Confusion and conflict versus provision and protection—which would you prefer? When we leave God out of our plans, we’re inviting all sorts of chaos into our lives, not to mention regret and loss. In this message, Dr. Stanley warns us against going our own way without a thought to what God thinks about our choices. God’s plans are the best plans, so why not partner with Him?
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listening to him waiting upon him is a
vital vital vital part of life and he is
more than willing to give you direction
trust in the Lord with all your heart
lean not to your own understanding in
all your ways acknowledge him and he
will make your paths straight
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four decades ago we started in touch
ministries to lead people worldwide into
a growing relationship with Jesus Christ
throughout the years we’ve seen God’s
greatness his love and his blessings in
such awesome ways that we just want
everyone to know him so let’s open God’s
Word and seek Him together next on
InTouch planning without God the often
wonder why your plans don’t work out
you’ve done your best you thought you
thought of everything you’ve laid it all
out and somehow it didn’t work why
didn’t it work I’ll tell you one reason
it didn’t work I’ll tell you reason that
it doesn’t work for most people that is
because you leave God out you plan they
caught him to your knowledge and your
understanding and your resources and
what you want to accomplish in life
where you want to go and yet you leave
God out of the planning think about this
half Kulish that is God is omniscient he
knows everything
omnipotent has all power and think about
the fact that he is willing to give you
guidance and direction he’s willing to
show you when we’re in hell he has all
that’s necessary to provide everything
you need to walk in the center of his
will to leave God out of your planning
is foolishness when he’s a God who loves
you cares for you will provide for you
undergird you protect you and you leave
him out and yet that’s exactly what many
people do they just leave God out of
their life so the question is what do we
do that I want you to turn to a passage
of Scripture that I doubt if you’ve
probably read more than once
and when you read it you thought well
there’s nothing in there for me there’s
a lot in there for you so I want you to
turn if you will to the 11th chapter of
Genesis and this is the passage that
most people just look at and read over
quickly and keep going
the scripture says now the whole earth
used the same language and the same
words it came about as they journeyed
East and they found the plain in the
land of Shinar and settle there they
said to one another come let us make
bricks and burned them thoroughly and
they used a brick for stone and they
used tar for mortar they said let us
build for ourselves a city and the tower
whose top will reach the heaven and let
us make for ourselves a name otherwise
we’ll be scattered abroad over the face
of the earth whole earth and the Lord
came down to see the city and the tower
which the sons of men had built the Lord
said Behold they’re one people and they
all have the same language and this is
what they began to do and now nothing
which they purpose to do would be
impossible for them come let us go down
and there confuse their language so that
they will not understand one another
speech so the Lord scattered them abroad
from over the whole face of the earth
and they stopped building the city there
for its name was called Babel like
Babylon because there the Lord confused
the language of the whole earth and from
there the Lord scattered them from
abroad over the face of the earth
now if you go back to the ninth chapter
and the flood has come the floods gone
now
and God is saying something to his
people that
now that that’s done he said to them
they were to separate and replenish the
whole earth that was God’s command there
to replenish the whole earth and thank
that’s God’s command from the very
beginning as as for you be fruitful and
multiply populate the earth abundantly
and multiplying it that was God’s
command and so the flood has come and
gone and so Noah had three sons Shem ham
and Japheth and so all of these people
in chapter 11 are descendants of NORs
at three sons he lived 350 years after
the flood so these are the descendants
there’s a lots of them 330 years and so
they make a decision here a decision
that is not the decision of Almighty God
because God said to them I want you to
replenish the earth scattered abroad
cover the earth and so they come to the
conclusion now 350 years later we don’t
want to do that what we want to do is we
want to all get together and we want to
build a temple here or a house or a city
of probably all three so that we’ll all
be able to stick together and and have
one language and when God’s made it very
clear they were together to the
uttermost parts of the earth so they
decided not to do that and so God says
I’m gonna have to break that up so this
whole chapter here is really about the
people of God deciding to do something
other than God said do and to make their
own plans so let me ask you a question
where does planning fit in your life do
you plan daily for a certain activities
do you make plans in your life
considering Almighty God you say that
Jesus Christ is your Savior and your
