Plans and Planning

A plan is a formulated or organized method according to which something is to be done, a scheme of action, a project, a design. the way in which you propose to carry out some proceeding. Planning is to devise, contrive, design some action or proceeding to be carried out, to project or arrange beforehand.The Oxford English Dictionary


“Plan first, before you enter a new situation, then move in and do.”—Edna Lister


A plan is the way in which you propose to carry out some proceeding. Planning requires a thorough knowledge of details and law.

Plans and planning are initiations related to the principles of Wisdom and Mind, and the mental faculties, especially those of logic, reason, discernment, discrimination and discretion. Planning is an initiation that deals with a goal. You cannot expect to be able to plan well unless you also apply your highly developed imagination to the task. Since most people permit imagination to run away with them, imagining all the things that could go wrong, that is the very point at which to use your imagination constructively to foresee problems as well as all possible improvements.—Sandra Gustavson





Edna Lister on Plans and Planning

Every idea carries the strength for its accomplishment within itself.—Edna Lister, Release Your Talents, February 23, 1934.


God as Mind is the purpose, the plan, the law, the Power, and the Substance, which becomes the material universe with its phenomena.—Edna Lister, Theory of Being, November 25, 1935.


When you plan for perfection of the desired conclusion, you receive the perfect answer.—Edna Lister, Philosophy, December 9, 1935.


The Father of Wisdom plans, and the Mother of Love sustains all that they create.—Edna Lister, March 12, 1938.


Wisdom plans. Love executes.—Edna Lister, The Rich Man Also, June 19, 1938.


You either plan to be a perfect servant for God to use, or end as the slave to self.—Edna Lister, August 8, 1938.


Is your plan to be a perfect servant for the Father to use, or will you be found of little stature when the crucial moment arrives in your soul growth? Hearken and Choose this day whom thou wilt serve.—Joshua 24:15. Put your house in order, then allow nothing to disturb its serenity.—Edna Lister, August 8, 1938.


All is good now, and shall come to pass after the desires of your heart that only Light moves through you into your creations forever. Success does not come because you want it, or desire it. You must plan for, serve for, and sacrifice self for success. You bring it forth from within, according to your loyalty and steadfastness under the Light. No man can add success to you from the outside. You build each step by your own service to God.—Edna Lister, August 25, 1938.


No idea was ever born on earth without much travail and pain.—Edna Lister, September 6, 1938.


You may not force a plan forward, or you cause it to abort.—Edna Lister, October 12, 1938.


Only keen desire keeps everything moving as planned. Half loyalty, part-time obedience and iffy responsibility are not enough.—Edna Lister, February 13, 1939.


When another is likely to interfere with your work for a miracle, do not even tell them what you plan in the first place.—Edna Lister, Heavenly Manna, July 8, 1940.


Live as if honor were the only standard of measurement in heaven or on earth, because ultimately it is. All else shall follow, for nothing can be lost, unless you declare it so. When you build a new vibration, then though life makes it impossible to follow through as you have planned, know that it is still a good plan. Every prayer, every effort that you put into its unfolding is still building that original plan into outer form.


Nothing is ever lost. It is in God’s hands and He cannot lose. Even when you are foolish enough to declare a loss, the Father says, I am holding all your substance and form safe, as far as you have gone with it, until you are once more ready to work at it. Perhaps the next time you will be able to finish what you have started. So, carry on in love, praising God for His tender mercy, knowing the only loss is your loss of confidence in His ability to work all things together for good.—Edna Lister, March 12, 1941.


Watch yourself on taking credit where little is due you. Watch the little things. Do not live in the clouds above while planning for the future, but live now, where you are. Give everyone else the credit.—Edna Lister, July 12, 1941.


December is the month of resurrection that follows November, the month of death to all old ideas and plans. In December you can easily revise, renew and recreate every plan to a higher level.—Edna Lister, November 27, 1941.


God has at least five ways to perfect the same thing in the outer. Incidents on earth often change the road or path to the plan, to keep a balance on earth. The Power release must be equally balanced throughout earth.—Edna Lister, April 16, 1942.


