His Plans
The following is encouragement for you as if Jesus Christ Himself was speaking. These are meant to give you insight into His Heart, how He thinks, and how He feels about you. Let this encouragement begin to dwell deep within you!
"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 a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”
JEREMIAH 29, 11-14 (NIV)
These words go to the very heart of what I and our Father are like, how we think, and what we earnestly desire for you. Let’s look at the words above.
First, know that I have plans for you! I am not just watching you and my other brothers and sisters bounce from one crisis to another, but rather I have perfect plans for your life and for every life, and I want to establish these plans in you and see you flourish. I have been, am, and will be thinking about you, trying to have my plans come about in your life.
What is the nature of my plans? To prosper you, to establish hope, to build a confident future, to know me intimately, to bring you out of any and all captivity. They are strong, clear, positive, dynamic plans. They are not weak, muddied, neutral, bland passing thoughts.
Do you have to wonder whether I will hear you, whether I will pay attention to you? I guarantee that you will indeed experience me as I begin to live in your heart, along with my Father and the Holy Spirit, as you seek and ask about me. You will surely find me. And remember that I haven’t “lost” you, ever.
Last, my plan is to bring you out of every captivity: constant fears, strong addictions, harmful habits, twisted relationships, spiritual confusion, and so on. Notice the words simply state that I will “bring you back from captivity”. Not half way back, not temporarily back, not half-heartedly back, not slowly back. Back, now, forever, healthy.
I have very special plans that were drawn up for you, even before you were born. When I see you, I always think of them. And when I think of them, I want to put them into place more than you do! It’s time for you to experience prosperity, hope, an exciting future, freedom, and most important, intimacy with me. Just call on me; I’m listening at this moment!
I really like you, and I really love you!
PAUSE … Invite Him to be with you; let Him quiet you with His Love.
REFLECT … What is God saying to you?
1) How does your hope and future look to you today?
2) God hasn’t lost you; you just have to seek him. What might stand in the way of this?
3) What kinds of captivity do you struggle with?
4) Can you imagine that God has made plans for your particular life? Why would He do that?
5) Why is the word "hope" mentioned, when a hundred other words could have been mentioned?
RECEIVE … Thank Him for Who He is and His plans for you! Envision yourself walking in total freedom with Him each and every day. How does that vision change your faith, feelings and priorities? BE FILLED WITH HOPE!!!
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