What Does The Bible Say About Planning? They’ll help you by providing a balance approach to setting goals that include making plans yet doing so with wisdom, knowledge, humility, and deep understanding of what God wants. Let’s hear what Jesus has to say about this subject matter by reading from Luke 14:28-30 – “If anyone of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and work out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job. If you don’t, you will not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation; and all who see what happened will laugh at you. ‘This man began to build but can’t finish the job!’ they will say.” Here, Jesus’ illustration of building a tower points to the fact that it is a good thing to plan.
Brethren, let no one deceive you for living without motivation or planning is not God’s will for you. Let’s support this by reading from Proverbs 6:6-11 – “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” It is without doubt that laziness causes a person to neglect work and fail to exploit the window of opportunity. Behold, summer is the preparation time for winter, and we dare not hoax it away. Truth be told, failure to plan ahead will result in “poverty” “lack” and “want.”
What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
What does the Scripture say about planning?
The Scripture teaches us that wisely planning leads to better, if not, the best results. Proverbs 21:5 says “The plans of the diligent lead to profit.” However, just because we’ve diligently done our planning doesn’t guarantee that our goals will be met. Apostle James teaches that the process of setting goals must be infused with humility and brought before the Lord God Almighty for blessing. Let’s read from James 4:13-14 – “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
The Bible cautions us against two extremes: never setting goals or planning and planning or setting goals without any thought of God. Let’s now get the balance alternative by reading from James 4:15 – “Instead you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” Making plans is good as long as we make room for God to change our plans as He wills. Here, we are inviting you to allow God’s plans or goals to take precedence over yours. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” We can as well put it this way, we have our ideas and plans but God will definitely and ultimately accomplish His sovereign desires in our lives. Hence, our plans and goals should make room for the unexpected. We should love God’s will more than ours.
What The Bible Says About Planning
Proverbs 16:9 – “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
Luke 14:28 – “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”
Jeremiah 29:11 – “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.”
Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Matthew 6:33-34 – “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
Proverbs 23:4 – “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
Psalm 143:8 – “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”
Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 15:22 – “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Psalm 20:4 – “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”
Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Planning
Proverbs 3:31-32 – “Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence.”
Amos 3:7 – “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”
Isaiah 28:29 – “All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.”
Isaiah 55:9 – “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Psalm 90:12 – “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Isaiah 55:8 – ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.”
Proverbs 6:6-8 – “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”
Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 21:5 – “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”
1 Corinthians 2:10 – “These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”
Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Planning
Proverbs 21:20 – “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.”
Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
James 4:13-15 – “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.””
Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Proverbs 11:14 – “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
Proverbs 19:2 – “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”
Isaiah 32:8 – “But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.”
Proverbs 24:3-4 – “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
Proverbs 24:27 – “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”
Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Planning
Isaiah 55:9 – “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Psalm 127:1-2 – “A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
Proverbs 15:22 – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Proverbs 3:6 – “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
1 Corinthians 14:40 – “But all things should be done decently and in order.”
Deuteronomy 28:1-68 – “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field, Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. …”
Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Planning
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Proverbs 16:1 – “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.”
Psalm 20:4 – “May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!”
Luke 14:28-30 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”
Psalm 127:1 – “A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
1 Timothy 4:7 – “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;”
1 Corinthians 14:12 – “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”
Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Planning
Psalm 143:8 – “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
Proverbs 23:4 – “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 27:23 – “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,”
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Amos 3:7 – “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”
Proverbs 13:16 – “In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.”
Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Isaiah 55:8 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”
Psalm 90:12 – “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
James 4:13-16 – “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Planning
Ephesians 5:15-17 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.“
Proverbs 3:31-32 – “Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.”
Romans 12:1-2 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Psalm 23:1-6 – “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...”
Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
Genesis 41:34-36 – “Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:”
Luke 12:16-21 – “And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ …”
Isaiah 28:29 – “This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.”
Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
Ephesians 1:11 – “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,”
1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
Job 42:2 – “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
Proverbs 27:12 – “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”
Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”
Ecclesiastes 11:2 – “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.”
Habakkuk 2:2-3 – And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
Matthew 6:25-34 – “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. …”
Luke 14:28-33 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. …”
Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …”
Luke 16:4 – “I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’”
Romans 8:31 – “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.“
James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Matthew 5:42 – “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
Micah 2:1 – “Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.”
Mark 4:18 – “And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,”
Acts 2:23 – “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
1 John 4:8 – “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Revelation 13:8 – “And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,”
Proverbs 16:7 – “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
Psalm 33:11 – “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”
Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, …”
Judges 20:18-35 – “The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.” Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites. But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. …”
Hebrews 13:20-21 – “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
James 4:13-14 – “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
Philippians 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”
Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””
Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
James 1:12 – “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …”
Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Planning?
Ephesians 4:2-3 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Philippians 1:19-26 – “For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. …”
1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 16:2 – “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”
Galatians 6:7 – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
1 Corinthians 16:14 – “Let all that you do be done in love.”
Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 4:2 – “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”
