Let God's Plan Win

I love planning.

I love laying out my finances. I enjoy monitoring what I eat and how I take care of my body. I often aim to divide my time efficiently so that it can utilized in the best way possible. I'm a guy that thinks set schedules are great things. 

Heck, for me Google Calendars is the best thing to happen since the Marlins won the World Series in 2003!

We serve a God of order, so why shouldn't we live orderly lives as well? Being organized and having things in order gives us peace.

But there are times when I plan something out and it just doesn't seem to fit. God intervenes and says "I have a better plan."

Over the past several days I had my mind set on a certain thing. I was convinced that this was what needed to be done. I told myself: "This was when it was to be done. And this was how it was going to be done. And nothing is going to get in the way." (Ever been there?) 

And then God decides to throw a wrench in the works and say "Not so fast! That's not my plan."

Then it becomes a question of whose plan we want to win out: God's or ours. 

God's Plans

God's plan is clear and simple: 

1) He has a future and a hope for us that can be found in Him. (Jeremiah 29:11)

2) He gave us Jesus so that we may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our needs, our wants, our desires because He created us! He has given us all the talents and abilities that we need in order to fulfill the purpose to fulfill our lives. We each have different gifts that can be used to reach out and bless those around us. Maybe you can write well. Maybe you're great with lighting and production. Maybe you have the gift of teaching. Whatever it is, God has given you that gift so that can be used to fulfill the calling He has placed in your life.  

We are blessed to be a blessing to those around us. To serve one another in the love and grace that God has given us. 

Our Plans

But if we are stubborn and refuse to listen, deciding that our way is the best way, it will lead to ruin. When Israel didn't listen, God "gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans." He was standing by, reading to deliver their enemies into their hands and to meet their needs.

Instead, time and time again, Israel rebelled and took matters into their own hands. They refused to listen to God and as a result they were subdued by their enemies. Their arrogance and pride brought them to their knees.They relied on their own understanding and their own wisdom instead of on the God that had provided for them in the desert. They became too comfortable in God's providence and lost sight of what was really important. (Psalm 81:10-16)         

Solution: Sync Our Plans with God Plans

Planning is a good thing. We should always have an ordered plan that is structured. But that plan has to be in alignment with God's plan. If not then we are simply setting ourselves up for failure. Here are three things that are necessary to making sure that our plans get into alignment with His: 

1) Trust

God wants us to trust Him in the plan that He has has tailored for each of our lives. We need to acknowledge that He's God and we're not! He's perfect and we're not. The reason why many of us are hesitant to get on board is because we have trust issues. And that's the point. God wants us to trust Him like a son trusts his father. Trust in the Lord will lead to healing and strength, and when we trust God with every area of our life, the blessings will be overflowing. (Proverbs 3:5-10)   

2) Obedience

Whoever we obey, we will be under it's power. Obedience to sin will lead to death as Paul brought up a number of times (Romans 6:16). But if we come under the authority of God, he will bring righteousness and life. When we are obedient to what God has commanded us to do, He will bless us. When we walk in His ways, we will prosper.  

3) Consistency

We have to be continually pursuing God. Continually seeking wisdom, guidance and direction for our lives. We need to set apart time to be with Him and study His word and pray. Let's make a commitment to align God's will and plan with ours. When we do that, we will have peace and we will reap the blessings God has promised us.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Jeremiah 29:11, John 10:10, Romans 6:16, Psalm 81:10-16, Proverbs 3:5-10

Dealing With Anxiety and Worry

Recently I was driving home and something had happened that made me really anxious. It made me antsy. It made me worry. And, ultimately, it made me angry.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel after a post-midnight rendezvous and felt a pit growing in my stomach. I felt myself losing control. I was furious. Frustrated. At myself, mostly.

Many times I have struggled with both anxiety and worry. And I'm sure I'm not alone. Truth is, I hate feeling this way. It's not fun to be anxious about something or to worry about an outcome. And the truth of the matter is, when we become anxious or worry, it exposes our lack of trust in God.

