Find God’s Plan for Your Life

(and Help Your Child do the Same)

The old quote, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there” is a great example of what happens when we don’t have a plan for us.

We could end up spending every day just reacting to what’s in front of us, instead of purposefully following God’s plan for our life. The same is true for our children and, as parents, we would want more for them than that.

That’s how God feels about us. He wants more for us then an aimless, frustrating existence.

Let’s learn who we are, why you’re here and how to get a plan for your life. Plus get the Life Plan Essentials tools below.

(Scroll to the bottom of the page to get your Life Plan PDFs)[/vc_wp_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_wp_text]

In order to find your God-given purpose and get a plan for your life, you first have to know who you are.

As a child of God, you are now a new creature in Christ. Old things have passed away and all things have become new.

HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?

You may see yourself as someone who has messed up or even just someone who has been complacent all their life. Maybe you see yourself as someone who doesn’t have much to offer. There is another dangerous way to see yourself (on the opposite side of that) and it’s as someone who is only worth as much “work” as they can offer.

Until you are sure of who you are, you won’t be able to fulfill your God-given purpose. The only place to get the truth is in God’s Word.

WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS

– You are a child of God. He knew your name before you were even born. You can always go to Him with confidence.

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26 NLT
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. Ephesians 3:12

– You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do great things!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT

– You have been redeemed from the curse of the law which includes poverty, sickness and death.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Galatians 3:13 NKJV

TAKE ACTION:

Know that God loves you. Take Him at His Word. Remind yourself of what He says about you every day. Download these Life Builders to help!

(Put them on your wall, tape them to the bathroom mirror,etc. Find a way to see them and speak them out loud each day.)

RELATED MATERIAL:

Why Good Thinking Matters – MP3 or CD series

Know Prayer, Know Power – MP3 or CD series[/vc_wp_text][vc_wp_text]

YOU HAVE A PURPOSE AND A GIFT

You were born for a reason. You weren’t an accident. I don’t care how you were conceived. God Almighty saw you coming. You may have had a father of your flesh who didn’t expect you, want you, provide for you, or love you, but you have a Father of your spirit who did expect you.

You didn’t catch Him by surprise. He loves you. He’s going to provide for you. He has a divine plan for your life.

How can you be certain? By reading God’s Word.

WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS

In Jeremiah 1:5, we read:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (NIV)

In Jeremiah 33:3, we read:
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (NKJV)

God has no small plans for anybody. He’s got great and mighty plans for you.

In Romans 11:29, we read:
For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. (NLT)

God’s plan for our lives is not based on us – the IQ we have, we didn’t earn it – in fact it’s not based on anything we did or could do. We can’t sin bad enough to make Him erase it (Romans 11:29).

Don’t let the enemy tell you that God can’t use you anymore because of something you’ve done.

When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, the old life is gone and a new life has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17).

(If you haven’t accepted the gift of salvation, here is more information and a place to start.)

According to Romans 8:1: There is now therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

If you have made a mistake, that isn’t the time to hide. There’s no better time than now to seek Him, to re-commit your life to Him and to start using the gift God has given you to make a living and to serve others!

In Hebrews 4:16 we read:
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (NLT)

Helping Your Child Find Their Gift

OUR CHOICE

The good news is that God has a great plan, but it’s up to us to choose to live it. God won’t make us live His plan. That’s why He said “…I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: you choose…” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Every day we get to choose to serve God. 

He has given us the freedom to choose. We have that opportunity to do that every day. People can serve God or serve the devil. They can use their gifts or not – steward them or not. Once God gives a gift, it’s irrevocable. He won’t take it back!

TAKE ACTION:

Begin by making an effort to find out what your God-given gift is. A great place to start is by taking personality and career tests. We highly recommend the “Discover Your God-Given Gifts” book by Don and Katie Fortune.  After that, find two more (anything from Meyers-Briggs to the unemployment test will work.) Find out what the common elements are and see where that takes you.

ONE MORE STEP

A great way to help your nearly high school graduate or teenager find a career path is to get them to pick a job they are interested in and go interview three people. Download these instructions for this activity and let us know how it goes! CAREER INTERVIEW FORM

RELATED RESOURCES:

The Incredible Power of Vision – MP3 or CD series

The PURPOSE PACK (Get tools to help find your God-given gifts, plans and purpose.

