James: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
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James 4:13-17
James 4:13-17
Introduction: Back in the 1980s
I had the privilege, Of attended Bible college
In the town of Chester Virginia
Atlantic Baptist Bible College
And while there, I had a professor
Named Frank Caudle
Now, Frank Caudle, Was an excellent teacher
He Taught me theology,
he Taught me
About the life of Christ
And...he Gave us lots of assignments
Reading assignments
And writing assignments
And he always gave quizzes and tests
And when we as students, Didn’t do so well
On those quizzes and tests
He would say to us
Proper prior planning
Prevents poor performance
And
With that in mind
Let’s read our text
For this evening
And as I said
It is in the book of James
Once again
James 4)
And let’s read verses 13 – 17
The Bible says
In James 4:13 – 17
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer
(pray)
I. The basics of planning as a disciple of The Lord
Declaration
Now
As believers
We have read this text
Numerous times
even in our personal devotions
I know I have
I, in fact
Memorized this passage
A long time ago
And perhaps you have to
But
Just to get it fresh
In our minds again
Let’s read verses 13 – 15
again
James said
(James 4:13 – 15
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Now
Did you notice that
James said that
You ought to say
If the Lord wills
We will do this or that?
And
What he was saying is simply
Yes we ought to plan
But our plan
ought to be based
On His plan
For our life
But
Before we talk about the importance
Of planning this evening
Proper prior planning prevents poor performance
Let’s
Review
What we have studied thus far
In the book of James
As
We began our study
A number of weeks ago
We talked about
the reality of trials
Every believer
Is either in the midst of a trial
Just coming out
Of a trial
Or is about
to enter a trial
But
Listen to what James said
In verse 2
Of Chapter 1
he
Said
(James 1:2
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Now
In context
The word temptations there
is understood
as trials
So
We ought to count it a joy
That the Lord allows trials
in our life
Because
As James went on to say
(James 1:3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Then
We talked about the importance
Of wisdom
All of us
needs wisdom
And
James told us
In James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
And
Aren’t you glad this evening
That wisdom is available
From the Lord our God
In
Verse 12
Here in chapter 1
James went on to say
(James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
And
The word temptations here
Is describing the solicitation
to do evil
And James was encouraging us
To remain faithful to God
Amid temptation
As
We turned the page
To chapter 2
We talked about the folly of favoritism
(James 2:1
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
Then
Later on in chapter 2
James taught us
That true Bible faith
Works
James said
(James 2:17
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
-It does not work to get saved
-It works, because it is saved
In
Chapter 3
In the first half
James instructed us
In the proper use
of the tongue
Then
In chapter 4
James gave us some pointers
On prayer
But this evening
As we continue
In the general epistles
And particularly
In the book James
Let’s
Talk about The fact that
Proper prior planning
Prevents poor performance
Say that
With me if you would
Proper prior planning
Prevents poor performance
Discussion
So
Let’s talk about the importance of planning
Planning
Is one of the most important things
You can ever do
as a Christian
In fact
It has been said that
If you fail to plan
You are planning
To fail
And I believe that is true
And
The reality is
The Bible speaks much
about planning
For example
Solomon wrote
In Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the Lord,
And thy thoughts shall be established.
That word
Thoughts there
In that verse
Describes planning
So
If you commit your work to the Lord
God will help you
Establish the right plan
But planning is important
Look also
In chapter 19:21
Of the book of Proverbs
The Bible says (Proverbs 19:21
There are many devices in a man’s heart;
Nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.
And there again
The word devices
Is interpreted as plan
There are many plans in a man’s heart
But in getting counsel from the Lord
That is the kind of plan
that will stand
That is, it will abide
Likewise
In the book of Proverbs
In chapter 21:5
Solomon wrote (Proverbs 21:5
The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness;
But of every one that is hasty only to want.
The word
Thoughts there again
is the very same word used
In those other Proverbs
It is the word plan
So
The plans of those who are diligent
And I would add
Diligent to know God’s will
That kind of plan
Can only be prosperous
But
The point is
It is very important
To plan
And
If you fail to plan
You are planning to fail
And if you fail to plan
In the will of God
You will most definitely fail
Determination
And as you study the Bible
There are a number of examples
That Show us the importance
Of planning
In fact
Keep Your Pl. in James 4)
And turn to the book of Proverbs if you would
And chapter 6
And read with me
Versus 6 – 8
(Proverbs 6: 6 – 8
Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
Consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer,
And gathereth her food in the harvest.