Lay your self on the altar first, in surrender of all will to possess anyone or anything. Then name, one by one, all persons, affairs, desires or hopes, and give them to God. Lay your business and love, plans and duties on the altar and come before God free, purged of earth. Make sacrifice of all self repeatedly, each time opening at your earliest memories, and you shall not be able to hold the glory of fulfillment poured out on you for this so-great sacrificing of self. Take up your burdens, duties and plans again, but only as if they belonged to God — nothing of your own. Handle them in honor and love, loyalty and joy, as His.—Edna Lister, November 18, 1942.


Sometimes an interference in a plan saves you from a mistake, yours or another’s, though you do not like it. Always, you can make an interference a gift to God, the gift of time and effort. Interference in your plans and life may seem trivial and irritating, but could well be the most important thing in the other fellow’s life. You have so little you can really give God, but you can always lay time and effort on the altar as a gift to Him.
   Your plans are important. Your budgeted time and effort are most important, but still more important is your willingness, your joy in running, despite all interference, doing the next thing next, even when it seems to take you far from your plan. Lay a gift of time and effort on the altar. Do this lovingly for the Master.—Edna Lister, March 3, 1943.


Every promise the Father makes becomes a heavenly law. Laws are divine plans and must be fulfilled. Because plans are divine laws, when torn down, they must be rebuilt under the law of order. When you make a promise, it becomes a law that you must plan for and fulfill at some future day.—Edna Lister, October 14, 1943.


In an instant you can turn from selflessness to darkness. So, while you do not plan to delay, you must consider it as a factor in your plan. You often delay the fulfillment of God’s promises to you. He has no power over the will of man and has given us freedom to choose. He builds the lines again and holds them, no matter how often you tear them down.—Edna Lister, June 29, 1944.


You have so far failed to apportion your time, so plan your time more wisely. For example, you may not sit up later to finish a task, then oversleep the next morning.—Edna Lister, June 28, 1945.


When you face disadvantages or interruptions in daily living, you must adjust and modify or revamp your plans. Do so joyfully.—Edna Lister, July 18, 1945.


Plan more loving attention to the smallest details of daily living. Drudgery bores everyone, and we are all tired of slaving away. Consider how tired the Father is of your resentment about tasks you do unwillingly, as if being forced to do another’s work? How weary does God become at your lack of joy in paying your debts?—Edna Lister, September 17, 1945.


Never start a project you cannot finish completely yourself, unless you consult with a helper beforehand.—Edna Lister, September 19, 1945.


In spite of human nature and things that can happen, God will bring all plans to pass through those whom He chooses.—Edna Lister, October 12, 1945.


Make yourself do all those things you have planned so long. Do one something each day toward that fulfillment.—Edna Lister, January 25, 1946.


Send forth the joy vibration constantly to keep your plans ascending and expanding.—Edna Lister, April 15, 1946.


Become more alert no matter the need for speed. Otherwise, you are just half in command. You have enough speed to cover needs when soul is in command. To plan and have everything ready beforehand lets you do everything perfectly and quickly, with no wasted motion or time.—Edna Lister, June 8, 1947.


Plan first, before you enter a new situation, then move in and do.—Edna Lister, June 16, 1947.


Build your new life pattern using your creative tools of desire, thinking and imagination as your action, expression, and execution. If you do not build a new pattern, you limp along on an obsolete plan. Do something toward fulfilling your plan daily, and act as if you already have it.—Edna Lister, Promises Fulfilled, September 24, 1950.


All darkness must return to Light. The Elect must enfold all into God’s Plan of Salvation.—Edna Lister, November 14, 1950.


God trusts us with free will. Why shouldn’t He trust us with His endless substance? If you cannot imagine lavishly spending, you have no million dollar plans. You should be able to decide what to buy within an hour, or you have no workable plans. Keep planning despite any family opposition or disbelief.—Edna Lister, I Will Arise and Go to My Father, November 19, 1950.


Whenever a door closes, know that God has a bigger, better plan in store for you.—Edna Lister, To Seek the Light, June 10, 1951.


When group plans do not move as quickly as you want, it is because the group as a whole cannot move until everyone in it can move.—Edna Lister, The First Days, June 17, 1951.


If you implement a plan without envisioning the results first, you are using thinking and seeing without adding the leaven of love. Unless love permeates your plan, it’s like dough without yeast. You must leaven your plans with love.—Edna Lister, The Concealed Mother, July 22, 1951.


If you plan to become love, you may never stop loving.—Edna Lister, February 4, 1952.


Eventually, you must choose between the world, which tears down your life plan and stops you, or God, who builds with you.—Edna Lister, The Challenge, March 15, 1952.


