Tag Archives: following gods plan

January 7, 2025 · 5:31 AM

Half Built Towers

I like to make plans and then to execute those plans. When things aren’t going according to plan, I can be irritable and short tempered. My wife is usually quick to remind me that God may have other plans. In those moments I usually will seek God to see if it’s Him redirecting me or if it’s the enemy trying to stop me. There have also been times I’ve made plans without seeking His guidance. I knew what I wanted to do and decided to move forward with them with or without His blessing. On rare occasions, I’ve known what has God asked me to do, and made other plans. I don’t recommend this at all because one way or another, God’s plan will prevail. The sooner I submit to His plan, the better things are.

In Genesis 6-9 we read the account of the flood, Noah building the Ark and the year that he spent inside it. In Genesis 9:1 God told Noah and his family to repopulate the earth and to scatter abroad. Things were going well until Genesis 11 when a group of people decided to build a tower to the sky. In verse 4 they said, “Come, let’s begin work to build ourselves a city with a lofty tower that rises into the heavens. We’ll make a name for ourselves, a monument to us, instead of being scattered all over the earth” (TPT). They knew what God’s plan was and decided to enact their own. They decided the glory for their achievement was greater than obedience. In the middle of building the tower, God confused their languages, they separated and scattered abroad. The unfinished tower became a reminder to follow God’s plan.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” (NLT). Take a moment to reflect on the goals and plans you’ve made for this year. Did you seek God to see what He wanted you to accomplish? He has a personalized plan for your life and wants to work with you in accomplishing it. Don’t allow selfish ambition to sidetrack you. Follow God’s plan and do it with all your might. You will still face struggles and the enemy will try to thwart your efforts, but God will be right there with you through it. I’m sure you have some half finished towers in your life that you can look at to help you remember that God’s plan is the best plan and His will always prevail.

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August 15, 2024 · 5:30 AM

God’s True Path For You

A recent news headline that caught my attention said, “Magnetic North Shifting By 30 Miles A Year”. As a person who grew up learning how to orienteer using a compass and maps, that’s a significant shift. It creates a greater difference between where compasses point and the North Pole (geographic north). It also creates significant problems for airplanes, your phone’s GPS navigation and migratory animals who use magnetic north to orient themselves. It has created such a problem that scientists are having to update the World Magnetic Model, the system that calibrates all GPS, a year early. If they hadn’t done that, the GPS in your phone, car and on airplanes could take you to a place that would be different by several miles depending on the length of the trip. In short, you would think you were on the right track, but miss your destination.

In today’s world, what the world considers “north” and what God considers “north” are separating at faster rate than ever. The world tells us that each of us have our own truth, but Jesus said He is the Truth. He is our geographic north if you will. The more we rely on our own truth or follow the truth of this world, the farther we will be from our destination when we arrive. This is not a new phenomenon. It’s been going on since the Garden of Eden when the serpent got Eve to switch from God’s north to her own. Today, he is still trying to get each one of us to make that shift and is blurring the lines between where each of us believe north in our lives is. We must be grounded in God’s infallible Word if we’re going to stay on the paths God has for us.

In Psalm 86:11, David realized the pull on his heart to switch from true north to a worldly magnetic north. He prayed, “Train me, GOD, to walk straight; then I’ll follow your true path” (MSG). That is a prayer that each one of us needs to pray daily along with reading and meditating on the Bible if we’re going to stay on God’s true path for our life. The great news is that if we have veered from His path, there’s time to make adjustments and get back onto His path. We simply need to recognize that we’ve made the shift, ask for forgiveness and then pray for guidance to get back on His path. He has given us to Holy Spirit to be our guide and to lead us into all truth (John 16:13). God has given us everything we need to follow His true path for our life. We just need to make sure we’re headed for His destination guided by His truth.

Photo by Ali Kazal on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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May 1, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Get Off The Treadmill

Years ago I was at the YMCA running on the treadmill one evening. I was running at a steady pace and had been going for over a mile or so. At this YMCA there were windows in front of you and a TV to the right. It was dark out so I couldn’t see out the window. I began watching the news on the TV as they were updating on the war in Iraq. I was starting to get tired I guess and quit paying as close attention to the fact I was on a treadmill. One foot stepped on the side of the treadmill, which wasn’t moving, while the other foot stayed on the moving conveyor belt. My upper half started to go forward as my lower half shot backwards. I fell face first into the treadmill and flew backwards onto the floor. I’m sure people got a good laugh as I jumped up and exited the Y. I started thinking about the treadmill that night and how I can run for hours, getting tired and going nowhere. It’s like trying to do things in your own strength and expertise without relying on God.

