Plan Archives - Page 4 of 5

Head vs. Heart

August 22, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Have you ever had something that you really want to do, but have always been afraid to start? Or maybe there is something you want to see changed in your life, yet you can’t find the strength to actually make the change. I think this is a fairly common feeling, and something that I have frequently experienced. As soon as my heart begins to muster the courage for such a task, my head decides it is not a good idea—thus defeating that little bit of strength I was able to come by. Lately I’ve been feeling this way. Like there is a constant struggle between what my heart and head are telling me—each seem to have their own idea of what’s best.

It goes something like this. Generally my heart is telling me to follow the dreams and passions God has placed inside me, while my head is constantly weighing out the reasonability of following said dreams and passions. Is it safe? Would it be worth it? Am I really good enough at it? You will probably fail. Those are the sorts of things that go on inside my head. Like I said, constant struggle. When you think about it, those types of questions and statements aren’t really fair. How much can my head actually know about the things I have always been afraid to start?

Let me clarify. I’m not saying it’s a good idea to throw all caution to the wind, and follow every single dream in your heart. Dreams require some planning and preparation in order to come true, and no one achieves their dreams overnight—it takes time. But, what I am saying is don’t let you head get in the way of what your heart is trying to tell you. If you feel like God is directing you down a certain path, or creating an idea inside your heart, by all means follow his guidance. Don’t be afraid of what others might think, or of what your head is telling you. Most of the time God speaks through our hearts more clearly than through our heads anyways.

Just because you’ve never done something before doesn’t mean you have to be afraid of starting it. And don’t believe those lies that are going on inside your head—the ones telling you that you aren’t good enough, or that you’ll never make it. They just simply aren’t true. If God has placed something on you heart to do, then do it. Don’t think about it too much—it will cause doubt and fear to creep into your mind. God gives us creative ideas, dreams and passions for a reason—he wants us to achieve them. Don’t give in to fear and doubt. Trust in the abilities God has given you, and rely on his strength working through you in order to accomplish your goals and achieve your dreams.

Just something that has been on my mind this week. Hope you all are having a great week so far and enjoying these last few weeks of summer! God Bless:)

God’s Plans.

August 20, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Monday! Hopefully you all had a great weekend. Not too much happened over here—just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather we had all weekend long. It was beautiful outsideJ

Over the weekend I also read one of my all time favorite verses…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Like I said, one of my favorite verses. I can still remember memorizing this when I was quite young, and it has definitely stuck with me through the years. When ever I’m feeling a little stressed or unsure of what’s next, I always think of this verse and it reminds me of God’s promises to me. That he always has a plan and purpose for my life, and his plans are always full of goodness and hope. When we allow ourselves to trust him, we can have new hope in that goodness of his plans for us. But, just because these plans are good doesn’t mean we will be spared from all heartache and pain. We all go through things at different times in our lives—test, trials, heartaches, and sometimes lots of pain. However, we can rest assured that the end result will be glorious—better than anything we could ever have imagined.

Trust that God has a perfect; good plan for your life, and allow yourself to trust him enough to see it through.

Hope you are all having a great week so far!

Insecurities.

August 15, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello! So it’s been a few days since my last post…I was out of town this past weekend visiting family in Michigan. My aunt and uncle were in from New Zealand, so James and I went up to visit them, my parents, and my brother. We all went up to Northern Michigan and visited Traverse City, Leland, Crystal Lake, and eventually we ended up on Mackinaw Island for a few days.

The harbor at Mackinaw

Beach.

The hubby and I on our bike ride around the Island

The bro and I

Mackinaw Bridge.

Such a fun trip, and so good to see the famJ

Anyways, while I was away I finished Isaiah and started on Jeremiah. One of the first passages in Jeremiah really stuck out to me, so I thought I would share…

(this is right after God has called Jeremiah to speak to many people)

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I (Jeremiah) said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 1:6-8

Jeremiah was feeling insecure about the job God had given him to do. He didn’t think he was adequately prepared to speak to many people, and he let his insecurities get in the way. He believed the lies telling him that he wasn’t good enough for the task at hand. Fortunately, God stepped in and told him not to be afraid, and not to let his insecurities get in the way.

