Planning

Plans are established by seeking advice;
so if you wage war, obtain guidance.
Proverbs 20:18

How many times has it happened to us that we make important decisions in haste and with little analysis and we end up committing serious errors which then we have to deplore for a long time? As in all things, planning is very important to our progress toward spiritual maturity. There are very few things that require that decisions be taken in a split second. For the vast majority of situations we face, we have enough time to review the case, consider the options, consult with our loved ones or with people with more experience, validate with the word of God, present our plans to God in prayer and wait for his illumination or his signal as to how to proceed. Of course, if in this preparation process we spend more time than necessary we may never get to be able to make informed decisions which would also have a negative impact for us.

When we do things in an orderly manner and everything is based on the word of God, God will give us a very quick response. If we act lightly or hastily God will not bless our decisions. So it depends on us that our decisions are made with quality and end up being a blessing for all. The word of God tells us that victory is won through many advisers. [1] Let us not consider ourselves wise in our own opinion but rather let us consider different approaches based on the diversity of the experience possessed by those who are willing to help us with good advice on the important tasks of planning and decision-making. That way we will be well prepared with a strategy in hand to address the situation before us. To God alone be the glory!

[1] Proverbs 11:14

Today’s word for July 4, 2011

It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Psalm 18:32-34

We can find in the word of God many expressions that compare our daily lives with a continuous war. Certainly we are involved day by day in adverse situations that are the result of attacks by some of our enemies, including our own flesh or sinful nature. Our families are under heavy artillery fire whose sole purpose is to divide us and make us fight against each other. We are in a field of a battle that fortunately belongs to the Lord and by definition the war is already won. But even though our enemies have been defeated they will not acknowledge it and they will continue attacking all those who are on the Lord’s side as long as God permits. Many may wonder why the Lord does not put an end to this long conflict that has affected humanity since the time of our first fathers. Both the duration and troop involvement in the conflict are part of God’s perfect plan and hostilities will end only when God is satisfied that his plan has been carried out and his goals have been achieved. Meanwhile, as soldiers in this fight, the Lord prepares us and empowers us so we can struggle and emerge unscathed from the encounter.

Among many other things that God confers us to go into battle with are: strength, security, swiftness, steadfastness training, and power as King David says in this portion of Psalm 18. All these features allow us to address the conflict with a reassuring sense of confidence, not based on our own strength but based on the strength that comes from God. If we know that we have these skills and we apply them in the battlefield, our spiritual progress will be solid and permanent as that of seasoned warriors. Thank God that the battle belongs to him and we are part of the victorious army. Thank God that He enables us so we can prevail over the many conflicts in which we will be involved on a daily basis until the Lord announces with the hammered silver trumpets that the final victory has been achieved. Only to God be the glory!