Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Dr. Charles F. Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, where he served more than fifty years. He was also a New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy books. Until his death in 2023, Dr. Stanley's mission was to get the gospel to "as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible, as irresistibly as possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God." This is a calling that In Touch Ministries continues to pursue by transmitting his teachings as widely and effectively as possible.

Dr. Stanley's messages can be heard daily on In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley broadcasts on television, radio, and satellite networks and stations around the world; on the internet at intouch.org and through In Touch+ and the Charles Stanley Institute; and via the In Touch Messenger Lab. Excerpts from Dr. Stanley's inspiring messages are also published in the award-winning In Touch devotional magazine.

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God Has a Plan for Your Life

Thomas Nelson

Contents

Introduction Does God Have a Plan for Me?...............................ixChapter One The Big Picture.............................................1Chapter Two God's Promise Fulfilled.....................................13Chapter Three How Do We Discover God's Promise?.........................31Chapter Four God's Will Defined.........................................49Chapter Five A Miraculous Hope!.........................................65Chapter Six Hindrances to Discovering God's Promise.....................75Chapter Seven Equipped for Every Good Work..............................91Chapter Eight God's Will Is Clear.......................................107Chapter Nine The Discovery..............................................123Chapter Ten The Adventure Begins........................................139Have You Accepted God's Greatest Gift?...................................147

Chapter One

Does God have a plan for me?" the young man asked. His face was etched with worry and regret. He had come to know Christ as his Savior years before during a youth rally, but now, sitting in my office, he was not only on the verge of doubting his salvation but also God's love for him. He could not see past the sin that was in his life, nor could he accept God's forgiveness, and this was choking the spiritual life out of him.

I reassured him that while there were consequences to sin, God still had a plan and a purpose for his life. He never gives up on us. Even though he had made mistakes, and at one point ignored God's leading, the Lord loved him and heard his prayers. God would not ignore him or push him aside.

A Future and a Hope

"God loves you," I reassured him (Jer. 31:3; John 3:16). "He created you, and He is not about to give up on you-not now-not ever. You can depend on this." Instantly, silence filled the room. I could sense that God had broken through, and for the first time in a very long time, this young man's mind and heart were tuned in to the voice of God. Then I repeated a familiar verse to him-one that most of us have come to know by heart, Jeremiah 29:11: "'I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'"

Leaning forward, I looked straight into my young friend's eyes and said, "You realize this is not Charles Stanley talking. This is God speaking to you. I don't have all the answers, but there is one thing that I do know and that is this: God knows exactly where you are at this very minute, and He understands your every struggle (Ps. 46:1). He is the one who has all the answers you need, and each one is found within His Word. He may not like where your life is right now, but He is not going to abandon you (John 14:18). If you will trust Him, He will begin to work in your life. Then you will see His plan and will for your life unfold in a mighty way. This is His promise to each one of us."

My words were hitting their right mark because the young man relaxed and drew in a deep breath. "You mean there is hope for my life?"

"Absolutely," I said without hesitation. "With God, there always is hope, and He has a plan in mind for our tomorrows."

There were another few minutes of silence; finally, he looked up at me and asked, "Okay, where do I begin?" Then I knew he was ready to start an amazing journey with the Lord-one that, if he held to the right course, would allow him to experience God's love and provision in a way unlike anything he had ever known. That afternoon, as I closed the door to my study, I wondered how many other people were facing exactly what this young man was facing-a sense of hopelessness and a longing to know God's promise and purpose for their lives.

The Discovery

Discovering God's will hinges on two things: a desire to live your life for Christ and not for yourself, and your ability to understand the nature of His will and purpose. These two aspects affect every area of life. First of all, we need to understand the fact that God is committed to our success-not in a financial sense, though He is not opposed to a person making money. He is the one who gives us the ability to make wealth (Deut. 8:18). His objection comes when the desires of our hearts are set on something other than Him. This could include a material possession or an employment position. It also includes people, hobbies, and goals or dreams that simply are not God's best for us. In fact, anything that takes His place in our lives as number one is subject to His scrutiny.

The apostle Peter would have understood perfectly what my young friend was facing. When he first met Jesus alongside the Sea of Galilee, he was nothing more than a fisherman who had a net full of dreams and very few fish. Within Peter's life, Jesus saw amazing potential, and as He stepped up on the bow of Peter's boat, He surely noticed the rough intensity that filled His future disciple's eyes. Can you imagine Jesus smiling? I can, because He knew the plans He had in mind for Peter, just as He knows the plans He has for each one of us.

We should never allow the enemy to stop us at the doorway of opportunity by tempting us to struggle with feelings of doubt and low self-esteem. Instead, we act wisely when we obey God's command just as Peter did when Christ instructed him to sail out into deep waters (Luke 5:4). Think about it for a moment. Peter was an expert fisherman. Yet he had been out on the Sea of Galilee all night and had not caught a single fish. How could he possibly know God was setting the stage for his call into a ministry that would impact the world with such force that it would never be the same again?

Each one of us can probably remember a time when we have argued with God. We could sense the Lord leading us to do a certain thing, call a certain person, or trust Him in a certain situation, but we did not know if what we were hearing or feeling was the right thing to do. Peter was no exception. He was ready to debate Jesus' request and to begin to list the reasons why it was senseless to return to the same place he was the night before. However, at the same time, Christ's request touched something deep inside of him, and suddenly, he had a desire to obey Jesus simply because he knew the One who was doing the talking. The Lord instructed Peter to "put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). Christ's words to Peter were really not a request. Requests offer options, but Jesus did not offer another plan.

Fishermen with any experience, especially on the Sea of Galilee, knew that fish were caught in shallow water and not in cool and unpredictable deep water. However, Peter obeyed the Lord's command, and it was the best decision he ever made. You will never go wrong obeying God. You may not know exactly where you are going, but you can be sure of one thing: when you get to the place He has called you to go, you will experience a miraculous blessing.

The Right Choice

We can imagine that for a few tense moments, Peter's eyes locked on the Savior's eyes. The sun was beating down, and Peter was exhausted. He had listened to Jesus teach to those who were gathered around the shoreline. Deep inside, perhaps, all he wanted was to go home and fall into his bed and sleep for a few hours before...