How often do we let our insecurities get in the way of doing what God has called us to do? We may not feel totally comfortable with the situation, so we back out—convincing ourselves that we did the right thing. How much more could we accomplish if we weren’t afraid or insecure? I’m thinking quite a lot. Even if we are afraid of doing what God has called us to do, we need to trust in him to get us through. We need to rely on his strength instead of our own, and be courageous and fearless in the face of our insecurities. We are bigger than the obstacles we put in our own way. Trusting in God and relying on his power and strength is the most important thing we can do. Just as the Lord told Jeremiah that he would rescue him, so to will he rescue us from our fears and insecurities.

What about you? Is there anything in your life that you feel you should be doing, but have always been afraid to start? Turn your fears and insecurities over to God, and trust in him to help you.

Hope you all are having a great week so farJ God Bless!

His Ways are Higher

August 8, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy gorgeous Wednesday! It is a beautiful day hereJ I was reading from Isaiah out on the deck this morning (yay) and I came across this familiar passage…

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heaves are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

I know I’ve read this passage before, but it really stuck out to me today for some reason. Lately I’ve been struggling with discerning God’s plans from my own. It’s hard sometimes to differentiate between the two. This passage reminded me how important it is to truly seek out God’s plans for our lives and diligently follow those plans always. The footnotes for the scripture say it best. “It is foolish to try and fit God into our mold—to make his plans and purposes conform to ours. Instead, we must strive to fit into his plans.”

So true. No matter how hard I try, my plans are never going to work out as well as God’s. This can be a difficult thing to admit, especially for someone like me who always loves to have a plan. But it’s crucial to do so if we ever want to get where we are supposed to be in life. His plans are perfect, while ours are nowhere even close.

For me, I need to focus on trusting him to reveal his plans to me by learning to be patient, and by following the passions he has placed in my heart. I truly believe that God gives us ideas, passions and talents for a reason. He wants us to do the things we love because he is the one who placed those passions within us in the first place. Making the connection between his plans for our lives and the passions he has placed in our hearts is critical to fulfilling our purpose in life.

Is there something you are passionate about that you feel God calling you to pursue? Don’t wait any longer. Trust that he has a perfect plan for your life, and follow the promptings he places in your heart.

Hope you all are having a great week so far! God Bless J

Timing is Everything

July 23, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Monday! James and I were away over the weekend visiting friends and family in Michigan, but I’m back now. It was a great fun-filled weekend, but I’m glad to be back home. Bonus—it RAINED this morning! Yes. I love rainy days anyways, but things have been so dry around here lately that I loved it even more this morningJ

On another note, I finished Proverbs over the weekend. I may come back to it in the future for journaling, but for now I’m onto Ecclesiastes. Now, when I think of Ecclesiastes, the first emotion that comes to mind is…depressing. Now I know that’s not the case, but when a book starts out saying “everything is meaningless,” it kind of puts a damper on your mood. Good news is, I’ve decided to change my mentality about Ecclesiastes. I’m going to try my hardest to look past the somewhat depressing verses, and pray for God to show me what he really wants me to get out of it. That being said, one verse that stuck out to me today as I was reading was this-

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The next few verses go on to describe different seasons in life, and how there is indeed a time for everything. I’ve read this verse before. In fact, I’m pretty sure I had this passage memorized at one point in my junior high career. However, reading it again caused me to look at it in a different light. You see, the verse isn’t just talking about how there is a time to be happy, sad, embrace, refrain, what have you—It’s deeper than that. The underlying theme here is God’s perfect timing. There is a time and a season for everything in our lives yes, but it is always WITHIN God’s perfect timing.

