Who is Lord of our lives?
I had a carefully planned schedule; I intended to write about another topic today. In fact, I had an entire series mapped out. But now, I sense a shift once again. Planning is helpful; it is an act of faith that shows how we move from point A to point B. However, when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, He will come and disrupt our plans. Is Jesus the Lord of Lords and King of Kings in every part of our lives? Will we let Him intervene, or will we cling to the illusion of control we believe we have?
I have been working on a business plan for a while; every time I think I’ve got it right, something happens, and I need to revise it. In my book “Fulfill the Dream,” I talk about creating a plan for the dream that God placed in our hearts. Although it is God who will actualize that dream through us, simply having the dream is not enough. We need a plan.
Then the Lord answered me, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2 NIV)
To create a plan, we need to sit down (slow down), think (yes, think!), and write down our dream and a strategy to achieve it.
What is the dream?
Write it down, refine it, and make sure it’s clear to us. Keep it in sight or at the forefront of our minds. This way, we will know how to make decisions when ideas or opportunities come our way. We can ask ourselves, “Does this idea align with our plans for the dream that God gave us?”
However, we will discover that even when we create what appears to be the perfect plan, challenges and some disappointments will come up. During our planning, we should explore different ways to reach our goal. We need a backup plan. What could go wrong? Can we address it now? This is how we think in the natural, but a God-given dream cannot be fulfilled through worldly reasoning.
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
When will the dream be fulfilled?
When God gives us a dream, it doesn’t come all at once; it unfolds gradually. Sometimes this can be frustrating because we have the dream, made a plan, and taken steps, but it’s not happening yet. The reason might be that the plan isn’t fully revealed, we may not have the right people around us, or we might not be in the right place. However, at the right time, everything will come together for those who are called according to His purpose.
Receiving a dream from God can truly test our faith and patience. We first need faith to believe that the dream is genuine, and waiting for it may lead to long suffering. Suffering or patience are words most of us as believers dislike. In our fast-paced world, we want things now. We do not like to wait.
However, is patience a fruit of the Spirit? And so is faith. Pursuing a dream from God cultivates God-like qualities within us.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV
Sometimes we attempt to get our dreams on our own terms, try to skip the wait, or base our actions on culture or tradition and call it faith. But that often leads to death; spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or physically. The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar are perfect examples of this. On the other hand, when we do not make ourselves available to God when He gives us a dream, that is, we say no (by not doing the will of God, we say no). When we do not use the gifts and natural abilities He gave us for His glory, we say no.
Can we say no to God?
This too will lead to death.
We can make our plans, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 ESV
A time I learned to embrace change
During my PhD, we had to present a research plan to the supervisory committee. The plan was a very detailed document outlining the what, why, when, and how to achieve the goals. After the plan was approved, I felt excited because I had already put so much thought into it and done a lot of work just to develop the plan. Now, all I needed to do was execute. However, experiments failed, results were inconsistent, and many adjustments were necessary.
Refine, refine, refine! A plan is not static; it is dynamic, especially when Jesus is Lord of our lives. We need to make space for Him to move.
I remember spending an entire year during my PhD reading the Bible after committing my life to Christ. When at the lab I would conduct experiments, but in the evenings, when I got home, I would immerse myself in the Word and prayed. Once a week, I attended small group meetings where we discussed scriptures and shared our faith and attended corporate worship, all while pursuing the PhD. After that year, it felt as if I gained new insights into my biochemistry program; it truly opened up for me. Did I ever mention that I studied enzymology? It was difficult! But I finished it in four and a half years, including the time when I had my first child.
What does reading the Bible have to do with understanding enzymology? God is the maker of all things; he gave us the earth, and everything in it is his, including all the subjects we study, our gifts, and talents.
My understanding is that because I allowed God to guide me and was studying His Word while I was pursing my PhD in biochemistry, He then granted me what I desired.
Therefore, when planning, we should remain flexible and not depend only on our own understanding (reasoning, tradition, and culture). As we work to turn that dream into reality, we should acknowledge Him (share our faith, tell our stories), and He will make our path straight; we do not need to wait until retirement to do the things we love to do. When we allow God to move in our lives, He will cause the dream to come true.
With grace and growth,
Sanchia and team.
Audio version
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