Now
Do you see that Word provideth
That word Provideth
Has the idea
Of making preparation for
Through planning
see
That’s what the ants do
During the summer months
They make preparation
For the winter months
By planning on how
To get food
They
Don’t just hope for the best
They don’t just arrive
And hope They'll make it through
No, they plan
And then they implement the plan
And
God tells us
Through this proverb
We need to consider the ways of the aunt
And be wise
We
Need to likewise make plans
For the future
Whether it is the near future
Or the distant future
But
We need to make plans
In advance
For example
If you plan to take a trip
You need to make plans
About how you’ll get there
About where you’ll stay
Once you are there
And about how you will get back
Because
If you don’t make such plans
You might be left out
In the cold
And let me illustrate
Let’s say that you decide
To travel across the country
To LAX
Los Angeles international Airport
And
You plan to stay for a couple of days
You get on your plan,
You arrive in Los Angeles at the airport
So you walk out of the airport
And finding a cab is Easy
But
What if you haven’t made plans
For a hotel
You might find
That they are all booked up
That happens around here
So I know it happens
In California too
Or
You might find
That the hotel is way too expensive
If
you can even find one available
So
It is far better
To plan
And
With regards to this proverb
And more to the point
If you get your paycheck
And
if you don’t have a plan
about how you will spend it
You might spend it frivolously
In the here and now
And Therefore
you might not have enough money
To make it to the next paycheck
So
Consider the ant
Solomon wrote
There is
Another great example
Of the importance of planning
In the book of Nehemiah
Turn there if you would please
Now
In chapter 1
Nehemiah got some disturbing news
News that
The Jews that had returned from captivity
In Babylon, to Jerusalem
were
In great affliction
And reproach
Because as it says
in Nehemiah 1:3
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
So
When Nehemiah got that distressing news
The first thing he did
Was to pray
And in prayer
He confessed his sins
And the sins of his people
To the Lord his God
And by the way
When you get distressing news like that
It’s a pretty good idea
To do a little soul-searching
and Nehemiah did
And
As you read chapter 1
You realize
That Nehemiah prayed for several months
But
As you get to chapter 2
You find that Nehemiah
Made significant plans
To go rebuild the walls
And
Let me tell you why
I say that
He knew that the walls were broken down
In the city of Jerusalem
And that the gates
were burned with fire
But
I believe Nehemiah made significant plans
To go rebuild the wall
Because
As you read chapter 2
You get that sense
In fact
Read
The first 8 Versus with me
Here in this chapter
The Bible says (Nehemiah 2:1 – 8
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Now
Think about that
If you would please
When
He talked to the king
He knew exactly
What was needed
To repair the walls
And the gates
Of the city of Jerusalem
And
Not only that
But he knew exactly
How long he would need
The Bible says in verse 6
That he set the king a time
he Said, I’ll need so much time to do this
So he thought all that through
Which suggests
That he had set down
And planned
For this important work
He
Then told the king
What would be needed
To get the work done
Again it says in verse 7 – 8 (Nehemiah 2:7 – 8
Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
And
The point I’m making is
Nehemiah planned
Because he knew exactly what he needed
He needed security
And he needed supplies
But see,
he planned ahead
And
As a result of his planning
The wall was rebuilt
In just 52 days
Now
Can you imagine
How chaotic it would’ve been
Had Nehemiah arrived there
Without a plan in mind
Even though
He had the best of intentions
Can you imagine how long
It might’ve taken
Had Nehemiah Arrived in that place
Not knowing
Or not even Considering what was needed
Can you imagine how long
It might’ve taken
For him to rebuild the wall
Without Pre-planning
. And what
With all the opposition they had
They might never have completed it
Had Nehemiah not first sat down
And planned
For the rebuilding
of these walls
So I’m saying
If you fail to plan
You’re planning to fail
In what ever area of life
You’re talking about
For example
You might think it’s a good idea
To be involved in a ministry
You might
even have the best of intentions
To
