The old saying goes, If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Benjamin Franklin supposedly once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”  Sir Winston Churchill is credited with another, oft repeated, saying: “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”   The saying is true, none of us decide to fail but if we do not implement a plan in place the outcome more times than not is just that. However, that is just part of it, if we do not plan and the Lord is not guiding the planning there can still be issues but I will get to that in a minute.

Doesn’t it feel good when your plan comes together and you have a sense of peace when you follow the plan? I know for me when I have a plan in place my days seems to go smoother. Even if I just write a list out of the things I need to prioritize -it helps me to follow through and hold myself accountable to what task need to be completed.  That is something that my mother use to do when getting ready to run errands on the weekends. She would always have her list of things to do.

Some of you husbands on here have “honey do list” that your wife expects or hopes that you will complete for her and the best way to do it is by writing it down.  Not against the honey do list (that is not the point) but I think that it is important to have a plan to direct our steps. Whether it is for prioritization or just to stay on task- there are many benefits to them. I am a witness that I can get off track easily and go in another direction and before I know my plan is all over the place. I am just talking about me so if you are reading this and this is you also. (Don’t leave me out here by myself let me know by sending me a comment that you are in the same boat. )

In the text, David is imparting A PLAN to his son Solomon (who is to build the temple to God) about principles to live by that will keep him on task. There are six that I want to address quickly with you to help decipher “the perfect plan” to navigate in life.  King David takes them directly from the Lord.

1. Get to know God personally– David told Solomon to learn God and the only way to do that is to spend time intimately with him. Just like in a relationship you have to get to know someone by spending quality time with them. Intimacy means “IN TO ME SEE”
2. Learn God’s command and discover what he wants you to do –  Only way to learn what God wants is to study his Word daily- and meditate on it throughout the day. We have to chew on it like a straw over and over again until it softens enough where it is pliable (means bendable) in our lives. *Do not know the plan if you have not written it down and read it.
3. Worship God with wholehearted devotion– That means we allow ourselves to love unconditionally the God we serve. You cant worship that which you do not respect- you cannot respect that which you do not know.  Make the commitment to learn about our Lord- some of us do not have commitment unless we see the benefit from the beginning. Not always the case. But too have wholehearted devotion means – you are ALL IN no matter what.
4. Serve God with a willing mind – If our mind does not conform to that which our heart has there will always be division.  We must be willing to walk in humility and know that it is for His purposes.
5. Be Faithful – We must be faithful to the plan that is established for us and know that it is all part of the perfect plan.  Our faithfulness to the Lords plan protects us from the hangups and hardships that may be ahead.
6. Don’t become discouraged – Plans are created to be followed, however, sometimes there are unforeseen things that can cause us to question or even get frustrated with where we are. This is just to remind us that the plan is already ordered by the Lord all we have to do is rest and stay the course with the Perfect plan.

Be blessed family…