7 Ways to Know God's Plan

WRITTEN BY HAROLD HERRING. .

God scheduled an appointment for you before you were ever born. Its a part of your destiny .
. . His purpose and plans for your life.
Lets talk about two scriptures in Jeremiah.
First, Jeremiah 1:5 in the Amplified Bible says:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument],
andbefore you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed
you as a prophet to the nations.
Your loving Heavenly Father had plans for you even before you were born.
Second, Jeremiah 29:11 in the New International Version says:
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 hope and a future.
Gods plan is for you to live a successful life and He provides a plan for you to do so.
However, His plan requires action on your part.
Here are seven ways to know Gods plan for your life.
Youll find the answer you seek it in the Word of God
First, read It:
No matter where you are in life. . .living the dream or dreaming of a life worth living. . . youll
find the direction, encouragement, comfort, peace, strength and power you need in the Word.
Acts 15:31 in the Amplified Bible says:
And when they read it, the people rejoiced at the consolation and encouragement [it
brought them].
Reading the Word will provide you with inside information about the plans and appointment
God made for you.
Second, understand It.
James 1:19 in the Amplified Bible says:
Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener],
slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.
I find it significant that James 1:19 begins with the word understand before were told to be
ready listeners.
God wants us to read the Word. . .He wants us to hear the Word. . .but He also wants us to
understand what weve read.
Third, analyze it:
Here are four questions to ask yourself as you analyze the Word.

1. What does the verse say?

2. What does the verse mean?
3. What does the verse have to do with me?
4. How can I apply this new understanding in my life?
Be sure you ask the Holy Spirit for help as you do this.
Fourth, personalize it:
The Word of God becomes alive when you personalized scriptures. Gods love becomes even
more real as His Word speaks directly to you.
Hebrews 4:12 in the Amplified Bible says:
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active,
operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal]
spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and
sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
Personalize the scripture by inserting your name or that of a loved one into the verse. Add
them or he or she when praying for others. You can also just speak their name(s).
Again personalize it!
Deuteronomy 31:6 which says:
"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord our
God is the One who goes with <<Your Name>>. He will not fail <<Your Name>> or
forsake <<him/her>>.".
Let the Word speak your name and that of family members as you claim Gods precious
promises to you. But more importantly, you begin to realize like never before that God is
talking to you. . .He has plans for you.
Fifth, memorize it:
Once youve personalize your verses. . .commit them to memory. . .and begin to confess
them while driving your car, taking your morning walk or visiting a park, waiting for the bus,
on a break at work, talking with friends, sitting in your favorite chair or in your quiet place.
Why should we memorize the Bible. . .because its essential for our very survival.
Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 in the Amplified Bible that our spiritual existence depends upon the
Word. The verse says:
But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread
alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Our spiritual growth is a process. . .that requires effort on our part.
2 Peter 1:5 in the Amplified Bible says:
For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in
exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in
[exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence).

We dont hear the term sanctification much anymore. . .though we should. . .its significant to
our spiritual growth.
Sanctification simply said is becoming more like Jesus and less like the world.
John 17:17 in the Amplified Bible says:
Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth;
Your Word is Truth.
One final point. . .saying a verse 100 times a day is not nearly as effective as saying that
verse once a day for 100 days.
Also, as you learn new verses. . .continue to speak the ones previously memorized.
Psalm 119:16 in the Message Bible says:
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how youve done it. I relish
everything youve told me of life, I wont forget a word of it.
Sixth, activate It:
Make no mistake about it. . .God wants us reading, understanding, analyzing, personalizing
and memorizing the Word. . .but, most of all He wants us acting on what weve read,
understood, analyzed, personalized and memorized.
James 1:23-24 in the Message says:
Dont fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting
the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and dont
act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea
who they are, what they look like.
As Dr. Morris Cerullo always says. . .faith is a fact but you must act. We must be doers of the
Word.
James 1:22 in the Amplified Bible says:
But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying
yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].
Acting each day on whats been revealed to you through Gods Word empowers you to
pursue with even greater passion His plans for your life.
Seventh, manifest It:
Gods Word accomplishes Gods purpose including His plans for your future.
Isaiah 55:11 in the Message Bible:
So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. Theyll do the
work I sent them to do, theyll complete the assignment I gave them.
If you follow these seven ways to know Gods plan for your life. . .you will find the doors
youve wanted opened. . .the breakthrough youve been needing. . .the direction you desire
and yes, the financial miracles youve been praying for.
Finally, Proverbs 8:32 in the Message Bible offers some pretty sound advice for the next

seven days and beyond.

"So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.
Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don't squander your precious life. Blessed the man,
blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and
responsive as I start my day's work. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing
of God's good pleasure. . ."
In either your data information retrieval system. . .whether its a smart phone, a tablet,
computer or a three-hole punched legal pad which you can place in a three-ringed binder. . .I
want you to make a list of the six major areas of your life.
Spiritual. . .Family. . .Financial. . .Mental. . .Physical. . .Social.
First, I want you to begin listing how God has manifested His presence in your life during
2014. Recall the times. . .he delivered you. . .the times you experienced miracle
manifestation. . .the blessings Hes provided for you.
You can call this listing Hallelujah 2014 or Look What The Lord Did In 2014 or whatever
you wish.
I want to ensure you that you can make no greater preparation for success in 2015 than by
listing what God did for and through you in 2014.
I want you to start this today. . .so its not an afterthought on New Years Eve or Day.
Youll be glad you did.