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The Plan

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Contents

Preface..............................................................................................xiAcknowledgments......................................................................................xiiiIntroduction.........................................................................................xvChapter 1 "For I know the plans I have for you".....................................................1Chapter 2 "Without me, you can do nothing"..........................................................11Chapter 3 "Will a man rob God?".....................................................................19Chapter 4 "I will open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing".....................31Chapter 5 "He shall not destroy the fruit of your ground"...........................................41Chapter 6 "Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time"..................................49Chapter 7 Wait on the Lord..........................................................................67Chapter 8 "I have finished the work which thou gavest Me to do".....................................77Chapter 9 Redeeming the time........................................................................87Chapter 10 Putting it all in perspective............................................................99

Chapter One

—Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

One of my most prized discoveries as I read and meditated on the word of God is that God has a plan for my life. On reflection, the truth of this discovery is that God has a plan for each of our lives. If you let this thought sink in for a minute, if you meditate on it for a little while, you will see how truly liberating this truth is. The God who created the heavens and the earth, the God who made man, and the God who delivered the children of Israel from Egypt with a strong hand has taken the time to design a personalized plan for my life and your life.

Over time, as the Holy Spirit led me through the word of God, I have developed an appreciation of the characteristics of His master plan for each of our lives, the understanding of which forms the foundation for unlocking God's financial blessing for your life:

? The plan was designed before the foundation of the world.

? The plan is under God's protection.

? The plan is detailed.

? The plan makes provision for a work to be done.

? The plan makes provision for all the resources necessary to accomplish it.

The Plan Was Designed before the Foundation of the World

In commissioning the prophet Jeremiah for his life's work, God said to him, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee" (Jer 1:5). When we further reflect on the word of God, which records that He "rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made" (Gen 2:2), we come to an enlightened understanding that God's plan for Jeremiah's life was made before the foundation of the world. Paul confirms this understanding in his letter in Ephesians, when he reveals that God "hath chosen us [in Christ] before the foundation of the world" and "predestined us according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will" (Eph 1:4, 11, NIV).

What has been even more amazing to discover is that God has recorded all the details of the plan. David, on reflecting on the awesomeness of God, said, "Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Ps 139:16, NIV). I hope you are as excited as I am at the knowledge that the details of the plan are not to be written down or are about to be written down but that they were written down before the foundation of the earth. Think about it for a minute: before your mother and father ever met each other, God had already written down your name, the date of your birth, the first day of kindergarten ... In fact, God had written down that you would be reading this book today in the exact location you are reading it. It is no wonder David proclaimed, "Your (infinite) knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it" (Ps 139:6, AMP).

The Plan Is Under God's Protection

One of the characteristics I found particularly comforting about the plan is that it is divinely protected by God Himself. In the process of instructing his disciples, Jesus asked them this question: "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent?" Then He went on to inform them, "Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. So do not fear, you are more valuable than many sparrows" (Mat 10:29–31, NAS). I love this particular reference in scripture to God's divine protection because it makes clear that no matter how insignificant the detail of the plan may appear to be, or for whom the plan is designed, God is watching over it to make sure that it will be accomplished as He has ordained. His ability to do so is spoken of by Jesus himself when he said, "My Father ... is greater than all ..." (John 10:29).

Each of us reading this book should take comfort in the fact that the God who delivered the children of Israel from Egypt with a strong hand is overseeing every detail of the plan He has drawn up for our lives. Jesus has assured us that no devil in hell, no demon, no man, no woman, no sickness, no circumstance, visible or invisible, can stand in the way of God's plan, for He is greater and more powerful than all, individually or collectively.

The Plan Is Detailed

In the process of instructing his disciples on the meaning of discipleship, Jesus revealed, "The very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Mat 10:30). I love the fact that this verse stands all by itself. Nothing is added. It should be a tremendous source of comfort to know that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has taken the time not only to count but to number each strand of hair on your head. Each time you comb your hair and one strand drops out, God can tell you which number it is. It then does not take a great leap of faith to conclude that God has taken care of every detail of our lives in His plan.

Jesus reinforced this point in the Sermon on the Mount, when He made known to all gathered that their "heavenly Father already knows all your needs" (Mat 6:32, NLT). What is your need today—food, clothing, shelter? Whatever your individual needs are, take comfort in the fact that God knows all about them in detail and has made provision for them in His plan for your life.

The Plan Makes Provision for a Work to Be Done

In Jeremiah 1, we read that when Jeremiah was still only a child, the word of God came to him and revealed his present and future work that had been ordained before he came out of his mother's womb (Jer 1:5). In God's overall master plan for humankind, He had carved out a work for Jeremiah as "a prophet unto the nations." What is wonderful to observe as you read about the commissioning of Jeremiah is God's assurance that He would be with him to guide him in the things he would say and to deliver him in the time of trouble. What is also worthy of note is the clarity of the job description given to Jeremiah: "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down,...