Infuse: God's Plan: A Plan for Success

God's Plan: A Plan for Success
By Tyler Barnett

If you fail to plan, plan to fail. Having a plan in life is an integral aspect to achieve success. All the great military leaders of our past and present have planned their actions right down to each individual rifleman. A solid plan for the future is a good way for us as Christians to become proactive, rather than reactive in our futures. The Lord has a plan for us and hopes that our plan is congruent with His. It is the Lord’s plan that dictates: how our past affects our present, our future, and us. A solid plan is one based on the guidance of the Spirit and the teachings of The Word. We must make plans for our future, but we must also be flexible and faithful to what God dictates for us. Here are a few steps that have worked for the Marines when they plan for the future:

SITUATION

It is always a good thing to assess what situation we are in. Whether it is financial, emotional, spiritual, relational, etc. Assessing the situation will be valuable in understanding our plan and executing it. Overstating a situation will lead us to overreact, blowing small issues or goals out of proportion. Underestimating the situation can lead to problems and possibly failure. Take for example, a plan to incorporate an extra class into the semester. With assessment and consideration, we see that it may be possible. This first step of considering our goal is crucial to the successful execution of a plan.

MISSION

As Christians, what is our mission? Every church has a mission statement but what is your own personal mission statement? Are you spiritually alive to build others up, to evangelize or to care for a family?

A good start for any Christian is to consider John 17:4, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” As we grow in His grace and knowledge we naturally have more understanding of Jesus’ work and mission. The disciples knew Christ’s mission and their lives revealed His glory. We too should know the mission and reveal His glory. In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says, “But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.” God desires for us to reveal and reflect his glory and we can only do this by getting to know our Savior.

This is but one aspect of God’s plan for us. When one buys a new gadget, where do they look for instructions on how to use it? They look to the manufacturer or creator. In the same way all Christians must first look to the Creator for guidance. God created us, so what better direction to turn to when we have questions about our purpose? Some turn to the ways of the world to find despair and meaninglessness. We do have a purpose and it is in God’s plan for each and every one of us to fulfill that purpose. Know God’s plan for you and make it your plan to fulfill His plan.

EXECUTION

This is a topic that should have its own book, rather than just a paragraph, so it will be left to the Bible. The Bible gives us guidance on how to achieve our goals in life as well as achieve spiritual goals so it is integral in the planning process. Now that we have put some thought (or rather a lifetime of thought) into our mission, how will we get there? How are we to execute God’s plan? Due to our humanity and sinful nature, failure is inevitable. At one time or another we have made mistakes and turned away from the Lord but do not despair; we can still get back on track. It is in our attempt that God finds pleasure. To acknowledge this impossibility and still choose to follow Him is when we begin to fulfill the Lord’s plan. We must acknowledge the Creator and our sinful nature, ask Him for guidance, turn to Him and away from sin, and thank Him for carrying us through.

ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS

Once you have assessed your objective, and how it relates to God’s plan, it is time to work out the particulars. Back to the example of adding an extra class: you will have to buy your books, budget more time for studying, rearrange after school activities, and possibly work less hours. God’s plan for you includes prayer, worship and a congregation of like-minded Christians. You will have to manage your time and efforts accordingly if you want to achieve your goal. There are certain opportunity costs for our decisions. If we choose to follow Christ and His plan for us, we forego the pleasures of the world.

No matter how well we plan, we will still be faced with obstacles that must be assessed and overcome. This is what makes life interesting and goal achievement so sweet. God has an answer to this: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3). What a unique viewpoint, rejoice in set backs, as they make you stronger. As the saying goes, “whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger.” Following God’s plan is not an easy one however; evil will tempt those who choose to follow Christ. Plan for this as well and know, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). If you choose to follow God’s plan and you persevere, you have already succeeded in God’s plan!

COMMAND AND SIGNAL

A recipe for success includes the guidance of the Word, the Spirit and knowledgeable people around you. In our example, we establish some points of contact that will help us take our extra class such as a counselor at school, our supervisor at work, someone in the class and possibly someone who has been through the same situation. It is important to know the signs or signals that you are struggling with. If you have problems, once again, turn to the Word, prayer, and fellow Christians around you. Make plans for your future but realize that they are YOUR plans. If they are not holy and pleasing to God, change your plan in consideration of the Lord. In all that you do, plan to follow God’s plan and you cannot go wrong! i

Setting goals for yourself can help you see where you want to go and all you have already accomplished. It will raise your self-confidence because you will take pride in what you have accomplished and you recognize your abilities. To begin you must first think about what you want to achieve in your lifetime. Ask yourself these questions:

Career: What kind of job would you like to have? Have far do you want to go in your career?

Education: What kind of education do you need to have? How far do you want to go with your education? What kind of degree do you want? Is there anything in particular that you want to learn? What skills will you need to achieve other goals?

Family: Do you want to get married? Do you want to have kids? Will you make a good wife/husband? Will you make a good parent?

Financial: How much money do you want to earn? Do you want to buy a home? Do you want to invest?

Physical: Do you want to be healthy as you get older? Is there an athletic goal you have? How will you achieve this?

Pleasure: What are the things you enjoy doing? What hobbies would you like to learn? Do you want to travel?

Public Service: Do you want to make the world a better place? Do you want to help your community? What could you do?

Religion: Do you want to be baptized? Do you want to be in God’s Kingdom? What are you going to do to ensure that?

Prioritize your goals and then make a plan. Decide what you want to accomplish in 25 years, 10 years, 5 years, 1 year and 6 months. You have now taken your lifetime goals and broken them into long and short-term goals. This makes it a little more manageable. Finally, goal setting is as simple as setting a daily to-do list of what you need to do now to accomplish your goals. It could be researching a job, filling out an application for school, taking a class, a job interview, opening a savings account, etc.

Constantly re-evaluate your goals and check to see that you are staying motivated and on task. Review, update and modify your goals. Once you achieve a goal, enjoy the satisfaction of it. Think about what you have learned from achieving the goal and how it will help you achieve others. Goals change as you get older. It is okay to let a goal go if it is not important anymore and add a new one. So, now GO OUT AND SET SOME GOALS!