Keys to Effective Planning

‘Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties’ (Mark 6:29-40).

Effective planning is essential for longevity. It is man’s responsibility, in maintaining the blessings of God. There is a remarkable lesson in the story of the feeding of the over five thousand people by Jesus. Before the miracle of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish, Jesus commanded His disciples to make the crowd sit down in ranks, in groups of hundreds and fifties, in preparation for the miracle. Due to this effective planning by Jesus and His disciples, the over five thousand people were all well fed, with twelve baskets of food left over. Without effective planning, there would have definitely being chaos, even though God multiplied the food. A lot of miracles and divine interventions are short lived because of lack of wisdom and proper planning. Many people who have experienced divine encounters are still living in lack due to improper planning, where as they would have had enough and even a surplus to bless others, if they had planned well. 

Clearly, Jesus believed, practiced and taught effective planning. It is said that, getting to the top is not as challenging as staying at the top. In his message entitled ‘Heaven and earth Mix’, E. A. Adeboye writes, ‘plans must precede program of action. Live a well–planned and thought-out life. You must have a plan for your spouse and for each of your children…When you fail to plan your family, you allow them to fit into the enemy’s plan. Whether you believe it or not, the enemies have a plan for every member of your family. So it is either you have a plan for them and destroy that of the enemy in their life, or you see them dancing to the tune of the puppet master’. Effective planning is not only needed in our homes but in all spheres of our lives, in the church, and other facets of the society, more importantly in our individual lives.

Below are tips for effective planning.

1.             Set a clearly defined purpose or goal.

2.             Know the time and resources available for that purpose.

3.             Divide things to be done into necessities (most important), more important, important and less important things (leisure).

4.             Through prayer, make a mental plan to achieve your purpose.

5.             Make reasonable and achievable plans not unrealistic plans.

6.             Put your plans on paper and make a time table.

7.             Discipline yourself to follow your time table; the secret of your future is hidden in your daily routines.

Finally remember, ‘the horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD’ (Prov 21:31).