How To Plan Your Next Step (or how not to!) [BTTB 46]
We may earn money from the products/companies mentioned in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, read our Terms & Disclosures.
Are you a planner? I am. I like to plan every step that will take me from where I am now to where I want to go. Every. Single. Step.
But that’s not what the Bible says is how it works.
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps. (Prov 16:9, ESV)
How Not To Plan
Are you one who plans your way without asking God to establish your steps? I constantly struggle with that.
But the Bible is very clear. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Prov 27:1, ESV)
It’s totally great to make a plan, but it’s also essential to know that God may have other plans.
One thing you can’t do when making plans is guarantee anything. You’re just not able to do that with absolute certainty.
Jeremiah 10:23 says, “I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.” (NLT)
How To Make A Plan
You can do what James suggests in James 2:13-15 and say, “I plan to do that, with God’s blessing.”
There comes a point in your walk with God where you realize that you can trust Him to guide you and care for you. And that you need Him to.
Subjecting your plans to God isn’t that hard in theory, but it can be challenging to actually do it.
Think about it: on your list for tomorrow you have cleaning the house, doing the laundry, paying the bills, running to the market, grabbing some things from a friend, picking up books from the library, and reading a chapter for your weekly Bible study.
But tomorrow morning one of your kids comes up to you while you’re drinking your morning cup of coffee and begins to pour out their heart.
You have a choice to make.
You can either set your schedule aside and listen to them, pray with them, and focus on them or you can tell them, “I’m really sorry, I don’t have time right now because I have a plan.” (read about a time I was faced with this and nearly chose wrong HERE).
The choice sounds obvious when we write it out like that, but in the moment it’s hard when you have a plan in place.
Submit All Your Plans to the Lord
Let me encourage you, sweet friend, to submit all your plans to the Lord. Lay them at His feet and trust Him with your time.
It’s a great thing to have a schedule and established habits in your life, but one of those habits needs to be yielding to the Holy Spirit.
I’m all for routines and plans to streamline life…as long as we understand that God has the right to upset them for His purpose anytime. It’s actually something I’ve started praying:
“Lord, I give you my plans for today, but if you have other ones I pray that You will help me hear you clearly and follow You gladly in whatever direction you lead.”
Related: Setting a Good Evening Routine for Success Tomorrow
