Make Your Plans Big
Boldness, fearless confidence, and patient endurance seem to be the top qualities for a disciple of Jesus Christ. I so crave to embody all of them. I love quotes like “If God is your partner, make your plans BIG!” by D.L. Moody. God is big and nothing is impossible for him so we need to be ready to live large for Christ.
But are we really doing that? Or are our plans too small after all? there’s no point to lie about it. God knows everything anyway and like Jim George has said “Whatever is true about your heart will show up in your actions.” Do we live for God? Or do we live for ourselves? Are our everyday life so busy that there’s no room for big plans. Or maybe we dream about doing great things but settle for doing what we have always been doing. Safe, expected, and predictable. Is that what we want out of life?
With the words of A.W. Tozer “God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible– what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves.” And it is indeed a pity that we put our trust and confidence on ourselves. Because, like Jerry Bridges has said “Faith in Christ and a reliance on ourselves, even to the smallest degree, are mutually exclusive.” We just can’t keep our plans so small that we could do them ourselves. We need to be bold in Christ and make our plans big like God is.
Moody Adams points out “Your goals must always be beyond your ability but within your faith.” So we need faith and big plans. Without faith we are not bold or fearless or confident or patient. Without faith we don’t dare to dream big or put them in action. Because without faith we don’t know the heart of God or the will of God. Without faith we don’t even want to follow God’s leading.
Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward. 36 For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised. (Hebrews 10: 35-36, AMP)
We are not called for a sedative life style, we are called to live fearlessly in Christ. We are not called to timidly hide our talents, we are called to take risks for Christ. We are not called to rely on ourselves or live according to our capabilities, we are called to let God do the impossible through us.
How can that happen? God doesn’t force us to do anything, we do have a choice. But if we want to live fully, we need to surrender our lives, skills, and hearts to God and let him guide us as we dream, plan and take action. We need to ask God to change our way of thinking to his way of thinking. God is more than happy to make us bolder, more confident and fearless for his sake.
It is time to give our dreams and plans to God and ask him to upgrade them according to his plans for us. It’s time to give our way of living and standards of living to God and ask him to show us the way to go. It is indeed time to ask God how we could serve him best.
Here I am, Lord.
Send me.
Use me.
Change me.
Give me big plans according to your plan for me.
Enable me to let go of things that need to go.
Make me bold, Lord.
Make me fearless.
Make me patient, confident…
everything you want me to be.
I am yours, Lord.
Do what you want with me.
Make your will mine.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: Have you made your plans big? Have you stepped out of your comfort zones?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you make your plans big according to His plans for you!
Image design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Unite the Bloggersphere and #tellhisstory.
3 thoughts on “Make Your Plans Big”
I always need this kind of encouragement, Mari-Anna. I tend to think too small and too timidly. But yes, God wants us to go big! Because HE is big.
Glad to know I am not the only one! 😉 Dream big, Lisa. God has great plans for you. Blessings upon blessings!