What's the plan, man?

Let it once be fixed that a man's ambition is to fit into God's plan for him,

And he has a North Star ever in sight to guide him steadily over any sea,

however shoreless it seems. H

e has a compass that points true through the thickest fog and the fiercest storm,

and regardless of magnetic rocks.

-S.D. Gordon

What's next? What is God's plan for you? Do you know? It's a question that is directed often towards young people of the church, and rightfully so. It is not God's will for us to meander through life and trusting in dumb luck to get us where we're going, and just staying put will get you nowhere. Literally. Such behavior is foolish. The root word there is fool; as in, you will look like a fool if you behave in such a way. So what does scripture have to say about this? Ephesians 5 tells us to look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Jeremiah 29:11 even further solidifies the fact that THERE IS A PLAN. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

So, how are we to know this plan that God has for us. Ask. And commit yourself to what follows. Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. Matthew 7 is an amazing promise from God to His people. We also must do as Proverbs 16 teaches us to Commit your work to the LORD and your plans will be established. But if it is just that simple, why isn't every christian able to recite the plan for their life in detail upon request? The answer is sin.

There are many ways in which sin corrupts our understanding of God's plan for our lives, or causes God to hold the revelation until our pride wont get in the way. I, for one, all to often find myself making plans of my own in a desperate attempt to not be found without one. This never works out well for me, and God all too often has to reel me back in and place me back on track. So many times, I am brought to the realization that if God had revealed to me where I was heading, I would come up with a "better way" to get there and start cutting my own path without God. James 4 brings a strong reminder to those of us who like making plans of our own. Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" -yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is to sin. Woah! So you mean it is a sin to claim a plan that hasn't come from the Lord? Yes. Even if it's a really good one and it really impresses other people? YES.

A callused heart can also lead to our lack of having a bearing of God's plan for our lives. We as sheep, should have a clear discernment for our Shepherd's voice. But as our choosing to sin grieves the Holy Spirit, and our days passing without being steeped in the Word of God, our acute hearing becomes dulled, and our Master's voice becomes undistinguishable among the many voices clambering for our attention.

So how do I clear all the rubble and peer through the fog of pride? You don't. And by that, I mean to say YOU don't. You cant clear the rubble(sin) of your life. You may be able to clear quite a bit of it away, but it's not the actions or magnitude of your sin that are getting in the way. It's the sin nature, and for that there is only one cure. Belief in Jesus. And what about the fog of pride that gets in the way. Pride is just as much a sin nature as any other. It just (in my experience) attacks our pursuit in this area more directly. And since it is a sin nature issue YOU cant do ANYTHING about it. Yes, you can set up a system of checks and balances, and try REAL hard to keep yourself humble, but ultimately, ultimately all you'll end up accomplishing is a false humility. Again, belief in Jesus, applying His grace to your life is the only thing that can clear up these issues. You cant add any of your own or anyone else's work to it.

So you think you have a plan, eh? What do you do with it? Test it and then pursue it with enthusiasm, holding fast to the word you have been given. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. If you find your "plans from God" falling apart all around you, then clearly your plans are just that YOUR plans. Proverbs 19 tells us Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. So hold fast, and trust that if it is of God, the plan will hold true through the toughest of storms.

Ok, so how do we go about "testing" whether the plan is of God? Get into the word of God and bring your plans forward to those who can confirm it. Paul asks in 2 Corinthians 1 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? Do your plans contradict each other, and more importantly, do they contradict the Word of God? If so, throw them out, they are worthless. Our plans are to flow in complete accord with the Word of God.

One last thing, God's plans for you don't start tomorrow, or later today. God has something he wants you doing right now. It might be reading this blog, or maybe you're supposed to be off the computer and in the bible, or maybe He wants you calling up a friend, or spending time with your family, or maybe He just really wants you to get away from everything and just get down on your knees in a quiet room. I dont know, but my hope, and my prayer, is that you'll take a moment and genuinely ask Him. And once you have your answer, do it. Dont reason it out, don't make plans to do it later. God has made the plan long ago, and He says the time is now.