All lack of planning is the result of some subconscious interference from the self.—Edna Lister, September 2, 1952.


When you look up to see God’s new plans for you, He gives you such marvelous ideas to bring forth into outer manifestation.—Edna Lister, The Mantle of Messiahship, October 12, 1952.


To ascend to unquenchable love and unconquerable faith, you must have a plan. Self always plans for its own advancement and exaltation. Soul plans to Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.—Edna Lister, Unquenchable Love and Unconquerable Faith, April 4, 1954.


Your life’s plan must have a goal, which comes only from knowing what you want to do. Then you must want it enough to do it. So faith and a burning desire are your keys.—Edna Lister, Your Life’s Plan, May 16, 1954.


You must choose your life plan and goal. Your plan must include the faith, love and the joy of God. To make an expansive plan and stick to it, to choose the right way, is the great thing.—Edna Lister, Your Life’s Plan, May 16, 1954.


God in His Wisdom has planned that you may know, and can see and hear spiritually. Your inheritance includes enough wisdom to plan, and substance to build your molds. Yet you must stand on a foundation of principle before you can say, I accept God’s plan for me. Your overall plan must be well-defined, and you must recall all the day’s modifications, planned during the night watches, each morning. Finally, you must love enough to fulfill law and your plan.—Edna Lister, I Accept, June 27, 1954.


I do know what to do next. The world wastes time fooling around between one thing and the next. Most people have no well thought out, overall plans. You cannot force the outer to conform. However, you can have a supreme inner soul plan to follow despite what, where, when or how in the outer. You are the master of your soul destiny, and hold your fate in your own hands.—Edna Lister, Spiritual Independence, July 3, 1955.


What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.—Mark 11:24. You must be organized in planning, and able to picture clearly how you will use the things you ask of God. This is how you give Him an organized proof and plan for your desire-goal.—Edna Lister, Manna From Heaven, August 21, 1955.


To be successful in life, you must have a goal and a plan for attaining that goal. To fulfill your life, you must have a day plan, a year plan, and a life plan. Vivid imagination is the greatest in planning. What you see is what you get in life.—Edna Lister, I Am the Light of the World, January 1, 1956.


What are your desires for this new year? What are your plans? Let them be vitalized and quickened now.—Edna Lister, January 5, 1956.


You fashion your tomorrow from today’s thinking and planning.—Edna Lister, Let Go and Let God, January 8, 1956.


God’s plan for you is unchangeable perfection.—Edna Lister, Promises Fulfilled, May 13, 1956.


Before entering a situation, plan ahead what to do. Also think through what has happened before—comparisons of past experiences — or what you must do.—Edna Lister, June 26, 1956.


Everyone has a niche in the structure of God’s plan.—Edna Lister, The Glory, Your Ascension, November 11, 1956.


Plan well. To change a plan is legal, but living in the plan without executing it is illegal. You drain the plan’s action potential into the past as a loss when you regret failing to act, and if you procrastinate and push it into the future, you create force and cause confusion.—Edna Lister, August 12, 1957.


Make every word, gesture, emotion, and thought pay you the greatest dividends. The Power that returns, the substance that fills your molds, can only be as great as the size, length, height, and breadth of the idea backing it. See it as increase as it goes forth, filling a thousand needs. The greater your idea, the greater the Power going forth, and it must equal the idea in size. Thus, you can increase your returns, credits, capacities.—Edna Lister, October 3, 1957.


To be a creator, you must apply conscious direction and control over your plan of creation.—Edna Lister, The Bond of Spirit, October 6, 1957.


You can do anything, if you plan for it. You do not need to let a dream die. Pretend you are just starting at age twenty-one.—Edna Lister, October 30, 1957.


"By their works you will know them" (see Matthew 7:20). You can have anything you can think. Live by the more and more plan, more Light, love and joy. On the less and less plan, you become feeble. Live with your head and aura in the clouds. Be a woman clothed in the sun.—Edna Lister, February 6, 1958.


In a new situation, plan first, then move in and do. We are always facing new situations. Planning first means to think it through sensibly, without reacting. Ascend in consciousness and seek divine counsel. After the plan is ready, move in and do. This law is a key to prevent you from making mistakes.—Edna Lister, March 4, 1958.


