ASK Fr. BITAJU | KAIROS GLOBAL | PILOT ISSUE | 2017

Author : johnson jacob, college student, melbourne, australia

Intro : Does God have a specific plan for my life? If so, how do I identify it? What are the signs that my path in life is aligned with His plan?

Does God have a specific plan for my life?

Yes, God has a plan for your life. The

words of Jeremiah 29:11 state very clearly,

“For surely I know the plans I have for you,

says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not

for harm, to give you a future with hope.” God

gradually unfolds it to you in various ways.

It is a lifelong pursuit to be fully attuned

to His plan. The fact is that 98% of His will

is already delineated carefully through His

Word. For instance, it is clearly His plan that

we abstain from sexual immorality (I Thes

4:3-4). The plan of God does not make you

passive, but active in your quest for His will.

If so, how do I identify it?

The first step to identify God’s plan for you

is to cultivate a close relationship with Him.

One can do this by spending time with His

word, taking time to pray, and listening

to God in silence. In the absence of such a

relationship, it is almost impossible to seek

His will or plan for you. The second step

in this process is that before God begins to

reveal His will to you, you must be committed

to doing whatever it is that He desires for you

to do. “Do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your

minds, so that you may discern what is the

will of God – what is good and acceptable

and perfect” (Rom 12:2). This could mean

there is a need for a change of mind or a need

to change your attitudes that are heavily

influenced by your circumstances. The

third step is to seek God’s will/plan for you

through spiritual counselors/guides, like your

spiritual director, elder, or pastor - people

who accompany you in your spiritual journey.

“Where there is no guidance, the people fall,

but in an abundance of counselors there is

safety” (Prov 11:14). The fourth step is to

remember that God often reveals His plan

for our lives by lining up circumstances in

obvious ways. God often uses closed doors to

show us clearly what He does NOT want us to

do. He also uses open doors at times to show

us what He DOES want us to do. Of course,

this does not mean that every open door is

definitely God’s plan, but it does help to give

you some basic direction. The fifth step, one

that is very important, is surrendering to the

Spirit who works in you. God is the one who

works through you to desire and do His will.

It is not you doing it. “For it is God who is at

work in you, enabling you both to will and to

work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13).

What all are the signs that my path in

life is aligned with his plan?

The first sign is that your life is in

conformity with the Word of God, which is

interpreted to us according to the signs of the

times, through the teachings of the Church.

The second sign is that you are attentive to

the ‘closed doors’ and ‘open doors’ in the

particular circumstances of your life. The

third sign is that you are living a disciplined

life, as a disciple of Christ, following the steps

mentioned above to continually identify

God’s plan for you. To conclude, the one who

seeks and does the will of God enjoys the best

of this world (for God is with him), and the

world to come (for he is always with Him).