THERE IS ALWAYS A PLAN B!
Sunday’s Monday
I’m guessing that there aren’t many of you who can say you give this one a lot of thought. A great number of us from all backgrounds, social settings, and literacy levels never think of a plan B because we always believe so strongly that our Plan A will work, that we don’t bother with the minor details. I am always fascinated to hear people talk about how they’ve prayed for days, weeks, and sometimes months waiting to hear from God, and often when they do, it is not what they expected to hear. All too often God says No and we choose to go with the plan, hoping that God will change His mind. It seems His non-endorsement means little to nothing to us until it fails miserably, then we blame God for not doing His part in the project and allowing it to fail. I think this truly demonstrates the superiority of God to man as we are still here after centuries of such nonsense and He graciously has chosen to spare us. We see in Proverbs 26:11 (NASB), Like a dog that returns to its vomit, So is a fool who repeats his foolishness, this is foolishness in its purest form and yet God still holds hope for each of us.
In so many ways our selfish nature never dies, I believe the daemon stays with the old man who is left behind at baptism, however, I believe his nature remains and never gives up trying to influence the new man we’ve become. Ergo, it becomes a lifetime battle of trying to keep our selfish nature from entering and overpowering the life that the new man is allowing Jesus to build. There is another little trick that I was recently introduced to by a friend and I love it. It is fun to maintain, rewarding to use, and loaded with blessings at both ends. The secret to defeating our self-centered nature is to stop trying, we can’t do it, we’re not designed to be in charge, and “furthermore” that is not where God wants us. We are to be equipped as storytellers, and gospel bearers filled with the good news of Jesus Christ. We are to be (if we are reborn to Jesus) full of life, bringing words of encouragement to uplift everyone we meet. Now! You can take this from my experience, it is hard to be full of joy when you have World War 3 raging within you. However, it’s impossible to harbor anger and hatred when you’re consistently thankful for what God has done and is doing in your life. This is all the more reason to know what to do during a battle; the first thing to find out is, what does God want me to do? Ephesians 6:13 (NASB2020), Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. The question I used to have was what do I do while I’m standing? The answer is Pray without ceasing!
I developed the philosophy years ago in my Handyman business that went something like this. Never take on a project without Plan A (my plan) and Plan B (God’s plan), Plan A simply says start with Plan B because Plan A never works! I’ve had subcontractors ask me how I came up with this thinking. I gladly explained even when God would give me a plan A, I would manage to contaminate it with my shortcuts and great ideas until it was doomed to fail. The one thing that has stood out to me is my failures in having or messing with God’s plan A, were never wasted, as God uses those wrong moves as a teaching moment to bring my spirit back into a position of humility. We will work shoulder to shoulder following His instructions and plan B gets the job done correctly and on time. But it pays to keep in mind, that plan B only works when followed to the letter of God. I was in a study meeting when this came to me and it came to me as a statement, everyone has a plan B in life but only a few choose to live it.
Father God: Thank you for allowing me to join you today in doing whatever you have in mind to accomplish. May it involve new people I can meet and get to know; may it be filled with hearts that need a touch and people that need to be heard. Lord, teach us the true meaning of stand and how we should strive to become the fulfillment of said meaning. Dad, I know that only you can count the times I’ve failed you but on the other hand, only you remember the times I’ve made you smile. Please, Father, keep me pumped to live Hebrews 10:24 (NASB2020), and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Dad, I want, need, and cry out for your plan B to be effective throughout my life. Thanks, Pop. Amen
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!
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