Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to succeed at something when you’ve planned for success rather than drifted into failure? I was thinking about this the other morning while packing for an upcoming flight. Whenever I travel, I always bring a healthy sandwich, a banana, and a bottle of water. I’ve learned over the years that if I don’t plan, I end up hungry in an airport terminal surrounded by junk food. That’s not temptation—that’s simply poor planning. And poor planning almost always sets you up to fail.
This small habit reminded me of a far greater truth: every worthy thing God wants us to pursue in life requires intentional planning. Staying close to God, spending time in His Word, developing a healthy routine, keeping our bodies in the kind of shape that our doctor would give us a high-five for, and spending time in prayer so we can stay aligned with God’s plan. These don’t happen by accident. They happen because we plan to win.
Scripture makes this truth unmistakable. Proverbs 21:5 (NLT): “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” In other words, God blesses those who think ahead, seek His wisdom, and build patterns that support the desires He places in their hearts.
Over the years, I’ve learned this: if I have a desire from God but no plan to pursue it, that desire rarely comes to pass. Goals remain wishes until they’re wrapped in prayer and supported by practical planning.
Think of Daniel. When taken to Babylon, he didn’t drift spiritually and hope everything would turn out okay. He planned ahead. Daniel 1:8 (NIV): “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself…” That word resolved means he made a deliberate, pre-set decision—a planned commitment. And that plan empowered him to stand strong when pressure came.
Jesus taught the same principle. Luke 14:28 (NIV): “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost…?” Planning is not unspiritual. Planning is partnering with God.
When I think of my own life—my walk with the Lord, my health, my writing, my prayer life—every area where I’ve grown has come from planning. And every area where I’ve struggled has revealed the absence of a plan.
Even when I go on vacation, I think ahead about what my mornings with the Lord will look like. Where will I read? What will my routine be? When will I pray? I don’t leave these things to chance because chance rarely leads to spiritual success. Planning, on the other hand, creates the structure where God’s grace can flow.
Planning doesn’t eliminate our dependence on God—it expresses it. When we plan with Him, we acknowledge: “Lord, I need Your help to carry this out.” And that’s exactly the place where He meets us.
Proverbs 16:3 (NKJV): “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” Planning becomes powerful when we commit it into God’s Hands. From the smallest decision—packing healthy airplane food—to the biggest ones—shaping my morning routine, scheduling prayer, or structuring my time in God’s Word—planning is simply preparing the soil so God can bring the growth.
Every successful person I know, spiritually or naturally, is a planner. Not a perfect person. A planner. Someone who believes that if God has given them a desire, they need a plan to walk it out.
Today, ask yourself: Where do I desire growth? Where do I need a plan? Pray. Think it through. Write it down. And then, with God’s help—plan to win.
1 Corinthians 9:24–25 (NIV): “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training…”
