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Seed Thoughts

Lynette HaginBy Lynette Hagin


“The Lord will guide you always: he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” —Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)



I remember hearing my father-in-law say, “Some people live and die and never fulfill the plan of God for their lives.” When I heard that, I thought, I do not want to be one of those people. One scripture that I have always relied on is Jeremiah 29:11. I especially like this verse in the New International Version: “ ‘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 New Living Translation says, “ ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster. . . .’ ” And The Message Bible states it this way: “ ‘I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.’ ”

God has promised us in His Word that He has great plans for each one of us. He has everything planned out, and He desires to take care of us. The problem, however, is that as humans, we desire to make our own plans rather than let God make them for us.

You may be wondering why things are not working out for you the way you thought they would. You may be frustrated with your life right now. You may be consumed with worry, fear, and anxiety. I want to ask you a thought-provoking question: Have you asked God what His plan and will is for your life at this particular moment, or are you busy making your own plans? So many times we become consumed with planning our own lives, and we don’t stay sensitive to the voice of God and ask Him for His direction.

God is standing by, ready and willing to direct our lives. But we must give Him permission to do that. How grieved our Heavenly Father must be sometimes when we are going down the wrong path, and He so desires to get us back on the right one.

We follow God’s plan step-by-step. He does not give us the whole picture; He hands out only one piece of the puzzle at a time. The problem is, too many of us are not happy with the puzzle piece we have at the moment; we want several pieces at once.

God’s plan is like a slow-cooker rather than a microwave oven. The path that He desires for us may seem like the long way around. But that path molds us, softens us, and makes us what He desires us to be. I can put a pot roast in the microwave and it will be done quickly. However, the meat will be tough and hard to chew. If I place that same roast in a slow-cooker and leave it in there all day, the result will be a flavorful, tender piece of meat. That’s how it is with our lives. God takes us down a path that will cause us to be much more tender and “flavorful”—if only we will follow His plan rather than try to take a shortcut.

You may not understand why God has you where He does right now. When my husband and I came to work for Kenneth Hagin Ministries, I did not understand at that moment the plan God had for our lives. All I knew was, my world was being turned upside down. I finally said, “God, I cannot figure out the road that you are taking us down, so I am going to have to just trust You and let You be the navigator of my life.” That was difficult for me, as I had always taken pride in planning my own life and successfully completing each phase of those plans.

At times I wanted to question God. It seemed that when I gave up being the controller of my life, things got worse instead of better. When that happens, your mind can go tilt on you. The Enemy would like to get you away from trusting God and into the arena of human reasoning. He will say to you, “You need to take charge of your own life.” At such moments, it is absolutely imperative that you take time to pray and listen to the voice of your Heavenly Father—for certainly He is taking you down a path that is for your good and not for disaster.