God does not work on a less-tomorrow-than-today plan. God’s work is always on an ascending, expanding, multiplying scale. Never look back once you move, otherwise you would break the vibration of continuing success. There is but one way to go: Onward and upward, declaring, This is good and very good. That is your credo for each time you move.—Edna Lister, June 20, 1958.


Religion is your code of ethics, a plan for living together in perfect peace.—Edna Lister, As the World Sees Me, June 22, 1958.


Planning involves the power of choice. You choose, then must plan what sort of life you want.—Edna Lister, Love Unquenchable, December 7, 1958.


The Heavenly Councils always formulate five alternate plans for each soul. When stubborn disobedience wrecks a plan, the Father adds all the love and Power that you released for it to achieve the same objective by the second plan. God creates the creative mold to become manifested on the outer, so it still is the truth, even when a plan collapses due to a lack in someone connected with it. You just have to pray harder than ever, becoming a perfect instrument for the release of Power.—Edna Lister, January 26, 1959.


Keep faith with the Father, and with yourself. Let self indulge in no more intellectual mental planning. Keep your ideas high. A high idea, which you jot down, is different from a scattering of soul substance in vainly trying to do something about it hit or miss. Write your ideas in a few words to hold them, then place the rest of the ideas on a cloud; let God do the gestating work. When you drag the idea down to earth and personality, you destroy it in the worst sense or delay in the best sense.—Edna Lister, November 19, 1959.


If you have something to do, to plan, to create, keep broadcasting I AM loves you until you feel like rushing to do it. Just love God and let nothing else pass your lips.—Edna Lister, January 7, 1960.


God accredits opening a new vibration, small or large, as the accomplishment, though another may carry it to completion. The secret is to give lavishly of love and to give up self until your heart’s desires are God’s commands. Do not doubt the results.—Edna Lister, February 4, 1960.


To keep ideas, new plans, experiences secret, visualize them as being contained in a blue egg to gestate until the right time for release. The magnetic drawing ability of a vibration started on speculation is endless. Speculation, the penetrating line of Light the soul throws in the air is under the same great law as a fakir throws a rope to climb. Thus, balance is imperative to have it go straight to the mark. Once thrown in the air along any line, it will hang there until the next round of speculation is possible, and only falls back to earth if the soul regresses.—Edna Lister, June 10, 1960.


Law creates hour by hour after the pattern your words set. It must build, gestate plans and fulfill them.—Edna Lister, October 10, 1960.


You have no plan if you start the day with the idea that the day is just so long and you have so much to do, Shall I ever get through it? Instead, declare, This is the Day the Lord hath made and I shall be free. I shall not miss a trick. I shall have all brain cells awake and alive every minute of this day. Use this with your I AM statements, or you will fall below your hairline and bump the skull.—Edna Lister, January 23, 1961.


Do not plan when, just have the how and the what ready.—Edna Lister, October 26, 1961.


Humanity lost its identity with the Source through indifference, which led to disobedience. Disobedience to principle, the plan and the law destroyed civilizations.—Edna Lister, God’s Magna Charta, October 29, 1961.


No more negative statements about the future. Are you in line with the Light or not? Plan that which you desire with all your mind and soul. Do not settle down, settle up.—Edna Lister, November 20, 1961.


The kingdom of heaven is open to all believers, but you can only go as far as your soul goal and plan takes you. You can ascend no higher than you can think or plan.—Edna Lister, This I Know, December 3, 1961.


If you are running on a "more and more" life plan, you will love God more and more this week. You really would like to love God more this week. He does not subtract, but adds and multiplies. Add yourself to Him by loving God more.—Edna Lister, June 30, 1963.


Plan where you want to go and struggle with all your heart and soul to climb the cliff above. Sometimes it is like walking up a wall. The position is precarious and you must constantly make a supreme effort to scale the heights.—Edna Lister, July 5, 1963.


Plan for the positive: Idle plans create idle words, which create idle curses.—Edna Lister, August 15, 1963.


You cannot make a plan of action without first formulating an hypothesis. Start with the three absolutes — unity, duality and trinity.—Edna Lister, September 3, 1964.


Consciously take deep breaths and breathe in Light directly from the Source. In an instant, with one breath, you become what God created you to be, a creator. You reach a point where the old has passed away and you have created a bridge across the abyss of being hesitant, reluctant and fearful. Now you may step into the new "millionaire" vibration, which is a term meaning outer freedom in economics, enabling you to do the next thing next without distracting or detracting from other plans waiting to be born.—Edna Lister, October 2, 1964.


