The Bible has a lot to say about plans. For instance, the Bible tells us that our plans will be successful with many counselors, but it also tells us not to hold onto our plans too tightly, because ultimately it’s the Lord’s will that shall prevail.
As a pastor, leading a church certainly requires some level of planning. I have to admit, I always misunderstood Proverbs 29:18 and what it means for leaders. I always thought the King James Version meant that leaders have to be visionaries, and if they’re not, their people would perish. But after some studying, I realized that my understanding was completely wrong.
The proverb means that if we don’t have a word from the Lord guiding us, that the people will run wild, unrestrained. How grateful we should be to have God’s word guiding us on a daily basis.
We have to understand that the secular world cannot accept Proverbs 29:18. Secular culture says that it’s time to throw off the restraints of religion – it’s almost 2026 after all. “We’re modern people who have evolved past these ancient ideas…we have new ways of thinking now.”
In reality, this is not a new way of thinking – it’s the oldest way of thinking. It goes all the way back to Genesis, when Adam and Eve decided to say no to the restraints God had put on them.
Today, the greatest maxim is to love yourself first. Seek first personal success and happiness. Follow your heart. Set your affections on what brings pleasure and status now.
Commitment to community is optional; independence is ideal. The Bible tells us to speak the truth in love, and that love is kind. Today, there are many who say you don’t have to be kind as long as you’re right.
For many, arrogance is no longer repugnant…it’s been confused with charisma and confidence.
It was always understood that children were a blessed responsibility, and a gift from God. Today many see them as a burden, and a barrier to personal fulfillment.
Our culture has become more secular over the last century, and yet, we’re still violent, anxious, lonely, angry. Society is not flourishing…it’s perishing. The proverb says that those who keep the law are happy, and Jesus summarized the law as follows:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matt 22:37-40
He also perfectly fulfilled the Law on our behalf; he became sin, so that we could become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And so, let us make our plans to commit to the instruction the Lord has given us:
Love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–39)
Seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)
Abide in Christ daily (John 15:4–5)
Study Scripture diligently — “Study to shew thyself approved” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only (James 1:22)
Set your affections on things above (Colossians 3:1–2)
Grow as a disciple, and make disciples yourself (Matthew 28:19–20)
Honor each other above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)
Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Repent and confess our sins as often as necessary (Acts 3:19)
Forgive each other (Ephesians 4:32)
Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15)
Live generously (2 Corinthians 9:6–7)
Invite people to church. Invite them to Jesus too (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 10:24–25)
Walk in the Spirit and crucify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)
Put on the new man, forsake our old ways and pursue righteousness (Ephesians 4:22–24)
Let your light shine before others (Matthew 5:16)
Persevere faithfully to the end (Matthew 24:13)