God’s Plan and Purpose

God has a plan for each of us, but it doesn’t happen automatically. Did you know that before Jeremiah had ever done anything good or bad, God had a plan for his life?

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5

But this is not unique to Jeremiah. It applies to every single one of us. It’s just phenomenal. Not many people realize it, but God has a plan.

Think about it: when you were born, you were created with a specific purpose. If we apply that truth to the sixty million babies aborted in the U.S. alone, and consider that abortion is now a leading cause of death worldwide, it’s staggering to realize what the world has lost. Imagine all the inventions, accomplishments, and contributions those lives could have made.

But it’s not just about aborted children. Many people end up taking their God-given potential to the grave with them—without ever realizing it.

The Cost of Pursuing Excellence

In my personal life, I was called into the ministry, but it was quite an effort to transition from where I was in the ministry to where God wanted me to be. Jamie and I just barely survived the transition. Even after pastoring a few small churches, when God called me to travel and go on radio and television, it would have been much easier for me to just stay comfortable. All of those things cost a lot of money.

But I’ve learned firsthand that walking in God’s plan means taking risks and trusting Him completely. For example, we spend over $2 million a month on airtime alone, not counting production costs, staff, or infrastructure for our Bible college. It would have been easy to just stay at a lower level and avoid the risk of failure. But I knew God’s calling, and I can tell you from personal experience that reaching God’s best for your life requires effort.

Are you settling for less than God’s best in your life? Anyone can float downstream like a dead fish, but swimming upstream against the current—taking risks and acting in faith instead of fear—is where real growth happens. I believe every person has a desire for more, a desire for promotion, whether in business, relationships, influence, or other areas of life.

Uncertainty and Seeking God’s Will

During my recent meetings in England, I asked how many people were unsure of God’s will for their lives. Out of 1,500 attendees, at least 1,000 stood up saying they didn’t know for sure. But they were eager to know and commit themselves to God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will for their lives (Rom. 12:2).

This kind of uncertainty isn’t unique. Many people simply accept the hand they’re dealt instead of actively seeking and pursuing God’s will. Others know God’s will but struggle to see it prosper due to the necessary steps required.

True Promotion Comes from God

The Bible tells us that true promotion comes from God.

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Psalm 75:6-7

But again, it’s essential to understand that while promotion comes from God, it doesn’t happen automatically. This is what hinders a lot of people. They get into the teaching about the sovereignty of God and think that God just automatically controls their life and so anything that happens must be God’s will. You will never see promotion—you will never see God’s best come to pass—with that mindset. That is fatalism, and it is detrimental. Not everything aligns with God’s plan. His desire for our lives doesn’t include failure, sickness, poverty, or depression (Ps. 139:16-17). But we have to cooperate with Him to see His plans fulfilled.

The Trouble with the Sovereignty Doctrine

If you take the sovereignty doctrine logic to its full conclusion, it would mean that prostitution must be God’s will because after all, God is sovereign and it couldn’t happen if God didn’t will it. It would mean that murder and rape and all the homosexuality, transgenderism, and wokeness happening in the world today must be God’s will. And yet the Scripture makes it very clear that those things are an abomination to God (1 Cor. 6:9–11; Deut. 22:5; Lev. 18:22; and Rom. 1:26–27).

The sovereignty doctrine makes people so passive that they don’t take any initiative whatsoever. And in my estimation, it is the worst doctrine in the body of Christ today. People get very upset when I say things like that, and they try to tell me that what I’m saying is of the devil. But when they do that, I just use their own doctrine against them and say, “Well, according to your doctrine, everything that happens must be God’s will. I couldn’t preach this unless God wanted me to.” This usually leaves them stumped.

The Balance Between God’s Will and Human Responsibility

You’ve got to believe the truth, which is that some things happen outside of God’s will. For example, God doesn’t want anyone to perish but wants everyone to repent.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9, emphasis added

So clearly, God desires everyone to repent and receive salvation. Yet Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:13–14 that more people will enter through the broad gate to destruction than the narrow gate to everlasting life. That right there shows that God’s will is for everyone to be born again, but not everyone is going to receive it.

So, you need to put these things together and understand that while promotion comes from God, there are things we have to do in order to receive God’s will. God is not going to force His will upon anyone.

God’s Intended Plan vs. Life’s Challenges

God wrote in a book what every day of your life is supposed to be like.

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:16

I guarantee you that failure, sickness, disease, poverty, hurt, and anguish were not part of God’s plan for your life. And yet all of us have experienced these things. Why? Because His will doesn’t just automatically come to pass. God has a great plan for everyone, but sadly, the challenges they experience in life because of this broken world often hinder them from receiving God’s will.

Dependency on God for Promotion

Another thing that hinders us from receiving God’s blessing is the fact that many of us think it’s our own efforts, talents, and abilities that promote us. God is the One who gives us our abilities, and He’ll use those things, but you’ve got to get beyond thinking that your ability is the source of your promotion.

That’s a radical statement right there, and I know many would disagree with it. But there’s an abundance of Scripture that I cover in more detail in my full teaching that confirms that promotion only comes from God.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26–28, it says that God often chooses the weak, despised, or seemingly insignificant to confound the wise and mighty. So, trusting in our own talents rather than God’s provision totally limits our potential. God doesn’t share His glory.

We need to humble ourselves and be dependent upon the Lord. We’re called to surrender our talents, abilities, and aspirations to His will and recognize that He alone deserves the glory.

Embracing God’s Purpose

This is not just about personal success; it’s about fulfilling God’s purpose for your life and bringing glory to His name. Someone with an excellent spirit is faithful to God and doesn’t compromise their convictions for the sake of getting along. It means you do things properly at all times, whether anybody is looking or not. That is an attitude of excellence, and that is God’s path to promotion. “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south” (Ps. 75:6).

You need to know that promotion comes from God. Some people miss this because they can’t see God. They can see their employer and the people around them, and they think that they’ve got to do all kinds of things to please them. But honestly, if you would just do things heartily as unto the Lord (Col. 3:23), I can guarantee you, you’d wind up pleasing the people that are over you. And your promotion would come directly from the Lord.