Let’s say
Teach a Sunday school class
But if you don’t plan for that class
And you just show up
You might not have the results
That you hope to have
see
Proper prior planning
Prevents poor performance
Deliberation
Turn also
To the New Testament
If you would please
To the gospel of Luke
In
Luke 14)
The Lord Jesus was sharing a parable
And read with me
Versus 28 – 30
Jesus
Said
In Luke 14:28 – 30
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Now
Let’s talk about this parable
Jesus talked about those
Who have good intentions
They intended
To build a tower
But
They fail
To sit down first
And count the cost
They
Did not plan
The building of the tower
And therefore they did not know
What the materials would cost
they
just started building
And weren’t able to finish it
And sadly
So many people
Are just like those ones
Described by Jesus
For them
They hope that life will just unfold
Like a beautiful flower
But
I want to tell you
That’s not how life works
If
You get a paycheck
You better make plans
On how to spend it
If
You buy a house
You better make plans
On how to pay for it
If
You need groceries
For the month
You better have a plan
in how your purchase
Those groceries
If
You hope to retire one day
You ought to make some plans
About how that will look
And
The greatest example
Of planning
Is in God Himself
In fact
The Lord said
In Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
And
There again
That word thoughts
Is the very same word
That is used in those other Proverbs
That I shared with you a moment ago
And it means
to plan
The Lord
Was saying
That because I want you
to have an expected end
I’ve made plans for you
I have planned
For you to have peace
And not evil
And
Let me ask you
Aren’t you glad
That God has a plan for your life
And
Are you so glad
That God’s Plan is good
I am
Also reminded
Of something Paul wrote
In
The book of 1 Corinthians
In chapter 14
He
Said
In 1 Corinthians 14:40
Let all things be done decently and in order.
The
Word order there
Suggests planning
Plan out everything
you do
And
If you will
You will be more productive
You will have less stress
And you might even be successful
so
That’s just the basics
Of planning
As a disciple of the Lord
That
If you fail to plan
You are planning to fail
But if you will faithfully plan
You will likely be prosperous
That’s true
II. The burden of planning independent of the Lord
Declaration
But
Now that we have talked
about the basics
Of planning
As a disciple of the Lord
Let’s
turn back to our text
In the book of James, Chapter 4
And discuss
The burden
Of planning independent
Of the Lord
now
It is important to plan
But it is a mistake
To make plans independent
Of the Lord
Because
Notice what James said
(James 4:13 – 14
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Now
Think about what he was saying
He was telling those people
Some of you
Are making plans
Independent of God
You’re saying
We!
Today or tomorrow
We!
Will go into this city or that city
But
James told them
You don’t really know
What tomorrow holds
Yet you make plans
As though you do know
And James said
You plan to buy and sell
And get gain
But again
You have no idea
What tomorrow holds
Yet
You make these plans
To go to such and such a place
And to do such and such a thing
Independent of God
And
let me give you an example
Of what that looks like
From my own life
Years ago
I was about to begin deputation
Which involves a lot of travel
And I needed a car
The car that I had
Wasn’t great
But
I needed a car
And a pastor friend of mine
Had one for sale
And
In my way of thinking
The price was right
It was a Ford Granada
And the price was just right
So
Being a spiritual giant
I didn’t even pray about it
I didn’t ask God
For wisdom on this
I just
Went to my friend
I planned to go to my friend
And By that car
I made plans To secure the money
And I made plans to use that car for deputation
so he sold me
That car
And
do you know
what happened
That car
Was
One of the worst cars
I’ve ever had
I mean, it was a lemon
As a matter fact
Every time you would move the car
You would find a glob
Underneath
There
Was oil underneath
There was antifreeze
And power steering fluid
On the ground
And
The reason it was there
Was because it leaked
out of the car
and needless to say
That car
Didn’t last very long
Only just a few months
Yet
I made those plans to buy it
Independent of God
I didn’t check with Him
And as result
I got a lemon
And
The reason why is clear
I made those plans
To buy that Ford Granada
