Commit Your Plans Series

Theme: Commit your Plans

Text: Proverbs 16:1-3

Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever.

Introduction:

We have entered into this new month and this is our second Sunday. We are thinking about the Secrets of Success throughout this month. I began this month touching the secrets of Success such as submission, obedience, and respect for the authorities.

Today, we will see the secret of success is by committing our plans to God. Proverbs has 31 chapters with multifaceted things for life. I want to leave with you three suggestions from these three verses of proverbs 16.

Prepare your thoughts

Weigh your ways

Commit your plans

To start with:

1. Prepare your thoughts

Proverbs 16:1: “To man belongs the plans of the heart but from the Lord comes to the reply of the tongue”. To man belongs the plans - means the man makes his intentions, arrangements, plans, and ways for his life. People must plan and make arrangements for their life course and needs. However, the answers come from the Lord.

Since things have come from the Lord, men cannot overrule their responsibility in planning, and involving in their daily activities. No one could simply sit at ease and tell himself that God would plan for me and execute everything for me. God expects men to plan, work and toil for their lives. But the answer comes from the Lord. God never gave or placed anything like an apple at their hands.

There may be a thousand schemes and arrangements made in the heart of a man which he may earnestly wish God would bring to full effect. But it never happens in that way. “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time”(Genesis 6:5).

So,

Think differently , stand out

Think with God

Think in the light of the word of God

Therefore, It is in his interest that God has the answer in his power. Man has to prepare his own plans in the heart but wait upon God or pray unto the Lord for the right answer. From the human heart no good can come, without Divine influence. Your heart is a good treasure if it is prepared with the word of God. Matthew 12:35 “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him”.

Men may have many schemes and projects which they may beg God to accomplish, that are not of God, but from themselves. A man may think as he pleases, and ask God as he lists to God but God will give, or not give, as he thinks proper (Clark).

Barnes: The name of Yahweh indicates to us as Giver, Guide, Ruler, or Judge, he meets us in each of our thoughts and ways. Thoughts come and go in our minds spontaneously. But true, well-ordered speech is the gift of God. John Gill: All preparations for religious service and duty, whether it be to pray unto God, or to preach in his name, are from the Lord. God gives them the willing mind, or a suitable frame for service, as well as the ability to perform it. (Psalm 10:17).

Matthew Henry: ‘The renewing grace of God alone prepares the heart for every good work. This teaches us that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think or speak anything wise and good. Ignorance, pride, and self-flattery render us partial judges respecting our conduct. Roll the burden of thy care upon God, and leave it with him, by faith and dependence on him. “How precious to me are your thoughts,God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17). This Proverbs 16:1, teaches us a great truth that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think or speak, anything of ourselves, that is wise and good, but all our sufficiency is of God. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose”(Philippians 2:13).

God works in our lives even when we're not aware of it. If we're a child of God, God is continually working in our lives. It's amazing how many times we say things that we don't realize at the time we are saying it, but actually, it's a word from the Lord. It just comes up. God prepares your heart. The preparations of the heart, they're from God (Smith). God neither sleeps nor slumbers. He works day and night for our well-being( Psalm 121:1-3).

One thing we could understand through reading of the scriptures is Men cannot express their thoughts without God’s permission and help, and their tongues are oft overruled by God to speak what was beside and above their thoughts, as he did Balaam (Numbers 23), and Caiaphas (John 11:49-51) (Jamieson ).Trust in the Lord always and lean not on your little understanding and ways. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths into ” (Proverbs 3:5-6). So let’s move on to second verse of this. Chapter 16:2 weigh your ways.