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What Does God Have Planned for Me Next? — Series Week 2
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When you're facing a big decision, God's guidance doesn't always come the way we expect. We're in the middle of making countless decisions every day—some sources suggest we make as many as 35,000 decisions daily, with over 200 just about food. But the big decisions matter most: who to date, who to marry, where to go to school, what job to take, which city to choose, whether to buy a house or rent.
The question we're really asking is: Does God actually help us make big decisions? According to Psalm 32:8, He absolutely does. God says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." He sees us. He knows what we're going through. He wants to be involved.
But how does this actually work? I've heard some amazing stories about how God communicates. One friend told me he moved his family across the country because God spoke to him through a license plate. He was almost rear-ended on a side street, got close to another car's bumper, and saw the first three letters of the license plate: CLS. Those were the same initials as a high school in the town they were considering. He took that as a sign.
I have to admit, I was skeptical. I spent the whole week looking at license plates thinking, "AXT 470. DON'T TALK TO ME."
My friend Scott Brugman, one of the original founders of Red Rocks Church, has his own story. He claims he chose to move to Denver because he was in his kitchen reading the Bible when he came across the passage where God fed Elijah with ravens—black birds. At the exact moment he was praying about whether to start a church in Denver, he looked out his window and saw four black birds squawking at him. He took that as confirmation.
I used to make fun of him for that. Whenever we faced a problem—no money, no building, what are we going to do?—I'd say, "Scott, we need the birds."
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But here's the truth: there's nothing God can't do, and there's nobody or nothing He can't speak through. He created communication. He gets to choose how He communicates, and He'll do it in all kinds of crazy ways.
I'm still the pastor of this church because God communicated to me through a two-year-old. True story. We were less than a year into starting Red Rocks, with about 50 people meeting in the back of Heritage Square Amusement Park. It wasn't working. I called Scott and said, "Scott, I think you need to fire me. I don't have what it takes. I'm going back to med school." I spent a whole day talking to my wife Jill about how I'd majored in pre-med in college and we should just go back and take the MCAT.
That night, I sat down with my two-year-old son Ethan. I asked him, "Hey bud, how would you feel if your dad was a doctor?"
He thought for a second and said, "Well, Dad, if you're a doctor, then who's going to tell people about Jesus?"
I called Scott crying. "I'm in. I'm still in. Let's go."
So the question is: should we just drive around looking at license plates? Should we put up a birdhouses in our backyard? You could, because God can speak that way. But I think there are four safer, more reliable places where God tells us—without a shadow of a doubt—that He loves to guide and lead us.
First, get in God's Word. Psalm 119:105 says, "My word is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path." God doesn't give us a floodlight to see five years down the road. He doesn't give us a complete map. He gives us a lamp that shows us just enough to take a step today—one step at a time. When you need guidance, get in God's Word.
Second, get into prayer. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously without finding fault." If you need answers, come and talk to God about them. But don't just ask questions and run. Ask Him and then sit. Give Him a chance to respond.
Third, get around God's people. Proverbs 15:22 says that "plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." We weren't created to pursue God's plans alone. We were created to pursue them with God's people. Start doing life with people who are sold out for Jesus.
Fourth, get in God's house. Hebrews 10:25 says, "Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship... but we must not do that... we should keep on encouraging each other." There's something powerful about corporate worship that you don't experience alone. And here's the beautiful part: getting in God's house is a cheat code for the other three. When you gather together, you get God's Word, you pray together, you're with God's people, and you worship together.
All four of these things have one common denominator: they're different ways to seek God. We think we're coming to God for answers, but He says, "You're not coming for answers. You're coming for Me. Answers are the cherry on top. When you get Me, I change everything about your life."
Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you. I ain't hard to find."
Twenty-two years ago, Jill and I were trying to decide: should we move to Denver and try to start a church? We were scared to death. We had a page of problems. We'd just finished building our dream house in Rockford. We couldn't afford to lose money. We didn't have money to lose. We had no job lined up, no place to live, no health insurance. Jill was pregnant with Austin.