“The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God’s perfect timing.” (footnotes)

I’ve talked a lot about finding God’s plan and purpose for our lives, but finding, accepting, and living within His perfect timing is just as important. We may have an idea of what he wants us to do, but until we know that it is the right timing, it’s better to wait for him to speak. And he will speak. We just need to be listening.

His timing may not always make a lot of sense to us, especially at the time. It may even confuse and frustrate us. But, it’s important not to doubt that his timing is perfect, while relying on our own timing instead. Our timing is never perfect, and it will usually lead us to places God never intended us to go. Trust in his timing always—even when it doesn’t make sense. Because in the end, he knows what’s best, and he has a plan for our lives—we just have to patiently wait for his perfect timing.

Lord, help to accept that your timing is perfect, even when I don’t fully understand it at the time. I’m sorry for relying on my own timing more than yours again and again. Forgive me. Help me to live within your perfect timing each and every day. Amen.

Practice, Practice, Practice.

July 19, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

So I feel like I’ve definitely been on a ‘finding your purpose’ theme lately. It’s strange, but as I read my Bible each day, those are always the verses that pop out to me. I imagine this is because God is trying to teach me something, and I am hoping that this is a topic you all are feeling the same way about…because that’s what I’m going to be talking about. Again. It’s funny how God will highlight certain verses in certain seasons of our lives. I guess this season for me (and hopefully for many of you as well) is about finding purpose in life.

That being said, one of the verses that stuck out to me in Proverbs today was this…

“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”

Proverbs 21:31

It took me a little bit to figure this one out. At first I almost skimmed over it, thinking that it just had to do with war or preparing for a literal battle. I don’t think this is what the verse is implying though. You see, God has a unique plan and purpose for each one of our lives. Now, we can plan all we want on our own, but our efforts are useless without God. That being said, we are not completely off the hook. We can’t just sit around and wait for God to do something miraculous in our lives. It just won’t happen that way.

Think of it like this. Say you are a really amazing basketball player, and it is your ultimate dream to be in the NBA. You can sit around a dream about it all you want, but that’s not what is going to help you obtain your goals. Practice, and a LOT of preparation is what’s going to get you there. It’s the same thing with God and following his plan for our lives. He has a specific plan and purpose for us, but we have to do our part in preparing for that plan in order for it to be completed. God may have called you to be a powerful worship leader, but you’re going to have to learn how to sing and probably play the piano first. If you don’t, you won’t end up fulfilling God’s call in your life. It’s that simple. God will accomplish his purposes through us if we are willing to do our part and become well prepared for doing his work.

Is there something that you feel God calling you to do? If so, what sort of things can you do to become well prepared for the task? Or maybe you don’t feel called to anything in particular. It’s okay. Seek God in prayer and ask him. He will show you want you need to do.

Guard Your Heart.

July 15, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

If you’re anything like me, you sometimes get easily distracted. And when I say sometimes, I mean quite often. Not in the sense where I’m unable to focus on what someone is saying, but more so that I struggle staying on task. Let me explain. When I was younger, I wanted to try everything. I dabbled in pretty much every sport possible in middle school, tried downhill ski racing, rode horses competitively, and was a slight band nerd throughout high school. In college I got into sailing, running, and changed my major four times. I was always the kid who was “sort of good” at lots of things, but was “really good” at very little.

You see, I am quite indecisive when it comes to making life choices and deciding what I want to do with my life—hence changing my major four times. Actually, I am indecisive about everything. What I wear, what I eat, what I choose to do with my day…I could go on and on. I guess you could say it was tough for me to really figure out who I was and what my strengths were—especially as a younger person. It seemed to me that I tried everything, and nothing really seemed to fit. I remember feeling discouraged, even lost sometimes in college as I desperately tried to figure out what I wanted to be “when I grew up”. I ended up getting a degree in communications and business, which I enjoy, but it still just doesn’t quite seem to fit.

