Christians have been debating for a long time whether having a GOAL-DRIVEN PLAN is good or bad, right or wrong.

On one side…
  
Those who argue that believers who have goals and plans are WRONG because it demonstrates a lack of trust in God and ignores the need to “wait on God.”
  
On the other side…
  
Those who insist that God WANTS us to set goals and establish plans. That the last thing he wants is to see our God-given gifts and talents lie fallow and keep us from fulfilling his call to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
  
That’s the side I end up on—believers should set goals and make plans–but with one GIGANTIC, three-part condition:
  
We should set goals and plans, but they must be:
  
Reviewed by God so we don’t allow our hubris to push us forward without considering his point of view.
  
Bathed in humility with recognition that God alone directs our path and controls our destiny.
  
Formed after recognizing our limitations and after running our thoughts through God (James 4:13-14).
  
Some believers are waiting for God to reveal how their future will “play out” before setting goals and making plans. But that hijacks our interest in trusting God day-in and day-out for our next step.
  
I like the fact that God provides just enough information to help us move forward so we trust him a little more with each step and each day. Along the way, we deepen our Christ-like faith roots.
  
I want to trust God for his view into the unknown future. And I want to do it with the clay dripping wet so we can move into the glorious unknown together.
  
I ask God to help me to trust you only for my future. Keep me from trying to make plans ahead of you or without you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
  
HOW ABOUT YOU?
  
Have you run your goals and plans through God lately?
  
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” James 4: 13-14