And that hurts Him. Who am I to say that God cannot redeem a situation? Who am I to say God can't make something happen? Who am I to question God's plan for my life? Who am I to question God's will?

On that lonely drive home, I succumbed to anxiousness and worry and it led to anger. Frustration. Dread. Self-deprecation.

And then, I caught myself. I felt God tugging at my heart and essentially asking "What are you doing? Don't you trust me?"

I admit it: It's a struggle for me personally. But Jesus has an answer for it.

1) Seek the Kingdom of God First

In the book of Matthew, Jesus told His disciples the cure for anxiety. And it's really quite simple:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:33-34)

When we seek God first above all else, everything will fall into place. When we seek His will and purpose in our lives, we will find direction. When we give God all the control, we have peace.

That's not always easy for some of us who tend to want to have control over things. We want to have that mindset of "I got this." But in the end, we weren't built that way. We need to lean on God through our troubles and trials. Our strength comes from the Lord. Our worries and questions need to be given up to God and lifted off of our shoulders. Christ died to lift the burden of sin off our shoulders. He died to make our yoke light. 

Whenever I try and handle a situation on my own, it just doesn't work out and, in the end, it leads to anger and frustration. Because I didn't trust God with that. And I should have.  

2) Persistent Prayer

God is our heavenly father. He wants to bless us. To prosper us. To protect us and deliver us. But we have to be obedient and to make sure that our will is in alignment with his. How do we do this? Persistent prayer. Continually bringing our requests to God. Continually seeking His will above our own. Listening for that still small voice and letting the Holy Spirit guide our decision-making process. (Thank you, Pace Hartfield.) 

Sometimes I get so caught up in the tasks and worries of everyday life that I lose perspective. For that moment when I drove home with an angry edge, I lost my cool when I shouldn't have. And God exposed me in that moment. And I prayed for forgiveness. I prayed for peace in that situation. And God provided it. 

God has forced me to loosen the grip I've held on certain areas of my life over the past few years. It's a process as God continues to transform my heart and reveal his purpose in my life. And in order to seek righteousness and God's kingdom, we have to let go of what we want. What we desire. We need to adopt what God wants. What God desires. God doesn't want us to settle for good. He wants to have life and have it to the full. In order to do that, we have to be real with God and have a continual dialogue with Him. 

I'll be real with you: sometimes God's answers to our prayers will be a "no" or "not yet." And I hate that. But I also know looking back that everything that has happened in my life, every prayer answered or not answered, God has used it to mold me, break me, and push me closer to Him.  

3) Remember God's Faithfulness

So many times we get caught up in the present that we forget what God has already done. 

God has spared me from so many situations and has blessed me in so many ways. He has delivered me from some situations that I thought would be impossible to get out of. He has provided me with so much and entrusted me with so much. Even when I'm not faithful, God is. Time and time again, God redeems and restores us even when we don't deserve it. Remembering God's righteousness and faithfulness in the most difficult situations in our lives can give us the boldness to go out and face the trials that we face in every season of our lives. 

When we make a memorial for what God has already done in our lives, we can joyfully and confidently anticipate what God is going to do. 

Let's get to a point where we can trust God with everything. Because God is bigger than anything we are facing and ever will face.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-9, Psalm 38:15-18 

The Tragedy of Joash

There's an old saying that states that you will be known by the company you keep. In leadership, this fact is especially true. Those who you confide in the most, those who surround you and are constantly whispering in your ear, will have a great impact on whether you find success or find yourself driven into failure and destruction.

Just ask King Joash.

Joash ruled Judah from 835-796 B.C. and everything started out great for him. With Jehoiada serving as high priest and supervisor of the Levites, all was in control and going well as Joash, who took the throne when he was just seven years old, did what was right in the Lord's sight. With a solid mentor, Joash went forward with plans to renovate the Lord's temple, which had been ignored for quite some time. All was good.

