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“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
shall be your shame, and trust in the shadow of Egypt shall be your humiliation. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, or be help or benefit, but a shame and also a reproach.”
Isaiah 30:1 – 5
Those who lead churches, ministries, and businesses constantly make plans because they must, or there will be failure. It is one of the biggest reasons they are in demand. It means they plan for the future. Yet the prophet Isaiah gives a very sober warning to every leader who develops plans without asking if they fit the mind of God.
Our plans need to be made, but not etched in stone. They are strategic, yet we must remember that no one but the Lord knows the future. The following is a good formula.
God’s Providence + Our Preparation + God’s Provision = Success
As a leader, we must constantly ask God:
- If our plans agree with the biblical principles of Scripture.
- If our plans fit the Lord’s revealed plans for our ministry and business.
- If our plans are relevant to the needs of the people we serve.
- If our plans meet the needs of our culture and time.
- If our plans align with our doctrine, mission, values, vision, and long-range objectives.
When they do, we have strategic planning with God’s blessings due to wise leadership!
Verses to consider and memorize:
Psalms 27:1a, “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…”
Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”
James 4:13 – 16, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
