 Okay, so last class, does anyone remember where we ended last class? Where we finished? Anyone? We were actually looking at a question. Last class. Okay, so we were looking at the question, is it okay to plan? Yeah. Planning versus boasting. We were looking at some arguments or some, yeah, some arguments that, or some scriptures that people might use to say that it is not okay to plan, right? So we were looking at some of these scriptures. We looked at Matthew 6, which talks about, which gives us a great assurance about, you know, about the Lord's ability to take care of us, the Lord's ability to take care of our lives, as he would, you know, the lilies of the field or the birds of the, the Lord's ability to take care of us and provide for us. But the recurring thing that we see, the recurring instruction that we see in that passage, Matthew 6, 24 to 34, is the recurring instruction, do not worry or sometimes the asking the question, you know, why do you worry? I do not worry. Do not worry. And then the assurance of the Lord that he is well able to take care. Okay. So, so we see that it is, it is, it does not contradict the whole thing of planning. Okay. Or wanting to plan. And, and we know, you know, to plan is to have a detailed set of, it's a process and have a detailed set of steps to, in order to achieve something in order to reach somewhere, in order to do something. And so you, it's a process, you have a detailed set of steps to do that. And so, so this scripture does, it does not talk about planning, but it actually talks about not worrying, right? And the whole issue of worrying, leading to lack of faith or wanting, leading to, you know, distrust in, in, in our Savior. So it's not about planning. And the other scripture that we saw was in the book of James, where, you know, James actually reduce the people and the, the believers and he says, you know, come now, those who say, you know, James chapter four will say that we will go to such a place. We will do these things. And we spend a year there and then buy and sell and, you know, and then he goes on to say, you boast in your arrogance. Okay. Now this is what you ought to say that if the Lord wills, we will do this. And so saying, you know, there is arrogance and you are boasting. And so we saw that, you know, that is again not planning, you know, where he's actually, you know, he's coming against boasting. He's saying, you know, do not boast or do not be arrogant. So that also, you know, is not against planning. Right. Then the other argument that people might have is, hey, the Lord is anyway coming back. Right. The Lord's return is imminent. The Lord is coming back. So why should we plan? Why should we live our lives this way? And why should we organize our lives? And that's a, I mean, that's a dangerous place or that's a dangerous thought process because, you know, you would, we would not accomplish anything in the sense, whatever purposes that God might have for us, we would not end up doing that because we're not putting any effort. We're just waiting, sitting around, waiting for the Lord's return. And so it is not practical. It is just a waste of time, you know, waste of everything, the time and ability and resources the Lord has given to us to go out and do the things that he's called us to do. And, you know, to be a member in the body of Christ, to carry out, you know, whatever he has called us to do, to edify the body of Christ through the gifts and graces that he's given us than the, and the whole, the commission, the great commission itself to go make disciples of all nations. So if you're going to be saying, you know, anyway, the Lord is coming. So, you know, why do all that? So, you know, that is not a logical thing. That is not a practical thing. It is against the plans and purposes of God. So the best thing to do is to live each day. Yes, we hope for the return. We wait expectantly for the return of the Lord. But then we plan as though, you know, we plan for periods of time. Like it could be for today, it could be for, you know, for a decade, it could be for, you know, all these chunks of time that we would plan and live it out. Okay. So today let's look at, you know, planning a little more, you know, some more scripture where we see that planning is indeed a characteristic of God, or it is an innate character of God. It's an innate nature of God himself. Okay. So a few scriptures, we can look into it. So, you know, so we know that I'm not doing anything unspiritual. You know, the problem is, I mean, this understanding, you know, why we think sometimes planning is, I mean, it's against God's will or, you know, purposes. It's because we confuse the leading of the Holy Spirit. Right. We confuse that or we place priority on that like we rightly should. But we think that, okay, if I'm going to be indulging in planning, then it's a work of the flesh. It's not a work of the spirit. But the fact is that God is definitely not against sitting down, using our mental faculties and planning. But he very much would want to be part of that process itself. Right. Like we see in a lot of, you know, scriptures, which involve God in the process of planning. Right. So it becomes a very enjoyable process. It becomes something where we commune with God, we fellowship with God. God pulls out his heart to us and where we can receive and incorporate that in what we need to do. Right. So let me