s call to all of us is to get back in the game. The Bible shows us what He expects of us and the blessings. We have examples of the lives of the Apostles and the price they paid. Should we do less than they did?
As always, Brother, Sister, the choice is yours.