Plans 2 Prosper U Blog

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 139:15,16, NIV)

Psalm 139 tells us that God saw us when we were in our mother’s womb. Not only did He see us at that time, but He saw every day we would ever live. All at an instant He knew exactly what was going to happen to us and perfectly equipped us to handle every obstacle. Actually, the truth is that this didn’t solely occur at our conception.  Oh no.  God knew all of this from eternity past.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Think of a time in your life when you were encountering a tough situation and God provided you with the perfect amount of resources, strength, and people to get you through that time.

When I think of my son, now 5 months old, I can’t help but wonder what God has in store for Him. I know that He has great plans for my little Adam and I can’t wait to see them unfold.

Learn more about the book

Plans To Prosper You: Find Your Purpose through Jeremiah 29

By George E. Sayour            

http://www.plans2prosperu.com/Jeremiah_29_Book.html

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, NIV)

The book of Isaiah is jam-packed with prophecies about the coming of Jesus.  I can only wonder what the people of that time must have thought when they would hear them.  Were they hopeful or skeptical?  I know at the time when Jesus was actually born many people had internalized and taken them to heart.  One only need look in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke to see how excited people were at the prospect of Jesus being the fulfillment of the prophecies that they had memorized.  See how Elizabeth reacted to Mary’s visit.  Or notice the shepherds actions once they visited the newborn.  And isn’t it amazing that grown men known as Wise, Kings, and Magi would travel from far away just to worship this baby.  All of them obviously believed in the words found in Isaiah.    All of these individuals were excited about a promise- a promise of a gift from their God.  What gift that you have been promised are you excited for this Christmas? 

Prophecy: 

the Lord himself will give you a sign:  the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.  (Isaiah 7:14, NIV)

Fulfillment: 

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:  His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit…………..She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 2:18,21, NIV)

“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus”…..”How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”       (Luke 1:31,34, NIV)

Here you have the first prophecy that I would like to introduce. It’s from Isaiah with the fulfillment found in Matthew and Luke.  Talk about a sign from God- the Virgin Birth.  If only we could get such an obvious one for ourselves…  By means of the Virgin Birth, God was telling us: let there be no mistake- this is His son.

I just love the name Immanuel, don’t you?  Immanuel, of course, means “God is with us.”  Isn’t it great to know that God is with us?  Isn’t it great that God sent His son to be with us?  Just the name Immanuel to the Jews waiting for their King would invoke feelings of hope.  Whenever you feel alone think of Immanuel, Jesus, God’s own son sent to be with us.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered.  “May it be to me as you have said.”  (Luke 1: 38, NIV)

What great faith Mary had!  Think about it.  Here you are a young virgin girl in a tradition steeped in “The Law” and societal conventions and you have this visitor.  It is an angel and the news that he carries will change your life.  Do you believe him?  And even if you do, what will others think?  What will Joseph think?  Mary puts all of those concerns aside and chooses to trust God.  Mary knew that “if God is for us, then who could be against us.”  Mary knew that she was going to be used in a very special way.  She didn’t let herself get bogged down with the fact that she didn’t have all of the details.  Mary trusted that God would take care of things.

When God lets you in on His plans for your life, do you trust Him?  Or do worry about all of the details?  Be like Mary and learn to trust that God will be with you as His plans for your life come to fruition.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, adn Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among wiomen, and blessed is the child you bear!  But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

(Luke 1:41-44, NIV)

When was the last time you were so excited about something that you lept for joy?  These verses tell us a lot about the people’s mindset back in the time before Jesus.  Notice Elizabeth’s reaction to the visit that she received from Mary and the unborn Jesus.  From deep within her she felt joy just by their presence.  Even John the Babtist, still in Elizabeth’s womb, lept for joy.  And Elizabeth felt honored to even be in the presence of Mary who was carrying the Messiah.  The Jews of this time so longed for their promised Savior that they couldn’t contain themselves. 

How excited are you for Christmas?  How much do you look forward to the comming of Jesus into your life?  Do you find hope in this season?

