God's Plan for Your Life

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham a little later. The program will tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's brand-new book and reignite first hears his message God's plan for your life to God's word and turned to James chapter 4 and I will speak you on God's plan for your future. Jeremiah 20-11 says God's plan for you is not to harm you not to hurt you but for your welfare to give you a future and I hope so. The message that I have for you today from James is a very practical and a very personal message.

It regards God's plan and God's future for your life. Interested good. James four verse 13. Come now, you say today and tomorrow we will go to such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life good? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that, as it is, you boast in your arrogance.

All such boasting is evil so whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him.

It is said James is telling us a story.

It is a star that happens all the time in his day and in our day is about a businessman, a business person who is planning the future.

This guy is going to gather, he's obviously successful. He's ready these red trumps art of the deal. He's he's on his way. Forget his cell phone. He's a guy got the corporate jet waiting on the wheels are about to go up again.

So far so good. It's all right, he sure is going to have a winning successful business trip is going to certain he has a plan. What is going to do, how is going to do it but something is missing the most vital interest is missing. No, God, he's planning his life and his future. His business without God. He is not living a godless life necessarily. In fact, he might even be a believer of sort. They may believe in God is not godless buddies living his life. God bless without God is making decisions and and making plans and God apparently is in his plans and the fact is if you plan your life to do anything to do business or whatever if you don't know where you're from, who made you and why you're here. You'll never know where you're going and why you're going there. God does have a plan for your life.

And this man was miscalculating at several levels that I want to mention to you today. He was presuming prideful, he presumably that he was in charge of his life that he was in control of his days and his destiny but he was missing on several counts, one on the uncertainty of life on the uncertainty of life. He says in verse 13, now you say today or tomorrow we go here we can go there spend a year trying make a profit. He said, but you don't know what tomorrow will bring. You don't know house, uncertain life is because this man, no man or woman is promised another day. But today this is the day God has made and the Bible says in Proverbs 22 one in support of this passage back James in Proverbs are cousins in the Scripture there.

Very practical and their wisdom books. Proverbs 22 one says.

The Bible says, do not boast about tomorrow, for you don't know what a day will bring. This is why Jesus tells us live every day.

One day at a time. Don't worry about tomorrow. You can't change tomorrow don't know spend your energy, your time, your efforts worrying about tomorrow, live today.

This man is boasting. He's privately living without God's gotta huge ego is prideful and you know what ego is NGO edging God out and he's presuming on his life that he has another day. Life is tissue paper thin. What is your life James. That is like up on this like a vapor. James is saying. What is your likeness is so uncertain is like a is a mist is so short, there's some scriptures about that first Chronicles 2950 says we are strangers before you and sojourners as our fathers were our days on the earth are like a shadow and there is no abiding, that is nobody lives forever. Are our lives are like a shadow were sojourners here Job 76. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and come to the area and without hope. How could you live like that without hope.

But but my Daisy center like a weaver's shuttle, moving quickly. Psalm 90 verses nine and 10 for all our days pass away under your wrath.

We bring our years doing, then with us by the years of our life are 70 and even by reason of strength 80 and yet their span is but toil and trouble. They are soon gone and we fly away.

Yes life is uncertain. You don't have the promise of another single breath. This may be the last sermon you ever hear and maybe the last sermon I ever preach life is uncertain.

Don't presume on your life.

But not only the uncertainty of life but but this man presumed upon the brevity of life. Don't presume up on the brevity, like about you but I'm wondering these days who push the fast-forward button really we would wear it when we're young you know tying sort of crawls you can't wait to get older. Can't wait to get out of class and I remember sitting in clashes, watching the clock waiting for it to move. It never moved.

You can't wait to get your drivers license you can't wait to graduate you can't wait to get my immediate and it is just slow down and then maybe at midlife sort stalls and you know you started churning water a little bit but then as you get a little older life start speeding up doesn't and starts moving faster and faster and we find ourselves in a race against time. Billy Graham in his biography was asked what is the biggest surprise of your life. And Billy said the brevity of even the longest life is brief.

Life is short, we should all seek to live as long and, especially, as well as we can. We ought to do the best we can with the time that we have and your physical health is very important. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and you need to take time for the temple. Your physical life, physically, mentally and emotionally, spiritually wheat we are one God. Paul said in five first Thessalonians 513, that we should be sanctified may more like Christ body soul and spirit, and this is a spiritual commitment to take care of ourselves. We should never abuse our bodies anyway, whether it's food or drink. It produces sickness and sluggishness, and many people are old before their time, because I'm not really taking care of themselves and yes therefore eat well and exercise well and rest well and and and manage stress well and all the rest.

I would encourage you as I do to get a checkup and annual checkup every year to measure your health in the pickup problems that you can deal with early in 2009 in my annual physical.

They picked up prostate cancer. Thank God I did that physical. I'm now healed. I'm now well and through all of that but the fact is, it could have been a very different story all of you men make sure you're getting your PSA check make sure guys and gals that that you're getting your body checked out and then based on your doctors write a recommendation get in a fitness program.

