About Planning and Trusting
Trust is key. As we make plans and decisions in our lives, our trust for God should be first and foremost in our hearts and minds. The direction we receive from God’s Word must always outrank our own desires and understanding. At the same time, trusting in the Lord does not mean we are free to be lazy or inactive or to lack diligence in how we carry out our lives. God wants us to use the wisdom He has given us to be strategic and smart in how we live in order to advance the Gospel to as many people as we possibly can.
Wise Words
God is in control. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. – Proverbs 19:21 ESV
Choose trust. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Trust trumps fear. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? – Psalm 56:3-4 ESV
Have a plan. Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. – Proverbs 16:3 ESV
Wise Warnings
Inactivity can be sinful. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. – Proverbs 16:27 TLB
Avoid anxiety. Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. – Proverbs 12:25 ESV
Don’t be lazy. Go to the ant O sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise. – Proverbs 6:6 ESV
Rushing is not wise. The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. – Proverbs 21:5 ESV
Gospel Wisdom
We are at our best when we have a plan for how we want to share the Gospel with the world and then we trust God to do the heavy lifting. Jesus and the New Testament apostles were very strategic and intentional in their efforts to point people to God, and yet they faced obstacles and opposition along the way. They were undeterred and we should be as well. Often times our plans are interrupted, changed, or scrapped completely, and yet through it all God transforms lives. Have a plan to use your gifts to expand the Gospel, work to execute it, and trust God to work through you as He sees fit.
Other Wisdom
Genesis 1:1-2:25
Nehemiah 1:1-3:32
Luke 9:51
James 4:13-17
Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will, by Kevin DeYoung
Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View, by Garry Friesen
The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert E. Coleman