Jesus has a plan for your life. The enemy doesn’t.
The quintessential problem with the enemy’s plan is that it doesn’t consider you, doesn’t consider the future, and, ultimately, doesn’t make any sense.
In essence, the issue with the enemy’s plan is that it is not a plan at all — the enemy’s plan is just an anti-plan.
Which would you rather do, find a great mate, get married, and live together forever? Or not.
This is just one example of the difference between God’s plan for your life and the enemy’s. The enemy is just in it to thwart God, not to produce any sort of improvement or better future. The enemy wants to deprive you of a plan simply by replacing it with nothing.
Even if you only have a vague idea of what God has in store for you it is better than whatever the enemy is offering.
Consider the example of addiction. Addiction is a situation in which the enemy offers long term slavery in return for momentary relief. Rather than solving your problems, you try to avoid them, thus increasing their power and influence in your life. And, rather than improving your life, the temporary relief impairs your judgment and introduces more problems than it relieves in the form of bad decisions and their results.
God offers strength, healing, restoration, and conflict resolution — momentary discomfort with an eternal upside. God has not only your present in mind, but is also providing for your future and your life. Every plan that God lays before you improves your life, improves your judgment, improves your ability to connect with others and bring about better results each and every day.
In every circumstance and every situation, the fact is, evil doesn’t make any sense. There is no reason to choose the enemy’s path. There is no explanation for going with the enemy instead of God. There is no justification for the completely irrational choice to side with the enemy instead of God.
That said, you have probably both made that choice and been the victim of others making that choice.
The first step on the road to recovery, healing, and restoration is to realize that you can’t explain it, there is no reason, it is not fathomable, and you won’t ever understand it. Evil simply doesn’t make any sense.
You may know the circumstances. You may understand the context. You may justify the decision or explain the incidental influences that led to the evil. But if you are going to choose life, choose healing, choose recovery, choose to be born again — if you are going to choose God instead of the enemy, the first step is to accept the realization that it is a choice between rational and irrational, between sense and nonsense, between clarity and confusion, between life and death, and between a plan and no plan at all.
Evil doesn’t make any sense. There is no reason. It has no plan. Its design is to destroy every design. Its direction is to take you in no direction. Its outcome is to create an obstacle. Its result is to prevent a positive result.
Too much airtime is given to wondering why. Why would someone do that to me? Why would someone do that to themselves? Can’t they see that what they are doing is not working out well for anyone, themselves included? Why? Why? Why?
There is no reason. It doesn’t make sense. The fact is, the enemy doesn’t know why either. They are caught up in the same slavery they are trying to get you caught into. They are caught up in the same confusion they are trying to envelope you in. They are just as frustrated, angry, depressed, sad, violent, upset, and negative about life as they are trying to inspire you to be.
So, it’s time to stop trying to explain the enemy’s influence in your life. Stop trying to tell the enemy’s story. Let go of your need to justify or explain the evil that has been done to you. There wasn’t a reason. It doesn’t make any sense. It never will. Choices were made. Actions were taken. There isn’t anything more to it.
So, here’s the plan — it’s time to start seeing things from an eternal perspective. It’s time to start receiving everything that God has in store for you. Because everything that God has to offer makes sense. Everything that God has to offer is good and fruitful and a blessing.
Peace and joy are objectively better than anxiety and depression. And that is the choice that God is offering you today.
Stop asking “why am I depressed?” and start focussing on the fact that God is giving you today, full of opportunity, full of blessings, full of so many opportunities to be grateful that if you stopped to thank God for everything that He was providing, the day itself would simply be spent in prayer.
Stop asking “why did this happen to me?” and start focussing on the fact that God is bringing you into a new level of healing, restoration, peace, joy, fulfillment, success, and strength for today.
Stop asking “why is there evil in this world?” and start focussing on what you can do to bring God’s blessings to more people starting today.
Stop getting so caught up in your own story that you forget that you were put here on earth to make a difference, to share the good news of salvation, and to participate in the abundant life that God has planned for you from before the creation of the world.
You are powerful. You are full of life. You are strong. You can do all things through Jesus Christ, the one and only God, who is dedicated to your salvation, your eternal life, your health, your success, your peace, you effectiveness, your joy, and your expanding reach both now and forever.
You weren’t put on earth to keep your hands clean and to avoid any sort of conflict or struggle.
You were born so that this world could be a better place because you were a part of it. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
And all the powers of hell, all the challenges of the enemy, all the negative, destructive, and evil forces that would and do come against you will fail when you realize that they don’t make any sense at all, there is no reason to listen to or follow their direction, and you don’t have to explain their past forays against you — you can simply choose life, right here, right now, and forever.
So you had a bad day yesterday. Today is a new day.
So you had a bad experience growing up. Those people don’t define you, you are a child of God, built on purpose for a purpose.
So you had an overwhelming moment or have gotten into an overwhelming situation. Now is the time to step out in faith and stand on the solid ground of Jesus Christ.
The decision is yours. So choose life.
No matter what the enemy says. Choose life. Choose blessing. Choose healing. Choose grace. Choose restoration. Choose to make sense. Choose to follow the plan with the best results. Choose to adopt a longer perspective. Choose to ignore the nonsense and the irrationality offered by the enemy. Listen and learn the ways of God. Open your sense of possibility to receive all of the promises that God has spoken over your life. Start believing that today is your day. This is your time. You are coming into a new season. You are discovering your actual destiny and it is a destiny of goodness, grace, fulfillment, abundance, blessings, and influence. Step out in faith and see what God has in store for you — not just now, but forever.
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” – Psalm 23
clark echols
Right up to the moment I choose to say “yes!” instead of “no,” or “later,” or “I’m fine,” it feels impossible, worthless, hopeless. So try out saying yes, and see what happens! A miracle of healing!
Stephen Simons
Amen Clark! God loves that first step of faith and His response is on its way.
Jose
Great message today, Steve! We do spend too much time trying to think through the enemy’s influence on our lives, rather than focusing forward on God’s plan for us. Part of evil’s destructive influence is our daily comparison of what we think we should have versus what God think’s we should have, which brought to mind Matt 13:44-46 and Luke 12:22-34. God knows what we need, we just need to trust his plan instead of our plan. Thanks for the encouragement!
Stephen Simons
Right on Jose. Adding in your scriptures (NIV)…
Matthew 13:44-46 – The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Luke 12:22-34 – Do Not Worry
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.