Organizing the Inside 365 Days
Empowering Christian Women To Get Organized and Discover God's Plan for Their LivesArchive for Planning
Organizing the Inside – Day 302 So You Say God Is In Control
19Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”
Romans 9:19 (NLT)
What a hard subject when you so often hear that “God is in control.” Is God in control or has He given us the freedom to choose? We weren’t created to be robots, but surely we only chose Him because He chose us first. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, Ephesians 1:11 (NIV)
So then why do we make plans? Why do you attempt to set goals to accomplish this or that only to find that your goals have led to a state of frustration and failure? If you’re constantly pushing yourself to do more to achieve more…more than other people, you probably find yourself too often perplexed and full of anxiety. There is nothing wrong with being highly motivated and willing to take the initiative when there’s a need. Just be careful as you go about making plans. (Not fearful, careful)
Here’s where you are going wrong; a simple adjustment will turn things around. You make plans and then ask God to bless what you have decided to do. Avoiding the misery that comes with failure is far more attainable than you may realize. God will never force us to do anything that is not in our hearts to do. When God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, was it not already Pharaoh’s intention to do things his own way? The point is we must want His will more than we want our own. Is your heart willing to yield?
Seeking His will before making plans is paramount to your success. When your heart is close to God, you’ll hear and know what His will is for your life, because He will guide you. For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:14 (NIV) Then go ahead, make plans according to His will, not yours. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)
When making PLANS remember it starts with “P” PRAYER.
Organizing the Inside – Day 204 Have You Considered Where You Are?
Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Psalm 119:133 (KJV)
Where are you?
If you are like me you are directionally challenged. In the Washington DC area where I live, the interstate connector is called the beltway. I often use the direction I’m traveling on the beltway as a way of gauging where I am and about how far I have to go. If I don’t know exactly where I am, I feel really uncomfortable as if I’m wasting time. I guess that’s why I’ve come to rely on those huge maps at the mall, you know – the ones that show a big picture of the entire mall. I go straight to the map and look for the little icon that says “You are here.” The creators of those maps know that unless you know where you are, you have no clue how to get to where you want to go. This same theory applies to us as Christian women. While the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are our GPS, lighting the way and guiding us through life, we still need to know where we are.
Take account of where you are.
Do you have any idea of the purpose behind why you are where you are in life now? Have you stopped long enough to take a look at where you are and what it is you are supposed to be doing from this point forward? Sometimes we get so busy living life that things just move along, as though we are on autopilot and we “do what we do,” not really considering where we are or where we are going. When I plan a road trip with a group of girlfriends, one of the most important things in preparing for our trip is to plan out when and where we would stop along the way to take stock. Assessing the amount of gas, where we are, how far we’d come and how long it would take to reach our destination, were all simple things that made our trip successful and a lot less stressful.
- What things have you been doing that have worked well and produced great results?
- What things have you done that caused problems that you would like to avoid in the future?
- What blunders have occurred that you can learn from?
- Do you need to seek God for more or a different direction?
When these kinds of questions go unanswered finding the way becomes far too complicated. While God tells us things on a need-to-know basis it’s important for us to seek His counsel and check in regularly to make sure we are on the right path. Once you find where you are, you will be able to better understand where it is that you should be going. The next step is finding out how to get there.
The Word of God is your guide.
Before making plans about how to move your life forward it’s important to spend time in prayer. You want to make sure you set your will in line with God’s will and the best way to do that is through prayer and meditation. I believe meditation helps to stabilize (plant) us in the things of God; it is a way of continuously rethinking and digesting the Word. Psalm 1 teaches us how to be blessed and prosper in everything we do.
- You read or hear the Word of God (you take it in).
- You consider what you heard (you chew on it).
- You accept it as truth (you swallow it).
- You let it remain to become a part of who you are, you live it (you digest it).
Meditating goes beyond a onetime encounter.
When we meditate on the Word we are thinking on it, and accepting it as truth, whereby we live it, and become one with God’s word. This is a joyful practice that we repeat over and over. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 1:2, 3 (NLT) The Word of God is your GPS which will not only tell you where you are, it will also tell you which way to go to reach your destination. Take time to take stock of where you are today and then ask God to guide your steps as you make plans for a successful journey.
Organizing the Inside 365 Days 