1. God has a Specific, Purposeful, and Good Plan for Your Life
Friend, not only did God create you with purpose - He also has a specific plan for your life that centers around goodness and hope.
This is true despite whatever circumstances surround your birth or what you’ve been told about your worth or value.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT): “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Esther 4:13-14 (NLT): Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” [Emphasis added.]
Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NLT): The Lord gave me this message “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
2. God’s Plan for You is Indestructible
Having free will, you can ultimately choose to outright reject God’s plans for you. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. Even seasoned Christians will reject God’s fruitful plans for them due to fear, a desire to stay comfortable and avoid change, a hard heart, etc.
However, no outside force can destroy God’s plans for you. Not the sins or actions of other people, nor the works of Satan.
Not even your own sin, mistakes, or lack of understanding.
Psalm 33:11 (NLT): “But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.”
Job 42:2 (NIV): “I know that You can do all things. Nothing can put a stop to Your plans.”
3. God Promises to Work Everything Out for Your Good
Part of the reason that God’s plans cannot be thwarted is that He’s sovereign. He’s also all-knowing and all-powerful.
As such, He can easily take something that Satan or other people meant for harm and turn it into something good - for you and for others. (God using my past to help other women through Relate Escape and this podcast is one example.)
Thus, even when we’re suffering, we can take heart in knowing that God’s plans for us are still intact and active. And that we know the enemy is going to lose in the end.
Romans 8:28 (NLT): “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Romans 8:17-18 (NLT): “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”
4. God Promises to Guide You
Now, if this is starting to sound rather complicated - take heart. The good news is that God will guide you!
He’ll guide you through life in general - so you know how to live aligned to His wisdom and promises. (This is why reading the Bible - aka His Word - is so important.)
And He’ll guide you in specific ways - such as ensuring that you’re where you need to be so He can bring one of His plans for you to fruition.
Psalm 32:8 (NLT): The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Psalm 119:103-105 (NLT): “How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
5. God Promises to Protect and Strengthen You
There are times when God will allow suffering so that He can use it for good - whether it’s to purify us; help us grow; or to equip us to help others. (In other words, it’s part of His plans for us even though we may not understand how.)
But that doesn’t mean we’re left to suffer alone without support. God promises to both strengthen and defend us.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT): “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”
Psalm 46:1 (NLT): “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
6. God Promises to Fight for You
In addition to strengthening you, God also promises to fight for you! When Satan is doing his best to get you off-track, or when it feels as if it’s you against the world, God will be there to fight on your behalf.
Exodus 14:14 (NLT): “The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT): “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT): “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
7. God Promises to Take Care of All of Your Needs
We’re not capable of preparing for our God-given calling (or His plans for us) on our own. Partly because only God knows those plans to their fullest. And partly because God often dreams bigger things for us than we would have considered!
But that’s okay! Because God will ensure that we have whatever we need to execute His plans for us.
Philippians 4:19 (NLT): “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
Luke 12:6-7 (NLT): “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
8. God Promises to Hear and Answer Your Prayers
God’s main desire is to have a relationship with us. We weren’t created to be mindless minions; we were created in His image for a relationship with Him.
As such, God’s desire is that we speak to Him - about our wounds, our struggles, and the challenges of understanding His plans for our lives.
God doesn’t shy away from tough questions! What’s more, He promises to answer our prayers. It may not be the answer we desire at the time. Sometimes the answer will come later than we’d like. But God is always listening and will answer in His perfect time.
Proverbs 15:19: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.”
Psalm 55:22 (NLT): “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”
1 John 5:14-15 (NLT): “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”
9. God Promises to Give You Rest
God is a god of rest! He rested on the seventh day of Creation to set an example, and calls us to Sabbath regularly today.
Why? Because rest is important. Not just physical rest - but mental and emotional rest. We need time to process, reflect, and hear from God. To recognize where He’s taking us/His plans for us.
God will often place us in seasons of rest before transitioning us to a new season. (I’m currently in such a season.) While it can be frustrating, these times are a gift from God.
It’s during the down times when God helps us to see more clearly and unload things that we’re not meant to carry. (Which is why Satan and the world try their hardest to keep us in a state of constant hurry.)
Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG) says: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
10. God Promises that Nothing Can Separate You from Him
Friend, other than outright rejecting God forever, there isn’t anything that you or anyone else can do to separate you from God - or His loving plans for your life.
Romans 8:38-39 (NLT): “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”