#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. I often say it this way: Trust God, do good. If you can do that, you’ll hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
But for many of us, there are also specifics—assignments that unfold as we walk with God. And here’s the big idea of this message: those specifics are often more up to you than you realize. You really do get to make decisions 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.] Make the 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. I’ll say it the way I said it in the message: “He’d rather you open your mouth… He’d rather you try 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
Let me be straight: many of us 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. Here’s a diagnostic I gave: “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 leader think? What would Clint 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 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. It’s time to own your discipleship, your calling, your life with God. Church is a family and a team; we collaborate. But 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.
Identity first, then function
This is the heart of it. You have to be rock solid in the message of the Cross—Jesus’ perfect life, His death on the cross, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension, and the gift of His Spirit in you. That’s your identity. Everything else flows from that: marriage, parenting, work, serving, even recognized ministry roles. If it doesn’t flow from identity, you’ll be pushed around by circumstances and other people’s expectations.
Paul cautions us, [Colossians 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men… and not according to Christ.] And then he anchors us: [Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.]I had people declare it aloud with me: I am complete in Him.
This identity becomes your lens for transformation: [Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…] You’re not trying to climb into God’s favor; you’re letting the finished work define you from the inside out.
Real humility is bold access, not self-deprecation
We’ve been taught that humility is thinking of ourselves as subpar, barely tolerated, and perpetually disqualified. But the most humble thing you can do is to walk into the throne of God and say, “I am righteous. I belong here… because of the Cross.” You are His workmanship—the proof of God’s righteousness and craftsmanship on display. [2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.]
We are His image bearers in the earth. Jesus has all authority—[Matthew 28:18 All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.]—and we are seated with Him: [Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.] Your life is anchored in Him: [Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.]
I used a metaphor: If God were a seed planted into the earth, what grows is you—the offspring of God, a reflection of His image. Not as a “god” in the sense of the Trinity, but as a true image bearer on this planet, united with Him, filled with His Spirit, designed to rule and serve with love under His Lordship.
What “commit” really means (Hebrew galal)
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 (Proverbs 2 practice)
A lot of us are listening for the what when God is trying to walk us into the how. Slow down with Proverbs 2 and do what it says:
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])
In other words, He’s already speaking; mine it like gold. Build a lifestyle that hears, plans, and acts.
Grace, not mystical rabbit holes
There’s no end to the mystical rabbit hole—looking for which “doorway” you may have opened, hunting the precise ritual that finally breaks the problem, chasing the next “deliverance checklist.” Friends, Jesus is all authority [Matthew 28:18]and has disarmed principalities and powers [Colossians 2:15 having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.] Demons can only lie; if you don’t know who you are, you will believe the lie. But when you know the truth of who you are in Christ, they can’t touch you; they run from His presence—and He’s in you.
Mutuality with God (and marriage imagery)
After the suffering-servant prophecy, God paints a picture of covenant love: [Isaiah 53] then [Isaiah 54] portrays the future relationship with His people in marital terms—faithful love, steadfast peace. On the earth, marriage mirrors this: [Ephesians 5:21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.] There’s a holy mutuality to our walk with God—not that He submits to us, but He shares His life with us: His name, Spirit, authority, inheritance. He unites Himself to us. We respond in trust, honor, and obedience.
Practical planning with God
Let’s bring it back to the core promises and make it practical:
[Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.]
He brings your way to pass as you delight in Him and commit it to Him.[Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.]
Roll the work onto Him; expect Him to establish the plan.[Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.]
You plan and move; He directs and corrects in motion.
Here’s how I say it: “You pick and you go. Trust Him and He’ll show you.” Or: “Where you want to go?” “Okay, here’s how you get there.”
A few simple diagnostics for your week
Am I waiting for someone—anyone—to tell me exactly what to do, or am I owning my decisions with God?
Do I believe God will help establish the plans I make in Him?
What are my next three steps toward the thing that love, wisdom, and desire are pointing to?
Will I roll the backpack—the pressure, the fear, the outcomes—onto Jesus and walk easy and light?
For the record, I’m not saying church doesn’t matter. It does. We collaborate. We serve. We get discipled. But your identity and calling cannot be outsourced. It’s between you and the Lord. Freedom might feel like a lack of instruction at first—don’t mistake that feeling. It is your invitation to grow up in Him and make Spirit-led decisions.
The gospel center
Let me land this at the center: Jesus is the gospel. God loves you. [1 John 4:9–11] He sent His Son to rescue and deliver you from sin and death so that you might live through Him. Jesus bore our shame and guilt and punishment on the cross, passed into the grave, broke death’s power forever, and rose again. God seated Him above everything, stripping every principality and power ([Colossians 2:15]). He has all authority ([Matthew 28:18]). And He lives in you. If you know the truth, the enemy can’t lay claim on you. They run from your awareness of Christ in you.
This is why Paul could say, [Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.] This is why there is no condemnation for you in Christ Jesus. This is why you can step into the throne room, not arrogantly but confidently, because of the Cross. This is why you can make plans and trust God to establish them.
It’s time to decide
I’m not here to weigh you down with what you “must do” to be accepted by God. I’m here to tell you who He is and who you are in Him. From there, you and the Holy Spirit take it forward. It’s time to make a decision and live from this reality. Quit waiting for perfect clarity or iron-clad certainty. Commit your works—roll them onto the Lord—and move. He will establish your steps.
So let’s do this. This week:
Name a desire that aligns with love and wisdom.
Write three simple actions you can take in the next seven days.
Roll the pack to Jesus in prayer (Matthew 11:28–30); ask for daily grace.
Act, with compassion as your tuning fork (Galatians 5:6; 1 John 4:9–11).
Reflect in Proverbs 2 each morning; let wisdom enter your heart.
And if you’re carrying guilt or shame, let the Word read you: “I’m free. There’s no condemnation… He was guilty so I can be innocent.” Receive the exchange and stand up into sonship.