The way I see it, God has a special plan for my life—one that doesn’t really involve a traditional career. I’m not saying that I regret getting a degree. I use the skills I learned in college pretty much everyday. But sometimes I get too hung up on the things that I could have done, or the careers I could have pursued. Know what I mean? I think about what my life would be like if I were a teacher, a doctor or a nurse, and I forget to live the life that God has called me to live. I forget that he has directed me along this path for a reason, and that this is the road he has chosen for me. Those other options? They are there to distract me, and keep me from fulfilling my true purpose in life. I won’t be able to do the things God has planned for MY life if I am constantly trying to be someone else. It’s time that I accept the path God has chosen for me, embrace it, and stay focused on the task at hand.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, especially as James and I are in a season on transition. It’s funny how God will place verses right in front of you exactly when you need them. Example. This is one of the passages I read in my daily Bible reading yesterday…

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; keep your foot from evil.”

Proverbs 4:23-27

Umm…yeah. Pretty crazy huh? “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.” Definitely something an indecisive person like myself needs to work on. You see, God has a specific plan and purpose for my life, just as he does for yours. But, this plan can be sidetracked and sent on detours by our own selfish desires, which will eventually lead to sin. Proverbs is pretty clear here. Keep your eyes fixed on the task ahead of you while staying focused on God’s plan for your life, and you will be on a firm (right) path. We need to focus on guarding our hearts against the things that would distract us, and keep us from becoming the people God has called us to be.

What about you? Is there anything in your life that is keeping you from the path God has called you to walk? Or maybe there is something you know you need to be doing, but aren’t. Either way, put it before the Lord in prayer, and he will guide your steps.

Hope you are all having a great weekend! God Bless J

Decisions.

July 13, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Happy Friday! Nothing all that exciting going on around here…except for more HOT weather. Praying for rain! Anyways, yesterday I started reading in Proverbs. I was a little scared to start—Proverbs can be a bit daunting, and you have to read rather slow in order to take everything in—but now that I’ve begun, it’s not so badJ My reading yesterday included one of my favorite verses of all time…

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

I seriously still remember learning this verse in my fourth grade AWANA class back in the day. I must have been paying attention, because it has stuck with me through the years. This verse has been a verse that I fall back on when ever I was faced with a tough decision, or felt overwhelmed by a situation or just life in general.

Here’s how I see it. When making important decisions, it’s CURTIAL that we include God in the process. Actually, more than include. He should come first—before any of our own ideas. Why? Because our ideas can become partial to the things that we personally desire. Then of course, there’s our pride. We think we can make our own decisions and we want to be independent—we don’t want any outside help. However, if we were to fully rely on ourselves (rather than on God) before an important decision, it would most likely be made out of our own selfish desire—not necessarily the decision God would have is choose.

On the flip side, involve God in your decisions, and you are pretty much guaranteed a right answer. I’m not saying it will be the easiest or most convenient answer, but it will be the right one. And that’s what is most important.

Acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

The decisions he has you make may not always seem to make sense at the time. In fact, they may seem downright silly. Especially to those who care about you and want the best for you (ie family and close friends.) If you’ve ever had to make a tough decision and chose to follow God’s prompting instead of the prompting of those around you, then you know what I mean by this. But in the end those decisions will be the best decisions you have ever made, because when you “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” you can’t go wrong.

What about you? Do you have a tough decision that needs making today? Pray about it. Ask God for direction ad guidance. And then listen. Pay attention to his promptings—because they may come in ways that you least expect them.

To plan…or not to plan.

July 12, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

So…still praying, and seeking God’s guidance. I guess this is something I should always be doing, but lately it’s been more hit and miss. I’ve decided that I need to be more intentional about this. Not just when I need something, but always seeking his guidance and perfect will for my life. It’s going to be extra important in the next couple of months here though, as James and I are trying to make some plans for the near future. More on that later.

Ironically, as I was reading today in my last reading from the book of Psalms (think that means I’m about half way through reading the Bible in a year), I again was drawn to a verse about planning and purpose. Seems like a common theme lately for me…maybe God is trying to tell me something? Probably. I guess I’ll get it eventually. I can be kind of stubborn sometimes.