just share the screen. And yeah, let's look at some of the scriptures, which point to, obviously I'm just sharing the notes. Okay. So let's look at Romans 829. So it says that for, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. Okay. So that was itself, that word purpose talks about his intentions, talks about what he is determining to do, something that is, that he's setting forth, like exhibiting, putting on display. Okay. His intentions that he's putting on display is, you know, whatever he's determining that he's exhibiting. So it talks about what he's thought, what he has decided that he will do. Right. Verse 29, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. So this is also something that he already thought about. He already planned out that yes, you know, this person who is going to choose me and who was going to choose the plan of salvation, he or she is going to be conformed to the image of my son. No, he has thought about it. He has planned it out and he has put it in. You know, he just rolled it out. Right. So we see that. Okay. Efficiency one, verse nine to 12, having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. Again, the same word there, which means that he has, you know, thought about it earlier and that is his intention. And he's making it now known to us. Right. That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, he might gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and are on earth in him. Right. So we see that. And then we again see in verse 11, having being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Okay. Who works all things according to the counsel of his will, according to his plan, according to his purpose. Right. So we see that this whole function of planning is very much part of God, right? It is characteristic. So we don't have to be, we don't have to look at it as something fleshly. Well, there is, there is a, you know, there is a way by which we can actually, there is fleshly planning, but we're not looking at that. We're looking at planning in line with the spirit of God, planning as led by the spirit of God. Okay. Psalm 3311, again, the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. It's something that is forethought, something that is thought through and something, you know, the, all these steps that he's actually planned out and he's executing. Right. So, Proverbs 14, verse 14 and verse eight, the wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit. Verse 15, the simple believe every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. So any task that needs to be done. Okay. What, what needs to be done? What is the task? What does it involve? It's, you know, it's prudent to consider those steps. Right. It is prudent. It is, it is wise. It is wisdom to consider the steps and to see because it's, there is safety in that. And that also enables us to do the task well. Okay. So, so what are some guidelines when it comes to planning? Okay. We know that we can plan in a fleshly manner where we, we can plan in an arrogant manner, right? Where we can plan and say, okay, I'll do this, I'll do that. And it can be an arrogant post. So, so what are some things that I need to consider and have in place so that I don't err on that side, but I actually plan as led by the spirit of God, plan something in line with God, in step with God. So here are some things to look at. Probs three, because it's five and six. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding in all your ways. Acknowledge him and he shall direct your parts. So an amazing word instruction with reassurance. Right. First of all, it has to do with our heart. It has to do with, you know, our attitude. It has to do with the posture internally. So it says trust in the Lord with all your heart. Okay. And when we, when we do that, then obviously we will not lean. We will not have other support structures. I know it doesn't say that, you know, you should not use your understanding should not use your learning or your experience. But even prior to that, you trust in the Lord with all your heart so that you're, you're not leaning on, you know, you're not putting your full weight on your own understanding. Okay. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your parts in all your ways. You know, that's what we are focusing on in all your ways. Acknowledging knowledge means to recognize to, to accept to make space. Right. These are some ways by which we can acknowledge. So specifically when we say, you know, I want to acknowledge the Lord. So obey his word. Am I carrying out his word in, in this particular task? Right. Obeying his word, obeying his leading. No, there is a prompting of the spirit in our spirit. Now, when we know for sure that that, that is the prompting of the spirit, that is the leading of the spirit. Am I, am I following through? Right. So obeying his word that the word has the precepts, the principles, the values, the standards. So it's plain and clear. So am I following that? Second one is, you know, the spirit of God who indwells me when I lean in, he, when I ask, you know, he's, he's giving me wisdom. You know, James chapter one talks about that. You know, so James chapter two, but you know, talks about how he will lead, how he will give wisdom. So I'm leaning in and obeying his leading. Okay. And thirdly, what was helpful is, you know, is it glorifying the Lord? Okay. This task that