#4 The Future is Now
“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”
I’m thinking about where the world is and how easy it is to live inside our bubbles and routines. Routine is fine—work your job, love your family, be a light and an anchor for them, love your neighbors, and be the light of Christ and the salt of the gospel right where you live. Trust God and do good.
But there are also specific assignments that can emerge as you walk with God. And here’s the big idea of this message: those specifics are often more up to you than you realize. You truly have the opportunity to make decisions in partnership with God.
You’re not waiting on Him as much as you think—God is waiting on you. The promise is solid: Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established. And Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
You can make a plan, roll the weight of it onto Him, and move. He loves to establish His kids’ steps.
Why So Many Believers Feel Stuck
So many Christians are afraid to make a decision because we’re afraid we’ll make the wrong one. We don’t want to disappoint people—and we certainly don’t want to disappoint God. We bury our talent in the dirt, hoping that inaction will be safer than risking a mistake. But that’s not pleasing to Him. He’d rather you try with little results than do nothing. If there’s a little mess to clean up along the way, He’s big enough to help you learn and keep going.
A quick, simple step looks like this: when a co-worker is having a hard day and lets you know their marriage is hurting or their kid is struggling, just ask, “Hey, you mind if I pray for you real quick?” Be available. Compassion initiates action.
Detoxing from Control and Cultish Vision
Many of you have been in church environments where leaders had strong vision—and the unspoken (or spoken) philosophy was, “You are here to fulfill the vision God gave me.” That stunts people. You end up indoctrinated into someone else’s system and you stop hearing God for yourself. If, when you think about following God, somebody else comes into your mind—you got a problem. If your first instinct is What would my pastor think? —you need to detox. Following God is between you and Him.
The tricky part is that freedom can feel like inactivity if you’ve been accustomed to being controlled. People leave highly structured places and come into a freedom-oriented church, and because no one is telling them what to do, they think nothing is happening. But what you feel is actually freedom.
You are not under any man’s authority the way some systems frame it. The “fivefold” are roles that equip and serve, not ranks that control.
What “Commit” Really Means
Back to the promise: Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Hebrew word for commit here is galal—it means to roll, roll away, roll onto. Picture a 50-pound backpack on your shoulders. Committing your works is literally rolling the weight of your work and its disqualifications onto Someone stronger. He takes the weight, and then—this is important—He strengthens you as you walk.
Jesus’ yoke language fits perfectly: [Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.]When your doing feels heavy, roll it onto Him. Mercy unburdens you; grace strengthens you. It’s not laziness; it’s divine exchange.
Seven ways to “roll it onto Him” (how to commit your works)
These are heart postures and practices that keep grace doing the heavy lifting while you make and execute plans with God.
Repent and believe the gospel
[Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”]
Every plan I make sits inside the good news of what Jesus accomplished. I change my mind from fear and self-effort to trust in His finished work.Refuse legalistic burdens
The early church had to settle this: do Gentile believers have to keep the law to be right with God? [Acts 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”] After prayer and debate, they wrote: [Acts 15:28 it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:] [Acts 15:29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality…]
And Peter had already testified, [Acts 15:9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.]
Translation: don’t re-yoke yourself to law to feel clean or qualified. Your heart is cleansed by faith in Jesus, not by rule-keeping.Trust His care over worry
[Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…]
When I’m planning, anxiety is my cue to roll outcomes onto Him. My part: seek His reign and rightness; take today’s step.Abide daily—identity and grace
[John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…”]
Abiding is acknowledging my oneness with Him, letting grace supply before I “do.” I don’t run to Scripture to become connected; I go as a connected son to deepen understanding of what I already possess.Put on the new man
[Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God… 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…]
I present my body because I’m holy in Christ, not to get holy. Mind renewal proves His will as I walk it out.Do everything in His name, with gratitude
[Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.]
Gratitude is a practical way to “roll” the work. I thank Him while I do the thing.Cast outcomes and walk in love
[1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.]
[1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.]
Love is my tuning fork. Faith works through love [Galatians 5:6 …faith working through love.] If I intentionally shift to compassion toward the person in front of me, I often hear God—sometimes not as a “word,” but as a simple, kind action to take.
Wisdom Enters the Heart - A Proverbs 2 Practice
Incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding.
Cry out for discernment and lift up your voice for understanding.
Seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures.
Then wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will preserve you, understanding will keep you. (See [Proverbs 2])
He’s already speaking, mine His emerging wisdom like gold. Build a lifestyle that hears, plans, and acts. When the grace arises in your heart, step into it, apply the wisdom, and watch Him establish your plans. Try it!
