I know a friend of mine who went through severe financial crisis sometime back. He had a passionate desire to conduct open-air Gospel meetings at different rural areas in Kerala. But since he didn’t have sufficient financial backing, He gave the matter into the Lord’s hands.

After sometime, he got a witty idea. Why not construct a facility on top of his house and rent it out for business? He began working on that idea. With the help of a substantial bank loan, he hired a construction company to build his dream facility.

To cut a long story short, now his facility houses three business groups and his financial woes have ended. Besides, he is following his passion and hosting open-air Gospel meetings at different places!

Psalm 37:5 declares, “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you” (NLT). Why should we commit our plans to the Lord? The reason is simple: God is omniscient (all-knowing) while we don’t know everything. He knows our past, present and future while we know much of our past and present with less knowledge about our future. So God knows well what we should do for growth and productivity. And He is ready to tell us if we ask Him!

Check out this beautiful passage: “Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place” (Proverbs 16:3 MSG). It’s not about asking God to bless your plans. Rather it’s about asking God to work out His plans on your plans! And the result will be, His plans work like a catalyst on your plans and transform it to something beautiful and powerful.

Here’s a smart way to commit your plans to the Lord: start a Plans Journal. You may use a diary, notebook or A4 paper for journaling. Make two columns on the selected page. On the left column, write “Plans I commit to the Lord” as the heading. On the right column, write “How God worked it out!” as the heading. Fill out the left column with your plans that you commit to the Lord. And as results start showing off, log it in the right column. By the end of the year, you will be so amazed at how beautifully God transformed your plans and brought huge blessings out of that!

So, remember: Committing your plans to the Lord helps you start 2012 afresh!

In the next post, we are going to analyze the 4th step to starting this New Year afresh. Meanwhile, what are some of the benefits you reaped by committing your plans to the Lord in the past? Add your comments in the comments section below. Also share this post with some of your friends to help them start this year afresh!

- – - written by Joe Abraham from www.joeandancy.com

Sometimes, in all our lives,
We have a cross to bear.
We think we’re on our own
And long for someone to care.

We forget that God is watching,
Waiting to guide us through.
He understands how we feel,
Is sharing our sorrows, too.

Only He can see in the future,
Knows what plans are in store,
And (with His grace and power)
He opens a brand new door.

Lean on Him to guide you.
For, He is holding the key
Solving all of life’s problems,
In order that we can be free.

- – - written by Marian Jones

Lord I know you’re near to me
I know there’s nothing You can’t see
Help me to be all that You want me to be
Touch my mind, body and soul, set them free

You pick me up when I’m down
Even when it’s my sorrows I want to drown
You love me still in spite of myself
Mostly when I feel I have nothing left
You bless me over and over again

Now I wonder why I ever ran
Your love for me runs deeper than the days run long
It’s no wonder my love for You has grown strong
You have my back when it’s heart that I lack
With You by my side, now I’m on the right track.

It took me a lifetime to get this far
No one but You can see all the scars
I long for the day that they’ll all be healed
But right now it’s each and every one that I feel

The sad thing is: I could have avoided the fall
If I had only given You my all and all
You’ve never tried to force Your love on me
It was always there whenever I was in need

I’ll never find a love more special than Yours
I guess that’s why I kept opening doors trying to find a love that was true
Hmmm, maybe I’ll snap my fingers and it’ll appear out of the blue
I’ve already tried that fairy tale
That one is setup so you can only fail

Everything I need or want, I’ve found in You
The peace that I have is the absolute proof.

- – - written by Sondra L. Settles