God’s Plan for You: A Future and a Hope by Pastor Tim Gilligan
God’s Plan for You: A Future and a Hope
Pastor Tim Gilligan
Solomon was about to assume the throne of his father David, and he knew he needed help. So when the Lord appeared to Solomon one night and asked him what he desired most, the young man asked for only one thing: divine wisdom to help him lead the nation of Israel. Pleased with Solomon’s answer, God granted his request. In fact, Solomon went on to become the wisest man who ever lived!
Solomon discovered a crucial key to understanding the ways of God during his unparalleled pursuit of wisdom. Let’s focus on that key as we seek ways to walk in the fullness of God’s plan for our lives. It is found in Ecclesiastes 3:1:
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
· A time to be born and a time to die.
· A time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted.
· A time to break down and a time to build up.
· A time to weep and a time to laugh.
· A time to mourn and a time to dance.
· A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones.
· A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.
· A time to gain and a time to lose.
· A time to keep and a time to throw away.
· A time to tear and a time to sew.
· A time to keep silence and a time to speak.
· A time to love and a time to hate.
· A time of war and a time of peace.
The principle is simple but profound: As we pass through life on this earth, we’re going to pass through seasons. Solomon’s list of seasons is obviously a partial one; however, we can see that he included a number of negative things. There is good reason for that. As long as we live in this natural realm, we will all have to deal with circumstances that we’re not real thrilled about. Solomon gives us the key for dealing with the negative effects ― we must seek to understand the times and seasons of our lives.
We may as well face it ― while we’re on the earth, we will have challenges. Jesus confirmed this in John 16:33. I once listened to a Christian song that talked about the devil not bothering us anymore. I had to listen carefully to make sure it wasn’t talking about dying and going home to be with the Lord, because that’s the only way the devil won’t bother us any longer! We have an enemy who absolutely hates our guts! We remind the devil of God. God has “wired” us with gifts, callings, and anointings that reside within us. The enemy sees the God-potential in us, and he hates it with a passion. Therefore, he is always looking for ways to steal, kill, and destroy everything good in our lives. However, you can’t blame the devil for everything bad that happens to you. The truth is, we sometimes experience problems because none of us have a perfect walk with God, and we forget that we don’t get sand spurs when we stay on the sidewalk. In other words, we take a wrong turn that creates a mess! It’s important to identify the times we’ve made the mess and immediately look for a way to get back on the road according to God’s direction for our lives.
Whatever the source of our problems, it is so important that we grasp the principle that Solomon discovered: Our lives are lived in seasons. I’d like to share with you six points to remember about seasons. How we relate and deal with these seasons will determine the quality of our lives.
1. Don’t get stuck in a season.
Whatever happened to you in the past, no matter how unfortunate it was, you need to leave it in the past, or it will create all kinds of problems in your future.
2. Don’t miss a season.
Another definition for the Hebrew word moed, which is translated “season” in Genesis 1:14, is an appointment or a fixed time. As I was pondering the definition of “season,” the Lord ministered this principle strongly to my heart: Since a season is an appointment, you have to be cautious regarding “disappointments.” If you experience a disappointment and you don’t handle it right, it can cause you to miss your divine appointment. If that happens, you have to make sure you get “reappointed” to the season you missed and the divine assignment you were to fulfill.
3. Never fail to reap a harvest from every season.
You should always gain something of benefit from anything you go through. You should come out of every situation with greater faith, greater trust, and a greater heart of gratitude. You need to come out with lessons learned and an added measure of wisdom gained from experience. As one minister put it, even an old, blind pig will find an acorn now and then if he works at it! Make sure you don’t come out of a season with just any kind of harvest; it has to be the right harvest. As you determine to gain something good from each season, you will go from faith to faith, as the apostle Paul talks about in Romans 1:17.
4. Enjoy what you can in every season.
Some seasons are much easier to enjoy than others, but you should always look for ways to enjoy every season of life that you go through. There is something to enjoy in every season, no matter how unpleasant it seems to be!
5. Don’t grow weary of doing good in the midst of a season.
God’s command in Galatians 6:9 tells us that if you don’t lose heart, if you don’t cave in, if you don’t give up and quit ― then you will reap a harvest of blessing. You have to continue to do the right thing, and you can’t grow weary in doing it. Weariness gives you the temptation to quit at a time when pressing on toward the next season matters the most. You have to apply some energy to moving obstacles that stand in your way, and you have to release your faith by speaking and acting on what you believe.
6. Monitor your seasons.
It is your responsibility to monitor your seasons and make sure anything that is carried over to the next season is positive. Don’t allow yourself to carry past garbage, bad attitudes, hurts, offenses, sinful habits, and so forth, into the next season of your life. You have to stay alert and spiritually awake at all times, working hard while trusting God to order your steps. Don’t just walk through life without making any effort to understand the times and seasons of your life. Be very purposeful in how you live. Ask yourself, Where am I right now? What is in my life that is not part of God’s plan for me? If you identify things in your life that shouldn’t be there, don’t let those negative things define your life ― assign them to a season. Then refuse to let that season go on forever. Start looking for the exit door and get out of there in a hustle!
Our steps are to be ordered by the Lord, so we can’t just roll down any old path we want to, or accept everything that comes our way. We can’t just say, “This is my lot in life, and that’s just the way things will be.” We have to make the decision, “This is not my lot in life. I am not a loser. I am not limited!”
You have much to do with the duration of the seasons you go through. You can extend a good season or help to possibly shorten a bad one. You can wander in the wilderness for forty years if you want, doing your own thing, or you can cooperate with the Lord and maybe turn it into a ten-day trip.
Refuse to grow weary or stay disappointed. Do the right thing with energy. Determine never to leave a season empty-handed. Work hard. Trust God. Obey God. And whenever something negative comes your way, label it with a mental sign that declares, “This is just a season! I’m moving on to my future and hope in God!
Tim Gilligan is the founder and Senior Pastor of Meadowbrook Church, which is located in Ocala, Florida and was established in 1989.
Tim is known for teaching and illustrating the uncompromised truth of God’s promises, which are the keys to victory in every area of life, and has authored four books — Playing for Keeps, Your Word and Your Work, Seasons, and Transitions.
By using practical methods to communicate the Good News, Meadowbrook Church continues to grow with a current weekly attendance of nearly 4,000 members.
The Life of Faith television broadcast was first launched in 1998 and airs locally. Live broadcasts and archives of Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services are accessible via the internet at www.mbcocala.com.
Tim serves as the Regional Director for AFCM (Association of Faith Churches and Ministers).
Tim and his wife Alicia have five children and reside in Ocala.
