How to Make a Godly Plan

Everyone I know has a story of plans they made that hit bumps, detours, delays and destruction. Some stopped planning. Others continued to make plans. Some said that making plans is a work of futility because God directs everything anyway. Others say plans are essential or you'll never get anywhere.

It is my observation that people who make plans tend to have greater success in life, whether in business, relationships or spiritual growth. Planning is what helps move life in a right direction.

Those who have stopped making plans most often sight a concern about making sure they are in line with God's plans. The thinking goes that if they make plans or goals what if something changes along the way? There is a fear of missing God's plans by making our own plans.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

If I don't make plans then I don't know where to start or what direction to head. 20 plus years ago I made plans for a Ph.D. in Church History. I knew I was supposed to be a teacher for Pastors. It turned out God's plan was teaching on the mission field in Haiti. Perhaps I was foggy on God's call. Perhaps I missed something. I choose to see it as a test of faith. Had I never decided to begin stepping out in faith (taking tests, talking with Church History professors, looking at schools, gathering book resources, etc....) I might never have gotten to the door for teaching with OMS in Haiti. That is without a doubt what God had planned.

The question for me is not whether I should plan or not but how do I make a Godly plan. Here are some steps I've found helpful.

1. Pray. Bathe the process in prayer, seeking God's wisdom through the voice of the Spirit and the Word. Making plans apart from prayer has the greatest chance of missing God's best for your life. Remember, this is about bathing the process in prayer not the plans you make on your own and then ask God to bless. We can make all the plans we want but we must remember it is God who causes the growth and ultimate success of any plan.

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, 

and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:23

2. Begin with the end. The best plans are those that have a target, an end point, a vividly painted picture of the future. Because I want to make Godly plans I consider the following (not an exhaustive list): does that end make me more like Jesus? How does the fruit of the Spirit shape that vivid picture? does the end I'm considering bring honor to the name of Jesus? In other words, am I seeking to build His Kingdom or mine?

3. Keep Jesus as the ultimate goal. God is more concerned with our heart relationship than anything we could possibly dream up to do. Being versus Doing. No matter what detours happen. No matter what delays and destruction occur to those plans, my reaction to those circumstances is what really matters. Achieving the end isn't the ultimate goal. Imitating Jesus is the goal.

I have had a goal with my hobby of swim officiating to be a starter at the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials. It would be an ultimate honor in that world. It's not something I can apply for or even ask about. Asking might be the surest way to not be on deck at all. It's a privilege decided by others. What I can do is meet the criteria for consideration, do the best at my position no matter where that is and build relationships with others. What I also put in those plans is how I treat people. I can't give praise to God at the end of something if I've not been Jesus along the way. Whether or not the goal is realized is of no concern to God. He's concerned with my relationship with Jesus and if others see Him in me.

4. Set specific action steps. This is just simple goal setting. A goal without action is just a dream. Lay out a timeline of what needs to happen to hit the end goal. Set some dates. Write down specific actions. If your goal is the read through the Bible, then write down: "Read 1 chapter each day." Write down something. I've met a lot of people who think writing plans like this is unspiritual. Read the Bible and see where God laid out plans over and over again. He even laid out a plan for rest called Sabbath. If we don't plan for it we'll schedule it out.

5. Tell someone. For me, sharing our plans with a trusted brother or sister in Christ is an essential part of making and following Godly plans.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with 

many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 15:22

Sharing our plans is a testimony for God's created order. Its in community that we can be stopped from following foolish plans and encouraged to spend our lives in Godly pursuits.

It can be scary to share plans. What if others laugh? Will they think I'm crazy? Sharing with others garners prayer power, wisdom from other perspectives and support when detours, delays and destruction occur.

6. Take a step in faith. I have found that I have to come to a place where I say: "Lord, stop me if this is not in Your plan." After bathing it in prayer, painting a picture and seeking Jesus, it's time to take a step of faith.

Part of being human means we will make mistakes. Part of being a Christ-follower means God will use those mistakes for good as long as we keep our relationship with Him our ultimate goal. I watched a movie on the plane to Great Britain, This Means War. The memorable line for me was: "Mistakes make us who we are."

I can look back on plans and mistakes seeing clearly where I made the wrong choices but also where God used them. I can look back on uncertain choices that were exactly the right thing at the time. And I can look at times when the mistakes were flat out bad choices, flagrant mistakes. The difference? I had no Godly plan in the latter. It was all about me.

Do you know where you are going? Do you have some thoughts on how to get there? Detours, delays and destruction will most certainly come but that shouldn't stop you from making plans. 

How will you be more like Jesus 6 months from now? There's no need to pray about that goal. It is God's desire. Now, how will it happen in your life? It won't happen my osmosis. It can happen because you follow a plan that's bathed in prayer.