\u201cFor I know the plans I have for you,\u201d this is the Lord\u2019s declaration, \u201cplans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.\u201d Jeremiah 29:11 CSB
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This blessing comes from a letter Jeremiah wrote to the exiles that Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1-3 CSB). It is a message of hope to people who have lost their homes. Not all of the exiles made it back to Jerusalem, choosing to stay where they were instead, becoming the ancestors of Iraqi Jews. The journey back didn\u2019t come all at once, it was gradual over time.
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The same can be said of our faith journey. Once we realize we are all sinners and turn our hearts towards God, it\u2019s a gradual process. It doesn\u2019t happen overnight. We have to shift our thinking from our old ways to what God says and thinks about us. I love this example from \u201cAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine two people who are quitting smoking are offered a cigarette. The first person says, \u201cNo thanks, I\u2019m trying to quit\u201d. The second person says, \u201cNo thanks, I\u2019m not a smoker.\u201d Do you see the difference in their responses? The first person doesn\u2019t truly believe they\u2019re no longer a smoker, they\u2019re trying to be something else. The second person believes he\u2019s no longer a smoker. It\u2019s a small change that indicates a big difference.
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The same can be applied to our faith journey. You can either spend your time trying to be someone else or you can believe you are a new creation in Jesus. The choice is yours. You can choose to trust He has good plans for your well-being. You can choose to trust He has a future for you full of hope. You don\u2019t have to \u201ctry\u201d to be someone else for Jesus. He knows you intimately, all of you. There is nothing hidden from Him. His plans are specific for you and your life, for your struggles. He will use it all for His glory if you just choose to trust Him with it.
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God doesn\u2019t want you to be anyone other than who He made you to be. His plan for your life is specific. It\u2019s good. It\u2019s yours. Just trust Him to bring it to fruition. Believe you are His and He is yours, then let His plan unfold!
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\u201cFor I know the plans I have for you,\u201d this is the Lord\u2019s declaration, \u201cplans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.\u201d Jeremiah 29:11 CSB This blessing comes from a letter Jeremiah wrote to the exiles that Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1-3 CSB). It… Continue reading MAY YOU HAVE HOPE IN GOD\u2019S PLANS FOR YOU<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":674,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions\/674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}