But we were doing all those things—fasting, praying, getting in God's Word, asking everybody we could find, going to church. We were just seeking Him because we had no clue where the answer was going to come from.
One day at church, the pastor read a verse from Matthew 6. I kind of caught it but not completely. When I got home, I opened my journal where I'd written down all my problems, and I reread what he'd shared. He said:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
I laughed. God's got a sense of humor! Scott moved to Denver because God showed him birds in his yard. And I moved to Denver because God showed me birds in His Word.
We loaded up the truck and moved to Denver. We've been the senior pastors here for 21 and a half years now, and it's been the most exhilarating 21 and a half years of our lives. It hasn't been easy, but it's been purposeful. And we love it.
Now, let's say you've been doing all of this. You're seeking God. You're in His Word, you're praying, you're around His people, you're in His house. But you still have a big decision to make, and you're not sure which direction to go. I want you to ask yourself three questions that will help you filter your choices and arrive at God-honoring decisions.
Question One: Am I putting God first?
Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
God says, "Seek Me first. Not other people's opinions. Not your feelings. Not your logic. Seek Me first. I'll show you. I'll guide you."
When you're facing multiple doors, multiple options, put God at the center and seek Him first.
Question Two: Am I submitting to His ways?
Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Or as the NLT puts it: "Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."
Here's what a lot of us do: we ask God to help us make decisions while we're not even submitting to Him in other areas of our lives. We go, "God, I need help. Guide me." But He's saying, "You're not even submitting to Me. Why would I help you make decisions to head in a direction I don't even want you to go?"
God doesn't play games. He says, "Submit to Me, do life with Me—not because I'm insecure, but because that's how you experience life to the fullest. That's where you find peace, joy, and purpose."
Question Three: Am I building His kingdom, not just mine?
This is huge. The very last thing Jesus said was in Acts 1:8: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
He's saying, "I don't want to just save you so you can sit around and wait for heaven. I want to give you an assignment. I've got a purpose and a calling on your life. You're going to help hurting people in My name. You're going to help lost people find Me. That's where you'll find your purpose. That's where you'll find your worth and your meaning. That's how you'll leave a legacy."
I've seen this happen: people make all the best decisions their whole lives. They pick the perfect school, the perfect major, the perfect job, the perfect spouse, the perfect city, the perfect house. They make all these great financial decisions. But if it's all to build their own kingdom, they end up miserable. There's always something missing. They think, "On paper, my life is perfect. Why am I so numb, bored, unfulfilled?"
We're not created to take all of God's blessings and build our own kingdom. We're created to take His blessings, His wisdom, and His guidance to build His kingdom.
Here's a game-changing prayer: instead of asking, "God, what are the plans You have for me?"—flip it. Ask, "God, how can my life serve Your plans?" That will change things right there.
Let's say you've done all of this. You've sought God with all your heart. You've gotten in His Word, you've prayed, you've asked for godly counsel, you've been in His house. You've asked yourself those three questions and really tried to put God first, submit to Him, and build His kingdom. But you've still got two doors in front of you—maybe three or four options—and you genuinely can't figure out which one to choose.
What then?
I think God wants to say to you: Pick one.
You might think, "That's not spiritual enough." But look at 1 Corinthians 10:31: "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
God is saying, "There are going to be some things I'm going to speak to you about as you actually ask yourself and Me the hard questions. But if you've been trying to put Me first, if you've been trying to submit to Me, if you've been trying to build My kingdom—then step up with some confidence. Use that God-given wisdom I've been imparting to you. Take advantage of the Holy Spirit that's inside you. Make a call. Pick one. You've got this."
But what if I mess it up?
Isaiah 30:21 says:
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way. Walk in it.'"
