How to Develop a Life Plan

In Proverbs 16:9 I read, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” (NLT)

When I make my life plan, God’s contribution toward its success is far greater than my own—but my contribution is still vital. In the Old Testament, Nehemiah offers a good example of someone who knew that his plan depended on God.

When Nehemiah was cup bearer to King Artaxerxes, he heard his hometown of Jerusalem had been destroyed and lay defenseless. This troubled Nehemiah, so he decided to go home to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. But he knew he wouldn’t get very far without a plan.

The Bible says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9 (NLT).

Nehemiah’s plan for how he would get to Jerusalem provides seven steps in developing a life plan. Here are the first two:

Step 1: Ask God for favor in my life.  Nehemiah knew he couldn’t just impulsively suggest that the king let him go home to rebuild. So he prayed, asking for God’s favor: “O Lord, please hear my prayer! . . . Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me” (Nehemiah 1:11 NLT). God’s favor is God’s grace, and I need it to make and fulfill my plans. Notice Nehemiah also prayed, “Please grant me success.” Sometimes I might think I shouldn’t ask God for success. But there’s nothing wrong with praying for success when I’m trusting God to do the work.

Step 2: Prepare for an opportunity, and then wait. Nehemiah had to wait before he was given an opportunity to present his plan to the king. Then one day, “four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, [Nehemiah] took the wine to him” (Nehemiah 2:1 GNT). Because Nehemiah had plenty of time to prepare, he knew exactly what he wanted to say to the king.

When I begin praying about a plan, vision, or dream God has given me, he usually doesn’t answer right away. God often waits to see how serious I am about it. Am I going to keep praying and planning while I wait? If so, I’ll be prepared to open the door when opportunity knocks.

In the next few quiet time studies, I’ll look at more steps Nehemiah took in developing his plan, all steps that I can use as I make a life plan.

In summary, when I make my life plan, God’s contribution toward its success is far greater than my own—but my contribution is still vital. Nehemiah offers a good example of someone who knew that his plan depended on God. He knew he wouldn’t get very far without a plan. “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps”. Nehemiah’s plan provides seven steps I can use in developing a life plan. Step 1: Ask God for favor in my life. God’s favor is God’s grace, and I need it to make and fulfill my plans. There’s nothing wrong with praying for success when I’m trusting God to do the work. Step 2: Prepare for an opportunity, and then wait. Nehemiah had to wait before he was given an opportunity to present his plan. Because Nehemiah had plenty of time to prepare, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. When I begin praying about a plan, vision, or dream God usually doesn’t answer right away. God often waits to see how serious I am about it. Am I going to keep praying and planning while I wait? 

The final outcome of the plans I make is in God's hands. If this is so, why make plans?  In doing God's will, there must be partnership between my efforts and God's control. He wants me to use my mind, seek the advice of others, and to plan. The results are up to him. Planning, then, helps me act God's way. As I live for him, ask for guidance as I plan, and then act on my plan as I trust him. 

Planning Helps Me Live With Purpose

In Proverbs 4:26 I read, “Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.” (NLT)

God has a plan for my life—but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t make plans as well. He doesn’t want me to drift along, letting circumstances determine my direction. He wants me to be intentional about the path I choose.

Although the Bible gives many reasons for planning, here are three reasons that are foundational.

God makes plans. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘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’” (NIV). God wants me to be like him. So, if God makes plans, then I should make plans too. But there’s one thing God is not: “God is not a God of disorder” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV). Do I have any plans for the rest of the year? The next 10 years? If I haven’t made any plans for my life, then it’s likely my life is out of order—and that’s not how God created me to live.

God expects me to plan because it is beneficial to my life. Throughout Scripture, particularly in the book of Proverbs, the Bible talks about the value of planning my life. Proverbs 4:26 says, “Mark out a straight path for your feet” (NLT). That’s just another way of saying, “Make a plan.” God tells me to plan because he doesn’t want me to live a life of confusion as I muddle through each day. The Bible says, “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14:40 NIV).

God doesn’t want me to waste my life. Planning is a matter of stewardship. My life is God’s gift to me. What I do with it is my gift back to God. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as [those] who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. Don’t be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of God” (PHILLIPS).

The old cliché is true: If I fail to plan, I’m planning to fail. Take steps today toward building a better future by writing down a simple plan. Then ask God for help every day to move forward in faith.

In summary, God has a plan for my life, and I should make plans as well. He doesn’t want me to drift along, he wants me to be intentional about the path I choose. If God makes plans, then I too should make plans. Without a plan my life is out of order. God expects me to plan because it is beneficial to my life. So make a plan because he doesn’t want me to live a life of confusion as I muddle through each day. God doesn’t want me to waste my life. Planning is a matter of stewardship. My life is God’s gift to me. What I do with it is my gift back to God. Don’t be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of God. If I fail to plan, I’m planning to fail. Take steps by writing down a simple plan. Then ask God for help every day to move forward in faith.

I am to look straight ahead, and fix my eyes on what lies before me. Mark out a straight path for my feet; stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked; keep my feet from following evil. 

Generosity Is an Attitude, Not an Amount

In 2 Corinthians 8:12 I read, “If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t.” (TLB)

Generosity is about far more than giving money. It’s about living generously in every area of your life.

The Bible says this about generosity: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV).

What does it look like to “be generous on every occasion”? It means being generous with my time, praise, sympathy, forgiveness, love, compliments, and kindness. It means being generous with your listening so that I can seek to understand others. And it means being generous with your attention so that you can be aware of the needs of people.

But God isn’t interested in how much I give in life. He cares about why I give and how I give. He cares about my motivation—your heart. That’s the difference between normal generosity and radical generosity.

Radical generosity is an attitude, not an amount.

The Bible says it this way: “If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t” (2 Corinthians 8:12 TLB). 

God doesn’t need my money, talent, or time. In truth, he really doesn’t need anything from me. But what he wants from me is my heart. What he wants is my love. The Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV). When I give my life to Christ, my heart will be with him.

No matter what I do or what I give, it’s important to check my motivation. Why? Because God wants me to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17 NIV). He wants me to be radically generous.

In summary, generosity is about far more than giving money. It’s about living generously in every area of your life. What does it look like to “be generous on every occasion”? It means being generous with my time, praise, sympathy, forgiveness, love, compliments, and kindness. It means being generous with your listening so that I can seek to understand others. And it means being generous with your attention so that you can be aware of the needs of people. But God isn’t interested in how much I give in life. He cares about why I give and how I give. He cares about my motivation. That’s the difference between normal generosity and radical generosity. Radical generosity is an attitude, not an amount. God doesn’t need my money, talent, or time. He really doesn’t need anything from me. But what he wants from me is my heart. What he wants is my love. "Where my treasure is, there my heart will be also”. When I give my life to Christ, my heart will be with him. No matter what I do or what I give, it’s important to check my motivation. God wants me to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17 NIV). He wants me to be radically generous.

When it comes to how much to give, Paul gives the Corinthian church several principles to follow: (1) each person should follow through on previous promises; (2) each person should give as much as he or she is able; (3) each person must make up his or her mind on how much to give; and (4) each person should give in proportion to what God has given him or her. God gives to us so that we can give to others. Paul also says we should give of what we have, not what we don't have. Sacrificial giving must be responsible. Paul wants believers to give generously, but not to the extent that those who depend on the givers (their families, for example) must go without having their basic needs met. Give until it hurls, but don't give so that it hurts your family and/or relatives who need my financial support.