Dr. Ken Cooper is my position and he's known as the father of aerobic sees an outstanding Christian Bannon position. Dr. Cooper says if you don't have time to exercise, then you better prepare to take time to be sick, so get moving you not to be a marathoner just get moving again and get some counsel and drop some pounds and discipline your mind and body. It may not add years to your life, but I promise you it will analyze to hear you having said all that life is still very short, no matter how long and how well you live and in the race of life in the race of life. There is one that you cannot be father time and I mean father time. Eventually, when the Bible therefore tells us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom were taught in the Scripture to redeem the time to seize the day live every day fully. Jesus promised a flourishing life, a full and fulfilling life. He said I've come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. The key is not to aim for a long life necessarily, but is Jim Elliott. The martyred missionary said to live a full line like the Lord make a difference while you're here, God did not give us why just so we could take up space or just to make a living, but to make a life in the make a difference in people's lives all around. This is why it is so important to invest our time, or treasured talent in the work of Christ and his church, and in the ministry of evangelism and were talking about.

Think of the eternal impact you can have on someone's life when you pray for them and bite them and bring them to the church or to a crusade in the thing about a crusade is that many people will come to a crusade to a stadium who might not first come to church and we can invite people so I'm saying you know your life is short and you keep saying you know I'm I'm gonna share Christ with my family. My regular share Christ with my my trilemma sure quite what are you waiting when you waiting for you to push too hard.

I want to run people off where you gonna run into hell. Number two. People are without pricing, EEGs, and now is the time today's the day you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message God's plan for your life bring fresh passion and joy to your faith with Dr. Graham's newest book, reignite an intimate account of how God led Dr. Graham to one of the darkest seasons of his life. Whether you're facing disappointment, doubt, depression, or heartache. Reignite offers biblical insights to encourage you in your pain and help fan the flames of faith in your life and it's our way to thank you for your gift to PowerPoint so call today to get your copy of reignite as thanks for your support: 800-795-4627 that's one 800-7954 six C7. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131.

And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop RV store give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional website again is Jack Graham.OR G. Now let's get back today's message God's plan for your life.

No resume on the uncertainties of life and don't presume on the brevity of life. One final thing. Don't presume on the sanctity of life. But here's the problem. This guy had.

He was, as I mentioned, living his life without God. He was living like so many people today live a secular life. Oh, he may have gone to church. He may have gone to worship. He may have had some notion about God about Jesus but every day of his life he lived as if though God did not exist, we call that a practical atheists is that why no atheists, but your living by all accounts, as though God does not exist because you're not including you get a week of my life up to open between the sacred and the secular well in a Sunday morning mass that's sacred. I'm going to church good.

Really glad you're here. Really glad you're watching online good but that if you think but on Monday, come Monday if business baby you live the same way on Monday.

As you say you live on Sunday and you cut off you live in a little compartment you have you have the that that the religious side of this are the sacred side over here and the rest of the time you think that's my time as my time as making money time that's been this time. Nothing wrong with doing business are making money. But remember this if you are a follower of Jesus every day's a holy day, every day's God's day. All time is God's time. Everything belongs to him. That's why say the sanctity of life. This guy's thinking. I don't know God, anything on Monday do that would be Thursday Friday Saturday he lived his life without the Lord he didn't understand the sanctity of life. All of life is a gift from God, born and unborn, created by God and mother's even before you were born, God had a plan for your life. Jeremiah 15 before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I consecrated you, I appointed you a prophet to the nation what was truth of the prophet is true for every person.

The psalmist said in Psalm 139 for you formed my inward parts, and you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you find fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very so life begins before birth, life begins in the womb. Men we are determined by God's grace to keep fighting the good fight of faith in this Holocaust and our nation, which is abortion in the past generation. Revolving out of the sexual revolution of the 60s came Roe V Wade, and now since Roe V Wade 16 million abortions in America but I tell you this minds returning minds or change and we have an opportunity in this generation. I say to the next generation that some of you are in your teens and 20s you have an opportunity in your generation to this terrible thing of abortion in America you do only God can fill the void that they could see the hole in your heart.

What is your line for many people lives. The vacation is just fun and games. Then they die and there's no fun and games in a crisis grade. A lot of people like this is a boy, this is this nothing and there's vanity a hole in the heart no purpose, no meaning, no direction.

The man like that in the Old Testament. His name was Solomon.

You know Solomon is a great man of man of wisdom, but he tells a story in the book of Ecclesiastes out early on he was trying everything and anything to find meaning in his life he was partying he was. If it was pleasure it was women. It was wine.

It was song. It was it was making money was all he had it all, but he concluded life under the sun on a horizontal plane vanity of vanities, all is vanity, meaning nothing nothing nothing empty life is empty for so many people Jesus talked about a man who was a wealthy man. He was a wealthy farmer and he had so much of these I have McKinney's drinking is Margarita endings have a great day thinking and much more money can I make it out anymore barns cannot bill eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you'd is the way some people life meaningless.

So I'm and I have as much fun as I can, but there came a not that knowledge is a knock at his door. He said who is it and he said there is at your door and that man awakened in the hell Jesus said he had it all planned, yet it all together.

