Episode 437: I’m Talkin…Steps

I’m talking.

Episode 437 for August 30th, 2026.

This is Joel from the I’m Talking microcast, where I share my thoughts on a topic that has piqued my interest this past week.

This week we’re talking steps.

There are a number of ways that you could use the word steps.

You could use it like in an instruction set where there are steps that you have to follow to build something or make something like that.

It may be directions.

It may be a path that you have to take and steps that you take in a given direction to maybe even accomplish something or a path where you’re just walking, maybe to accomplish something, maybe to do exercise, maybe to get somewhere.

But who decides what steps mean and why you might be using them to accomplish a task?

And therein lies the challenge for those of us who call ourselves Christians.

Today’s word comes from Proverbs 16, verse 9 that says, We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

There seems to be a common theme as a Christian when you read through the Bible, and that is that you are not on your own.

You are reliant, or should be reliant, on the God who you serve, on Jesus who paid the penalty for your sins on the cross.

And it’s kind of interesting that not too many weeks ago I did Proverbs 16:3 that says, Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed.

And then this week it says, We can make our plans, but God determines our steps.

So it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make plans.

And the other verse in Proverbs says, If we commit our actions to the Lord, our plans are probably going to be pretty good plans because we’re leaning on what the Lord wants us to do.

And so in this case it says, And the way I read it is, if you make your plans and don’t think about God, then He’s going to determine your steps anyway.

So your plans may fail, they may succeed.

But if your plans include who God is and what He wants for you, then it says He will determine the steps.

So to me, it’s like I’ve got a plan.

I want to accomplish something.

I’ve turned it over to God.

I’ve prayed about it.

I’ve talked to other Christians about it potentially.

But then God determines the steps that I take to complete that plan because He’s sovereign.

He understands what needs to be done to make that plan absolutely successful.

And it may not turn out exactly the way I was thinking when I made my plans, but in the end, it’s going to be exactly where God wants me to be, exactly how He wanted it to turn out.

And so in the we can make our plans, we have to leave room for God because He is going to determine our steps.

Until next week, this is Joel from the I’m Talking Microcast.