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of hte gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.  (Ephesians 6:19-20, NIV)

I find these 2 verses so encouraging.  Often times I am upset with myself for not declaring the word of God boldly enough.  Then I read these verses and realize that even Paul struggled with this.  He wouldn’t be asking people to pray for him to be able to fearlessly declare the Word of God if he didn’t need the help.  Its kind of hard to believe isn’t it?  Most of the New Testament was written by Paul, yet he is asking for prayers and support to be able to spread the Word. 

Paul knew that it was his purpose to spread the Good News.  It was God’s plan for him to do this.  In order for us to fully realize the plans that God has for us the plans referred to when we read “For I know the plans I have for you”  we must spread the word of God. 

I also become fully aware from these verses that I do need the prayers. We all do.  It is not just up to ourselves to get this done.  We need to support each other in identifying ourselves as Christians and in spreading the Good News. 

Take a moment and pray for your family and friends that they not only become closer in their relationship with Jesus but that they become fearless in spreading the Word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 

(Ephesians 6: 18, NIV) 

There is no limit to when or how or what we should pray for.  Here Paul tells us to pray 1) on all occasions.  2) with all kinds of prayers  and 3) all kinds of requests.  Our heavenly father wants to hear from us about all things- good and bad, how your day was, what you are looking forward to, and what you are afraid of.    He wants us to ask him for things so that He can provide and be the source of our happiness.

Some of my most intimate prayers have been spent while kayaking down a Class 4 River or while hiking in the mountains.   As I marveled at the splendor of God’s creation I would thank Him for all that Has done and will do for us.  I truly felt His presence during those times.

When and where do you feel closest to God?

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (Ephesians 6:16, NIV)

In effort to bring our study of Ephesians to a close I almost combine this verse with the next 2.  Then when I read it over, I realized how powerful this really is.  This verse needs to stand alone.

By placing the words “Take up” in this verse, Paul is telling us that we must make a deliberate decision to have and excercise our Faith.  He then adds the imagery of the “shield” as associated with faith.  Shields are used as a method of defense.  Our faith will shield us from the weapons of the “evil one.”  Our faith will shield us from lies, deceit, hopelessness, depression, and any other weapon that satan throws at us. 

How cool is that….

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

I know that the thought above was not finished or complete.  I stopped with this verse on purpose.  How often do we think about this? 

God can do immeasurably more than all that we ask or can even imagine. 

God can do immeasurably more than all that we ask or can even imagine.

God can do immeasurably more than all that we ask or can even imagine.

I want to make sure that it sinks in.  You see, we as humans are limited and have finite capabilities.  It therefore follows that we think with limited scope.  And since we are limited we often unknowingly put that attribute onto God.  Here Paul tells us that God can do more than anything you could ask Him to do.  But not only that.  God can also do more than you can even imagine.  So why is it then that we often use reverse logic when dealing with God? 

Often times we know what we want but we ask for less- almost like we’re bargaining with God.  It’s as if we asked for what we really need we won’t get it so we’re willing to settle.  You see, by doing this we’re putting human attributes to God.  We know that if we ask for a favor, a loan, or a gift of a person that the person will have to make some kind of sacrifice to do or give us what we asked for.  Knowing this, we don’t like to impose so we generally ask for just enough and to be the smallest inconvenience to the person.

What we fail to realize is that God doesn’t work that way.  When God gives us something, grants a request, or answers a prayer it doesn’t lessen His abilities or resources even one bit.  It is the same effort for God answer one of your prayers as it is for Him to answer 1000 of your prayers.  God is limitless.  We need to start acting this way and come to God honestly and faithfully with our needs.  Here’s the other great thing.  God already knows what you need.  He just wants to hear it from you.  And if it fits with His perfect plan, you will get it.  So go ahead and ask.

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.   ( Ephesians 2: 4-5, NIV)

That just about sums it up.  I don’t know how to add to or improve upon those 2 verses.  God loves us so much and is so merciful that despite our sins ,He has made us alive in Christ.  If there is ever anything that you think God can’t forgive you need to remind yourself of these two verses.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you….(Ephesians 1: 18-19 partial, NIV)

This is a great prayer to pray for others.  We should all pray that God would send His Spirit down on those people in our lives that need to know Him better.  Think of a person in your life right now that you want to say this prayer for. Pray that the eyes of his or her heart will be opened so that they may know the hope of Jesus Christ and realize that plans that God has for them.   Pray this prayer for yourself- that the spirit of wisdom and revelation would be upon you and that the eyes of your heart would too be enlightened so that you will fully know and understand the plans that God has for you. 

