Day 14 Our Seven Day Recap

We are in the midst of training our minds to trust God with each of our days. Training takes repetition until it becomes second nature to us.

On DAY EIGHT we learned that we are not alone and that God cares very much about our everyday lives.

On DAY NINE we learned that nothing is too small to turn over to God. He desires to show us just how much He is concerned about everything in our lives.

On DAY TEN we learned that God has the blueprint for our lives and He is very willing to show us which paths to take.

On DAY ELEVEN we learned God had every one of our days planned out and written in a book. And just like any well-meaning parent, those plans are designed for our good.

On DAY TWELVE we learned that God doesn’t barge in and take over, but instead He waits for us to come to Him and ask for His wisdom and His help.

On DAY THIRTEEN we learned that God wants to establish us. That means He wants to bring our lives into order so everything falls right into place.

God has given us a very simple formula for success.  Obedience to do our part enables Him to do His. Here is the promise that will cause your life to prosper:

Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; 

He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, 

and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Proverbs 16:3 (AMPC)

Grab your journal and jot down some things that have changed in your life in these last fourteen days. If you haven’t put this principle into practice yet, it’s never too late to begin!

Day 13 God Wants To Establish Us

On Day 12 we asked a lot of fairly serious questions. It might overwhelm us if we did not know that God had written all our days down in His book. (Psalms 139: 16 NIV) Each time we turn one of our days over to Him, I can see Him smiling because He already knows all of the plans He has for us. It stands to reason that we would be wise to check with Him before we go ahead and proceed on our own. God wants us to be established in the good plans that He has ready and waiting for us (Proverbs 16:3 AMPC).

You might say, “Don’t I get to choose my plans?” Of course! We know that everyone has their own choices to make but when we align ourselves with God’s plan for us, we are guaranteed to be established so we can succeed.

The word “establish” means to set things in order permanently. Have you ever had those times when everything just falls into place?? Maybe you can’t see your desired destination from where you are but you know you are headed in that direction. You are on the right track and it feels so good. 

Here’s how it works:

Surrender your plans to God—commit your concerns to God.

Thank Him that He causes you to think like He thinks.

Praise Him for guiding you in the right direction.

I can guarantee that you will enjoy your new way of living, based on a solid foundation of peace and security.

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)     Your plans will be set in order

2 Samuel 23:5 (NLT)          He will ensure your safety and success

1 Corinthians 14:33 (NLT)  You will be established in peace

Day 12 God Waits For Us To Ask

On Day 11 we learned that God has the plans for our lives all worked out and they are very good plans. The Bible describes the nature of God in very simple terms—He is good! 

Every day we have plans whether we acknowledge them or not. We plan to get a lot done or we plan to do nothing. Somedays you may plan to work and other days you plan to play and enjoy a day of recreation. We might make little plans or huge plans. An example of a large plan is deciding whether to go back to college or take the job that is offered to you. Another might be, should you relocate your family to a new city or maybe you need help to get out of a bad financial situation. Whether you are choosing what to have for dinner or making a life-changing decision, God is waiting for you to invite His input.

• Take a few minutes and jot down a question you might have for God. 

• Turn in your Bible to Proverbs 16:3 (AMPC- Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).

• Pray something like this: Father, I surrender my plans, my ideas, my intentions to You and I ask You to help me think like You think so I can be established and succeed. 

• Then just relax and know that He will cause thoughts to come to you. 

God wants to help you be successful in every area of your life. His thoughts may come to you in the grocery store, at work or in the shower tomorrow morning. 

Psalms 139:17 AMPC         Desire to know God’s thoughts

Jeremiah 33:3 AMPC         He wants to show you.

Matthew 7:7-8  AMPC Whoever asks, receives.

Day 11 I Came With An "Owner's Manual"

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in Your book

    before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16 (NIV)

Did you catch that? God is your Creator and your Designer and in addition to that He planned out all your days before you were born. God was—and is—mindful of you! The Bible says He wrote all your plans in His book. Aren’t you glad that God has already laid out the blueprint for your life?

Psalms 119:68 says that God is good and what He does is good. That means that each of His daily plans for you is a good plan—and there is no loss, pain or suffering listed there. It stands to reason then that we should consult Him as we plan our days—what we are to do or not do. Should we make that purchase, take that vacation or marry that person? When our thoughts are in tune with God’s plan, we will experience the success that He has designed for us.

