If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. It’s common sense. We were not created as some random event nor are the plans of God for His purpose random. There is a prescribed sequence of events that is leading to the end of this age. To plan for a goal is not usually a linear process; waiting for one task to be completed before the other is started. For a goal, there are tasks that occur simultaneously, starting and finishing at different or together on time.
All plans if not supported by a Righteous foundation are doomed to fail and can mislead good intentions down the drain to disaster. As Paul says, “all things are available to me, but not all are beneficial”. Everything in this world can be used by God or by satan with a man. It is not the things that matter but the person or rather the spirit that uses the thing that matters. God uses the physical things of this world for His Spiritual purpose which is ultimate to have His Kingdom here on Earth. So must the Body of Christ. But with wisdom. Our plans must be made or ordained to be for the Kingdom of God which has many parts to it. We should also not be concerned to what we may lose be it time, money, relationships or even comfort. For Jesus said, “whoever sacrifice for the Kingdom will be rewarded a hundredfold”. What is key is the heart of it all. For God sees the heart and seeks to reward the desires of it. Of course, it goes without saying; it must be a Righteous cause.
The Christian Walk.
Feb. 11, 2017.
Letters to the Faithful.
What was God’s plan? Man! Everything else was to give His final plan all the essentials to succeed. This is a part of being the Body of Christ. To set plans and goals that edifies the Word. Now, just like purpose and vision, we must seek God’s guidance as to our plans, for it makes no sense to plan to build a church in the desert unless God reveals this to you. When the goal is for God's Glory usually dedication is high but with this comes trials and tribulations. We just do as Paul did and carry our own cross.
When Paul asked God to remove the hindrance that plagued him. God says, “My Grace is sufficient for you”. Now, you would think God who wants all your challenges removed from you to clear the path for your goals to be achieved. Here is where religion has missed the garden’s purpose. God set His goal for man and the Earth, knowing very well He had an adversary waiting and watching what He was doing. God knew satan would be opposed to His plans and would seek to destroy them. What the adversary did not know is by seeking to oppose and destroy God’s plans; he in effect was fulfilling and aiding the plan’s success. The rest is history. God’s plans for man were not just to be a gardener but mainly to bring about Salvation having the Blood authority over satan. For where satan thought he could destroy man and be above him; the saved man is now given authority to bind and loosen things on the Earth as in Heaven. God, although having the Power to remove the hindrances to His plans, used Grace to overcome it and so must we.
We begin to see connections that were before obscure because of a previous narrow-mindedness, but with personal growth resulting from our journey, we see a bigger picture. Often, we experience serendipities of life. This happens when we enjoy the journey rather than becoming frustrated to complete the goal. Most Plans are really a want or desire for self-interest reasons but with the right heart, results in the need to benefit others, and as a result, work both for the doer and beneficiaries of the plan. For Godly plans always do both.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. God demonstrates purpose and this is reflected in Jesus’ ministry as well as the Apostles. We, the Body of Christ should also reflect God’s higher ways to our lives. Never to be mundane or so routine that we put out body, mind, and spirit on automatic, neither impacting ourselves or those around us. When we engage the Spirit, the Spirit guides us. So we should not afraid of our plans or what we must face to achieve them. To overcome such apprehensions, we must always endeavor to take action.
The Bible from Genesis to Revelation is all about plans that are designed to happen with a few bumps along the way. Not unlike most people’s daily lives. The main difference is the God through the Bible has control of the planning and the outcome. We tend to leave our lives to chance with most of it being planned and ordered for us from a secular perspective. As we are old enough, we hear the saying, “Get a good education and then a good job” and “the early bird gets the worm”. All these mantras are planning and ordering our lives. Our lives; the Body of Christ should be planned and ordered by the Word and God, for it says, “I (God) know the plans for you”.
He then establishes the two main supports of Heaven and Earth. Which are gauges or points of reference for how things are going with His creation plan. Once He flourishes the Earth in beauty and seed; He frames the Heavens with elements for signs and time, we know as day, night; and the four seasons, which aids and controls all manner of production and provides life for all living things including man. God continues to provide every means of support for His final creation of man. Here is where planning earns its worth. Once all things are in place and are all essentially working towards and for His goal; God tests His work. A plan is only worth its weight by the results of it.
When you examine God’s creation of the Earth; He starts with the goal; the final result He wants. This is man; a family. This goal had not changed and as Revelation reveals, the saved will become as a family to God completely as opposed to having it by proxy currently. God could have created man first, but where would that make sense without the necessary supports required for man to live. Before God takes action, He examines and assesses the current state of affairs. He is taking stock and acknowledging the reality of the situation. The main reality is the Earth is in darkness. This prompts Him to create light to illuminate the situation as expose hidden things.
The Christian Walk
*archives*
All plans will have setbacks and without pushing through, we miss opportunities for growth of the body, mind, and spirit. We are not to be teachers but mentors of our plans. A teacher provides lessons as in instructions using knowledge, but a mentor takes the knowledge and guides the student into appreciating it, not just accepting it. When we appreciate the knowledge gained on the journey to fulfill our plans, then we have a higher perspective of life in general.
Many times other tasks are delayed because priority tasks are not completed or achieved. But until a goal is set and worked through, most of your life becomes routine and personal growth is retarded, which leads to stagnation of maturity and character. For it is also said, “without growth, you are automatically going backward”.
The aim is not perfection but purpose with vision. To be the part of the body that functions for the empowerment of all the other parts of the body. The plans or goals we make depends on the Faith that we put behind them and does not matter if they are small or large or short or long term. They should be clear, thorough and provide you with fulfillment, passion and even weariness, otherwise, they are not challenging enough. They should be committed to and as Paul says, “run the race with the intent to win”.
Selah.
Gen. 1:2, Jer. 29:11, Prob. 3:5, Jn. 15:7, Matt. 7:7