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“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

“Did you recognize that one scripture pastor used in his sermon.” My friend asked me after the service.

I had to stop and think. “Which one do you mean?”

She looked pensive. “The one about man’s plans.” I remembered.

The next day, a blogging friend wrote about the release of her e-book six weeks later. She spoke of procrastination as she avoided work on her project. She is married and has four children, one of whom has special needs.

I find myself putting things off rather that working on a timely basis. Doing the work God has given me can be a huge task. I can come up with so many excuses.

Excuses and Antidotes

My first excuse of the day is usually, “I did not sleep very well.” God counters that by seeing to it that I get a late morning or an afternoon nap. (Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down. . . .)

An excuse I have adopted from someone quite close to me is, “It is too hot,” or “It is too cold,” or “It is raining.” I remember reading about a janitor responding to thoughts like these with these words, “It is the LORD’s weather.”

One excuse I have broken myself from using is, “My arthritis is causing my leg (or other part of my body) to hurt.” In 2006, a friend of mine called me to request I pray for her husband. He was in business for himself. He had a 2,000-pound lathe fall on him. The lathe crushed his right leg. He has metal plates held in place by screws all up and down that leg. To this day, 10 years after the mishap, he still has times when that leg hurts. If I even think of arthritis flaring up, I immediately think of this fine Christian man. From time to time, I think about another fine Christian man who is a quadriplegic. He had a car wreck when he was a teen-ager, some 40 years ago.

Here again, the excuse about the weather comes to mind. I am about to embark on a project to make our enclosed front porch into an area for resting and relaxing. I know my time is limited because of the summer heat and the cold weather that will come. Hubby almost has the junk dispensed with. Soon, I should get serious about this project.

One of my old standbys is “No one will help me; I have to do this by myself” I have started a writing project that will require a quantity of time. I have made contact with some of my blogging friends who are willing to help me by praying for me and doing some proofreading.

(James 4:2 “You have not because you ask not.”)

(Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.)

I have to keep my plans in line with what God says in His Word in order to accomplish anything for Him or for our family, our neighbors, our friends, and our church family.

As I reviewed this article, I realized I serve a great God who will help me through these projects and plans if I give them over to Him and follow His leading.

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

A Great House Falls