I'm setting out to do this, this thing that I'm planning this, whatever it is, you know, is God being glorified? Okay. And that is what we see in one Corinthians 10 and 31. Okay. One Corinthians 10 and verse 31. Therefore, whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Okay. So whatever you do, if it's, you know, even a simple task like eating or drinking and Monday and every day thing, do all for the glory of God. You know, have that as a big picture, you know, is God being glorified or is he being dishonored? Right. In the way I'm doing it, is he being dishonored? So, you know, desiring the Lord Jesus to be glorified, again, again, a guiding principle when it comes to, you know, planning, right? Planning according to God's ways, right? Placing Kingdom priorities first, Matthew 633, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. So, am I seeking God's kingdom, His rule and reign, you know, above everything else? So, these are some principles to help us. This is, you know, something to guide us, right? With regard to His word, with regard to acknowledging Him in all our ways. Secondly, we see that it's about the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are privileged to hear the voice of the Spirit. We are privileged to have the Holy Spirit indwell us and we are indeed privileged to hear His voice and to, you know, with the intention of following. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us in our lives, right? And Romans 8 and verse 14, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. So, which means that, you know, we are part of God's family. There's a shift in identity that happened. There's a shift in relationship that happened. And this is who I am as a child of God. So, I have the privilege of being led by the Spirit because of who I am. No, it's because of who I am, you know, just think about that. The privilege of being led by the Spirit because of who I am, because of who I have become in Christ. So, something has shifted, something has changed. Now, I've come in and I've received this privilege of being led by God. And we are, you know, looking at it in the area of planning, you know, and, you know, I know some of us would be involved in making some big plans, you know, some very crucial plans, right? Maybe it has to something to do with the organization. Maybe it's something to do with the future. And sometimes we don't venture into it because it's so scary. We don't want to plan. We don't want to venture into it. We don't always saying, you know, I really don't know. It's just, the mind just seems to freeze saying, I don't even want to think about it, right? I'm not able to, you know, foresee, I'm not able to go beyond this. Well, the Holy Spirit, the helper, is here to lead us. The one who is able to see into the future, right? The one who knows the end from the beginning is there to prompt us, lead us and, you know, and establish those steps as we commit our works to him, you know, establish those thoughts for us, right? So, you know, whatever mind block that we might have or whatever, you know, that thing that we are saying, I'm not able to progress beyond this. Well, may the Lord lead us as we open up our hearts to him and may he lead us because this is who you are. This is what you've become. And because you are a child of God, your son and a daughter of God, you are led. You have the privilege of being led by the Spirit of God, right? So, yeah, so let's invite him into the process of planning. Just listen to him, lean into him. And he doesn't have to be a very, very, you know, weird thing, super spiritual activity, you know, as natural as how you would listen to a friend, how you would hear a friend out. You know, we can have those impromptu conversations with God and say, Lord, what do you think? Can you just impress upon my heart? I commit this, you know, this whole activity, this project, this plan, this future thing, Lord, into your mighty hands, I just pray that you would lead me, right, even as I sit down and plan, right? Another very helpful thing. Okay, so we looked at a couple of things, right? We looked at the Word and how to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. We looked at following the leading of the Holy Spirit, very, very important. What an awesome privilege that we have. And thirdly, to understand seasons. Okay, now this is very important because, well, you know, God does work in seasons and we are in, you know, as we grow, both, you know, chronologically and as we age and also, you know, spiritually, we go through different seasons in life. And if you consider, you know, if you look at it like maybe you're a student, maybe you're married with family, you know, as a professional, young professional, you know, all those things we go through. And when it comes to ministry, maybe church planting or, you know, you've started a ministry, it goes through the seasons of, you know, the foundation stage or foundation phase where a lot of groundwork is done, a lot of digging deep is done and, you know, where the foundation needs to be laid, it needs to be made strong. So, you know, it's a different season. So, you know, when it comes to the church, it's like laying the foundation, it's laying the basics. They may not be, you know, a lot of travel involved, like you're not traveling out but you're focusing in one place and making sure it is made strong and so on, right? So