In Luke 5, Jesus was teaching a crowd, but they kept pressing in and backing Him up to the water’s edge of the Sea of Galilee. He noticed some fishermen there cleaning their nets and asked if they could take Him out a bit so He could teach the crowd. Once He finished, He asked these experienced fishermen to push out further and to cast their nets. Verse 5 tells us, “Simon replied, ‘Master, we worked hard all night [to the point of exhaustion] and caught nothing [in our nets], but at Your word I will [do as you say and] lower the nets [again]’” (AMP). They didn’t argue that they knew what they were doing or how it was the wrong time or place according to their knowledge. They had tried it in their abilities and had gotten nowhere and were tired. They decided to obey and their boat nearly capsized. It was then that they learned to rely on what Jesus said rather than their expertise.

Ephesians 5:17 says, “Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.” Sometimes we know what God’s plan is for our lives, but we try to accomplish it in our own strength or knowledge. In those moments we can feel foolish as we accomplish so little in exchange for the amount of effort we’re putting in. It’s important to not only seek God’s will, but also His direction. We can end up on a treadmill going nowhere, getting tired and falling on our face trying to do what He asks in our own strength and knowledge. If that’s you, it’s time to get off the treadmill, ask Him to show you how He wants it accomplished and then follow His lead. You will go farther and get greater results if you do.

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April 15, 2024 · 5:39 AM

The Best Route

Sometimes when I use the map app to find my way somewhere it will ask me if i want the fastest route there or the most fuel efficient route. Most of the time I want the fastest route to where I’m going. When I’m on vacation, I’ve been known to take the scenic route in order to see things the fastest route misses. When driving through several states, I took a route that sent us through as many state capitals as possible so my son could check them off his list. Some days though, my schedule sends me on what I call the star route. I go from one side of town to an appointment, then across town to pick up something from the warehouse. Then I have to cross town again to drop it off at a job site. I then drive another way across town to pick up my son from school and back home. All that zigzagging looks like a star on the map. I’ve found that different routes yield different results.

Moses’ life had some strange routes to it. The very first route had him going down the Nile in a basket. He landed at the Pharaoh’s daughter’s house. He grew up privileged and educated. His route took a left turn into the desert suddenly where he was an humble shepherd. God parked him there for forty years before his route took him to Sinai where he encountered the burning bush. That led him back to Egypt to free the Israelites. His route had him confront Pharaoh, which was hard. The route then led he and all of Israel to a dead end at the Red Sea where they were trapped until God showed up. They traveled through the sea to Sinai again and back into the desert for forty years before coming to the edge of the Promised Land. At each place along his route, God was in control and giving him what he needed for the future God had for him. In the moment, I’m sure he often felt lost and would’ve taken a different route had he been in charge.

Proverbs 20:24 says, ”It is the Lord who directs your life, for each step you take is ordained by God to bring you closer to your destiny. So much of your life, then, remains a mystery!“ (TPT) Are you wondering what route you’re on right now and why is God taking this one? Me too, but I know He is in control. He doesn’t always take the fastest route or the easiest route. He takes the route that prepares you for your destiny. He takes the route that you didn’t know was there. Sometimes it’s painful and dark. Other times the route may feel like a dead end. I’ve found that God will use whatever route is necessary to get you where He’s taking you while equipping you along the way. Your route is ordered of the Lord, especially when it’s a mystery. Hang on and let Him keep driving. He has plans for your life and they’re good plans to prosper you. Trust in Him as He leads and directs your life. That is the best route.

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November 30, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Following God’s Lead

Driving through Houston can be complicated. I had a customer once call me to tell me where they were on their way to training. I told them it should only take about ten more minutes to get to the location. After 20 minutes past, I wondered where they were. After 30 minutes I began to worry. When they finally arrived, I asked what happened. They had tried to drive to me without their GPS, started talking and missed the sign that had the exit they were supposed to take. Instead of coming right to me, they ended up passing me, but then took the loop around instead of making a U-Turn. They got caught in traffic, but eventually made their way to me.