And then Jehoiada died.

And as soon as he was gone, there was a void to be filled; and it was filled by rulers of Judah who apparently loved the way things were before and swayed Joash to abandon the temple renovations, abandon God and delve into idolatry.

Just like that, all of the attempts to rid Judah of idolatry by Jehoiada and Joash himself had vanished. Despite that, God sent Zechariah, Jehoiada's son, to try and set them straight. Of course, the people didn't take this well and killed him for calling out their sin.

Joash's reign, which had started out so promisingly, ended with him being killed by his own servants after being left to die by the Arameans after they had invaded and plundered Judah and Jerusalem. He was buried unceremoniously.

FIND A JEHOIADA

Who are you surrounding yourself with? Who is your Jehoiada? Without good counsel, godly counsel, we are setting ourselves up for failure. We make ourselves vulnerable to bad advice and become prone to bad decision-making that will not only end poorly for ourselves, but those that depend on us for leadership.

Find yourself a Jehoiada or two. Don't surround yourself with the wrong people because bad company does indeed corrupt character. When we find friends and people who are men and women that are after God's own heart, they will help point us in the right direction and help us do what is right in the Lord's sight. And more importantly, whether or not they are around to bring us counsel, lean on God's understanding above all things and not on the advice of men.

In Joash's case, God made repeated attempts to try and get him to get back on track. To turn away from the grave mistakes he was making. Joash had every opportunity to recommit himself to the Lord's will but refused. Don't let pride and arrogance prevent us from being swayed.

It's time that we all take inventory of our closest confidants and make sure we aren't setting ourselves for the kind of fall that Joash took.

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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: 2 Chronicles 24:1-27, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Proverbs 2:20-22, Proverbs 27:17

Introduction

With the summer of 2008 coming to a close, I was preparing for a new stage in my life.

High school was over. My college life at Florida International University about to begin. Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect, but I was excited. Something about starting out with a clean slate was exhilarating. I had all my classes picked out, all my finances were in order, and I was ready to go. That summer after high school was fun; I had no real worries or concerns, a lot of fun and time to reflect on those four critical years of high school.

And then all of a sudden it was over.

Fast forward three years and some change and here I am. In less than a year, I will most likely have graduated. With a new degree. New friends for life. And hopefully some job offers or maybe graduate school offers in the days following my graduation. 

To say things have changed in my life would be an understatement. 

These past three years at FIU have definitely been the best I've ever had. I've traveled to places I've never been to, discovered a way to forge my skills with my passion, fostered friendships that I pray will last a lifetime that helped mold and challenge me.

And most importantly, I have seen God move in my life more than ever before. He has blessed me in ways that I cannot even begin to count. I have a wonderful family, great friends, an amazing church, a job that is preparing me for life after college, an education, a home and much more.

Sure, there has been some pain along the way. But through all the good times and rough times, I can clearly see how God has been preparing for me for what he has prepared for me. Everything happens for a reason (pardon the cliche).

And you know what the amazing thing is? It's all just getting started. I eagerly await to see what else God has planned for me in my own life and I'm excited to see what he will do for those around me.

I'm starting this blog to share what God has revealed to me in my own life and to hopefully encourage you through that. I titled this blog after a song that for some reason has stuck with me. It's by one of my favorite bands. The title is "Bold and Underlined" by Future of Forestry from their EP called Travel III. In the chorus, Eric Owyoung sings about a person whose love and life is bold and underlined. How great would it be to live and love like that? To live a life of boldness, confidence and emphasis? I want that for my life and the lives of those that are around me. And the center of that kind of life begins and ends with Jesus Christ.

Christ lived the perfect life and died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. God gave up his only son so that we might live. It doesn't get any more bold and underlined than that. And he offers us an opportunity to live a life like that and get in on the greatest gift of all time. 

I want to have a BOLD AND UNDERLINED life. Do you?       

I can feel another season in my life beginning to end and another is just around the corner. I can't wait to see what God does next!