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Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Other translations say that where there is no vision, the people dwell aimlessly, or dwell carelessly, or dwell in violence. People who have no vision live aimlessly with no direction. They get frustrated and mad at life and take it out on others. They are never completely happy or satisfied.

You’ve already begun the first steps of getting a vision for your life. You have to know who you are in Christ. You have to know that you have a God-given gift.

Getting a vision for your life is the process of finding out what your gift is and to start using it. As you take these steps to trust God’s Word, seek His Will, and obey it, He will direct your path. (See Proverbs 3:5-6.)

SEEING IT IN YOUR HEART

If you can’t see it (God’s Vision) with your heart, you can’t possess it.

How do you see yourself five years from now? Do you see yourself stronger or weaker? Has the enemy put a vision before you that you’re never going to change? If so, then stop and consider that you’re looking at life with natural eyes instead of spiritual eyes.

There’s little in the natural to make you think things would change for the better. The enemy is going to throw circumstances at you. He’s going to buffet you with the tests and trials of life. 

Jesus said these would come to every one of us. (Luke 6:46) If you don’t have spiritual insight, your natural eyesight will depress you and you’ll give up and pull back. God says, “I have no pleasure in those who pull back.” (See Hebrews 10:38)

God can do anything with us if we will just open our spiritual eyes, see what He sees and do what He tells us to do. 

We’re on a journey that just keeps getting better and better. We’re going from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
 (Proverbs 4:18 )

VISION WILL SUSTAIN YOU

At 17, Joseph was given a dream by God. At 30, Joseph was living the dream having been appointed second in command under Pharaoh (Gen. 41:46). For the 13 years in between, he never let go of that dream, and God brought it to pass!

Vision kept Joseph going, and vision will keep you and your family going as well! Pursue your vision, confident that God will bring it to pass. “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5 NKJV)

Keep your eyes fixed on what God told you!

TAKE ACTION:

Plant God’s vision for your life in your heart by starting with these three steps:

1. Read God’s Word every day.
2. Obey the Word that you read.
3. Pray and ask God to show you what His plan is for your life. (Jeremiah 33:3, James 1:5, Proverbs 3:4-6)

RELATED RESOURCES:

The Incredible Power of Vision – MP3 or CD series 

You are on the right path to finding God’s vision for your life! You know what God says about you. You know you have a gift.

Now you have to make a plan and take action.

WHAT THIS ISN’T

You’re never going to write one finite plan that never changes, so don’t feel pressured to make it perfect. If you’re the type of person that doesn’t like to plan, don’t feel confined. What you’re doing in writing this down is giving yourself some direction. If you don’t have a goal, you’ll never hit it.

We do the natural; God does the supernatural.

Joshua walked around the walls, God knocked them down. Moses lifted the stick, God parted the water. The widow woman gathered the pots, God filled them with oil.

WHAT PLANNING WILL HELP

Proverbs 24:3-4 (TLB) says, “Any enterprise (life, family, business, etc.) is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.”

Without wise planning, we will succumb to the stress and pressure of everyday life. Wise planning requires getting a vision and writing down goals.

Luke 14:28-30 (NIV) says, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’”

Planning is a biblical principle. Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” Don’t take a backseat and let life just happen as it will; take the time to plan your life!

TAKE ACTION:

Begin by writing a daily plan, a to-do list. Also, take time to write a weekly, monthly, yearly, and a five-year plan. Write down goals and actions necessary to accomplish specific projects that are on your to-do list.

Don’t let life just happen to you; manage your time and your tasks. Plan your life.

REMEMBER TO STAY TEACHABLE

RELATED RESOURCES:

Eight Things No Kid Should Leave Home Without – CD series

Eight Things No Kid Should Leave Home Without – Book

Family Finances – Book[/vc_wp_text][vc_wp_text]

DOWNLOAD THE PLAN

Sign-up to get this “Who, Where, How, and Why” form to get you started. This is a great resource you individuals as well as parents trying to help their children prepare.

Especially if your child is about to graduate high school or college, this can help give them an idea of how to create a plan for their life.