God’s Will, Not Your Way
- AJ SADLER
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
Many plans are in a person’s mind, but the Lord’s purpose will succeed. - Proverbs 19:21
One of the easiest things to do is build our own succession plan. We like control. We like knowing who’s next. We like creating systems that make sense to us. We assume because someone is our child, our assistant, our closest friend, or the one who’s been around the longest, they must be the obvious choice.
God doesn’t work that way.
Throughout Scripture, whenever people tried to manufacture God’s calling instead of seeking it, it almost always ended in disaster. Eli’s sons inherited the priesthood but rejected the Lord. Samuel appointed his own sons as judges, yet they accepted bribes and perverted justice. David’s household became a picture of men fighting over a throne that only God had the authority to give. Time after time, people tried to preserve a position instead of pursuing God’s will.
Then you see men like Joshua, David, Elisha, Paul, and Timothy. None of them inherited a calling because they stood next in line. They were called because God chose them.
That’s an important distinction.
Elisha didn’t receive a double portion because Elijah decided he would. Elijah couldn’t even promise it. The anointing wasn’t Elijah’s to give. It belonged to God. The ministry belonged to God. The vision belonged to God. Elijah was simply a steward until God chose the next steward.
The same is true today. Churches often ask, “Who’s next?” God asks, “Who have I called?” Those aren’t always the same person. Experience matters. Faithfulness matters. Character matters.
But none of those things replace God’s voice.
This doesn’t only apply to pastors. We do the same thing with our own lives. We build our careers, our ministries, our relationships, and even our futures around what makes sense to us. We create our own blueprint, then ask God to bless it. We spend more time asking Him to approve our plans than asking Him what His plans are.
The safest place you’ll ever be isn’t where you’ve positioned yourself. It’s where God has placed you.
Don’t spend your life trying to inherit someone else’s assignment. Don’t chase a title because it looks significant. Don’t assume proximity to a leader means you’ve inherited their calling.
God has never needed a family tree to accomplish His purpose.
He has always been looking for a surrendered heart. If He calls you, no one can stop it. If He hasn’t, no amount of influence can create it.
So before asking, “What’s next for me?” ask a better question…“Lord, what do You want?”
Because His will has always been greater than our succession plans.
Here’s the blunt truth: God doesn’t bless the line of succession…He blesses the life of surrender.
God’s Will, Not Your Way
1. Am I pursuing the position I want, or the assignment God has actually given me?
2. Have I been asking God to bless my plans more than I’ve been asking Him to reveal His?
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