The Perfect Plan

What if you discovered that the greatest plan you've made for your future is nothing compared to what God has prepared for you?

This week's episode helps us understand that God is in control and knows both the beginning and the end. That sometimes, the best choice, although may seem hard, is to let go and trust in His plan and His way.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
- Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬

Chapters

• 0:13 God's Plans and Our Plans
• 10:20 Faith, Patience, and God's Plans
• 21:09 Divine Promise and Provision

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

This beautiful day. I want to get straight into the Word of God and start by talking. Talking about how important our plans are to us, and it's not a bad thing. It's not a bad thing to have plans at all. In fact, it's very good to be planned. Everything about God is planned to the T. But today I actually want to give you a different perspective on things regarding our planning, your planning and my planning for the way that we want our lives to unfold.

Speaker 1: 0:59

And most of you most of us here, if not all of us plan each year what should be achieved personally and professionally Five year plans, ten year plans, short term plans, long term plans, your financial plans, made according to plans you know, and where we should be at the end of this year in terms of a promotion at work, and where we should be in our bank balances, and what sort of car we should have and what home we should be living in and what location it should be at. And don't get me wrong, as I I said, that's not bad at all. In fact, it is a good thing to have plans, but sometimes our plans don't go the way it was planned and we get low about it and we become sour about people around us or situations around us and we blame situations, we blame people and sometimes we even blame God for those plans not happening. And, as I said this morning, I want to give you a different perspective, change the way you look at things. And I'm going straight into the word of God from the book of Psalm, the 81st chapter, the 11th and 12th verse, psalm 81, 11 and 12. The Bible says but my people did not listen to my voice and Israel did not obey me, so I gave them over and listen to this, so I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart to walk by their own plans. You can mark it down, it's in the word of God Psalm 81, 11 and 12. But the people my people, I'm sorry did not listen to my voice and Israel did not obey me, so I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart to walk by their own plans.

Speaker 1: 3:17

Oh no, this is such a sad thing to hear. God is saying here in this Psalm that his people and of course he is referring to the Israelites here his people did not listen to his voice and hence he has left them to walk by their own plans. I said it's sad to hear that, but you know it's even more important to know that in this situation, he has given up the Israelites to their own plans. I gave them over. God is saying to their own plans, which doesn't sound like a positive right. As I said, you know the Bible is beautiful and not a single word is put in the wrong place. But if you can take the blessings of God, I think you should take everything that's in the Bible and listen to this this morning, from this Psalm that he has given over the Israelites to their own plans which, in the way, if I would like to look at it, is worse than what God can do to anyone. Give them onto their own plans. I told you this morning. I'm just going to give you a different perspective.

Speaker 1: 5:03

But let me tell you today what was the plan that God had for his people. And I will tell you what is the plan he had for his people and I'm referring specifically to the Israelites at this point where his people cried out to him for generations and generations. And then he picked Moses to free his people, and they were in slavery, and most of you know about this. For those of you who don't, I'm anyway telling it to you. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt and I want to tell you that God freed them in the most dramatic and uncompromising way of the 10 plagues upon Egypt and the Pharaoh. And that's how it starts. The book of Exodus talks about it. So he decides to hear the cry of his people and decides to free them from slavery, from Egypt and, as I said, he does it in an uncompromising and dramatic fashion. And then he frees the people, he frees the Israelites, and they leave Egypt. And they leave Egypt and they get into the wilderness, following the promised land, the land that God had promised to them. And I want to tell you this, and you know it's so beautiful, but most of us don't even know this, and you should read the Bible. If you don't believe me, read it and go ahead and find out how this panned out.

Speaker 1: 6:42

But I want to tell you this that God gave fresh food for the Israelites every day from heaven. Can you believe that he gives them fresh manna from heaven every day? So much so that the Bible even says that they could not even collect it and store it would get spoiled, because the next day he would give them fresh food. Fresh food from heaven, oh, hallelujah. Let me even tell you this there is a time also when these lights say what is you know?

Speaker 1: 7:21

Some, some of us, are Very hardcore non-vegetarian and some of them said we are bored of this food. We are eating the same food every day. So God even gives them quail. Oh, he gave them everything that they wanted. He quenched their thirst from water from the rock, and this is all while they are roaming the wilderness, even before entering the promised land.