Lord it is you’re saving your Lord all
of our planning ought to take into
consideration
what does he think was his will what’s
his choice was his plan for my life
because you and I can’t come up with a
plan equal to his plan because he knows
our weaknesses and frailties he knows
what’s the best for us to have words
were a dog not to have so he knows all
the intricacies of it and yet we take
off and do our own planning get
ourselves in trouble and wonder why
things don’t work out if God is in your
plan it’s gonna work out because he’s
the plan maker and he has all power to
make all the plans work out perfectly
but most people don’t plan with God in
mind so ask yourself the question do you
make plans for your life without
considering God at all do you make plans
for example about you’re gonna buy a
house do you ask him about it you’re
gonna buy automobiles you ask him about
that you’re gonna get married you ask
him about that we can just go down the
list of all the things that we do that
oftentimes people don’t ask God about if
we don’t seek God’s guidance and
direction in their planning we lose make
wrong decisions make them before it no
words sometimes what we plan is the will
of God but the timing is not the will of
God God is interested in what we do in
their lives and how we plan the was just
thing he’s interested in everything
you’re now interested in and he has
methods there’s some the many choices
are not life and death but they’re
choices we make and we make choices and
get in the habit of making choices doing
certain things well before you get in
that habit you should ask God then Lord
what you will in this what’s your
purpose in this in the business world
people say well this is just the way it
is know that God has a will in every
single aspect of our life and here they
said here’s how are we going to do so
let’s think for just a moment about the
consequences of this leaving God out
number ones this you can’t claim God’s
promise of provision and protection you
leave him out you do not have the right
to claim his provision and his
protection and how many times that
people said to me well I sort of watch
this I’m sort of prayed about it what
that means is I made up my mind told God
what I think ought to be right no and
and one of the consequences you cannot
claim God’s presence and his power and
provision when you don’t ask him when
you when you don’t ask him to give you
the plan which is a serious consequence
the second one is this you can honestly
ask for his blessing if you don’t ask
him whether to make this plan or not and
then the people they’ll pray and tell
God what they’re going to do and ask for
his blessing well is it the will of God
is it his purpose it is his plan for
your life if I don’t ask him for
guidance and direction I don’t have the
right to ask him to bless it and people
make wrong decisions that sometimes are
very expensive decisions emotionally
maritally financially educationally you
name it
and so the Tower of Babel is a good
example of planning without God they
said here’s what we’re going to do and
here’s how we’re going to do it
absolutely opposite from what God said I
think about how many parents today are
in debt deeply in debt because their son
or daughter said here’s where I want to
go to college
I know it’s gonna cost but I’ll get it
and I’ll pay you back and their parents
are deeply in debt for thousands of
dollars because it costs thousands and
thousands of dollars per semester for
them to go to that particular school not
asking Lord is that your will is it your
way and parents need to have the wisdom
to say well I want you to go to college
I want you to get an education I want
you to do your best in life but you’re
asking us to go and debt and I don’t
think that’s the will of God you need to
think about some other place you can go
then either you know scholarship or
where you can work
and pay your way through and many
parents today are paying off college
debts that they should not have to god
is interested in every decision you and
I make think about this you are a holy
son or daughter of the Living God
you are you are indwelt by the Holy
Spirit you are a treasure of God he
saved you wrote your name in the Lamb’s
Book of Life you belong to him he’s made
a commitment to you to guide you and
lead you and make your provision for you
whatever that is not always make you
happy but may provision for you now
you’ve got to ask him Lord what’s your
next step
so without planning something else
happens the absence of God limits the
possibilities of whatever we do whatever
we do in life if we don’t ask him for
his Direction guidance we said limit on
what we can do we’ll make decisions that
may not be right or wrong but there
could be better and far more profitable
if we had asked him Lord what would you
have us to do so decision-making is a
vital part of our life and we make them
every day and some days decisions make
decisions are made by people that affect
them in one hour the rest of their life
so the Holy Spirit living within you is
a very very important aspect of your
life he’s there to give you guidance and
direction see that you have the
provision to do the will of God not
something you just think up to do so the
absence of God limits the possibilities
of what you do it’s an indication of
pride listen you know I’m not a prideful
person you get up in the day you take