Independent of God
Discussion
Let me share
A Bible example if I may
About the folly
Of not including God
in your plans
In fact
We just read this
This past Friday
In our Bible reading plan
But
Look with me in the book of Joshua
If you would please
In chapter 7
Now
In chapter 6
Joshua and Israel
Had great success
At the battle of Jericho
God
Gave them a plan
They followed that plan
and the walls of Jericho
fell flat
But
When they got to chapter 7
Things didn’t go so well
Read with me
Versus 2 – 5
The
Bible says
In Joshua 7:2 – 5
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
Now
As I read that passage
I can see their planning
They sent these spies
To go check things out
To see
What was needed
To accomplish the task
so the engaged in planning
They then
Came back to Joshua
And presented the plan
Joshua then
Followed their plan
But
Something is missing
Joshua
Didn’t even pray about it
He
Didn’t say Lord
We made this plan
To only send
a couple thousand Soldiers
To go fight this battle
But Lord
Would you give us wisdom
To know how to proceed
Joshua
Didn’t do that
Because had he
The Lord would’ve
No doubt
informed Joshua
That you and your people are not ready
There
Is an accursed thing
Among your people
In fact
In verse 1
The Bible tells us (Joshua 7:1
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
But
Joshua didn’t know
now
The Lord knew
But Joshua didn’t know
So
Had he only prayed about it
had he only included God
in his plan
God could’ve given Joshua
A better plan
A plan
To get the sin
Out of the camp
Before you try to serve the Lord
But see
On that day
They had their plans laid
But they made those plans
Independent of the Lord
And the results
Were a catastrophe
People died
Because of that mistake
So
What I’m saying is
It is so dangerous
To make plans
Independent of God
Now yes
We should make plans
For both today
And tomorrow
But
We must not make plans
Independent of God
Because the fact is
We don’t know
what tomorrow holds
Oh
But our heavenly Father does
He knows exactly
What tomorrow holds
So
It just stands to reason
That we ought to get His wisdom
from God
When it comes to making our plans
Because if we don’t
Disaster might be in our future
Which
Remind me
Of something Solomon wrote
He wrote in Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel purposes are disappointed:
But in the multitude of counsellers they are established.
I
Call your attention
To the word purposes there
The word purposes
Is the very same word
That we have seen already
In the Hebrew language
It is the word for plan
That
If we don’t get counsel
Our plans
Could be disappointed
That is, Destroyed
And by the way
When you make your plans
It is good to get advice
From wise people
But
It is far more important
To get your advice
From a wise God
But
Before we move on
To our third point
this evening
Let me
Share with you
Something I read This past Friday
It is an excerpt
From a book written by Warren Weirsbe
He said
Hudson Taylor had definite convictions
about how God's work
should be done.
Weirsbe wrote about the fact
that
Taylor said
We can make our best plans
and try to carry them out
in our own strength.
Or
we can make careful plans
and ask God to bless them.
"Yet
another way of working
is to begin with God;
to ask His plans,
and then
to offer ourselves to Him
to carry out His purposes."
And listen please
That is
The best way
But anyway
We have discussed thus far
The basics
Of making plans
As disciples of the Lord
that we ought to plan ahead
And
We have discussed
The burden
Of making plans independent
Of the Lord
III. The blessings of planning in dependence on the Lord
Declaration
So finally
Let’s talk about the blessing
Of making our plans
In
Dependence
On the Lord
And
Read with me again
Our original text
In James 4)
James wrote
(James 4: 13 – 15
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Now
Think about what he was saying
It is not wise
To make plans independent
Of the Lord
Because
The fact is
You’re not omnipotent
You have no idea
What tomorrow holds
So
You can’t possibly know
How to use
today or tomorrow
In terms of what you will do
And where you will go
But
Here’s what you ought to do
James said
You ought to say
If the Lord wills
We will do this or that
He
Was telling the members
Of their church
When you make your plans
Make them in
Dependence
On the Lord
Seek
The Lord’s will
In your plans
See
(Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart deviseth his way:
But the Lord directeth his steps.
