Faith Works...How Does Faith Work in Life Planning

We are all living life on this old rock. We’re born, we grow, we plan, and we pursue a goal.

As kids we dream of what we’ll be when we grow up.

In school we learn what our possible path in life will be.

In High School there’s pressure to pick a path.

In College we have great anxiety about our path choice, and if it’s the right path.

We go to work, and wonder if we really want to do this for the rest of my life.

We get married and throw out all of our plans and start over.

We have kids and we throw out our plans and start all over again!

In our 50’s and 60’s we begin to really feel that pressure of retirement.

In all of our life phases we can fail in one of 2 ways.

The plan never works, so we stop planning.

We stick to our plan no matter what.

Life Has Uncertainty

James 4:13–14 NKJV

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

The truth is that we should have plans in place. That being said, we have to remember life is and will always be packed with uncertainties. The best of our plans and intentions are never going to be full proof.

Something that Laura and I have over the years in ministry is that you have learn to be flexible and roll with the punches. If we were inflexible, there are so many experiences that we never would’ve had. There are relationships that may not have grown.

Being inflexible will ultimately lead to failure, that will lead to walking away. Make the plans and be flexible!

Proverbs 21:5 NKJV

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

Proverbs 19:21 NKJV

There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

Life Has Brevity

Life moves fast! I was filling out some papers this week and realized that I put 8-1-23 for the date. We are nearly 3/4 of the way through this year. I am a couple of months away from being a half century old!

Life is a hard word to nail down in the scripture. The Hebrew word Hebel is often used and can be…meaningless, vanity, and emptiness. The O.T. uses words like vapor, wispy, fleeting, elusive, and quickly passing!

God has Sovereignty

James 4:15 NKJV

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Planning is not the problem, presumption is the problem. God always resist the proud and lifts up the humbled.

Proverbs 16:3 NKJV

Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.

In making our plans and goals we must always ask God to show us His desires, plans and purposes and we have to be willing to follow where He will lead us.

We believe that we right in the middle of His will here. Even in this we welcome Him to change the plans as He sees fit.

We Should Have Humility

James 4:16 NKJV

But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

We all need a Savior! We are fallible and frail in our very best plans. We need a Savior!!Life can cause us to make promises that we cannot keep and over commit to too many things. We cannot do it all.

Know that your plate belongs to Jesus.

Know the size of your plate.

Know what to take off of your plate.

Know what to put on your plate.

John 5:36 NKJV

But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.

We Should Have Urgency

James 4:17 NKJV

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Our time is so short and we can’t afford to take it for granted. I have no control over how many days I will have. I have no control over what tomorrow will bring. I do have control over what I will do with this day!

I need to know what Gods will is for my life and for this day. There are a few way to know His will...

Scripture

Prayer

Wise Counsel

The Holy Spirit will use all kinds of ordinary and extraordinary means to reveal His will to us.

When my life comes to an end here on this earth, I want to those words “Well done thou good and faithful servant, come in!”. God is always working His plan out for everyone in everything. Follow Him!!!

Ephesians 1:3–10 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.