Speaker 1: 7:53

Did God have a plan? Of course he had a plan. That's why I started with saying it's not bad to have plans, because God has plans. And in those plans was to free the Israelites, his people, and take them into the promised land and, on the way, feed them everyday with fresh food, and if they don't like it, hey, I'll throw in some non-vegetarian food as well. Hey, I'll give you beautiful water from my sources, from my storage, oh, hallelujah.

Speaker 1: 8:32

And they roamed the wilderness, the wilderness, I'm sorry to enter the promised land. And you know, he even gave the promised land to them, but the Bible says the grapes for the size of pomegranates, grapes the size of pomegranates, that was the Promised Land, and let me tell you this this morning and don't be mistaken, for those of you, as I said, who know you already know this. But those of you who don't be mistaken, for those of you, as I said, who know you already know this. But those of you who don't, let me tell you that when the Israelites left the Pharaoh, his heart was hardened. And let me tell you, his heart was actually hardened by God and he couldn't get over the fact that he didn't want the Israelites to go, but he had these 10 plagues that came onto his land and destroyed his land and he didn't let it go. So his heart was hardened and he chased the Israelites with his army and he goes after them, saying, or rather deciding, that I will kill them. And, as I said this morning, don't be mistaken that when the Egyptian army and the Pharaoh followed the Israelites to kill them, do you think God didn't know that that's going to happen? The Bible in fact says that God himself hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Of course he knew it was going to happen, but that was his plan.

Speaker 1: 10:20

And just in case, just in case you did not know what exactly happens, let me tell you that when the Egyptian army meets with the Israelites. They are standing in front of the Red Sea. They have no place to go. There is the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. And it's a completely different story, for another time, which I'm not going to get into today. But the Israelites start cursing Moses, to the point to even saying why did you even take us out of slavery? At least we had food there. And you brought us out just to have our lives taken away.

Speaker 1: 10:54

And for those of you who don't know, I want to tell you god tells moses why do you cry to me at a time like this? When do you cry to me"? At a time like this, when the Egyptian army is behind them to finish them off and there's a sea in front of them and there's no place to go? God tells Moses why do you cry to me? Tell the people to move forward.

Speaker 1: 11:23

The Bible doesn't document any conversation back from Moses at this time, but it just documents the fact that God tells him to stretch his staff over the water. And the Bible says God parted the Red Sea, he parted the sea. Oh hallelujah, oh hallelujah, oh hallelujah. And I want to tell you that the Bible says he parts the Red Sea. He tells Moses to stretch his staff, his hand that's holding the staff over the sea. And the Bible says that the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them, to the right and to the left. Oh hallelujah, oh, you read it, if you them to walk on it as dry land, with water to them on the left and to the right, because the egyptian army was behind them. Oh, god's plan, oh hallelujah, that was his plan. That was his plan for his people handpicked, to be freed from slavery. The Bible even says that none among them was feeble. All his plan, hallelujah. And just to let you know, though, none among them was feeble. It's written in the Bible none amongst them was feeble, which means none of them were weak or ill or unwell. None of them, of that generation, saw the promised land.

Speaker 1: 13:31

But I'm not here to give you bad news this morning. I'm not here to give you sad news this morning. In fact, I'm here to give you good news, and the good news from God to each of you and me this morning is that you and I are also his handpicked. We are also his chosen ones and don't be mistaken even once that you think it's not, it is. It's the truth that you have been handpicked and you are his chosen one, not by chance, but by the blood of the Lamb and through the blood of Jesus, through what he did on that cross, purchased and redeemed to a very, very, very, very heavy price, paid on a cross through blood by Jesus, for you and me. And I want to tell you this morning, I told you I have good news for you.

Speaker 1: 14:32

That's just what happened with the Israelites, and I didn't write that story. They wrote it themselves. And God says very clearly I gave them to their own plans and we, through the word of God today, very clearly know what was God's plan. Very clear. And if it's not clear, go and read the book of Exodus. If it was not clear enough that he parted a sea for 500,000 Israelites. But there's nothing more clear than that, is it?

Speaker 1: 15:10

And I'm here to tell you this beautiful morning for all of you, beautiful, hand-picked and chosen by God, special ones, jeremiah 29, 11 says for I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Amen, hallelujah, oh hallelujah, for I know the thoughts that I have towards you, says the Lord Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future. Oh hallelujah, what a beautiful, beautiful passage of scripture Jeremiah 29, 11. You should mark it, it down, you should know it by heart. He knows the plans he has for you and they are to prosper you and not to harm you, and with a hope and a future. And, yes, it might be difficult because you might not be seeing it going the way you planned it. That's just it, excuse me, that's just it. It's the way you plan it.

