A Dumb Thing Smart Christians Believe

(click on the pic to listen to it) Many Christians believe that God has a blue print for your life. A blueprint is a detailed plan of how something is put together.

Such details like:

• Who am I supposed to marry?
• What will my career be?
• What does God want me to do with my life?
• Why did this happen in my life?
• Why did this happen to the person I love?

Everyone at one point wonders why God has them on this earth (a very important detail).

God has a plan for your life. He has plans to prosper you and give a hope and a future. But he doesn’t have a blue print or a detailed way for you to do it.  We ask God questions like, “Am I to do this or this?” “Am I to work here or there?” “Am I to marry this person or that person?” “Am I to marry at all or stay single?” Sometimes you get specific answers, most of the time you don’t. Why doesn’t he give us the blue print? Why doesn’t he just give us the details. It would make our lives a lot easier. It would also take the adventure out of life and you wouldn’t need faith. Abraham went to unknown land. God didn’t tell him where he was going. God never told Noah it was going to rain.

Why doesn’t he just give us the details? A: He wants us to seek after Him. Not to seek for the answer but to seek after him. He wants us to seek after Him and not the solution. He wants us to seek after Him and not the specifics. Because when you do seek after Him you will discover the answer, the solution, and the specifics.

He does tells us, “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. ” Ephesians 5:17

In other words, think, “what am I good at?”, What do I like to do with my spare time?” What special gifts and talents do I have?” In what way can my life bless others?”

Then listen and say, “here I am Lord, use me!”

God has designed each of us in a unique way – he wants to use you in a unique way.

Seek Him, whether He gives you the answer, the solution, or the specifics.

“I’m short. I love sports. I love family. God gave me a fun personality. You gave me a great family, help me to understand how I am to use these things to benefit others.” Everything that we own. Every experience  you have gone through, every talent  you have, every resource you have access to ….. is for the benefit of others.

You can guarantee yourself being at the center of God’s will if what you are doing is for the benefit others.How do we  know this? That’s exactly what Jesus did. Jesus got up early every morning and prayed. Seeking His father. He didn’t even give his only Son the details. He’s definitely not going to give us the details.His Father never said to him “today you are going to meet a woman at the well, and tomorrow you are going to feed 5000 people, and on Wednesday your going to meet a Roman centurion and heal his daughter, and on Thursday your going to have some guys cut through the roof of the house you are at and you will heal him.” Because he spent with His Father, those are things he did. We so much want God to give us the details (or blue print) that we spend more time asking than we do seeking and understanding.

He has a plan for your life. His plan is for good and not disaster. His plan is to give you hope and a future. But you must look for Him wholeheartedly and you will find him.

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. In those days when you pray, I will listen.     -Jeremiah 29:11-12

In other words:
If you are not sure what direction you are to take in life –seek Him.
If your not sure what decision you are to make seek Him.
If you don’t know which way to go – seek Him.
If you are in pain – seek Him.
If you are confused – seek Him.
If you are tired of waiting for answer – seek Him.

With all your questions – he says I have a plan for you – seek Him.

His plan will give you a hope. His plan will give you a future. When you seek Him wholeheartedly, watch out, because he might tell you to do something that is much bigger than you.

A friend of mine ran 46 miles  for kids with with cancer. 46 kids are diagnosed with cancer everyday. Mike is a man I coached at the beginning of his faith journey. Mike has grown exponentially in his faith journey over the last few years. At one point in his life, he was over weight. He made some lifestyle and eating  changes. He started walking then he started running. Then he met this 11 year old girl with cancer. God spoke to him and told him to help this little girl. He raised nearly 13,000 and 135 pints of blood for her. She died a year later. That wasn’t Mike’s plan for her. He got a bit angry at God for not healing her. Mike began to pray again, seek God, and asked Him,  “what am I supposed to do now?”

As Mike sought after God by asking the question, “what am I supposed to do now?”, God expanded His plan. God wanted Mike to be an advocate for Kids with Cancer. His first event to bring awareness to his area and the country was running 46 miles for the 46 kids that are diagnosed with cancer everyday. Mike does not do this just for kids, but he does it for Jesus. He shares his faith with the families that have kids with cancer. He tells them that God loves them and God loves their child.

Did Mike know in detail what he was going to do this when he was a child or teen or even a year ago. No …. he simply sought after God and God spoke to his heart. Mike discovered what he was to do  and he said, “here am I Lord use me.”

How do you know if you are in God’s plan or not? The question you need to ask before that one is – “are you seeking after Him?”
In the midst of your questioning – are you pursuing him

In the midst of your trial are you pursuing him?

In the midst of your uncertainty – are pursuing Him?

In the midst of your pain are you pursuing him?

In pursuing him you will understand God’s will for your your life. When you pursue Him, he will change your attitude, your behaviors, and the way you think.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.      -Romans 12:2

When this happens to you, you will discover God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 tells us not to copy the behavior of this world. It is a part of our American culture (if you will) to look out for who first and foremost?    – ourselves. Paul is telling us not to copy that custom by letting God change the way you think. When you do these things you will learn (discover) what his will for your life is.

God doesn’t have a blue print (detailed plan) for your life. On Monday you will do this. Tuesday you will do that. Wednesday and Thursday do this….etc…. The only detail He gives in both the OT/NT is seek Him.

God does know the details of your life but he is not a God who micro manages your life. In other words, He’s not a control freak. He lets you mess up. He lets you sin. He lets you go in the wrong direction.  He let the Israelites wonder in the desert for 40 years. He let Jonah go in the wrong direction and let him put. He let Peter deny him three times. God didn’t micro manage their life. But he was with them and when they sought after him – they repented and got back on track.

God doesn’t micromanage your life.He knows when you mess up. He knows when you sin. He knows the attitude of your heart. He knows your every thought. He knows the details of your life. And when you seek Him, you repent (turn away from your old habits and thoughts)  and get back on track. You become a part of His plan. He uses all those things (the good, the bad, and the ugly) to mold you and shape you into His image. He can take the good, bad, and the ugly and make them a part of His plan for your life. Our job is to become someone. His job is to shape and mold us. To God we are always becoming we are never finished. But …. what God begins in you, God ends. What God initiates in you, He will complete.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

Stop seeking after God’s will for your life and start seeking after Him. Matthew 6:33 reminds us that if we seek after Him first He will take care of those other details that you are so worried about and wonder why God just doesn’t tell us in plain English what you are to do.

And if you have messed up your life in big way or you have gotten way off track, God is bigger than your messed up life and He can get you back on track. His plan is to show you compassion, mercy, and grace.His plan is not to condemn you but to give you new life. But you must seek Him with wholeheartedly.

He has a plan for your your life and it’s a good one. He is behind the scene working everything out. But you must seek Him with all your heart.