Take comfort. The Lord goes before you to establish your pathway. He’s governing your path. Do you always get what you plan for? No. Much like a child whose parents see what is best for him, God knows what’s best for us.

What do you do when you face a significant decision? You pray, asking the Lord for wisdom. You seek counsel from mature believers, who by their experience and wisdom help you to think about what is good. You study God’s Word, which exposes the motives and intentions of your heart. You go to church, where you find encouragement and fellowship to sustain your faith. You also plan, organizing a pathway forward.

How should a Christian make plans?

First, you want your plans (and your underlying desires) to reflect the Lord’s. You grow in your understanding of God’s Word, so that your life can be a reflection (albeit dim some days) of what matters to Him. You plan wisely, lovingly, and carefully.

But sin gets in the way. Sometimes you do things selfishly. For example, as I make plans for my family’s future, I often face the pride of making much of myself. Self-exaltation is the shape of how sin seeps into my heart. I want to be the center of my plans and my universe. I know, it’s ugly. But that’s my sin.

There is a war in my heart—a mixture of godly intentions and impure desires that shape my plans. Welcome to real life in a fallen world.

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