then, I'm sure you'll study this in another subject but so all these kind of, so understand, you know, what season of life am I in? I remember, you know, I don't know if I've shared with you this class but I remember having a conversation with a young person, I mean, a married person in church and she was very, very disappointed because, you know, she used to be very, very active in church and serving in church in various ways. This was in another state where she was, you know, as a single person and now she's finding it very difficult because she was, you know, equating that activity, that participation and being involved and all that to, you know, to having a thriving spiritual life, you know, to be able to give and so on. So she's finding it, she couldn't do the same thing, so she was finding it very frustrating, very difficult, putting herself down, saying, you know, I'm not able to do that so, you know, I used to be able to do that, now I'm not able to do that and so, you know, equating that to I'm not doing anything for God, you know, that kind of thought process. So, you know, the whole thing of season, I have a conversation about season, hey, you're on a different season, the responsibilities are different. Therefore, you know, in that season, you see, you ask God, see God, Lord, what are these, what are the doors that I can step into? What are the ways by which I can serve, you know, where I am, maybe, you know, my time, the way I live, and it is a different season, so my priorities have shifted, and it's all good, you know, it's all designed by God, family, marriage, family, children, everything, it's God's design, God's plan, so ask the designer, now, this is how my 24 hours are spent, so in this, God, you know, how can I serve you? In this, God, this sphere of influence, but these are the ones that I'm connected with, you know, now, how can I serve you? How can I, you know, bring my time and resources and abilities and gifting, and how can I serve you, and the Lord will, you know, open the right doors and connect to you with the right people and set up those divine appointments so that you can, you know, you can do this. So there's no point in, you know, looking back at the season that you're trying to force things there, you know, trying to do the same thing here, you know, it's not going to work because a lot of things have shifted, right? So understand the seasons as you plan for your life, right? Understand the times and the seasons that you are living in, and if it's a ministry, understand the times and seasons, so the plans don't conflict, right? It's a realistic plan, right? Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1 to everything there is a season at time for every purpose under heaven. Verse 11, he has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity in their hearts, you know, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end, right? Using our own reasoning and efforts, yes, no one can accept that the Holy Spirit reveals to us, right? We see in 1 Corinthians 2. So, yeah, so there is a purpose, there is a time, there is a season, understand that. Yeah, Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 6, because for every matter, there is a time and judgment. So discern that. Verse 5 talks about a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment. So when it comes to planning, especially when it comes to making a life plan, making certain things and where you're going to be and what you're going to be doing and also for ministry and other significant things, right? Understand the time, understand the season, okay? So it will help greatly so that we don't hurt ourselves, right? We don't damage our lives. Yeah. The fourth and fifth thing seems to be, it might seem to be a little, you know, contradictory, but let's look at this, right? Dare to dream, okay? Because Efficience 320 talks about how the Lord is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think. Okay? He's able to do that. He's able to do more more than what we ask, more than what we, you know, more than even what we imagine, right? Ask or think, it says. And it's according to the power that works in us, the power of the Holy Spirit, according to his power that is at work in us and because it is his power that is at work in us, you know, he is able to do much more and so he is limitless and we are limited by our thinking. We are limited by, you know, our limitations, you know, whatever we put as limitations. So he's able to do much more, right? So when it comes to, you know, dreaming, when it comes to thinking big, think with God, dream with God, right? It's not assumption or it's not boasting. When we submit to God and say, Lord, what is your, you know, what is your plan? What is it that you're doing? You know, because this is how he's able to do. He's able to do exceedingly abundantly, right? To him be the glory. He's able to do exceedingly abundantly. So just think about that. Exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask. Exceedingly abundantly above all that we think and it's according to the power of the Holy Spirit, according to his power that is at work. So the thing is there to dream. Now there are many many times when you know, we are put on a restraint, right? We've especially when we travel through life, right? When we journey through life when we gone through the ups and downs and maybe face some