In my short time going after God I’ve learned and continue to learn some things about God’s plan for our lives. I’d like to share them over the next few days and hear from you along the way.
See, I’m in another season where I don’t know what the next step in my life is supposed to be. I know I’m where I am supposed to be now, but isn’t it easy when you don’t know what is next to start guessing or planning your own next step instead of waiting for God? It can be frustrating and scary at the same time . . . but I’m learning that if we’ll just take God at his Word, wait on Him, hear from Him, obey Him and trust Him… then we’ll live out the specific Will of God in our lives and stand back in awe at how amazing our lives are as a result of what He has planned for us.
What I know about God’s Plan for my Life:
- He has one for me! (Jeremiah 29:11)
- Through it, He wants to do super abundantly, far above, all I could dare ask, think, or imagine in my life. (Ephesians 3:20)
- It’s God’s will that I know His will (He’s not hiding it from me) (Colossians 1:9)
(I Cor. 2:9,10)
- I have free choice in life… just because God has a plan for my life doesn’t mean He makes every decision for me… I have to cooperate with God’s will. (Psalm 127:1)
- God has a permissible will… this is where I think so many Christians settle for a good life… when God created them and has planned for them a GREAT life.
- If I’ll learn to hear from God, if I’ll be willing, and if I’ll be obedient… than I’ll live out the plan that God has for me! (Isaiah 1:19)
- The ultimate purpose of the specific will of God for my life is to have an impact on everyone around me for the Kingdom of God. People’s lives should never be the same as a result of seeing God in and through me.
I think I could go on forever, but these are just a few things I want to cover over the next few days (could be a long series). This subject has been on my heart for a while.
What about you? What are some things you’ve learned about God’s plan for your life?
2 Responses
Bubs,
Hey man. I like this entry. Here’s a few thoughts:
When it comes to discovering God’s plan, it’s really easy to get focused on the wrong side of His will. I mean that, we get so consumed with our desire to follow His plans that we forget the basics. We have the right motivation, but we’re executing improperly. Don’t be concerned with questions like this:
– Where will my next step be?
– How will I know if it’s really God leading me?
– When will I have to transition into this new season?
– What will my next position in ministry be?
1. Those all seem like good questions, but in reality they distract us from the most important question which is “Why am I here?” I love your blog entry because you’ve got your “why” defined. You know your life is meant to be given to others in ministry. But when you start to ask those other questions, you’re becoming more focused on geography than essence. Stay true to your essence (who you are to be and who you are becoming) and just move with that. I know that if you’ll stay focused on your “why” and look to milk it for all you can with the opportunities that are in front of you now, God will do His part. Just keep moving. Look for opportunities to do the most good with what you know in your heart right now. If it’s preaching, then look for other opportunities to do that. If it’s something else, then look for ways to start to do those things. But just move (or in your case, keep moving). Sometimes we feel like we have no clarity with what God wants. It’s like when you’re by the road and see car speed by and it looks blurry. It looks blurry because it’s moving fast in relation to you. But if you were in a car going even half the speed of the other car, the car wouldn’t look nearly as blurry. So keep moving.
2. When you get focused on the wrong questions (like the ones above), you give up momentum in your life. To use the moving car example again, when you’re driving and your gas is getting low you start to slow down because you’re thinking about those questions above. Where will I get gas at? How will I know when I’m at the station that let’s me go the farthest on the gas I have, when will I need gas again? All of those questions make you slow down your travel and be more cautious, but none of them get you to the gas any quicker and none of them solve the problem. In most cases, we end up getting gas, right when the moment is right. It just comes together despite all the worrying we did along the way. Life is a lot like that. We fret, worry, plan, and want answers to questions that don’t change the fact of who we are and where we want to be (our destination).
I’ll wrap up with this. Read Acts 16:6-10. It’s the well known story of Paul’s Macedonian call. I love this for 2 reasons. First, because it’s so misinterpreted by Christians. Second, because it’s a moment in Paul’s life where he didn’t know what he was doing. That’s really comforting to me, that Paul didn’t know exactly where he was going. But here’s the quick synopsis:
– Paul didn’t know where to preach next. He just knew his purpose was to spread the movement of Jesus so he went wherever he felt best. Paul knew his “why”.
– On 2 occasions, God stopped him (or closed doors). Once on the way to Asia and the second time on the way to Bithynia. He wasn’t going to do the wrong thing, he was just in the wrong place. God is good, and he’s faithful. And many times this is how he’ll lead you. There’s a lot of good choices in God. He gives us so much latitude and freedom. But he’ll stop you when you’re doing the wrong thing.
– Paul only got his Macedonian call (the moment of clarity) after his third attempt to find a place to preach (again, his “why”) in Troas.
– Paul may never have gotten his Macedonian call if he hadn’t been moving in the first place.
Love you man,
Ben
Ben,
I love you man! Thanks for taking the time to pour into my life… I love your perspective on things… totally different than mine and always encourages me to go after everything God has for me. I appreciate you!
Much love,
Bubs