Notice how this verse starts: "Whether you turn to the right or the left." It assumes you're choosing. You're making a decision. And here's what God promises: "I'm going with you."
He's been behind you, He's with you, and He goes before you. If you go right, His presence is with you. If you go left, His presence is with you. And if He needs to course-correct you, He will. He'll whisper in your ear: "Hey, not that way." And you'll just keep rolling together.
We see this all throughout the Bible. In Acts 16, Paul tried to go to different cities, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn't let him. God was saying, "I love that you're doing this, but let me just course-correct you." Twice He redirected Paul—not because Paul was wrong to try, but because God wanted to guide him somewhere better.
When David said, "God, I want to build You a temple," God said, "I love your heart. In fact, you're a man after My own heart. But that's not for you—that's for your son. But you're going to fund it. Let me just course-correct."
He didn't abandon David. He guided him.
I was talking with my friend Frankie this week, and he told me an incredible story from his childhood. When he was a kid, his dad took him to Target, and they went to the LEGO aisle. Frankie was overwhelmed by all the choices.
"This is awesome," he'd say, picking up one set. "But wait, this one is awesome too. But if I pick this one, I can't pick that one."
He was paralyzed by indecision. Finally, his dad said, "Son, just pick one."
Frankie said, "My dad understood something I didn't. My dad understood that he was going home with me. He was going to take it out of the box for me. He was going to take me through the instructions page by page. And if I put a wrong piece in the wrong place, he would lovingly correct me, and we'd fix it and move to the next page. He was going to build most of the whole thing and let me put the bottom two pieces on, and then he'd stand back and go, 'Look what my boy did.' And he was going to be so proud."
Frankie said to me, "What if God's saying to you and Jill right now, 'Pick one'?"
That hit me hard.
Fifteen years later, my friend Douglas Wukenman came into my office freaking out. He had dreamed his whole life of starting a church in San Diego, and they went to San Diego. But they didn't have peace. Then they went to Austin, Texas, and they felt peace.
I had him sit down and told him about the LEGO story. I said, "Hey Doug, do people need to be saved in San Diego?" He said yes. "Do people need to be saved in Austin?" He said yes.
I said, "Hey Doug, pick one."
They picked Austin, Texas. And as of today, 6,242 people have raised their hand and said, "I want to start a relationship with Jesus Christ."
I believe God wants to say to somebody today: "I see you."
I see what you've been going through. I know how hard it's been. I know you've been trying real hard to stay close to Me. You feel like I'm not answering. But here's the thing: the process of you trying to get close to Me for this answer is bringing you closer to Me. And that's going to change your life in a way that an answered prayer never will.
But I see you. You've got these decisions and you can't figure them out. It's causing worry, stress, and anxiety. What if you just took advantage of the God-given wisdom I gave you? What if you used that wisdom and the Holy Spirit that's inside you and you realized:
"God's going with me. If I go this way, God's going with me. And if I go this way, God's going with me. He's still God. He's still on the throne. He's still in control. He'll provide for me this way and He'll provide for me that way. He'll bless me this way and He'll bless me that way. He'll protect me over here and He'll protect me over there. He's been behind me, He's with me, and He goes before me. So whichever way I go, He'll meet me at the entrance."
God wants you to hear this: "I got you. You got this. Pick one. And I'll be there with you."
If you're in a season where you need to make big decisions—whether it's finances, relationships, career, or anything else—I want to ask: will you let God speak? Will you let Him guide your steps?
And if you've been thinking about starting a relationship with Jesus, about letting Him forgive your sins and guide everything in your life, this might be your moment. Jesus died on a cross to pay the price for every single one of our sins. He rose from the dead to prove He is who He said He is. He's offering you grace, forgiveness, and a relationship that will guide every decision you make.
If that's you, if you're ready to say yes to Jesus—to let Him guide your steps, to put Him first, to submit to His ways, to build His kingdom—raise your hand. Let God in. Start your journey with Him today.
