Plans
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Thoughts Plans Hope Future
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
God has a wonderful plan for your life!
Making Plans:
Making Plans:
18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.
Krislyn’s Testimony of life without a plan
When you travel, do you you leave everything to chance?
Don’t plan a particular day to travel
Just show up at the airport and hope there is a seat (not even just standby)
Don’t book a car or other transportation
Take a chance at lodging
Don’t even pack a bag or carry any money with you
The farther I’m going, the more fastidious I am about my planning.
-If I really need to be somewhere at an appointed time, I won’t even take a chance by traveling standby!
Some of us take more time to plan what we are going to eat for lunch than how we are going to fulfil our destiny in God!!!
You really need to end up at your life’s destination! Don’t take chances, plan!
2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
This might be a really bold move for you, but:
If you never write it, you may never commit to it!
You can’t miraculously be accountable to someone else without also being accountable to yourself!
Plans take you from where you are to where you are going
Some important plans to have:
Some important plans to have:
Where are you going in your friendships?
Where are you going in your marriage?
Where are you going in your parenting?
Where are you going in you finances?
Where are you going in your walk with God?
If you think you know where you want to go in these areas, have you written down HOW you are going to get there - your plans? Or are you just HOPING you’ll make it?
God’s Plans - Your Plans
God’s Plans - Your Plans
God has a wonderful plan for your life, but do your plans line up with His?
Autocad Building plans can be viewed in layers - Plumbing, electrical, walls, doors, windows, etc, but the layers have to line up perfectly to culminate at the desired result.
When you overlay your plans atop God’s Master plan, do they line up?
For many of us, they don’t. Much of that is because:
We are often more concerned with our happiness than we are with our destiny!
14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Here’s a crazy thing we can hardly understand:
Self-seeking doesn’t produce great reward in our life - but seeking God & His plans does!
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Here’s what we need to do:
9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Are you allowing God to direct (fix & determine) your steps?
This level of trust is so hard for MANY people - including myself, sometimes. It’s just that:
We don’t really KNOW God the way we need to yet.
The more we know God, the more we can trust God & follow His lead!
12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
I want to reinforce to our hearts today that:
We can trust God to direct & command our steps because His character is perfectly good & without flaw!
God plans things differently than we do, but we can trust that His ways are right!
I challenge you to
Make a plan to develop trust in God & truly know Him:
Make a plan to develop trust in God & truly know Him:
Read the Bible
Talk to Him & Listen in prayer
Spend time with God in a variety of situations
Give Him a chance to prove His unfailing goodness - start with the tithe.
Just One Thing:
Just One Thing:
Make an actual plan to fulfil God’s plan (for your life),write it down & run with it!
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
What’s the most awkward thing that happens to you on a regular basis?
What did you realize about your plans & planning through the course of this sermon?
Please read James 3:14-17 and share a little about what you think this scripture is saying about self-seeking & the way we plan.
What are some concrete plans that you have made & steps you have taken to pursue God & His plans for your life?