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-- © GodSpeak International 2002 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --

ize = +1> ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES
Author: Teresa Seputis ts@godspeak.net http://www.godspeak.net
Editor: Bob Hawley

Finding Your Place In God's Kingdom Order

Lesson 16
Understanding and Preparing for God's Plan

By Teresa Seputis

God has a plan for each and every believer. He makes that clear in Jer. 29:11, where He says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" The specific details of the plan vary from person to person. But the plan includes some common elements.

For instance, God's plan for us will have us seeing what the Father is doing and doing it with Him. John 5:19 puts it this way, "Jesus gave them this answer: 'I tell you tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does'."

Another common element of God's plan is that it will have us moving in God's power and anointing, magnifying the name of Jesus. Jesus talked about this in John 14:12-14, where He said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it."

Another common element of God's plan is that it will have us working in unity and agreement with other believers. Jesus described it this way in Matt. 18:19-20, "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them." Unity was also Jesus' prayer for all of His followers in John 17:22-23, "I have given them the glory that you gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." And the apostle Paul prayed for this on multiple occasions, such as Romans 15:5, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus."

God's plan will have us walking in forgiveness, and not easily given to offense. The concept of walking in forgiveness is built into the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. Matt. 6:12 says, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Jesus offered an immediate commentary on that part of the prayer two verses later. He said, in Matt. 6:14-15, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Jesus tied receiving forgiveness from God to extending forgiveness to our fellow man. Therefore, God's plan for us will have us walking in His forgiveness and freely extending forgiveness to those who wrong or hurt or abuse us.

And God's plan will have us in a place where we are empowered to love our brethren. Jesus commanded this in Matt. 22:37-39: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 1 John 2:10-11 puts it this way, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." And Paul instructed, in Colossians 3:14, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

God's plan is that we will be emotionally healthy, secure in our relationship with God and in good relationship with each other. We will be able to hear and recognize His voice. We will be committed to obeying Him because we love Him (John 14:15). We will move with the Father to advance His Kingdom in His power and authority and anointing and we will see the power of God released through us as we do the same type of works that Jesus did. That is a pretty good plan, don't you think?

That plan is not for just a few anointed leaders. It is not only for those who have been given leadership roles in the Body of Christ. That is God's plan for each one of us. Joel 2:28-29 shows us how inclusive God's plan is. It is for the old, the young (and for those in-between). It is for men and it is for women. The only qualification is that we be His servants.

This will be one of the most exiting times to live, seeing "everyday believers" fulfil that plan and call of God on their lives. Many respected prophetic voices are declaring that soon it will be normal for the average Christian to perform miracles, to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. They are proclaiming that God is going to raise up a mighty army, a "nameless faceless" generation where everyone participates instead of just a few "big names." This move of God is almost upon us. It is a move where He will be glorified instead of individuals. It is a move of God where all of those (from the greatest to the least) will do the things Jesus did in His power and anointing because we are called by His name. These are pretty awesome plans that God has.

How will we walk this walk out? It will walk out differently in different lives. Those who are called primarily to raise up godly children will model the power and authority of God in day-to-day life situations, such as praying for Jimmy's knee when he has skinned it and watching the cut and scab disappear as God miraculously heals him. This lifestyle will cause Jimmy and his siblings to grow up full of faith and knowing the power of God, prepared and ready to fulfill God's destiny for their lives. The sales clerk at the local fast-food restaurant will find that he distributes spiritual food as well as physical food, bringing the hope of the gospel to many. The young businessman will find that he is able to pray for sick coworkers in the name of Jesus and see them recover. The dog trainer at the local pet store will find that she is training up her customers in righteousness and helping them make decisions of personal holiness. The administrator at the local hospital will pray for those she is admitting, and half of them don't have to stay in the hospital after all because they are instantly healed. Christian psychologists will find that they "loose" many of their clients because they are rapidly healed. They will cast out demons and see God restore people's minds in relatively few sessions. The local mortician will find that he is raising some of his "clients" from the dead. The switchboard operator will find herself giving personal prophecies with detailed words of knowledge to some of those she is waiting on, demonstrating the reality of God's hope and power to these people.

It goes on and on. God wants to plant His people in every walk and aspect of life, so that they can be living demonstrations of His power and love, and so that they can effectively share the good news of the gospel. He wants to move through each one in His glory and power to break down Satan's strongholds and set the captives free and advance God's Kingdom. This is God's plan for us. It is a good plan.

I know some of you are saying, "Ok, Teresa, you convinced me. Where do I sign up?" Well, I have good news for you. The "Power Of God 101" Class is being offered and you can register for it right away. If you have received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you have already met all of the prerequisites. The Holy Spirit is the course instructor, and He already told me that He wants you to become the teacher's pet in this class.

The syllabus has multiple segments, all carefully designed to make you excel in moving with God in His power and authority. One segment is where God personally works with you to remove past hurts, wrong thinking patterns, wrong motivations, fears and other obstacles, so you can move with God in His power and authority. There is another module where God experientially teaches each student how faithful and dependable He is, fostering the faith that can move mountains. One module is titled the "school of love and unity," where you learn to overcome differences and be in one accord with your fellow workers. There is another module where you learn practical ministry skills as the Holy Spirit trains and equips the students. And, of course, there is the "practicum" where you begin to understand your scope of ministry or field of influence, and to move in it. The practicum is designed to make you become effective in your current scope before He increases it. It is based on the premise of "Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in very little, have authority over [much more]" (Luke 19:17).

In short, God has a wonderful plan for you and He wants to train, equip and prepare you to walk in the fullness of it. I encourage you to take Him up on His offer and to begin to move into the destiny He has prepared for you since before the beginning of time.


-- © GodSpeak International 2002 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --

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