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Does God have an individual plan for everyone?

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  • #76
    Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
    First of all, we need to distinguish between an individual life plan and divine appointments. I don't believe you can make a very good case from scripture on the former, but the later is all through scripture.
    Individual life plan = God has already laid out his best plan for your life
    Divine appointment = within that large life plan, God has places and people he wants you to be at

    What are your definitions?
    Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post

    Again, divine appointments are different from a step by step, moment by moment life plan. If you notice James doesn't tell them not to make a plan, he admonishes them for not including God in the plan. The whole chapter (ch 4) talks about staying close to God and His Moral will, not being proud or boastful...James is painting a picture here, a contrast between humility and boastful.

    Again, it's a difference between divine appointments furthering the Kingdom of God and thinking God has called you to be a school teacher. (for example)
    How do you include God in your plan? "If the Lord wills..." means that we are communicating with God about what he wants us to do. Isn't there something about God directing our steps in Proverbs? I think that means that he wants to have a part in our daily lives.

    "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord...Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:1,3
    The answer belongs to the Lord indicates to me that we need to ask God about our plans. If our work needs to be committed to the Lord, does he not have a plan for our lives?
    "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Proverbs 19:21
    If the purposes of the Lord will stand, does he not have purposes for our plans and for our lives?
    "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way..." Psalm 37:23
    If our steps are established by God, does he not have a plan for us?

    Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
    Paul was sometimes directed to a divine appointment, and other times, he just decided which way to go. Look at Acts 15:36 - "36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."
    and Acts 20:16 - "16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost."
    Notice Paul decides to go places without even praying about it. The truth is, there are only 15 – 20 examples documented in the 1st30 yrs of church history...and a lot of these were specific to Paul…yet we see him having to weigh options or simply decide a direction many times. So, they don't pass the "normalcy" test.
    If you have some scriptures you would like to discuss, I would be more than glad to discuss them.
    Ok, why do you think he sometimes just made decisions and other times get word from the Lord? How would we know how to make decisions?
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    • #77
      Originally posted by heartablaze View Post
      Individual life plan = God has already laid out his best plan for your life
      Divine appointment = within that large life plan, God has places and people he wants you to be at

      What are your definitions?
      Those work nicely


      How do you include God in your plan? "If the Lord wills..." means that we are communicating with God about what he wants us to do. Isn't there something about God directing our steps in Proverbs? I think that means that he wants to have a part in our daily lives.
      That's quite a leap IMHO. The verse I think you are alluding to is Proverbs 3:5-6
      5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
      6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
      Yes?
      The only two versions to translate it that way are KJV and NKJV. Every other version uses something like "...make your paths straight." The root word (Yashar) translated direct in KJV is more accurately translated: Level, Straight, just or lawful. There isn't really a reference to guidance or direction.
      Dr. Bruce Waltke a member of the NIV translation Team who was tasked with translating Proverbs is the committee member being referenced here:

      “All of us have had the shock of discovering that a favorite verse in the KJV was inaccurate, and hence that we had been led into an inauthentic experience. I recall the astonishment of one of the committee members assigned to translate the Book of Proverbs for the New International Version when he discovered that Proverbs 3:5-6 had nothing to say about guidance. He had taken as his life text: “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” But when confronted with the linguistic data he had to admit reluctantly that the verse more properly read “…and He will make your path smooth.”


      "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord...Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:1,3
      The answer belongs to the Lord indicates to me that we need to ask God about our plans. If our work needs to be committed to the Lord, does he not have a plan for our lives?
      "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Proverbs 19:21
      If the purposes of the Lord will stand, does he not have purposes for our plans and for our lives?
      "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way..." Psalm 37:23
      If our steps are established by God, does he not have a plan for us?
      Simple answer is no...every one of these verses are a command or encouragement (or admonishment?) to us to make sure we know and follow God's commands and follow His Moral Will. That puts us in the best position to be blessed of God.



      Ok, why do you think he sometimes just made decisions and other times get word from the Lord? How would we know how to make decisions?
      I think Paul made decisions and only changed them the few times God said to do otherwise. I think that is the pattern God expects from us. Get wisdom, knowledge and understanding from God's Holy Word, seek wise counsel, and make a decision. If God wants you to do otherwise, He'll tell you.