failures, maybe some pain, some regret and the casualty is that our ability to dream, right? Our ability, when we say dream, the ability to, you know, think big ability to dream big have big plans. And I'm sure that, you know, there are some things that you just discarded saying hey, it's it's not worth it or maybe it was it was indeed something that was, you know, that was burning in your heart, right? Every time maybe you see a need and that's burning in your heart. It's a big plan. But time has passed and maybe things have happened and you've reached a stage where you're saying like, okay, I don't know, maybe it's time to disregard it or discard it, right? So when it comes to planning with God when it comes to, you know dreaming with him, he's going to dream big. His plan was going to be big plans for us, very significant big. So can we allow that to happen? You know, can we dream again? Can we dream again? So there's something that I just want to place before us, you know, whatever has happened in the past, whatever has hindered us from dreaming big, you know, having a big vision you know, can we come back to him? Can we return to the Lord as we see in Hosea? Return to the Lord in these ways. What happened to those moments, those seasons when you were really pumped up on faith, on fire and passionate, you know, why is it quenched? Right? Can we come back to that place? Well, the Lord might you know, it's like this, you know when we have these big plans and have those big visions vision now, that God might bring it to fruition in different ways. You might actually spark a dream in, you might spark a dream in others to influence others and maybe the resources that others have you know, God might bring that in many ways, right? So the thing is, you know, it might, it need not be just you carrying the weight of that. Sometimes that also hinders us. Sometimes that also hinders us from dreaming big, you know, it's too much for me or you know, I don't have resources or we are limited by you know, I don't have the strength, I don't have the ability, I don't have the resources so it's better that I don't even think about it, right? But what if God takes this forward in many other ways, right? What if you are the plan that you have, the idea that you have, you know, it sparks something big in others and God is able to bring that together or go forward, right? So, dare to dream. Okay, Prabhakar has a question. The children of the sons of Isaka had understanding of the time so how can we also have understanding of the times? Well, what did Isaka's son do? Well, with regard to what they did, now I do not know too much of that but we do see that they had understanding of the times and we also know that it is God who changes times and seasons and we also know that the holy, like God knows the end from the beginning so so the thing is to have an intimate walk with him, right? So, and to really desire that and also I think this is just my thought to also to also be obedient in the small things, right? It's when God when we want this understanding of his will especially, you know, for our own lives and to be obedient in the small instructions to be obedient in the small steps that he's asked us to do and to carry it out faithfully so that he can give us more of what he wants us to do and so that he can entrust us with more and you know, this is a privilege that we have that we can lean into the wisdom of God who is infinite. We can lean into his understanding which is infinite and he chooses to reveal right and so it starts with an intimate walk with God it starts with a faithful and obedient heart to carry out so that he is able to entrust us with more and that's one part of it. The other part of it is that the Lord might sovereignly, you know, choose certain people to reveal more, you know especially God raises up some as is representative as an agent of as a catalyst to usher in a move to bring in maybe some of these teachings which are kind of not there and especially in the restorative moves of God and when we study about revivals and visitations and we see that God raises up a person or a community and ushers in what is not there or what is not predominantly held on by the church and then he brings in that into that body so God might sovereignly do that also to download, okay here is this and I just want you to do that a prophetic voice so but it starts with our hunger our our expectation and our faithfulness and an intimate work so that helps Prabhakar yeah, I think somebody else is I have a follow up question, can I ask go ahead please so this month like I have been I have heard this like understand the time sensations, this is the third time I am hearing the question I feel like I want to understand more being led to understand the time sensations so what should I do now first where do I start so personally you feel that this is kind of thing which has come to you again and again very much leading and yeah so yeah I have heard now that would be the step to start off Prabhakar like because it all starts and continues and is brought to maturity with God, with the Holy Spirit so it starts with us having an intimate work with him because he is the one who brings the understanding he is the one who brings the revelation so it starts and continues with him so yeah I will just leave it at that so I guess you are continuing to walk with God your positive heart is