Nobody plans to fail, they just fail to plan.

It's that time of year again....we look back over what we have accomplished and begin to make plans for what we would like to do in the year to come.

The question that I want to pose today is: How often do you pray before you begin to plan?  Proverbs 21:30 says "The is no wisdom, no insight, no plan, that can succeed against The Lord." So if you aren't going to The Lord for guidance before making your plans, you are risking certain failure if your plans go against what God wants.

So I looked in Proverbs to see if I could find a strategy to make my yearly planning time more productive.

God is definitely in favor of planning, when done right. Proverbs 21:5 points out, "The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste leads to poverty".  From this advice I know that I have to take time and deliberately think about my plans.  The investment you put into planning can make the difference between success and failure.

Once you are happy with what you have developed, Proverbs 15:22 points out that "Plans fail for lack of council, but with many advisors, they succeed".  By running your plans by MULTIPLE advisors, you will be able to get different perspectives on how to accomplish your tasks.  You may have overlooked a step that someone else spots.  The other thing that takes place when you run your plans by multiple advisors is that the plans become more real.  What I mean is that by showing others what you are planning to accomplish, you are making an accountability claim.  Most of the planning gurus agree that there are two things you can do that drastically increase your chance of reaching your goals...1.  Write down your plans. 2. Share them with others.

Now it all boils down to execution, and Proverbs has some words of advice here also. Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit to The Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."  And later in verse 9 it says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but The Lord establishes their steps."  I think these are two very important points that will improve your plan attainment. First, show The Lord your plans and commit to doing your best to complete them.  Then allow The Lord to establish them.  Then, once you have committed to your plans in your heart, allow for The Lord to lead your steps.  He knows what you are trying to accomplish, and he may have a better way for you to get it done, if you just listen.

As I prepare to sit down and work out my plans for the coming year, I am going to focus on these tips from Proverbs:

1.  Check in with The Lord before you get started, and ask for his guidance as you begin to plan.  Ask him to reveal what He wants you to accomplish to insure your plans are not in conflict with His.

2.  Take your time and set aside dedicated space to put the work into creating your plans.  There are no bonus points for finishing first.

3.  Once your plans are completed, share them with people you trust in order to get their feedback.  Ask for suggestions, have them ask questions, become accountable for your results.

4.  Commit your plans to The Lord and promise to do your best.

5.  Listen to The Lord along the way.  He may have a better way for you to do something, but if you are so focused on how you are executing, vs. staying focused on the goal, you may miss an opportunity that He is revealing to you.

Planning is always a challenging exercise that can seem frustrating and possibly a waste.  Have you ever wondered if planning is the problem, or if it is how you are planning?  If you are creating plans that don't take what God wants for you into consideration, you are doomed to fail.  Give this process a try this year and let me know how it goes.....I'm excited to see how it turns out.