In other words
It’s okay
To sit down and make your own plan
But you better get direction
From the Lord
Discussion
I’m reminded
Of the apostle Paul
In the book of Acts
Chapter 16
Turn there if you would
And
Read with me
Versus 6 – 10
Paul
Had been ministering in Asia Minor
And had,
had great success
He had Planted numerous churches
Many souls had been saved
but
The Bible says
in Acts 16:6 – 10
Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
Now then
Do you see that word assayed
In verse 7
That word means
To plan to do something
so
as Paul and his missionary team
Planned to continue their work in Asia
God’s Holy Spirit forbade them
And
When they planned again
To going to Bithynia
The Holy Spirit
Said no
Which tells me
Paul undoubtedly
Spent time praying about it
he Made his plans
But then
He decided
To check with the Lord
And God then
Gave him clear direction
he
Directed Paul and his missionary team
To go to Europe
And
In verses 11 and 12
Paula Obeyed immediately
It says
(Acts 16:11-12
Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
And
When Paul got to Philippi
Souls started getting saved
A church got started there
A church by the way
That eventually
Began supporting Paul’s ministry
In fact
Paul later
told this church
In Philippians 4:15 – 16
Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
But then
As a result of the gospel
Coming to Europe
It eventually found its way
To North America
And
As a result
The Americas were evangelized
And all of us are now saved
And my point
Is simply this
When we make plans
in
Dependence
on the Lord
There
are blessings galore
Paul got financial support
Because of his dependence on the Lord
In making his plans
And
All of us as Christians
Living today
have received spiritual support
Because
Paul made his plans
in Dependence
On the Lord
The Lord
Who knew exactly
What He was doing
see
A man’s heart devises his own way
But it ought to be the Lord
Who directs his steps
Because see
If you direct your steps
You will surely stumble and fall
At some point in your life
But
If the Lord directs your steps
You are destined
For great success
Determination
And let me show you
What that looks like
Years ago
When I was in the Army
And
Doing my basic training
I was stationed at Fort McClellan Alabama
The hottest places
I’ve ever lived
now
I did my training
During the summer months
and let me tell you
It was miserable at times
And
Our training involved
Learning to shoot a rifle
Throwing a grenade
It involved fighting maneuvers
It involved push-ups and set ups and running
But
It also involved
Adjusting
to night maneuvers
And
During one training time
We were taken out to the middle of nowhere
And we were told
To find our way back
to The training station
The barracks
And not as individuals
But as a group
But
There was a catch
We weren't given
A flashlight of any kind
And it was pitch dark
I mean
You couldn’t see your hand
In front of your face
However
There was a blessing
In the front of the line
Because see
We were in a long line
With our platoon
But
In front of the line
Was our sergeant
And he had a flashlight
But
The line was long
And the flashlight was not bright
But the sergeant knew where we were going
Even in the dark
So
They ordered us
To keep our hands on the shoulder
Of the man in front of us
And
As I kept my hand on his shoulder
And he kept his hand on the other guys shoulder
And the other guys shoulder
And the other guys shoulder
All the way to the Sgt.
and
As we followed
our sergeants
Predetermined plan
We got where we were supposed to go
And
The point is simply this
God knows what is best for you
So that
When you make your plans
And you should by the way
because
When you fail to plan
You’re planning to fail
But
When you make your plans
You ought never make them
Independent of God
No
(James 4:15
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
In
Other words
Make your plans
But
before you engage those plans
You better check with God
Plan
To do this career
Or that career
Plan
To engage in this activity
or that activity
But
You make absolutely sure
That you check
with God
And
That if you find it is not God’s will
For you to have this particular career
Or to live in this particular place
Or
To take that particular trip
Or to have that group of friends
If you find it is not God’s will
You better not do it
Because
If you do
Disaster
Might very well be in your future
So
What can we do
As Christians today
Well
We
We ought to be planners
We ought to plan ahead
Planning for our future
Planning
Even for the present
We ought to be planners
The Lord is
Nehemiah
Surely Was
And God blessed
his work abundantly
So
If you look at your own life
And find that you’re not
Engaged in planning for your Self
or your family
You
Ought to get alone with God
And make a commitment
To start living your life\
with a plan
But
At the same time too
You ought to ask the Lord
For His will
Concerning your plan
Don’t
Ask God to bless your plan
Ask God
To advise you
Regarding your plan
And then take His advice
Because again
James wrote
(James 4: 13 – 17
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
So
Would you come to the altar
And ask God
To advise you
About the plan
That He has for your life
Conclusion: Let’s go to the Lord...In A word of prayer
