Planning: The Greatest Act of Faith
“Planning without action is futile but action without planning is fatal.” — Anonymous
2018 is coming to an end and a new year (2019) is upon us. For many of us, 2018 just may have passed us by while others have registered a number of milestones that are moving them towards achieving their goals in life.
The good news is that we have a new year coming. That’s a new opportunity, a fresh start, a second chance, a chance to do things right this time. I hope and pray that we can make maximum use of it to move towards our goals and purpose in life.
There are only two things that are constant in life. Only two; time and change. And almost every individual on planet earth gets an equal share of the two in their lives.
Without a plan, time and change can easily ruin your life — Myles Munroe.
You will only discover them happening to you and will barely control their effect on you. Therefore, the only key to regulating the effects of time and change in our lives is planning. Without a plan for our lives, we have no protection against life’s winds and storms. We don’t know what do and what not to do with our lives.
So, what is planning? Planning is the regulation of time. It is the regulation of the resources (time, energy, money, material resources etc) we have access to in our lives. It is the application of purpose to time. It is taking control of our time by giving meaning to our unused time motivated by a clear sense of purpose. unless we know the purpose of our lives, we may never be able to effectively plan for our lives.
Christians and Planning
There is a wrong notion/belief among Christians that planning is ungodly. Many claim that they live by faith and take each day as it comes. They don’t plan for their days, week, months, years and decades. This is wrong ungodly thinking that we must stop. We ought to plan out our lives. God gave you a brain and the gift of imagination so that you can participate in the creation process through planning. Let us look at these 4 scriptures that talk about planning.
- Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
In the scripture above, we see that God is a planner and has plans for us. Therefore, if we were created in His Image and Likeness, we too must be planners. He gave us a mind and the gift of imagination specifically for this purpose. In this scripture, we also see part of the benefits of planning, plans give us a hope and a future.
My favourite quote on planning is
The best way of predicting the future is to invent it — Alan Kay
This scripture confirms it. With plans, our future is almost certain. With plans, we are able to invent our future.
2. Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
This scripture is clear. The diligent plan out their lives and because of their plans they earn a profit. Look at all the successful people around you, I can guarantee you that almost all of them do have a plan for their lives. That is the only way they are able to succeed. Even in business, profits (especially huge profits) are not earned by luck or chance, they are planned for.
Myles Munroe says “Whether you succeed or fail depends on the plan you have or don’t have”.
Like I mentioned earlier, many Christians think they will succeed in life without plans but unfortunately, many end up in poverty. Why? The second part of this scripture responds to that.
Haste, according to the Google Dictionary is excessive speed or urgency of movement or action; hurry. Many of us as Christians are doing exactly this. We are simply hurrying through life and as such the end result is poverty.
3. Isaiah 32:8 But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds, they stand.
As Christians, we are noble. The Bible refers to us as a Royal Priesthood. The scripture above tells us that the noble make plans. In short, God is saying make plans. This one is straightforward and does not really need further explanation. So go ahead and make plans for your day, for your life, for your week, for next month, for next year, for the next 5 years, 10 years, 50 years etc. God expects you to make the plans. Then God will enable you to achieve exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Ecclesiastes 3:20
4. Proverbs 20:18 Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.
I hope by now, you are convinced that planning is a Godly thing and that God expects you to plan as a Christian. This scripture provides some guidance on how to plan as a Christian. 1. Seek advice. 2. Obtain guidance. As you plan, seek advice from your close friends, workmates and family members especially those who have done the things you plan to do before. They will help you make achievable plans. Also make sure to seek guidance from the Lord, parents and your mentors in order to ensure that your plans come to pass.
Finally, I can already hear some of you complaining and mumbling… what if the plans change. That’s okay. Plans can change but purposes don’t. So, don’t fail to plan because your plans may change.
Therefore, as a friend/colleague/co-worker, I urge you to take off time at the end of the day/week/month/year to reflect on the previous day/week/month/year. What worked out and what did not work out? How can I do better tomorrow/next week/next month/next year? What should I postpone and what should I abandon all together? Use the answers to these questions to plan for the next period.
We will talk about how to act on our plans in one of the coming posts.
