How to Follow God's Plan For Your Life
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11
Many of us are familiar with this passage of scripture. It is the “go-to” scripture on graduation cards, encouraging young graduates that God has plans for them. And this is true – God has plans for all of us. So, if He has good plans for us, the question remains, how am I supposed to follow His plans? Assuming you want to follow Him.
God Has a Plan
It's comforting to know that God has a plan for me, but in truth, that's as far as most Christians get – just knowing about His plan. We live in a self-seeking society where we would rather choose the easiest road than something that requires more effort. It's a far different thing to seek God, find out what He has created me for, and follow the steps to accomplish it.
I'm the kind of person who enjoys a map. I like to be shown the best way to do something – especially from someone who has been there and done that! The cool thing about God (well, there are many cool things) is that He knows the best way for YOU to accomplish YOUR destiny. He is a detailed God and will get very specific on how you should accomplish His plan for you.
Following God requires constant communication with Him. Think of it like headlights on your vehicle. If you are driving down a windy road at night, your headlights will show just enough of the road for you to take the next turn and stay on the road. That's the same with God. He will tell you the end goal – where you're going. But it takes constant communication to adjust and stay on the right path.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Notice it says in ALL your ways. Last time I checked, all means all – the whole amount!
The thing that keeps us from acknowledging Him in all our ways is we have bought the lie from the devil that says, "if I follow Him with everything I do, I won't have any fun. I'll be a boring Jesus freak who doesn't have a life." When those thoughts come, we need to hold them captive and see them for the lies they are. Our true life and happiness and joy are only found in God. There are millionaires and billionaires who have accomplished all their dreams but are rich miserable people. Why? Because they did it without God. Anything we do without God will feel fun momentarily, but the aftereffects will leave us empty.
Follow God Daily
The key to following God’s plan is doing it daily. Remember that He created us for fellowship – having a relationship with Him. So, it’s vital to our success to remain in constant connection with Him. When someone asked Smith Wigglesworth (a famous minister) how long he prayed, his response was, “I never pray more than 20 minutes, but I never go 20 minutes without praying.” In other words, he made it a practice to talk to God throughout his day.
Psalm 1:2-3 says, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
Jesus says in John 15:4-5, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
I love the picture of a tree and a vine. As long as we are connected to our life-giving source, we will prosper in all our ways. In other words, you will accomplish the plans God has for you.
So let’s get practical. What does this look like on a daily basis?
Set aside uninterrupted time to spend with God each day. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." That means when you purpose to put God first, everything else in your life falls into place.
My work days start at 7:30. Therefore, if I want quality time with God and get a workout in, I have to get up at 5:00 am. I have an hour with God before working out at 6:00 am. This was once very hard for me to do, but the more I did it, the more it became a habit, and the more I realized my days just don't go as well without my date with God every morning.
If you don't know where to start in your morning time with God, I have created an excellent devotional journal that will walk you step-by-step through worship, prayer, and how to read your Bible. Click on the link below for the FREE download.
Pray over your day. During your morning time with God, pray over your day. I like to have my daily planner in hand to go through my day's schedule. I pray for each activity – that God would help me with each task and give me wisdom for every situation I face.
Create a "God-margin" in your plans. If you're like me, you can get so busy with your to-do lists and agenda that you forget to check in with God. Schedule time, perhaps before a task or appointment, when you ask God to lead and guide you through whatever you do. You better believe that I ask God for guidance before I write a blog or do a podcast, or teach a Bible study. But I also need to do it before I teach a music class, have a meeting, or respond to emails. In fact, I probably need to hear from Him more on things that don't revolve around scripture and ministry work because the world can suck me into its trap of negativity and problems.
Following God's plan for your life is simple when you stay connected to Him. If this helped you, leave me a comment below - I’d love to hear from you!
