Is there an overall strategy for your life? Do you have your own agenda and operate according to its dictates? Do you involve the Lord in the plans you make?
Planning is a responsible act for each of us. A quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin says: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” A biblical version of that nugget of wisdom would be Proverbs 19:21 (Amplified): “Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the LORD’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).” When we are confident in what we are to do, we should do it. But we always need to understand who’s in charge.
A Surprising Revelation
Dick’s comments: On occasion, when I am looking for information in the address directory of my cell phone, my eyes will fall upon the name of a friend I haven’t talked with lately. Often, I will decide on the spur of the moment to text or call that person.
This happened recently with a longtime friend who is a retired university professor and a devoted follower of Derek Prince’s teaching. I saw his name and number—and then I dialed the phone. To say the least, he was surprised to hear my voice on the line.
“Well, Dick!” he sputtered in surprise at my unexpected call. “If the Lord has put me on your mind, He must have given you a word for me. Please tell me what it is!”
I chuckled at his assumption and simply said, ”No, I was just thinking about you.”
Then he surprised me with his next words. “Well, I think I have a passage that the Lord wants me to pass along to you. Would you like to hear it?” I said, “Absolutely!”
It was Ephesians 1:17-19, and the surprises were just beginning—especially when I took the time after our call to look more closely at verse 18: “The eyes of your understanding [hearts] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling.” HIS calling. I realized that for years, I had misquoted that verse to say, “the hope of YOUR calling.” Right then, I began to have a better idea of who’s in charge.
It’s All about Him
Philip’s comments: The renewed understanding Dick talks about above can be summed up in one thought: the calling God has for us is His calling, not ours. As we consider the verses in the rest of the Ephesians passage, it just keeps getting better. “That you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (verses 18–19, emphasis added).
If we take a quick inventory of the use of “His” in these verses, the picture gets clearer and clearer for us. It is His calling (not ours); His inheritance (not ours); His power (not ours); His mighty power (not ours). It’s all His. God is the one who is in charge.
Our loving Father is so generous to share all that He has with us. But sometimes, we overlook that fact. We think it’s all about us and our own agenda for life. It is healthy to remind ourselves every day who is really the Boss—who’s truly in charge.
Reminding Ourselves
Philip and Dick: Reminding ourselves regularly of the Lord’s pre-eminence is a good discipline to maintain in life. It’s not really a difficult matter. In fact, it ought to be a consistent acknowledgement—one we can easily make with a simple proclamation.
At Derek Prince Ministries, we begin every week with that declaration. During our Monday morning staff gathering, one of us will usually share a passage from the Scriptures. Afterward, the entire staff will join together in a proclamation that falls in line with the passage we have just studied, sometimes quoting it verbatim.
Next, we always pray for the coming week, and our prayer sounds something like this: “Lord, this is not our ministry. It wasn’t even Derek’s ministry. This is YOUR ministry, and we place it once again in Your hands. Please accomplish what You want to do through us this week, and we will be careful to give You all the glory, all the credit, and all the honor.” For us as a staff, it is essential that we understand who’s in charge.
The Course of Our Lives
One of Derek Prince’s best-known series is “The Roman Pilgrimage,” a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Romans. In one of those sermons, Derek talks about the fact that God has arranged in advance the course that our lives should follow.
We see this stated in Romans 8:29–30: “For whom He foreknew He also predestined . . .” And verse 30: “Whom He predestined, these He also called . . . .” So, the next stage is clear: God worked out in advance the course that our life was to follow. He predestined us.
This is also stated in Ephesians 1:5. After saying in verse 4, “Just as He chose us in Him,” then it says: “. . . in love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will . . . .”
He worked it all out in advance.
Then, in Ephesians 1:11: “. . . also we have obtained an inheritance [in Christ], having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
That should give you security. You have been predestined—the course of your life has been arranged in advance by the one who works everything the way He wants it. He works all things according to the counsel of His own will.
I always like to put this together with Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Do you understand? We don’t have to make our own decisions as to what to do. We have to find out the works God has planned beforehand for us to do. We’re not required to make those decisions for ourselves. We are only required to find out the plan—the pattern God has for us. That relieves us of a whole lot of anxiety if we can only see it. God created us to do things which He created us to do. We can do the things He has ordained for us to do because He created us for that purpose.
Yielding Our Agenda
How about you? Have you been misquoting the Scripture, saying, “My calling,” instead of “His calling”? That mistake can be easily corrected as we pray together.
Dear Lord Jesus, I want to start by asking Your forgiveness for the times I have placed my agenda and my plans ahead of Your purposes for my life. It happens so easily, Lord, and I’m sorry for making that mistake.
With this prayer and declaration, I want to set the record straight, aligning myself properly with Your will for my life. Lord, I acknowledge that it’s Your calling for me, not mine; it’s Your inheritance for me, not mine; it’s Your power, not mine—it’s Your mighty power working in me and through me to accomplish Your plans and purposes for my life.
Thank You, Lord. I understand and proclaim that You are in charge. Amen.
Aligning Ourselves
As we said earlier, what we have just affirmed in prayer is not complicated. It is a simple but important recognition that Jesus Christ is in charge of every aspect of our lives. When we get ourselves out of alignment with that truth, it’s good to make it right.
Like the weekly declaration we make at DPM, you can regularly place your life and calling in His hands. It would be our honor to stand with you in your pursuit of that same goal. Certainly, the teachings of Derek Prince can provide inspiration for you. (Derek was one of the most “aligned” persons we ever met, which is very evident from his helpful instruction.) Why not begin your quest with the full message from which we drew Derek’s quote? It is “The Roman Pilgrimage, Part 12,” and it’s yours for free. Just use the download link below.
We are happy to provide you with this message from Derek Prince—just a simple gesture of our deep appreciation for your prayers and your financial gifts.
More Important than We Know
The entire thrust of this letter is for us to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the one who is really in charge of our lives. This is a more important matter than we realize.
As we were working on the final stage of this letter, I came upon a classic quote that not only reinforced the truth we are making but also added an element of conviction to the issue. The quote I found is from Augustine: “Sin is believing the lie that you are self-created, self-dependent, and self-sustained.” For us to believe that we should be in charge of our life and destiny is not just a bad idea. According to Augustine, it’s a sin.
As Ephesians 1:17–19 clearly shows, we belong completely to Him. Our calling is really His calling—as is our inheritance and any empowerment needed to accomplish our goals. It’s all Jesus. True success only comes when we understand who’s in charge.
Sincerely in Christ,
Philip Wyns
President, DPM-USA
All the best,
Dick Leggatt
Executive Consultant/Senior Editor
