I have often heard people say, "If you don't do (fill in the blank), you'll miss out on what God has for you." Whenever I would hear that, I would feel discouraged, and it would even make me feel fearful. It made me feel like God's plan completely depended on me and that I would mess it up if I didn't do everything just right. I was so afraid of making the wrong decision or taking the wrong action that it was almost paralyzing, and it made it incredibly challenging to move forward.
That was until I began reading The Bible Recap, a year-long Bible-reading plan by Tara-Leigh Cobble. She pointed out that, in several places in the Bible, we can see how God's plans cannot be thwarted in spite of our biggest failures and Satan's best efforts. God's perfect plan always prevails. His plans always take into account human shortcomings, doubts, bad decisions, and mistakes, and His mercy and grace cover them abundantly. Psalm 37:23-24 says, "The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." God's plans are far bigger than any bad decision we could ever make, and, like Tara-Leigh points out, we are not powerful enough to ruin God's plans! What a relief!
The Bible is full of stories of God's people making bad decisions and disobeying Him, and even their disobedience didn't stop His plan from being fulfilled. Not only did He use it to achieve His purposes, but He used it for their good! That's our God! So, we don't need to be afraid of making a mistake or not being perfect. Several times throughout the Bible, we are told that God is our help, that He with us, and that He is guiding our steps. This means we don't have to live in fear! We can seek God and trust that He will help us make the right decisions and that, even if we stumble and make the wrong decisions, He will faithfully uphold us with His hand, and He will not let us fall.
Is there an area where you've been struggling to make a decision or move forward? Bring it to your Heavenly Father, and talk to Him about it. Ask Him for guidance and direction. Then, picture Him guiding each step you take, and if you take a misstep, picture Him catching you in His gentle and loving arms and setting you back on your feet. Rest, knowing that you are safe in His perfect hands and that you will not miss out on the good plans God has for you! ♥
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