Thesis
James 4:13-17 confronts the human tendency to plan, decide, and direct our lives without consulting God. Pastor Daniel calls this 'the arrogance of assumption' — the belief that we can chart our own course, chase more money and status, and simply ask God to bless it on the back end. Because our perspective is limited, our flesh is deceitful, and our time on earth is breathtakingly short, we must learn to seek God's will on the front end of every major decision and adopt the posture: 'If it is the Lord's will, I will.'
Key points
- 1
Planning without God's input is not merely unwise — James calls it an arrogant, evil scheme.
- 2
Jesus Himself was obsessed with doing the Father's will, not His own — and we should follow that pattern.
- 3
Our perspective is limited: we don't even know what tomorrow holds, so we must consult the God who sees everything.
- 4
Our flesh is deceitful: we rationalize and lie to ourselves, convincing ourselves that more money or more status will satisfy the longing in our hearts.
- 5
Our time on earth is a mist — too brief to waste on building a kingdom that won't last.
- 6
Not every open door is from God; we must learn to discern His voice through His Word, Spirit-led community, and prayer-driven peace.
- 7
The right posture is total surrender: 'My life is not my own — crucified with Christ, raised to live on mission for Jesus.'
Outline
Introduction: How Do We Make Decisions?
Pastor Daniel frames the sermon around the 35,000 daily decisions we all make and asks: how and why do we make them? He introduces James 4:13-16 and the concept of 'the arrogance of assumption.'
Jesus's Model: Seeking the Father's Will
Using multiple statements from Jesus in John's Gospel, Pastor Daniel shows that Jesus was consumed with doing the Father's will rather than His own, and calls us to the same posture.
Danger 1 — Our Perspective Is Limited
Because we cannot see tomorrow, making assumptions about the future is dangerous. The story of Joshua's treaty with the Gibeonites illustrates the cost of examining a situation in the natural without consulting the Lord.
Danger 2 — Our Flesh Is Deceitful
James addresses a culture obsessed with 'more.' Pastor Daniel warns that we are gifted at lying to ourselves and that the world's offerings can never satisfy the eternity God has placed in our souls. Not every open door is a God opportunity.
Danger 3 — Our Time Is Breathtakingly Short
James asks, 'What is your life?' and answers: a mist. Pastor Daniel urges the church to invest its remaining mist in the four eternal things — God, His Word, His people, and His kingdom — rather than in kingdoms that won't last.
The Right Posture: 'If It Is the Lord's Will, I Will'
Drawing on Galatians 2:20, Pastor Daniel calls the church to total surrender — seeking God's will on the front end of decisions and saying yes to wherever He leads, believing that radical obedience leads to a life beyond their wildest dreams.
Memorable moments
it's not a sin to make plans, but it is a sin to leave God out of them
Not every open door is from god, not every opportunity is a calling, and not every plan is his plan
our greatest fear, it should not be a failure but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter
We can't change how long our mist is visible to other people, but we can change what our mist does to the people in our circle of influence. Warren
the greatest lie that the enemy has convinced the world to believe. I'm not up here as like some used car salesman trying to convince you of a life for you. I'm up here as a satisfied customer trying, pleading with you, begging with you to go on the other side of radical obedience when it makes no sense is a life beyond your wildest dreams
Application
Pastor Daniel challenges every person to stop planning their life in isolation and instead bring God into the front end of every significant decision — before the date, before the business launch, before the move. Practically, this means carving out space to seek God through His Word, through the counsel of Spirit-filled community, and through prayer until a sense of God's peace settles the question. The mantra to carry forward is James's own: 'If it is the Lord's will, I will.' Our lives, time, resources, and futures are not our own — they were bought at a price. The call is to push all of it to the middle of the table and say, 'Not my will, but Yours be done,' trusting that the other side of radical obedience is a life far richer than anything we could engineer on our own.
