God Has Got A Plan
We all know Jeremiah 29:11 about God’s plans for us.
In the King James Version we read: 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.
In the Amplified Bible we read: 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.
I love the way this verse and several verses after it read in The Message Bible.
“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out --- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” GOD’S DECREE.
God knows what He is doing where your life is concerned. He had your life planned out before the foundation of the world. He knows what He is doing, but we must line up with Him to be on the track of what He has planned. And how do we do that? By spending time with Him and His Word, praying much in the Spirit and listening for His instructions daily.
We are here with a purpose and plan in line for us, already established by God. We must trust Him to work it out for us as we are obedient to do what He tells us to do, and obedient to walk in line with His Word. What a wonderful assurance that God is in charge.
Now a word of caution here; He is only in charge as much as you and I allow Him to be in charge.
Sometimes we want to get ahead or lag behind Him. Or we think we can do it ourselves. We want something and we go crashing into the fullness of it without God’s direction or provision. After all, we know that is what God has for us. Sometimes what happens is that is the direction of the plan of what God has for us, but He needed to prepare us to step into what He has for us. And we are not always mature enough yet to take it on when He has not perfected us to assume that role and responsibility. For example, in the ministry, there are things I am just now walking into that I could not have handled 20 or even 5 years ago. He has been maturing me for the plan He has for my life.
With every plan comes certain responsibilities which only maturity can handle. The same is true of marriage. The same is true of parenthood. God prepares us for what He wants for us. And when we get in too big a hurry and want to get it done NOW, we do get what we want, but out of God’s time line. And as the old expression goes: “That do make a mess of things.” So be patient and allow God to perfect you for His time line and His plan in your life.
God has perfect timing and perfect plans. We are the ones who mess them up. But we don’t have to mess them up. I know people who have walked in the spirit all their lives and have genuinely wonderful lives, walking with the Lord. All their lives, they have obeyed Him and they have had days of heaven on earth. It is a wonderful place to be. Don’t you just love it when you are right on target with Him! He loves it also.
So, where are you today? If you are out of the will of God, it is certainly simple to get back into His perfect will. Repent of your own self-efforts and your own willful actions and ask Him to take over. He forgives and He forgets and He moves you right on target again. It is not like you have to go back and start over. You took a detour but even on the detour you were going forward. You are further ahead than you would have been if you stood still and did nothing.
There is one more thing I want to address here. Don’t be so afraid of being out of God’s will that you do nothing but fret about whether you are in God’s will or not and never take any action. It is better to take some action than to stand still and never take any action at all. Don’t let fear stop you from fulfilling God’s plan for your life. You may make some mistakes but he will help you to correct them. Go forward in God!
In the King James Version we read: 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.
In the Amplified Bible we read: 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.
I love the way this verse and several verses after it read in The Message Bible.
“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out --- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” GOD’S DECREE.
God knows what He is doing where your life is concerned. He had your life planned out before the foundation of the world. He knows what He is doing, but we must line up with Him to be on the track of what He has planned. And how do we do that? By spending time with Him and His Word, praying much in the Spirit and listening for His instructions daily.
We are here with a purpose and plan in line for us, already established by God. We must trust Him to work it out for us as we are obedient to do what He tells us to do, and obedient to walk in line with His Word. What a wonderful assurance that God is in charge.
Now a word of caution here; He is only in charge as much as you and I allow Him to be in charge.
Sometimes we want to get ahead or lag behind Him. Or we think we can do it ourselves. We want something and we go crashing into the fullness of it without God’s direction or provision. After all, we know that is what God has for us. Sometimes what happens is that is the direction of the plan of what God has for us, but He needed to prepare us to step into what He has for us. And we are not always mature enough yet to take it on when He has not perfected us to assume that role and responsibility. For example, in the ministry, there are things I am just now walking into that I could not have handled 20 or even 5 years ago. He has been maturing me for the plan He has for my life.
With every plan comes certain responsibilities which only maturity can handle. The same is true of marriage. The same is true of parenthood. God prepares us for what He wants for us. And when we get in too big a hurry and want to get it done NOW, we do get what we want, but out of God’s time line. And as the old expression goes: “That do make a mess of things.” So be patient and allow God to perfect you for His time line and His plan in your life.
God has perfect timing and perfect plans. We are the ones who mess them up. But we don’t have to mess them up. I know people who have walked in the spirit all their lives and have genuinely wonderful lives, walking with the Lord. All their lives, they have obeyed Him and they have had days of heaven on earth. It is a wonderful place to be. Don’t you just love it when you are right on target with Him! He loves it also.
So, where are you today? If you are out of the will of God, it is certainly simple to get back into His perfect will. Repent of your own self-efforts and your own willful actions and ask Him to take over. He forgives and He forgets and He moves you right on target again. It is not like you have to go back and start over. You took a detour but even on the detour you were going forward. You are further ahead than you would have been if you stood still and did nothing.
There is one more thing I want to address here. Don’t be so afraid of being out of God’s will that you do nothing but fret about whether you are in God’s will or not and never take any action. It is better to take some action than to stand still and never take any action at all. Don’t let fear stop you from fulfilling God’s plan for your life. You may make some mistakes but he will help you to correct them. Go forward in God!
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 2:37 AM
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