Life can be complicated too. God has a purpose and a plan for each of us. He’s given us to Holy Spirit to be our GPS to guide and direct us, but we don’t always listen to Him. He’s also put up sign posts in our lives to help us know where to go, but sometimes we’re too distracted to see them. As a result, most of us take the long hard road to get to where He’s trying to lead us. We think we know better than the Holy Spirit’s GPS, so we keep going when He’s trying to help us avoid traffic and distractions. He has cleared the way for us, but we must learn to follow His leading.

After King Solomon prayed for wisdom, he built the Temple that God had told his father he would build. While dedicating it in 1 Kings 8, he prayed, addressed the people there then blessed them. In verse 58, he blessed them said, “May he (God) keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors” (MSG). I pray today that God will keep you centered in the chaos around you. That He would give you direction with the decisions you are having to make. That He would keep you alert so you can see the signposts He’s put in your path. Also that you would be able to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice above all the noise, and that you would have the wisdom and courage to follow where He leads.

Photo by Ali Kazal on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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May 22, 2023 · 5:37 AM

Delayed Success

God’s plan is rarely the straightest or easiest. Following it doesn’t guarantee immediate success the way we look at it. If you look at the story of Joseph in Genesis, you’ll see a young man who was given a pair of dreams. In one dream, eleven stalks of corn, representing his brothers, bowed down to his. In his next dream, eleven stars and the sun and moon, representing his parents, bowed down to his star. He shared his dreams and was ridiculed. His brothers threw him in a pit, sold him into slavery, he was falsely accused and sent to prison where he was forgotten. It was around fourteen years before the dreams came true. Fourteen years of hardship before God’s plan came to fruition.

In Judges 20, the tribe of Benjamin had done an evil thing. The other eleven tribes joined forces to attack Benjamin. They asked God which tribe should attack first. God told them Judah. They went out to war and 22,000 died. They fasted and prayed, then asked God again if they were to go to battle. God told them yes again. They took positions the next day again. They were beaten again. This time losing 18,000. They cried and prayed to God again. A third time He told them to fight. This time they won. They routed Benjamin and nearly wiped out the entire tribe. Even though they followed God’s orders, they were defeated twice losing around 40,000 men.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 reminds us, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (NLT). Following God’s plan will not always yield instant success, nor will it make your life easy. You may be pressed on every side, feel perplexed by what’s happening and get knocked down or back. However, we do have God’s promise that we will not be forsaken or abandoned in these times. We will not be crushed, driven to despair or destroyed. Keep going back to God seeking His will through the hardship. Keep making sure you’re following His orders and what He promised will come true. Don’t give up in the struggle. Victory is near.

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April 20, 2022 · 5:44 AM

A Conditional Mindset

Have you ever told God, “I’ll go wherever you want me to go, except…”? Or you might have said, “I’ll do anything you want me to, except…” it’s crazy how we sometimes put conditions on our obedience. The truth is that we’ve got a mindset that we’ve adopted on earth that makes us think we can do that. For some reason we’ve bought the lie that we get to pick and choose what we want to obey. You can’t say, “God, I’ll honor you, but I’m not going to honor my spouse or my parents.” To dishonor them is to dishonor God and the commandment He’s given. The mindset that tells God what we are and are not going to do is wrong.

Take Jonah for example. God told him where to go and what to say. He didn’t say anything back to God. He went down to the shore, bought a ticket like he was going and boarded a ship in the opposite direction. His mindset was the kind that said, “I’ll go wherever you want except Nineveh.” God wasn’t pleased with Jonah, nor is He pleased with us when we adopt the same mindset. He might not send a great fish to swallow you so you’ll get an attitude adjustment and a mindset change, but He will try to get your attention so you’ll follow and say what the Spirit leads you to do and say. We can’t forget that He is the potter and we are the clay.

Romans 8:7 puts it plainly what’s happening when we do this to God. It says, “In fact, the mind-set focused on the flesh fights God’s plan and refuses to submit to his direction, because it cannot!” (TPT) When we refuse to submit to God’s direction for our lives, we’ve adopted a flesh driven mindset rather than a Spirit led one. It’s a visible sign of rebellion because of a lack of submission to God. To live by the Spirit is to live in obedience and without conditions to what God says on how to live, where to go and what to say. It’s the way God has asked you and I to live. The next time you find yourself putting conditions on obeying, stop the sentence, repent and say, “I’m your servant. I’ll do whatever you want.” It may not be easy, but that’s what a Spirit led life looks like.