      Question for you. How would you say that God directs us? How do you think we know what decision would be God's perfect will in any given situation?
      Last edited by Littlejoe; 07-13-2015, 09:31 PM.
      "What has the Church gained if it is popular, but there is no conviction, no repentance, no power?" - A.W. Tozer

      "... there are two parties in Washington, the stupid party and the evil party, who occasionally get together and do something both stupid and evil, and this is called bipartisanship." - Everett Dirksen

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      • #78
        Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
        Those work nicely


        That's quite a leap IMHO. The verse I think you are alluding to is Proverbs 3:5-6
        5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
        6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
        Yes?
        The only two versions to translate it that way are KJV and NKJV. Every other version uses something like "...make your paths straight." The root word (Yashar) translated direct in KJV is more accurately translated: Level, Straight, just or lawful. There isn't really a reference to guidance or direction.
        Dr. Bruce Waltke a member of the NIV translation Team who was tasked with translating Proverbs is the committee member being referenced here:

        “All of us have had the shock of discovering that a favorite verse in the KJV was inaccurate, and hence that we had been led into an inauthentic experience. I recall the astonishment of one of the committee members assigned to translate the Book of Proverbs for the New International Version when he discovered that Proverbs 3:5-6 had nothing to say about guidance. He had taken as his life text: “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” But when confronted with the linguistic data he had to admit reluctantly that the verse more properly read “…and He will make your path smooth.”


        Simple answer is no...every one of these verses are a command or encouragement (or admonishment?) to us to make sure we know and follow God's commands and follow His Moral Will. That puts us in the best position to be blessed of God.



        I think Paul made decisions and only changed them the few times God said to do otherwise. I think that is the pattern God expects from us. Get wisdom, knowledge and understanding from God's Holy Word, seek wise counsel, and make a decision. If God wants you to do otherwise, He'll tell you.

        Question for you. How would you say that God directs us? How do you think we know what decision would be God's perfect will in any given situation?

        Comment


        • #79
          Originally posted by fm93 View Post
          I always wondered what people who espouse the traditional view believe God's plan was for infants who died at birth or were aborted.
          ## Precisely what happened to them. This is where we get into the question of how exactly to conceptualise and speak of evil in relation to God's Will, and (of course) His Goodness and Holiness. Sin is contrary to the Will of God - it does not follow from that, that sinful actions are not in some way integrated into God's purpose, so that His Will is fulfilled, even through sin; though not because of sin as though it were something good. If God can use the sin and evil of the Crucifixion to His greater Glory, why not abortion, or every other evil ? Nothing in creation can frustrate the Will of God.
          Last edited by Rushing Jaws; 07-25-2015, 08:18 AM.

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          • #80
            Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
            I think Paul made decisions and only changed them the few times God said to do otherwise. I think that is the pattern God expects from us. Get wisdom, knowledge and understanding from God's Holy Word, seek wise counsel, and make a decision. If God wants you to do otherwise, He'll tell you.

            Question for you. How would you say that God directs us? How do you think we know what decision would be God's perfect will in any given situation?
            Sorry, I've been travelling recently.

            I definitely agree with all of those decision-making steps and that's how I would say to find what his will is for us: His Word, counsel of others. I would also add in prayer, because it just makes sense to actually communicate with God when we make a decision.

            Also, many times I have had a specific scripture come up again and again from different sources and so I see that as a way of God directing my steps. For instance, I was praying recently about whether or not to go to seminary. Luke 10 came up on 3 separate occasions - from a devotional, from a Sunday school lesson, and from a sermon. All three sources were unrelated to each other (I'm travelling around right now). I see that as a call from God to be a part of sending out laborers and being a laborer myself. I see that as a confirmation of the desire in my heart - a God-given desire.

            So we agree on some of the ways that we make decisions as Christians, but I still hold that he has a specific path for each person, be it mundane or not.

            We may not know with 100% certainty, but I think you use the wisdom that God has given you to interpret what info he gives you on a specific decision. A lot of it is being close enough to Him to hear what he says, which is not always the case with me.

            The same God who inspired the writers of scripture to write the Bible is still alive and while we won't be writing anything else in the canon, I think that he still communicates with us today like a living being.
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