For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)
When you hear (or read) that God has good plans for your life, what is your reaction? Do you think to yourself, “That’s a nice thought,” or “Wow, I sure hope so!”? Or do you fully commit to taking God at His word and accept the statement as real and true and something you can depend on? This is an important question. How much we believe that God has our best interests at heart is a key factor in determining how faithful we are to what He has called us to do.
If you’re going to be successful in the Kingdom of God, you have to decide once and for all that whatever God says is what is going to be the best thing for you. (Growing Into Maturity pt. 1 by Dr. Chester C. Pipkin Jr.)
The degree to which we really believe God’s plan is best is the degree to which we will accept His guidance in our lives when it doesn’t match our own preferences or it makes us uncomfortable. But if we don’t really settle it in our hearts that this is true, we will always give ourselves an out.
It’s kind of like if I said, “I might get up an hour earlier tomorrow so I can start the day with a workout.” You don’t even have to know me to guess that might probably means won’t. In order for that statement to be believable, I’d have to tell you what I am going to do–that’s what we do when we’ve made up our minds. Otherwise, when I’m tired and the bed is cozy, you already know I’m hitting snooze!
The same is true when it comes to doing God’s will. Once we make up our minds to believe His plans are best, we are in a position to actually obey Him when it isn’t easy or fun or it’s going to cost us something. And when we are doing that, we are succeeding in the Kingdom of God.