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January 18, 2022 · 5:49 AM

Following God’s Plan

One of the things that bothers me is when someone asks me for advice on how to handle something, and then they don’t take the advice. I’ve shown them what to do, but they either didn’t want to do the work, like the things I told them or had someone else tell them something different to do. Either way, when they’re still stuck in the situation and come back for help, my mind wants to turn them away. However, somewhere in the exchange, my compassion overrides my pride and I try to direct them to the right path out of their situation. A lot of times they didn’t get in the situation overnight, and they’re not going to get out of it overnight, no matter how badly they want to.

I find myself doing the same thing to God though. I run to Him with my problem or circumstance i want out of. He directs me to His Word, but i don’t always like the prescription. Instead of listening, i try other things, other ideas or anything besides what His path out of it is. It’s amazing how many times we all go to God with a problem, sometimes of our own doing, seek His path out of it, and then tell Him what we’re going to do. What we’re really saying is, “God, i know you have a plan for me, but i want to do it this way. Will you please bless it and let me do this my way?” How can we expect God’s blessings when we’re telling Him what we’re going to do instead of seeking His plan and path?

David, who was known as a man after God’s own heart didn’t approach God that way. In Psalms 25:4 he prayed, “Direct me, Yahweh, throughout my journey so I can experience your plans for my life. Reveal the life-paths that are pleasing to you” (TPT). If we want to experience all the blessings God has for us, we’re going to have to submit to His plan and walk on His path. God has no problem revealing His plan and path for how our lives should go. It’s up to us to obey and to stay on that path. When we get off of it is when we experience a lot of pain. Staying on God’s path doesn’t mean you’re not going to experience hardship, pain or set backs. It means you’ll have His blessings, guidance and protection through them. He has a plan and a path for you, but it’s up to you to stay on it and follow it.

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September 9, 2021 · 5:59 AM

The Right Route

Whenever I’m on the road and need directions, I usually use Waze to help me get there. It finds the quickest route and gets me there at the promised time. To do that, it often takes detours through neighborhoods or back streets I’ve never been on. I’m at the mercy of this app, and have to trust that it knows what it’s doing. Sometimes it takes me through places where I wonder if I’m safe.

There are times when it tells me to exit or turn, and I think, “That’s odd. My exit is just ahead.” Early on, I just thought it was a glitch and kept driving. After trying to correct me a few times, it finally gave up and added a lot of time to my arrival time. It saw what I couldn’t up ahead and tried to help me avoid it. When I didn’t listen, I got stuck in the traffic it was trying to help me avoid. I’ve learned to trust that it knows best and can see what I can’t.

God is a lot like Waze in our lives. He knows our destination and the route He wants us to take. He plans out each detour to help us avoid hurts or pains, but often we think we know best and drive right past what He’s telling us to do. We can’t see what He sees up ahead in our lives. It takes trust to follow His instructions when we don’t understand. He even takes us on detours through places we didn’t know existed, but it’s all for our benefit.

Psalm 1 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It gives great promises to those who listen to God’s instructions rather than man’s. One of those promises says that God charts the road you take (verse 6 MSG). God has charted out a road for each of us. It’s up to us to listen to His Word, meditate on it and follow it. He knows best how to get us where He wants us. It’s up to us to follow the path He’s charted out.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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August 8, 2019 · 5:40 AM

Elaborate Plans

A friend of mine recently called me to invite my wife and I to go somewhere with him. I said, “Sure! We’d love to.” He paused for a moment, then nervously asked, “Are you going to check with your wife first to make sure she doesn’t have any plans for y’all?” It was a good question with much wisdom behind it. I was about to make plans without checking with her first, much like many of us make life changing plans without asking God.

A friend of mine recently asked on Facebook, “Where in Scripture does God, or any of His prophets, tell us to follow our dreams?” Many people attempted to put verses from the Bible in there, but none could give one. His point was that we’ve become people who teach our kids to follow their dreams and to become anything they want, but we haven’t taught them to ask God what plans and dreams He has for their life.

There’s a saying that’s been changed through the ages, but the current one says, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” Too many times, we are making plans and telling God our plans without consulting Him first. Proverbs 16:1 says, “Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word” (MSG). So many of my plans in life have changed because God’s plan overruled my plan. Thank God too because His plan is much better.

If the plans you’ve made for your life are falling through, don’t despair. Pray and seek God for what His plans are for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord” (NLT). God knows the plans He has for each one of us. It’s time we stopped what we were doing and asked for His plans. Until then, our plans will continue to fail. Trust me. I’ve been there and have had to start over a few times. It’s better when we ask for His plans. They’re more elaborate than ours.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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