Will the Lord be able to give us what he plans for us? Too often we become cynical when the plans we have for ourselves do not unfold in the time frame that we believe they should. We may become despondent or depressed, even, when things don’t work out. As we approach God with a litany of woes about how the world is against us, isn’t it time we stopped whining and started listening to what the Lord is telling us in Jeremiah 29:11?

He already knows the plans that he has for us. We become so impatient as we are learning to trust God and follow the path. When our ways begin to wander to the left or the right of the plan, he helps us to get a course correction. Maybe you didn’t see that you were headed straight over a cliff, but God saw. It wasn’t easy for you to turn away from the temptation, but the Lord stopped you, because you were not aware of the trap that had been set for your soul, but God was aware.

On and on through the treacherous rocky way we climb, carefully placing our next foothold in the narrow smooth footprint he made for us to walk in. Instead of the same boring routines of stepping one foot in front of the other into the smooth footprints he fashioned, maybe we decided to make the walk more entertaining; why not kick a few of the rocks out and make our own way? We didn’t know that those tiny rocks kept the avalanche of boulders at bay, but God knew.

I am so guilty of either getting ahead of God, or dragging my feet through my past obstacles, instead of exercising my faith and trusting that he has already made a way for the plans that he has for me: to prosper me and not harm me, and plans to give me hope and a future.

In Isaiah 59:19, we have a promise from God, “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”

If you want to fear anything, fear God; not your circumstances, not your challenges, and certainly not the enemy of your soul. It’s time that the children of God realize who they are in Christ. I must shut out all of my doubts about being good enough to be used by God. Didn’t the Lord pay for my salvation, too? I will never be ‘good enough’ by the world’s standards, but it doesn’t matter, he loved me and paid the price for my sins, anyway, and knowing that, surely I can bring my sacrifice of praise and worship before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and give him the honor that he is due.

As imperfect children of God, we can find comfort, knowing that we are bought with a price and in Romans 8:1-4,

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

It’s time to not be satisfied with mediocre. Let’s give God our best as we continue to walk in the faith. In this week’s Lattereign we are challenged to go beyond-the-open-door and there we’ll find our hope and future. We belong to a victorious church, and no matter what obstacles we may face, we win.