There Can Be No Plan B

Recently I was writing about total dependence on God and the reality of how difficult it can be in the human realm but that we must firmly stand on the Word of God. I titled it “Critical Condition” to convey that this is serious business. After I finished writing, I used the “Read Aloud” function as I had done on several occasions to have what I had written read back to me.

What was read back to me is, “Critical Condition: There is No Plan B.” As I was looking at the screen, I did not understand why the computer was reciting words I had not written in this section. I had written, “There is no plan B” on an earlier page at least a month earlier so I thought there was a glitch causing the read-aloud function to read words from the prior page. I decided to put what I had written into a blank document and closed the original one.

In the new document, I clicked “Read Aloud” and once again it said, “Critical Condition: There is No Plan B.” I tried typing something else after the words, “Critical Condition” and clicked “Read Aloud.” This time it read properly what I had written. I thought everything was fine. I removed the added words and clicked, “Read Aloud” again. It said, “Critical Condition: There is No Plan B.”

I decided to record it because I could not believe what was happening. As I reflected on what happened, I realized that the Holy Spirit was letting me know that when we choose to live a life of total dependence on God, we must understand that there can be no plan B. Even when you feel like you are in critical condition and dealing with something difficult, our life support is the Word of God, and we must stand firmly on it. We either believe God’s Word or we do not. There is no gray area.

I don’t know about you, but in many if not most situations, I usually had a plan B in mind and was ready to execute it if the original plan didn’t work out. Especially if the original plan involved relying on someone else. I am certain it comes from experiences over the years where I have trusted people, and they have disappointed me. I was watching a television show recently, and one of the characters said, “Always have a plan B.” We consider it normal and necessary to have a plan B.

This is true for life in this world, also known as the matrix. But if we consider ourselves to be followers of Jesus Christ who are in this world but not of it, we must understand that having a plan B is equivalent to saying, “I don’t trust God.”

In Genesis 11:27-32 we learn of Abram’s family. Terah, Abram’s father set out to move his family from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan. On the way, once they reached Haran, they settled there, deviating from the original plan. In verse 32 we read, “Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran. His story ended there.

I wondered why Terah did not stick with the original plan of going to Canaan but instead chose to settle in Haran. The Bible does not tell us. I don’t know if he encountered difficulties in the journey that caused him to concoct a plan B, or if he assumed that settling in Haran was as good as settling in Canaan. If Terah had continued to Canaan, would he have turned from the worship of many gods, to worship the one true God? Is it possible that he missed something amazing, and God chose to use his son Abram instead?”

Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”  The Bible does not say that God spoke to Terah and told him to go to Canaan, but something led him to leave with that destination in mind and he did not see it through. He chose plan B.

God then spoke to Abram in Genesis 12 telling him to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household. God did not tell Abram where he was going up front but gave him some promises.

Genesis 12:2-3 says,

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

In verse 4 we see that Abram went as God had told him. He reached Canaan, and in verse 7 God tells Abram that his offspring would be given the land. If Terah had continued to Canaan, is it possible that we would have known him as the father of many nations instead of Abram who later became Abraham, the father of many nations? I do not know the answer to that question. What I do know is that Terah’s story along with experiences from my own life made me consider what happens when I deviate from God’s plan and will.

If you usually have a plan B, I am not pointing a finger to try and make you feel bad. We have all been deceived and misguided into thinking this is how we should live. On the surface, it sounds like a logical and even a smart thing to do.

I am not suggesting that we should be passive or not take action. The problem begins when we step out of faith and act out of fear. We should only move as the Holy Spirit leads. This is why it is a critical part of our walk to understand how God speaks to us. If we do not understand, we may mistake ideas that come from a place of fear or logic and reason for the voice of the Holy Spirit. I have heard people say so many times over the years that God gave us common sense. I used to say it as well. I understand now that what I previously called “common sense” is the problem. It was common sense imposed upon me by the world and not instruction on how to live according to the Word of God.

Having no plan B will take you on the most amazing journey and deepen your relationship with God in ways you never imagined. Will it always be easy? Nope. In Matthew 16:25, Jesus says, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Are you willing to go against everything this world has conditioned you to believe and risk losing everything to gain everything?

I refuse to give up and turn back to the ways of the world. Jesus tells us in John 14:12, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” I want to fully put on the nature of Christ and do everything He said I would be able to do.

Do you genuinely believe God’s Word? If so, there can be no plan B.

Your time spent reading this post is deeply appreciated. Prefer listening? Recent posts are on SoundCloud, and all are on YouTube.