I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps.
Jeremiah 10:23
In business you hear a lot about planning. Every January
you hear businesspeople establishing their planning for
the year. Corporations establish plans that cover anywhere
from one to five years. Individuals establish personal
life plans. There is only one problem that I see with
most planning done by well-meaning believers. If God is
not the originator and director of the plan, then that
plan is doomed for failure. So often, Christian businesspeople
set out to plan something that seems good in their own
mind. The merits of what is being planned can look great,
and it can even be a worthy endeavor. However, that is
not the point. When Jesus said He came only to do the
will of the Father, He could not consider doing anything
that was not what the Father wanted, no matter how good
or righteous it might appear to be.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but
the Lord determines his steps" (Prov. 16:9).
God must give us the vision for what He calls us to do.
After we have the vision, we must ask Him if He wants
us to take action on that vision and what the action steps
entail. The Lord wants to direct each step of the planning
process. David learned this lesson when he went to battle
against his enemy, the Philistines. One day he inquired
of God as to whether he was to go up against the Philistines,
and the Lord said, "Yes, but only when you hear the
marching in the balsam trees." It is a mistake to
reason and analyze in order to come to a decision on a
matter. The Lord already knows the answer.
It is our responsibility to seek Him to find
out His mind on the matter. Our planning must
be established in Him. Only when we remain so
connected to the source can we be assured of putting God's
plan into place. Also, getting that plan confirmed
through others will assure that we are not following the
deceit of our own heart.
When you begin to plan next time, ask God for His wisdom
for establishing the vision and action steps. You will
be surprised how well He can plan.
Tim Carlisle
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