off you do your thing all day long
and you come home and at night and
thank you Father
well did you ask him about to start with
listen when you and I make plans without
God we are expressing personal pride I
don’t need him today this is like this
is a just a normal day it’s raining but
it’s just a normal day and so I don’t
need to ask him yes you do we need to
ask
every day to give us direction for our
life and she show us how to make
decisions that seem to be very
insignificant but they’re not
insignificant you’re a child of God has
a plan for your life as a will feel life
decisions aren’t insignificant
it’s spotlessness prayerlessness we get
in a hurry we don’t we don’t somebody
says well well God isn’t interested in
everything we’ll name what he’s not
interested in
well he’s not interested in whether I
wear brown shoes or black shoes well
probably not because he already knows
you don’t have a pair and he doesn’t
make any difference so that’s not an
issue but he is interested listen to
this he is interested in you looking
your best being your best look your best
be your best do your best because you
represent him it doesn’t mean that you
compare yourself with somebody else but
you want to do your best be your best
look your best because you represent the
Son of God and so in every aspect of
their life makes a difference and so
when I know that I’ll pay the price for
example if we don’t seek His guidance
and direction we’ll choose the lesser
than the ones you may choose much less
than God would have for you because from
your perspective you can’t afford this
or this that in the other and sometimes
God’s worked out something already in
your behalf that you don’t know about
and he’s waiting you to trust him and
he’s he’s waiting for you to wait upon
him and to seek His guidance before he
opens the door and so sometimes we think
well you know Lord I’ve tried and tried
if God doesn’t give you a go-ahead I’m
telling you and I’ve lived long enough
to know if you disobey God you pay the
consequences and sometimes you just have
to wait and I can I can tell you some
other
examples and a one was that I wrecked my
car and waited for a while and well the
second day his lady hit me from behind
the second day my kids wanted to know
what I was going to do better car comes
agent one of them had one in my wife had
one and who was who I had to have one
the whose car was I gonna take that was
a problem
and so I waited several months and then
one of my deacons let me have one of his
cars and so one day I was driving down
the street with a fella want me to go to
a meeting and I said ok he asked me a
question he said when are you gonna buy
you a car I said I don’t know I’ve been
waiting for God to show me and he said
Oh what kind would you buy if you were
gonna buy one God knows this is absurd I
didn’t even think I said well if I just
make a choice I had one like this which
was the best three days later got a
check in the mail to buy that car so I
had all kinds of choices to do most
anything except to obey God and
sometimes time is the biggest enemy
because we don’t get it when we want it
we think well God you’ve just forgotten
though it has not going to give you a
set of examples but I’m just saying
asking for God’s direction is the key to
your life to what you have where you go
what you do what you accomplish whatever
it might be
so when you and I disobey God we get
ahead of him not only does it cost us
but think about this it’s gonna result
in confusion here’s what happens when
you do when you make the wrong decision
you hear there’s confusion for the
simple reason you have to start thinking
well what did I do wrong
well is there a heaven oh how did I
listen to what maybe did this likewise
there’s going to be conflict when you
make a decision without asking for God’s
direction there’s going to be conflict
in your heart watch this because the
Holy Spirit is going to give you an
unnie
the feeling he’s going to give you a
sense of of inadequacy and the sense of
of question of doubt there’s going to be
natural conflict in your heart when you
do the wrong thing and we do the wrong
thing by getting ahead of God
what’s the will of God what’s his plan
likewise I can prove costly and I can
think of things in my life and so can
you that have cost us probably because
we didn’t do the right thing all we
didn’t do it at the right time and we
didn’t do it the right way
God gives us direction the time the
place and the how and with whom if this
if that’s necessary in the Tower of
Babel is a perfect example of planning
without God
here’s what we’re going to do so what
did God do the scripture says he sent
him confusion that’s what God did he
just alright you don’t listen here’s
what I’m gonna do he put him in a state
of confusion and what happened they had
to separate it doesn’t mean that every
single person was in different language
but all those hundreds and thousands of
families that developed they separated
different parts of the globe why because
God forced them to do what he intended
for them to do to begin with there’s
always confusion when you don’t listen
to God likewise there’s gonna be lost in
some point when you don’t obey God you
don’t follow his leadership and guidance
it cost you something it could be
emotionally it could be physically it
could be in your own physical body
whatever it might be likewise there’s
