You’ve Got a Plan after College, but What if God Has His Own Plan for You?

Introduction

If you’re a college student, you might have a perfect plan for after graduation, one that leads you to a big company in a big city making a big paycheck. But what if your plan isn’t God’s plan? What if the plan you need — the thing that will satisfy you — is not of this world?

At ORU, we believe in big plans and bold visions, but when we act, we act with the power of prayer and the power of faith. That’s how our students live … as Spirit-empowered people who welcome God into their plans. In his Chapel message “Revival,” Nick Hall reminds us that God’s plan for you — His better plan — doesn’t need the world’s approval, doesn’t leave room for judgment, and doesn’t need you to be in a hurry.

Key Takeaways

Your Plan, Your Idol

· God is looking for people who are hungry … for people who are willing to admit “Hey, we’re not perfect.”

· “Nothing compares to the glory of God. We can waste our whole lives living for the approval of this world. There’s not a job that will satisfy you. There’s not a boy or girl who will satisfy you. There’s not a bank account balance that will satisfy you. No drugs or alcohol will satisfy you. No big church will satisfy you. No big ministry will satisfy you. Until we are satisfied by Jesus, we will never be satisfied.” — Nick Hall

· God can do anything through anyone, and He can use anyone from anywhere. God is not a respecter of status or persons or titles. If you are willing, God can use you.

· “You will never regret what you give up for God. You will always regret what you withhold.” — Nick Hall

· Having a great plan isn’t always what God wants. If you put your great plan ahead of God, that plan becomes an idol. The number one obstacle to God’s Spirit being poured out is our sin and our plans. God is looking for where we are willing to make space and get out of the way.

The Economy of God

· “In the economy of God, He has room for both ends of the spectrum. If you are easy to believe and some call you ‘gullible,’ God welcomes you. And if you are a cynic and a skeptic and a person of reason who wants data and science, God has space for you. We need people who doubt and question. Why? Because it’s going to take someone like you to reach someone like you.” — Nick Hall

· “God is wanting to deliver us from judging what we don’t understand. When, by the grace of God through the power of the Spirit, you’re able to say ‘God, they are only judging because they don’t understand,’ what you’re doing is you’re taking the bullets out of Satan’s gun before he can shoot you. God is wanting an un-offendable spirit in His bride because we need each other, we’re never going to understand each other, and we’re not like each other. That’s a good thing because it takes all of us to reach all of us” — Nick Hall

Not So Fast

· “As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” — Luke 10:38–42

· How easily we are distracted … distracted by pressure, distracted by social media, distracted by lust and sin and shame and condemnation.

· God’s not in a hurry. Western culture and American culture want to say it’s only real if you do something with it right away. A word from the Lord has to be posted on TikTok. Something heard from God has to go up on Instagram. People will say it’s only real if you go and share your faith right away, but sometimes, God has something just for you.

· Repentance and confession should be normal Christian life. Many people are stuck in a sin, and nobody knows it. When you bring it into the light, when you confess it one to another, not only does God heal you, He heals others through your testimony.

Watch the full Chapel — “Revival” — from Nick Hall, and choose from nearly 250 other Chapel messages on ORU YouTube.

An ORU education is a Global education!!!

Ranked as one of the top universities in America for student engagement (Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Ed), ORU develops whole leaders for the whole world through a unique Whole Person approach to college education. And at ORU, a college education is a diverse education. We offer a growing multicultural, global community with more than 5,000 students representing well over 125 nations (ORU is ranked one of the Top 50 most diverse universities in America (Niche 2023)). If you’re an on-campus student or if you’re seeking an online education, ORU offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in a global, Spirit-empowered environment. Explore Oral Roberts University — a leadership innovator and one of the largest, most influential Christian liberal arts universities in the world. Learn more.