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.  (Ephesians 1:13, NIV)

How cool is that.  All we have to do is to hear the word of God and believe and we will be marked with the Holy Spirit.  We are included in Christ.  What more can I say.  Reread that verse and find hope and joy in it.

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His site.  In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.  (Ephesians 1:4,5, NIV)

Do you ever wonder if God has a plan for your life?  Do you ever feel that you don’t have a purpose?  Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord…So we know that God does indeed have a plan for each of us.  But what is even cooler than that is what Paul tells us here in Ephesians.  Its not that we hit the planet one day and God suddenly has a plan for us.  Paul is telling us here that God’s plan for each of us predates even the creation of the world.  Many of us can’t fathom that.  Many of us don’t want to believe it.  But from the beginning of time God knew His plan and we were included in it.  God chose us to love and we are called to be adopted by Him through Jesus Christ.  The last part of verse 5 says that this is not only according to God’s will but it also brings Him pleasure. 

Another point that I think is really neat is that verse 4 says that we are called to be holy and blameless in His site from before creation.  We all know what happened though, Man sinned almost right away and already violated this statement.  But verse 5 goes on to say that we were predestined to be adopted as sons of Jesus Christ.  We were predestined to be redeemed through Jesus Christ.  A lot of debate and argument stems from this word of predestination.  I really don’t want to get involved with it here.  What I think we can all agree on is that God had a plan from the beginning of time (predestined) that He would give us a way to be holy and blameless in His site (Jesus) even though He knew we will sin.

The next time that you feel like God is very far away, read these verses in Ephesians and know that God knew you before the world was created and that it brings Him pleasure to allow you into His family.

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  (Philippians 4: 4, NIV)

I figured that I’d end our brief Journey through Philippians with this quick and catchy, yet profound, verse that Paul wrote.  When does Paul say to rejoice?  Only in good times?  How about in bad?  He says ALWAYS!  And as we discussed over the last week or so, Paul definetly knew his share of both good and bad times.  I guess thats one of the things that I enjoy about Paul’s letters the most- the fact that he preached from his own experience.  In other words, Paul didn’t say that we should do anything that he himself hadn’t already done.  We need to remember that when we think that we are not strong enough to follow his advice.

 Well, I hope that you enjoyed this walk through Philippians.  Beginning on Monday we will take a journey into Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. 

May God Bless you this weekend and be sure to go to church tomorrow.  Hey, maybe you can take a friend who hasn’t been in awhile.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4: 12-13, NIV) 

Are you able to find good in all situations?  Are you able to be content no matter what the circumstances?  I know that I sure struggle with this.  Not many of us (if any at all) have ever faced the life that Paul lived on a daily basis.  Yet, Paul was able to find peace and be content whether he was in prison or traveling a long road or even while being stoned.  And the reason that he was able to find that peace was because he found his strength in Christ Jesus. 

Often we are called to go through rough circumstances and troubling times.  It is how we handle ourselves during these obstacles that will determine how well we come out of them.  The Jews during the time of the Prophet Jeremiah were going through one of those rough times.  Like Paul, they too knew what it was to “have plenty.”  But the tide had turned and under the Babylonian rule they were living in a time where they were “in need.”  It was at this time that they were given the prophecy that says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

They were given so much hope from this promise.  We gain so much hope from it also.  Yet, we often overlook the verses that precede this verse.  In verses 5 and 6 the captive Jews are called to “Build Houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.  Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for you sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters.  Increase in number there; do not decrease.”

In other words the Jews were to make the best of their situation. They were to be content and find the peace of God in it.  In God’s time they would reap the rewards of His promise found in Jeremiah 29:11.  But for the time being they were to go on with their lives and to make the best of things.

We too need to understand that there will be ups and downs as well as good times and bad times.  There are many seasons of change in our lives.  In the end it is God’s plan to give us Hope and Peace and Prosperity.  But in the meantime we need to be like Paul and “learn the secret in being content in every situation.”