He thought he was having fun. He was living a lie, but without God and without hope. Again Jesus at icon that you might have life life for the L life. This can be vanity can be a fixation for so many people life can be miserable and there's so much suffering in the world in so much pain in the world.

What is your life. Paul said for the legal live is Christ and to die is gain. You know Christ. The purpose of your life is to know and do the will of God. That's why James tells us here. You said you should've said this is how you live. If it be the Lord's will. I will do this I will do that I will go here I will go there. It would be the Lord's will. Success. Success in life is knowing and doing the will of God is the progressive realization in your life of God's will and God surrendering your life to do the will of God and I get asked questions all the time about the future. Of course, and then about our daily decisions, how we make decisions, how how do we know the will of God, should I buy that house should I get marriage of the go to this school year.

Here's what I've discovered about the will of God. Over time, Romans 12 wanted to referenced earlier says present your bodies a living sacrifice of the God your reasonable service. Your reasonable worship and OB transform art are.

Don't be know be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind the way you think, by the power of Christ that you may demonstrate proof live the perfect good and acceptable will of God. I know this about God's will for your life.

If you're a Christian is good is perfect and acceptable. It may not always feel good.

It may not always look good but God is always working everything together for our good, for his purpose and are in his glory, and for our best in life and if you will surrender your days to the Lord, your destiny will be given to him. I found in like most of the time the will of God doesn't hit me in the face.

I mean, there are few occasions when I just really sensed God pondering something in my soul and speaking in my heart and I know the Scripture says as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the children of God were led by the word were led by the spirit were led by godly counsel, but most of the time I'm seeing God's will unfold in my life when I just am obedient to what is right in front of and do what God's call me today. Right now, the question of the will of God is not one of my going and that the next 20 years. What am I going to do the next 15 minutes. And yes, the will of God is not something you have to do is something you get to do God's best. God's plan. God's purpose is good perfect and acceptable God would choose for you what you would choose for yourself and you had sense enough to choose it.

He knows what is right.

He knows what is best.

So just stay steady be steadfast in movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain. So stay steady, stay strong, do what is it you and God will just unveil God will keep showing you what the next step is in the next step in where you to go now.

What you do next is the will of God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean under your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he direct your path. You know your future and you given your future to Christ. The only way you can know you're going to have and the only way to go to heaven.

This is Jesus who is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father except by him the way to go to heaven is to put your faith in the one who died on the cross for your sins to have your sins forgiven and your sins can be forgiven. Your life can be changed. We we can't reverse the years of slow down time. But Jesus did say you can be born again, and experience of salvation so radical, so life-changing that it's like a a new birth, a brand-new beginning you can have a new beginning in Jesus by turning from your sins and trusting in Christ and Christ alone as your Lord and Savior. And when you do that these things are written that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you have life in his name. You can know for certain that you're going to have wonder about that. You certainly don't worry about that you can settle it today, and today don't know is the only day you promise eliciting PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message God's plan for your life, chances are you faced your share of crisis.

Maybe you're even in the fight of your life right now. Or maybe you're simply feeling exhausted by the busyness of life and sap the spiritual strength. Whatever you're facing.

We want to help fan the flame of faith your life by sending you Dr. Graham's newest book reignite this personal account of how guideline Dr. Fran through his own crisis will help you focus on God during difficult season. See you can experience fresh passion and joy in Jesus and will send you a copy as thanks for your gift today so call now to request your copy of reignite, 1-800-795-4627 that's one 800-7956 27. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop E store. Give a gift online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional our website again is Jack Graham.Margie Pastor what is your PowerPoint for today. You don't have a purpose in your life is going to be a struggle is the very reason that we are created by God to fulfill his purpose for our lives.

So I love Jeremiah 2911. One of my favorite verses.

It tells us that God has a plan for our lives and that plan is good and it is still with great hope we have a future with him. So many people don't accept God's plan because they must think there's a better one. Or maybe they never even thought about it that much but you need to consider what God wants to do with your life why God made you any made you for a mission for a purpose. So many people spend their days trying to figure it out on their own. They try focusing on making money or climbing a career ladder may be finding love or a relationship and, in and of themselves, these of course are not bad things. I love the Scripture which says the Lord our God is a sun and shield. He gives grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them who walk upright like a Psalm 8411. The Bible tells us that our lives are very brief that like a shadow or a vapor here today and gone tomorrow.

We don't know that we will see you next sunrise, but for the Christian. That's not a bad thing that is not a depressing thing because we know God has an eternal future for him and that heaven is real and they were going to spend eternity with him, so real meaning of true happiness is found in the Lord. Success in life is the progressive realization of God's will for your life when you find meaning and happiness in Christ by surrendering your life to him, you will begin to live out and you will love it.

I promise you, you will begin to live out and love the amazing plan and the lasting hope that God has for you. You have a future. Don't ever quit. Keep living the plan and the purpose for God in your life and that is today's power. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint today will send you Dr. Graham's brand-new book, we at night is our thanks.

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