Discovering the God-plan for your life

Discovering the God-Plan for Your Life

Discovering the God-plan for your life

There is an old gospel song that you may be familiar with, entitled He’s got the Whole World in His Hands. That is so true but He also has you and me, brother, in His plans.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

God has a plan for your life – but He not only has ‘The Plan,’ He has a step-by-step strategy to accomplish the plan. When you really believe this then you will do the next part of the scripture:

“’Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.’”
Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to comprehend what one must to do next: when you know that you know that God holds the plan for your life, “Go to God” for that Plan. I love what Daniel prophesies in Daniel 2:47 (KJV): “God is the Revealer of Secrets”. God so desires to converse with you in prayer to reveal His secrets, the plans of your life. Let me say something that hopefully you will never forget: you’ve got someone living on inside of you who knows your future.

I believe a huge question that every leader, every believer even, needs to ask is, “What is God speaking to me about in regards to my life, the season I am in at this very moment, and my future?” Even though He will speak to you in the now, God’s spoken Word will also prepare you for the future – because He is always preparing you for the future.

However, if you DO NOT KNOW what He is saying to you, then you will have a difficult time leading even yourself, even less others under your roof or your leadership.

But please do not be alarmed. Help – again I say, Help – is on the way.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
James 1:2-8, NLT (emphasis mine)

Trouble will come into our lives whether you ask for it or not. But if you learn to live in a state of preparation the better off you will be. What I mean by a ‘state of preparation’ is that you are always listening to and in the process of working on what God has been saying to you already. So I repeat: what is God saying to you?

Whatever He speaks to you it will be in the form of Wisdom. Why do I say that? Because God has never said, now will He ever say, something stupid or futile or meaningless. Whatever He has to say to you will be a piece for the puzzle, that you can use or apply to your life to build what you are dreaming or believing for.

Consider this for a moment: how do you get from one place to another every day? Whatever it is, whether a car, bicycle, bus, roller skates or train, it is similar to Wisdom. Wisdom is the vehicle that takes you to your destination. The Word of God, whether it is a rhema word, a revelation, vision or a dream, that God speaks to you is to be applied in faith, and it will carry you further into your destiny for the fulfilment of your assignment here on earth.

Key Thought

We should consider every Word from God to be ‘prophetic instruction’ for the advancement of His kingdom through our lives. This is why we should position ourselves to hear from God. God is always speaking so we need to train ourselves to listen to Him.

Spiritual and Practical Application

I would like to share with you a spiritual yet practical application to position yourself to hear what the Spirit is saying to you about the plan for your life.

  • Pull yourself out of your busy life, that’s both private and public life because what God has to say to you will have an impact on both; if one is unbalanced the other automatically is also, whether you believe it or not!
  • Make it a priority to spend quantity time with the Holy Spirit. Find a nice, quiet, secret place and eliminate all distractions. Put your devices away – no internet, no TV, no cell phone – and get away for a few hours. Some folks like to get away for a couple of days or a week, but I know that is not financially or practically possible for everyone. Nevertheless, find your quiet place with the full intention to hear from God. God will honor your act of faith
  • Sit down with paper and pen in hand, or whatever you take notes with, and get ready to jot down what you sense God is speaking to you now. That includes the now and the coming weeks, months and years.
  • During this time you set aside, God may renew or remind you of a vision or dream He gave you years ago that you either dropped or disregarded for one reason or another. I am sure that it was big dream or vision because God is the one who is going to do it through you. If it is not big then you do not need God to fulfil it. God designed it this way. Why? So we can apply our faith.
  • Say it out loud if you have to: “What are You saying to me, Lord?” Then get ready to WRITE IT DOWN!
  • Important side note: buy a good yearly planner that you can write in. Lay it before you as you meditate on your life. I suggest you use a pencil to jot things in, and then ink them in when dates are confirmed. Keep integrity in your calendar. Check with your spouse before you pen something in. Trust me, one can lose integrity fast with others when you have to cancel a date that others have been planning on. It is very frustrating.

“And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”
Habakkuk 2:2-4, KJV

We are instructed to write the things He says down, for they will guide you. Be patient, for it will take time, but it will surely come to pass. Now, while you are obeying what God says to you, live it out in faith, talk faith, walk faith as you move in the direction of what God said to you.

Jesus always asked questions. Leaders should ask questions also, instead of trying to be a know-it-all.

Ask God some good hard questions:

  • Lord, speak to me about this coming year. What are saying to me? I so need to hear from You about my life this year.
  • What about my marriage – how can be a better spouse?
  • Should I begin looking for a new job or career?
  • Show me, Lord, how to pay off my debt and manage my credit cards.
  • What college or university should I attend? Lord, should I go to trade school?
  • Should I learn how to buy and flip houses, or sell real estate?
  • Lord, show me how to a godly parent and how to deal with my teenage son or daughter.

 

Listen

I am not talking about writing your Bucket List. It’s way deeper than that. In the process of you asking God these things be acutely aware of what He may be saying to you: He may give you a thought, an idea, a witty invention, a vision of you doing something, an impression of one word, or a dream. But please, do not ever ignore that burning desire that is in your heart.

Remember His promise

“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
Psalm 37:4, KJV

In closing, I’d like to remind you again that you are not writing down your Bucket List here. This is not about things you want to do before you’re too old or die. It’s not about jumping out of aeroplanes, skiing the Alps or swimming across the English Channel. Those things, though they may be fun, have no significant value in heaven.

Rather it’s about you living at your greatest potential and expanding your capacity for Kingdom Purpose in your marriage, family, friends, business, church and ministry.

It’s about the transfer of GodStrength to you and then on to others.

Now get going and hear from God!

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