Psalms 100:3  (NLT) We belong to God

Acts 17:26-27  (AMPC) He knows our times and the places that we should live

Ephesians 2:10 (AMPC) God prepared those plans before we were born

Refer to Day 9 if you would like to learn how to consult your Creator and Designer.

Day 10 Your Future Is Bright

There are times in our lives where we are uncertain of what lies ahead for us. Maybe your career path is hidden and you can’t seem to find your way. Perhaps your company is struggling financially and you don’t know the answer. Or maybe you are just plain lonely and don’t know where to turn. In the last post, I challenged you to pray along these lines: 

Father, I commit all my plans to You. (Or I offer my day to you.)

Please cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will

So that I can align with Your heavenly plan.

Thank You in advance for giving me Your ideas

so I can be established and succeed in this situation.

Be intentional about doing whatever you need to do to make sure your situation remains in His hands. When I first started this, I formulated a one-liner that I said out loud every time I wanted to take something back on. I would say, “This is not my deal!!” Somehow those five words set me in a place of freedom where I knew that God was taking care of me and I didn’t need to help Him.

No matter how difficult your situation is, you can keep it simple. Proverb 16:3 is the answer to a marriage that is in trouble or a company that is heading for bankruptcy, or even a day that is unraveling. We’ve all had those! It all boils down to thinking like God thinks so we can experience success.

Proverbs 8:14 (TPT) The power of wisdom

Eph. 2:10 (AMPC)  God has a blueprint for your daily life

Prov. 3: 5-6 (NLT)       God will show you which path to take

My Pool Story

For the past nine "days" I have been showing you how to apply Proverbs 16:3 to your daily lives so that you experience success.  The Amplified Bible/Classic Edition says:

Proverbs 16:3 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

3 Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

If we practice rolling our "works"--our plans for the day--upon the Lord, "He will cause our thoughts to become agreeable to His will," so we can be established in order and thus be successful. No complications, do-overs, regrets, etc. Doesn't that sound nice?

This morning I was under the impression that the outdoor pool in my area was open. I proceeded to write a text to my grandkids to invite them to join us. Right before I was going to press the little arrow to send it off, I had a thought--"Maybe you should make sure the pool is open." I went online and sure enough in large caps it said, SATURDAY- CLOSED!

The Holy Spirit saved me and the kids a lot of confusion, disappointment, and time--not to mention my credibility!! I erased the text, regrouped my thoughts and now I am heading to my gym where the indoor pool is open 24/7!!

This is just a little example but day after day, as I commit my day (my week, our trip, my project) to the Lord, He causes me to put the details in order so I can be efficient. The Holy Spirit has free reign to delete any of my plans and also to add things in that I had not thought of. When I choose to partner with Him, all goes so well--and when it is all said and done, I am so grateful for His help.

Join me next time for "Day 10" on our 40 Days To A Successful Life! If you are new to this blog, you can begin with "Day 1" in the archives.

EnJOY!!

Karol

Day 9  Practice Makes Possible  

We are learning to commit our plans to God and asking Him to “cause our thoughts to become agreeable to His will” so we can be established and successful. (Taken from Proverbs 16:3 AMPC) When we are learning something new, we have to routinely put it into practice until it becomes a habit. In the case of Proverbs 16:3, it’s learning a habit that will lead us to success in every aspect of our lives.

You may be a student, the CEO of a company, a doctor, a dad, an athlete…..and the list goes on. We are learning to surrender our plans to God no matter what we are doing. God wants us to be in tune with His perfect plan because He knows it will bring us peace and fulfillment. We do that by letting His thoughts have preeminence over ours.

You might say, “Are you talking about hearing from God, because I don’t think I can do that. It’s just too hard.” Actually, I am talking about inviting God into our day and asking for His guidance instead of doing it on our own. When we do that He is more than happy to plant His ideas in our thoughts. 

If this sounds intriguing to you, I would encourage you to put this simple prayer into practice—-not just once but several times a day for the next 7-10 days. When you pray this prayer, be purposeful about it expecting new thoughts to dawn on you.

“Father, I roll my plans upon You today. Cause my thoughts to align with Your will so I can be established and successful today.”

Take one day at a time and I promise you—you will be pleased!! Practice makes possible!