to desire more and I am just reminded of Mark chapter 4 where in the parable of the Sova the Lord says after just explaining the parable of the Sova you say just let me just read out that verse yeah Mark 4 and verse 24 says take heed what you hear with the same measure you use it will be measured to you and to you who hear more will be given right so for who has to him more will be given but whoever does not have even what he has will be taken away talking about revelation and understanding and and hearing basically hearing from God receiving from him so he says the Lord says take heed be careful how you hear and with the same measure that you use you are using a certain measure quantity maybe a vessel so it is talking about a hunger level intention with what expectation that you go to God and he is faithful to fill that measure so he is saying with what measure you use it will be measured back to you so that is another thing we have a key there where the Lord is willing the Lord is able and from our side he requires that hunger and he requires that expectation and then the Lord will lead you lead us on that path and specifically if the Lord has been talking to you about this one thing understanding of times and seasons so the thing is to seek him more and to ask him specifically Lord what is it I am willing to learn and what is it and he is going to show he is going to lead hope that is helpful thank you so much okay so there to dream so maybe we can just take some time what are some things that we discarded along the way maybe there were some things that got put in your heart and you just feel I don't know I am too old I am too I am not qualified maybe we have kind of discounted that thought that dream or maybe you felt it is too big it is too wonderful it is too amazing but can we ask the Lord to remind us or bring these things back to us and so that we can pursue that right so let us pray let us ask the Lord to but before that I just want you to just take some time to just write down just jot down you know what is it that whatever comes to your mind you know what is it that you know that you have discarded you have this dream you discarded for several reasons you gave yourself several reasons saying it can't be done so therefore I am discarding can you just put it back write it down so you get to see it right okay let's do that I hope you are able to put down something and maybe some of us are saying I don't have any dream I don't have any compelling desire at this stage in my life you know I don't seem to have any compelling desire I don't know if some of us are in that state saying I am just costing day to day month to month nothing no fire Kennedy I see what you have put down can you just explain please okay these are things that are hindering is that what you are saying because of which you put down the dream yeah so my personal work in life and after I have been in the ATC college I have learned that passion and passion and the art bar because at the time especially I took the shortcut can hinder your planning and can make you lose your focus right okay so yeah I was kind of saying okay Kennedy just shared what really cost him to discard or causes one to discard you know so maybe like you were saying maybe there is no compelling desire you can ask the Lord to spark that right to set that fire for whatever reason we are just refusing to dream right it could be past trauma whatever no initiative just coasting let's see what happens kind of thing but we can ask the Lord will there be healing I just want to dream again I just want to come alive right come alive to your plans come alive to your purposes come alive to your desires let me do that okay let's pray we need to take a break now so let's just pray Father God we come with ourselves to your mighty hands God thank you for the plans beautiful plans that you have things that you purpose in your heart Lord we see in Jeremiah 2011 Lord your the plans that you have for us the thoughts the very thoughts that you have for us good beautiful calamity God we thank you but to prosperous God we thank you God and we thank you that we have you as our God and Lord even as we've read now in Ephesians 3 20 God that you're able to do exceedingly abundantly exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think and we thank you for that and Lord today I just pray that whatever plans that might have fallen by the wayside Lord that it'll be picked up dusted and Lord there'll be a you'll cause us to have a take a fresh look at it and not just look but I pray that you'll cause us to re-engage our hearts with it again and for those of us who are God maybe that there's no fire there's no passion and there's no compelling reason purpose or plan yet Lord I pray that there will be a spark yes Father God I pray that Lord even as we look back and Lord the way you've led us God that there will be a spark Lord that even as we continue Lord on with you Father God yes Lord and that's the key thing that it's according to the power that works in us according to the power of your Holy Spirit so as we continue to fellowship commune with your Spirit and be saturated with your Word I pray that you will take us into all that you have for us God we just want to thank you we give you all the praise and all the glory at this time in Jesus name we pray amen amen okay we'll come back at 11.03 okay 10 minutes thank you God bless