gonna be regret when you don’t wait for
him and you do it on your timetable
there’s gonna be regret because listen
God chooses the best he chooses the
right the best time and the best way you
name it they couldn’t wait they were
going to do it their way well God let
him do it that away and there was deep
regret likewise there’s gonna be pain
there lots of decisions we step ahead of
God on that’s that’s pain sometimes it’s
physical pain but the worst kind of
his emotional pains if either think
about this if I’d have done this if I
don’t wait if he if she if that and so
the result of disobeying God stepping
ahead of him is always gonna be if
either and sometimes it’s a disaster
because people don’t wait upon the Lord
and seek his direction they make
decisions that this Astra’s disastrous
financially emotionally you name it
listening to God is a major major major
principle in the whole Christian life
listening to him and waiting upon him I
do not know of a more valuable lesson to
learn than to listen to God and obey Him
period and there’s this whole story of
all the languages and all the chaos that
resulted the Tower of Babel a lot of
stuff but the basic lesson is they
didn’t listen to yard then wait for him
and so God confuse the whole thing and I
think there are a lot of people living
in confusion today and that in their
life because they haven’t listening to
God back here
it’s decisions and they’re confused
today or frustrated or discouraged
because well I don’t know what happened
well just stop and ask God Lord did I
make a wrong decision have our steps
ahead then I ask you to forgive me I
June repent of that things may not ever
be like our life on to be but that I can
start today doing what you want me to do
and light it at the circumstances it’s
not listen it’s never too late and
listen to God it may be too late in
order to enjoy all the blessings that
God had in mind but it’s not too late to
listen to it because one of these days
we’re all gonna die and we’re gonna face
him it’s better listen it’s better to
die and face him having listened to him
six months than to die
haven’t not listened to him at all
so the whole theme of that chapter is
all about listening to God doing what he
says rather than what man says and so
what happened God stopped the project he
shut the thing down totally shut it down
they couldn’t speak the language that
they could do things together and so
what happened he changed that plan so
let me ask you this question where is
God in your planning today for your life
and your agent whatever is going on
what’s your plan what are you asking God
to give you a plan you say well I don’t
think my life I don’t know you go but no
no that’s not the question a god has a
plan for every single one of us now the
interesting thing is sometimes people
want to tell us what the plan is and
they want to tell us how to operate you
always listen to God before you listen
to somebody else and after you listen to
somebody else you still listen to God
Lord what’s your plan what’s your plan
about without by this whether I sell
that know whether I go this way and
there was this a much should be my
friend not nothing what no words what’s
your plan and listen God is willing to
answer that question about anything and
everything you ask him about so I would
simply ask you a question in all of your
planning you and your husband you and
your wife are your children are your
parents do you ask God to give you a
direction for your plan where you go
when you go who you go with you name it
it’s all important and I pray that
you’ll not forget that I want us to
stand and have a prayer together all
right
father we thank you that you have a will
for our life you said you did thank you
that you’re living within every single
one of us who has trusted Christ as our
Savior thank you that you care about all
the things that we care about you care
about some things that we don’t even
think about you love us unconditionally
you want the best for us you’ve given us
your best in Christ all of us face
decisions today and every day I pray the
holy spirit who indwells all of us who
believe us will make us sensitive to his
presence and help us to realize that
every decision is important to you and
grant us this morning the wisdom to make
wise decisions having listened to you
for your guidance and father I pray for
somebody here who is unsaved that they
might recognize this morning their
sinfulness that they do not have your
assistance your help you again and so
about anything that if they’re willing
to confess their sinfulness surrender
their life to you and you will begin at
that moment they give them guidance for
their life and lord I pray for that
person standing here who’s thinking well
one of these days remind them Lord that
they have no assurance of another day
but that today and every day you will
give us guidance because you love us and
we pray this in Jesus name Amen
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With every thing which seems to be building throughout this particular area, your perspectives are rather refreshing. Nevertheless, I am sorry, but I do not give credence to your entire idea, all be it exciting none the less. It appears to us that your opinions are generally not totally validated and in actuality you are generally your self not thoroughly confident of the argument. In any case I did appreciate examining it.