Anyways, the verse I read was this…

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me, your love, O Lord, endures forever- do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalms 138:8

And me, being the studious nerd that I am, of course read the footnotes for said verse…

“…to make the most out of life, we must include God’s plan in our plans. He alone knows what is best for us; he alone can fulfill his purpose for us…”

Umm….yeah. This verse couldn’t have been directed more at me if it tried. It’s almost like someone threw a bucket of cold water over my head in the middle of the night saying, “pay attention, this one’s for you!”

You see, I am a planner. Pretty sure I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating. I plan, and if I’m not careful I end up planning my life away—I always like to know what is coming next. That is partly why I am seeking God’s direction and guidance so adamantly and diligently—I don’t know what’s next. And it frustrates me. But, I am slowly learning that I need to let go of the reins, and let God be in control. He alone knows what is best for me, and he alone can fulfill his purposes and plans in me. BUT he can only do this if I let him in and allow him to become the planner instead of me. It’s not easy, but I believe it will be worth it in the end. I need to trust that he can see what I cannot. That his plans are perfect, and mine are only half-baked.

So for now I am trying to let go. I’m asking God to come in and take over the planning. He does a much better job at it anyways.

What about you? Are you an excessive planner like me? Imagine what could be if you allowed God to come in and take control for a while. For always.

Hope you are having a great week so far! God Bless 🙂

Success?

July 8, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello Friends! It’s been a few days since my last post. I was enjoying a week at Lake Michigan with my family, and it was definitely wonderful. A much needed chance to relax and unwind. Granted there isn’t Internet there, so I haven’t been able to post. But now I am back and ready to share more of what is on my heart with you allJHere are a few pics from the beach…

Pig. Enjoying the beach….he LOVES the beach.

The water was SO warm! It was almost like bath water warm.

My FAVORITE place in the entire world.

Anyways, this morning I was reading again in Psalms and there were a few verses that stuck out to me. James and I have been praying a lot lately about what God has for us in this coming year. We have had many trials over the past few months, and have been diligently seeking God’s face concerning the next step in his plan for our lives. As I was about to read, I asked God to show me something. Something that would give me peace about his perfect plan and purpose in our lives. Here are a few verses that stuck out to me…

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”

Psalms 118:8

“Turn my heart towards your statutes and not towards selfish gain.”

Psalms 119:36

And it hit me.

I think I want to do what God wants me to do, and I think I want to follow his plan for my life, but deep down I am selfish. Yes, I am. You see, I don’t really want to do whatever God has for me, only if it matches up with what I personally want. I haven’t put my total and complete faith and trust in him like I should be doing. I’m sorta like half way there. I say I have faith in him and that I trust his plan, but do I? Do I really? It’s not easy to completely let go of our own plans and desires. Not at all. But it is totally necessary. If we truly desire to be used by God in big in powerful ways, then we need to let go and let God be in control of our lives. Only then can we truly be used by him.

I struggle with this. I’m not afraid to admit it. I’m kind of a control freak, and I like to know exactly what I am going to be doing all the time. I like structure and I like to plan. It’s just in my nature. All the more reason for me to let it go. If I want to get anywhere of importance in life, I need to let God in and let him lead. Author and pastor Francis Chan recently said, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things that don’t really matter.” How interesting…yet how true. I can be overwhelmingly successful at something, but if it doesn’t really matter in the bigger picture of God’s plan for my life, then it is worse than failing altogether.

My prayer is that I become successful in the things God has planned for me, regardless of what those things may be. Even if it’s not my number one choice, I want to do what God has planned for me. I have a unique purpose, as do all of you, and I plan on fulfilling that purpose no matter where it may take me.

What about you? Is there something that you feel God calling you to do? Or maybe you are doing something that you don’t feel God has planned for your life. Whatever it may be, don’t wait. Ask God to carry out his unique and special plan in your life today. What are you waiting for?

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