Plans are important, aren’t they? Look at this building. Some of you here today can remember back when the planning process began for this building. Even though I was not here, I am sure that the plan was to build a church in which people could come to and worship Jesus Christ. This was the plan in building this building.
You see, before every stone, wire, window and wall, there was a plan. Everything here reflects the plans that someone thoughtfully worked through and laid out. Others took those plans and constructed this place. It took time and money and energy. It required foresight and dedication and persistence. We gather here today and enjoy the benefit of all that went into planning and implementing that plan.
When we worship and share in the Word of God and in fellowship with the Lord and one another here we are honoring the plan for this place.
Today, I believe that we are honoring the original plan for this building. This is a church and we use it accordingly. We would never think about turning this place into a furniture store on weekdays would we? No! We recognize the purpose for the place here and try to do what honors the plan.
Plans are vitally important. When we make something, we have a plan, a purpose for it don’t we. God made each one of us and I believe He has a plan for us as well.
Jeremiah 29:11 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.
The Scriptures are very clear. God has plans for us and in this we can find comfort. But I also believe that the devil has plans for us as well and many are walking in Satan’s plans as we speak. They may not even realize it, but they are. He is out to destroy our relationship with God. Satan is crafty and he has a strategy in accomplishing his goal. Friends, the devil has plans for your life.
First of all, I believe that he uses…
I.Doubt - To make you question God’s word and His goodness.
A. Don’t ever doubt that doubt is from Satan.
1. A perfect Biblical account of how Satan places doubt is us is found early in the Scripture. When we look in the book of Genesis we see how crafty Satan is. It is Satan himself who causes Eve to doubt God by questioning His Word, Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2. Satan even tried to get Job to curse God Job 1:11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
3. Satan is seeking to devour Christians 1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
4. Satan wants to devour our commitment to God and our testimony before others. One of his most successful ways he does this is by introducing doubt into the mind.
B. Most of the time we don’t even realize that it is Satan that is placing doubt in our minds. We may say we trust Jesus with everything but for most there is that small yet ever present doubt.
VIDEO: “Trust Fall”
1.We have a difficult time fully trusting God at times don’t we? When things are peachy king, we trust Him very well but when times are difficult we have a hard time placing our trust in Him.
2.Living the Christian life is more than knowing Jesus; it’s having a personal relationship with Him that surpasses head knowledge and is built and nurtured deep within our hearts.
3.It’s not just knowing He is always there for us, It’s believing He is always there for us even when we may not see Him, we feel Him.
4.Doubt is from Satan! He will and does use it as a powerful weapon to rip apart our relationships with Jesus.
5. You see, the devil has a plan for your life: Doubt - To make you question God’s word and His goodness which will lead us into Discouragement - To make you look at your problems rather than at God.
II.Discouragement - To make you look at your problems rather than at God.
A.The devil has a plan to take our focus off of Jesus. And the sad truth is that he is very successful in doing this with many of us at many times.
Illustration: During Youth Group last week, I turned all of the lights off in the fellowship hall and positioned chairs in various locations throughout. I placed a blind fold on the teens and told them to try and get to the far end of the room without bumping into a chair. If they bumped into a chair they had to stop and sit down. Then I would get the next one to try the course leaving those that failed before them still sitting in the dark room creating yet more obstacles for the next ones. And trust me, the ones that were sitting down only created confusion for those that were attempting the course by trying to startle them.
I did let them see the room and where the chairs were located before I blindfolded them but what I didn’t tell them was that I was going to make sure that they bumped into a chair along their way. As one began their journey across the room I walked in front of them and moved chairs in their path. They never had a chance!
1.You see they knew where they were heading. They knew what to avoid. But they didn’t know that someone was out to get them. To take their focus off their destination, to trip them up, to discourage their journey.
2.This is kind of how it goes with us as well isn’t it? We know what we need to focus on and that’s Jesus. But as we go through life we bump into the obstacle of discouragement.
3.Our focus comes off of Christ and we look to ourselves. We become depressed and we feel as if we’re useless and we stop dead in our tracks doing nothing good for ourselves and nothing good for anyone else.
4.We then become obstacles to those around us and we discourage their progress because we are the filled with resentment and sadness because we feel that we have failed.
5.Misery Loves Company. We become hardened people and we feel beat up and useless. We have no happiness in our lives because discouragement has taken it and we become hateful and hurtful people.
6.The next thing you know, instead of being a servant to Christ we become a slave to Satan. And we in turn discourage others.
7.As I moved each chair not allowing the teens to make it through the maze it reminds me of how Satan places in us the obstacle of discouragement.
8.I had a plan that night and it was to stop every teen from making it to the other end. Satan too has a plan and it is to stop you. To build discouragement up in your heart so much that it is too full to allow anything of God to come.
9.This is the Devils plan for our lives but this isn’t the plan that God has for us. God wants to give us….
III.Deliverance – To make you into the person Gods wants you to be.
A.God has great plans for each of us and desires us to come to Him and He will deliver us from all the evil of this world.
Psalm 34:19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
1.This is something that I am not sure every believer really believes?
2.When we gave our lives to Jesus and began striving to live righteous lives, did we know that we would still have troubles?
3.This is when Satan begins His attacks as well. He sees that you have given your life to Christ and that you are no longer living in darkness. He sees that you are striving to live a holy life that is pleasing to God.
4.He then realizes that you are living the life that God had planned for you and this enrages him. All he thinks about is bringing you down and destroying God’s plan for your life.
5.You were already living the life that Satan had planned for you before you said yeas to Jesus. There really was no need for Satan to attack you before. But now as you are living the life that God had planned for you, the attacks are there and apparent. This is why we are told in Ephesians 6:11 to
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
6.And two of His greatest schemes are to cause doubt in our hearts and to discourage us from living the life that God has planned for us.
B. You are important to God, each and every person on this planet is important to God.
1.More than you matter to your friends, your family, your parents, your children, your spouse, or anyone else, you matter to God. It's not about what you do. It's not about what you say. It's not about your successes or failures. It's about a God who loves you more than you will ever be able to comprehend.
Luke 12:7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
2.Jesus is talking about the Pharisees and their hypocrisy. He is making a point of our worth.
3.God knows each and every one of us so well that he knows the number of hairs on our heads. This means we are important, valuable, cherished and loved. Our God cares! AMEN.
Illustration: I am sure there are times that my children have doubt in me. Every time a friend tells them, “My dad, let’s me stay up as long as I want.” Or “My dad lets me eat anything I want” or “My dad lets me stay on the computer as long as I want and do whatever I want on it.”
I can imagine the doubt that comes into their thoughts about weather I love them or not. I can relate to it as I had similar thought of my father growing up as well.
But as I think back to my childhood and to my father I realize that it was always full of love and care. It was because he valued me more than I could imagine. He had a plan for my life. He wanted me to be the best I could be. He had high hopes for me to live a wonderful life. As I do for my children as well.
Conclusion: God too has the same desires for his children as well. But the devil has his desires for us also. He wants to place that doubt in our thoughts; he has a plan, a plan to tear you and I apart from God.
But as GI Joe says, “Knowing is half the battle”. And we can say that we know Satan is after us. He is out to destroy us. To place doubt and to discourage. And we know that God cares for us and as:
Psalm 34:19 tells us, The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
We have that total assurance that God is for us and not against us. He loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die on the cross in order to take the sin from our lives that we may have eternal life with him.
GOD DOES HAVE A PLAN FOR OUR LIVES!
