Worldly Planning

Planning, planning, planning…if there is one thing I learned in the military, you planned everything first and left nothing to chance. That was a huge part of my job during my last 7 years in the Air Force. I planned school dates for new trainees, annual training needs for the commands enlisted flight personnel and my own training currency. It seemed like we were always planning something or attending a meeting to plan.

Planning was engrained in me at the cellular level during my military career. It was hard for me to move from how I lived my life in the military to how I live my life as a child of the Living God. I had no idea of the importance of laying my life at the foot of the cross.

Planning with the Lord is very different, I have found He plans and we execute. I’m not talking about the daily decisions of life, His plans affect us at an eternal level and impact those around us in a way we have limited understand of. This is why it is so important we are connected to Him at the basic level of life through a daily walk.

Are you making major life changing decisions in your life? Get connected with the creator before you start deciding which direction to go. It’s been my experience that when you take those decisions to Him, they always turn out much better than when we make them on our own.

Blessings

Worldly Planning
by Os Hillman

“Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’?” 2 Corinthians 1:17

The apostle Paul was discussing his plans to come to the church at Corinth. He was acknowledging the serious nature of his trip and informing the Corinthians that he did not flippantly come to this decision to visit them. It was a matter that had been given serious prayer, not one made in the spur of the moment.

Planning from God’s view is a process. It isn’t merely an exercise in reason and analysis. It requires entering into the mind of Christ together with our minds to determine which course to take. In the Old Testament, the priests wore breastplates with the Urim and Thummim in a pouch on their breasts. It was like a roll of dice that the priests were required to perform to know which direction they were to take on a matter. It was the ultimate release of all decisions into God’s hand. God did not want the priests to rely on their own intellects for final decisions.

We have an uncanny ability to make decisions based on our own needs and wants. However, God desires that we seek Him to know His plans for us. David was a skilled warrior who never lost a battle. He consulted God on every decision. He knew the results of the battle rested in God’s hand. So, if he was to gain victory, he had to know God’s mind on the matter. Sometimes this requires more time given to the process in order to hear His voice. Sometimes it may even require fasting and prayer. Sometimes it may require input from other godly friends.

Are you a man or woman who makes decisions based on God’s purposes for your life? Do you take every major decision and put it before the throne to determine God’s mind on the matter? If so, you will avoid making decisions in a worldly manner.