Remember You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things……………..And the God of peace will be with you.  (Philippians 4: 8-9 (paritial), NIV)

Day in and day out, we are bombarded with negative imagery.  Just open a newspaper, turn on the TV, or log on to your computer and you’ll see what I mean.  All of this negativity definetly affects how we view the world and our purpose in it.  It is so easy to become discouraged, to wonder if we are good enough, and to question if we can live out our call and purpose from Jesus. 

Well, of course we are good enough and we definetly can achieve God’s plans for our lives.  God created us perfectly suited for what He is calling us to do.  True, alone we may not succeed, but with Him we surely will.  Here Paul is telling us not to have negative (and especially not sinful) thoughts.  We are to think on pure and good things.  Today’s “Life Coaches” or “Motivational Speakers” would call this having a positive attitude.  They would tell us to develop a positive self-esteem.  Isn’t it funny that they can’t improve upon what God said and Paul wrote 2000 years ago. 

Do you currently think that you are not good enough and that you can’t succeed?  If so, I ask you to re-read these verses.  Then say a prayer for the the “God of Peace” to be with you.  Make a decision today to think and dwell on positive things.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

(Philippians 4:6,7 NIV)

I would venture to say that the vast majority of us have used the phrases ”I don’t have enough time,” or “I’m too busy” many times in the last month.   There is always something to do and we are frequently racing against the clock.  And with our deadlines follows stress.  It becomes so easy to get caught up in everything that we must do and to let those things rule and overtake our lives.  Here Paul is telling us not to be anxious about these things.  We are to pray to God with our petitions and thanksgiving.  Through those requests we will gain the peace of Christ. 

 It is so elementary, yet we often don’t take that moment and offer our worries up to God.  When we’re in the middle of the storm, we may not even remember that God is right there with us.   We get so caught up in things that we don’t even realize it and we feel like the burden is only on us.

 The next time that you are feeling anxious or helpless about anything stop for a moment.  Recognize that God is right there with you.  Then pray to God with thanksgiving and petitions and ask for His peace.  You will get it.

I ask you, what are you anxious about right now?  Give it up to God- right now.

….Their mind is on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior of there, the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Philippians 3: (partial) 19-20, NIV)

It is very difficult not to think and dwell on earthly things.  The earth and our existence on it is our reality.  It is what we know.  So when problems arise or when we set out to make goals, it just follows that we do so with our point of reference which is this earth.  Paul reminds us here that yes we do dwell on this earth but that our “citizenship is in heaven.” We have so much to look forward to.  We have been given a great gift- our salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Do we make our daily decisions in light of that fact?  Or do we simply think of the temporal things of this earth? 

Remember, “Our Citizenship is in Heaven”

“for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13, NIV)

How cool is that?  God not only has a purpose for us, but He works in us to give us strength to live out that purpose.  Here Paul is telling us that even our will (desire) to want to live out “His good purpose” comes from God.  Of course we need to act on those seeds that the Holy Spirit plants within us.  So I ask you, do you ”will” (want) to live out God’s purpose for your life?  If the answer is yes, and I suspect that it is, what do you need to “act” (do) on this day to make it happen?  Come up with one thing that you will do today that will enable you to follow God’s will and acheive His purpose your life.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

Isn’t it exciting that God has started a work in all of us.  He has given us gifts, talents, and most importantly- His Spirit.  But that is not all.  God is constantly working on us and working in us.  Isn’t it great to think that we are a work in progress and that we aren’t expected to be perfect.  So the next time that you fail or come up short- hold your head up high and proudly proclaim “God isn’t finished with me yet!”

God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah a message that He would have all hear.  It goes like this:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14, NIV)

Isn’t that exciting! Once again, Welcome to Plans To Prosper You, Inc.!  The purpose of this blog is to provide all who would visit it with scripture, devotions, insight, and questions that will ultimately help them to discover and live out their God given purposes in life.  In the coming months, more and more features will be added to this blog.  Please visit it frequently so that you don’t miss out on any of the great information.   In the end, it is our prayer that you will grow closer to our Lord Savior, Jesus Christ.  

May God bless you on life’s journey.

George E. Sayour, President  Plans To Prosper You, Inc.  www.plans2prosperU.com