Speaker 1: 16:15

This beautiful morning, just leave your plans at the feet of Jesus. He knows what's best for you and for me. And if you're not sure about it, read Jeremiah 29, 11, read it, read it in all the possible versions. If it's not clear enough to you. He knows very beautifully the plans that he has for you and you might not be, as I said, very happy with the current situation, whatever the situation might be, but his plan is perfect and it will come to life for you. Amen.

Speaker 1: 16:56

The bible says he is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. And if he parted the red sea for the Israelites. He'll do so much more for you Because, mind you, the Israelites were picked by Him. You and I have been picked by what Jesus has done on that cross. Oh Hallelujah, oh Hallelujah. Some of you are getting it in your spirit. It's a very big difference, very big difference between the handpicked Israelites and you and me, very different.

Speaker 1: 17:30

Oh, you're the children of the Most High and I want to tell you have patience, because Hebrews 6 12 says that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. Oh, hallelujah, oh hallelujah, do not be sluggish, but imitate those who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. And I told you that generation did not see the promised land, but someone did, led by somebody by the name of Joshua. Oh, he was patient, he was not sluggish and he had faith to the next level and he inherited the promised land, every part of it, did not lose a single battle. Hallelujah, don't be sluggish.

Speaker 1: 18:24

Faith and patience. Maybe it's something you want to write down somewhere and look at it every time. You get that feeling in you that God's not in control. He's fully in control. He knows the plans he has for you. Faith and patience, you, beautiful, hand-picked princesses of the most high.

Speaker 1: 18:55

The passage of Scripture says you will inherit all the promises of God, oh, hallelujah. Do not become sluggish and imitate those who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. There you go, just be patient. And if you already haven't got your desires, your blessing is on its way. Just be patient.

Speaker 1: 19:20

The Bible says in the book of Corinthians For all the promises of God, in him I, yes, and in him a man, oh hallelujah. In him, only in Jesus. Only in Jesus. I told you there's a big difference between Israel and the big difference between you and me, woman, me, who have been handpicked because of what Jesus has done on that cross. Big difference All the promises in him are yea and in him, amen, hallelujah. Just be patient and have faith. And I told you I'm not here to give you bad news, I'm here to give you the good news. And this is for someone here this morning.

Speaker 1: 20:15

And before I share the scripture with you, I want to tell you that the significance of Egypt and Israel in the Bible and I've said this before, I'll say it again Egypt signifies the time in your life where you did not know Jesus, a life of slavery, bondage, carrying a yoke that you cannot free on your own. It's not you, it's me too. And Israel, oh, israel, the chosen ones, israel blessed by him, israel hand-picked, israel, saved and purchased by a very, very heavy price through the blood of Jesus. That's the new Israel, psalm 8110, and this is for you. I, the Lord, am your God. Psalm 8110,.

Speaker 1: 21:09

Mark it down, this is for somebody here on this platform, if not all of you and claim it I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Oh, hallelujah, I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I have just told you what is Egypt and what is Israel. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. Amen, hallelujah, oh hallelujah.

Speaker 1: 21:39

There's such a tremendous presence of God. I, the Lord, I'm your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. Amen, oh, he gave his life up on a cross for you and me. He died an excruciating death for you and me on a cross. Of course, he will bless you. Open your mouth wide and he will fill it. He has handpicked you. He has taken you out of your Egypt, picked you, he has taken you out of your Egypt. And if your plans, if your plans aren't panning out at the moment or the way you've planned it, don't worry about it, just leave it at his feet. He knows the beginning from the end. He is the beginning from the end. He's the Alpha and the Omega. You think he doesn't know what you need. He knows everything about you and I'm here to tell you this morning open him out wide and he will fill it.

Speaker 1: 22:34

Amen, lord, I thank you for this beautiful word. I thank you for your beautiful presence. I thank you for your sacrifice you made on that cross, lord. I thank you, lord, for your presence that's filling people's homes. I thank you for your presence that's at the right hand of so many right now who are hearing this. I thank you, lord, that your word says you are Lord who brought us out of our bondage, and we will open our mouths wide and you will fill it, oh Lord. Thank you, lord, for watching over your word to perform it. Thank you, lord, for what you did on that cross. Your body was broken. Your blood was shed only for us, lord. Thank you, lord, for this beautiful day that you've given us. Your mercies. Your bible, your word says your mercies. I knew every morning, lord, thank you for this beautiful day that you've given us. In Jesus name, I pray Amen.