Planning For Life More Abundantly!!

Lists. Goals. Plans. My blog began with a desire to be a blogger and to spread encouragement. God said he would grant us the desires of our heart. At a Wednesday night service, our pastor asked for everyone who wanted to be business owners to come to the front of the church. He prayed over each of us and then instructed us to work like it all depends on us but believe like it all depends on God. I then wrote down my goal and came up with a plan. I dissected my plan into smaller segments and gave myself a time frame to complete each task. I gave myself more time than I needed because I didn’t want starting a blog to be stressful. For me, it is such a joy to be able to put a check mark next to a task and that motivates me to complete the next goal. Throughout the process, I continued to pray God’s will and before I knew it, I was writing my first blog post.

In order to live our life more abundantly we must be intentional with each day we are given. We can’t live life as it haphazardly happens around us. Tossed to and fro, like waves in the sea saying, “I’m just going with the flow”. Those are the people who we see 10 years later who are still talking about “remember when”. We have to make things happen. It is important to be proactive. In Luke chapter 2, we see that even Christ came with a plan and at an early age, he began to execute it. In order to have life more abundantly we have to set goals, make lists, prioritize and then execute.

Why it is Important to Plan

1. Proverbs 29:18 says without a vision my people perish. We must first have a goal and then we can move forward. Without first having sight, we can have no set direction. We know that our sight comes from God. His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We must seek God’s plans for our lives and then plan to accomplish all that he has purposed in our heart.
2. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declare the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. (NIV) God has plans for us, so we should seek His plans and His will for our life and then execute them. For we know that faith without works is dead. Once we have our plans we cannot then just sit back and wait for things to happen. We must get to work!
3. In Psalm 40:5 David is praying while he is waiting for God’s will in his life. In David’s prayer he says Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. (NIV) While we are waiting for God’s will to come to fruition in our lives, it can be helpful to think on all the blessings God has already done.

Lining our plans up with God’s Plans

1. Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know”? (NIV) Remember that God has known us since the foundation of the world. He knows ALL things. We must never think that we can hide from God. God already knew every sin and every mistake that we will make. God’s plans make use of our mistakes.
2. Isaiah 30:1-5 Woe to the obstinate children, declare the Lord, to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge. (NIV) It is important to set goals, but the way in which we carry them out is just as important. We must not compromise our Godly standards to achieve a goal.
3. Proverbs 14:22 says do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. (NIV)

Let’s consider Esther from the bible. Esther was faced with a situation where her very own life was at stake. Esther set aside her fear and faced death, but she had a plan. She calculated the cost, which was her life. Esther set her goal, which was saving the lives of all the Jews. Esther decided on a plan and gathered the support of the Jews and instructed them to fast for 3 days. We must never forget or underestimate the support of fellow believers. She then executed her plan. Esther combined trust in God and courage with careful planning and became one of only two women to have a book of the bible named after her.

Obedience to Christ and his Word should always be our primary goal. It is important to have goals, but we will be disappointed if we leave God out of our plans. We have to seek the will of God for our lives. The devil just wants to detour us long enough for us to miss our blessing. In prayer, lets be intentional in seeking God but not just leaving it there. When we get off our knees, we must then set our goals, come up with a plan, and execute it. Let’s be perfect in our progress as we journey to complete perfection. Expect your life more abundantly. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. I pray that you were blessed.

Angel