If Light does not wipe the idea from your mind in three days, go ahead, but never look back in doubt, which causes tragedies.—Edna Lister, December 13, 1965.


You cannot be too watchful in your use of discretion, discrimination or discernment and constant attention to details, not to let one inattention slip by. You have no excuse for not doing each task perfectly. Laziness, indifference and the hope of avoiding responsibility cause you to forget attention to details. Praise more. Declare, Father, please make me stronger, and plan to do twice as much as you could do, not to let your subconscious get by with slackness when doing it right is possible.—Edna Lister, February 12, 1966.


Father Wisdom is the first Emanation and Mother Love is the second in the River of Life. Mother Love sustains and nourishes; Wisdom upholds and plans. Mother Love rules time; the Father, as Wisdom, rules space. Time must have space in which to act. The Mother’s time is always now. The Father says mañana]. He has all the space and can wait. Now is the only time, so we have only the now. Thus, women are always pushing to finish things.—Edna Lister, May 8, 1966.


Plan all things in honor and integrity and loyalty. This is essential. You go before a Council at night and they give you the words on which to act, an "open sesame." Yet you must know whether it is of the self or soul. You must speak or act selflessly. If you return with a must-do, pray about it. If it is selfless, Light will descend and God will speak and act through you on the "must."—Edna Lister, October 24, 1966.


When you are planning for selfless service, days move into days, each with its own success of accomplishment, and you know the time and place will meet.—Edna Lister, December 15, 1966.


You must create a mold for everything, and you cannot create without a pattern.—Edna Lister, May 25, 1967.


The work of defeatists is to create defeat and build failures. They gather and draft their plans from the minds of lazy failures, not because anything special made them failures, but because they listened and took in the underbelly instead of the crown.—Edna Lister, June 2, 1967.


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.—John 1:1. The Word is God in action as Mind, a rhythmic pulsation filling all universes, which had been void, with no form. The Word, acting as Mind upon Substance, began to build up enough condensed Power to last a whole Day of Manifestation.
  God first created a place, called space, which He then filled with principle and personality. From principle and personality came the second great action, time. This was all Mind and contained the whole plan for all universes, an unchangeable, unalterable and perfect Magna Carta, containing the Beginning and the End.
  When you plan ahead for higher ascension, you store up the Power you will need. Prayer today furnishes Power for tomorrow. If you reach a day when you have no strength, it means you have forgotten to store Power by daily prayer and depleted your store of substance.—Edna Lister, Religion and the World, November 5, 1967.


Awareness is a delicacy about feeling a vibration, carrying out each plan under its release of Power. The Power is stored in your Oversoul Star. When you neglect the plan, your neglect obstructs you in finally carrying it out. The phone rings, you stub your toe, you forget. The Power covers the new plan and you are to use it to finish the job. If you are bringing through an idea or answer and the phone rings, finish the vibration, then answer the phone.—Edna Lister, November 13, 1967.


When you ask for a miracle, the Council must form a plan that will not disturb others or destroy a single cell before they can grant the boon. You have no idea and little gratitude for the work they do when you demand a miracle. They would appreciate your gratitude, for then they could send more miracles.—Edna Lister, December 4, 1967.


Tomorrow is yours. You can’t do much about the past, but you can plan for tomorrow. Today is a tomorrow that you have made.—Edna Lister, Awareness and Becoming Law, May 26, 1968.


God does not work from a "less and less" but a more and more plan of life.—Edna Lister, Conversion and Mysticism, June 9, 1968.


Every change of mind or change in your plan of life comes under the principle of resurrection, which lifts you up and out of the little self.—Edna Lister, Five Important Mysteries, October 27, 1968.


You’re talking to God, and God talks to you. Declare, From this moment I AM living on a ’more and more life’ plan. You will feel the Power moving through you.—Edna Lister, June 23, 1968.


When you plan your day in the morning, you use imagination and thinking aligned with honor, loyalty and integrity before God. Then, even your choice of clothes brings forth colors from abstract Mind. When you apply the above, your midbrain neurons send forth impulses for good.—Edna Lister, November 7, 1968.


If you desire higher gains, then plan accordingly. Plan to finish conquering on all your incomplete virtues. Express only that which is just, perfect and beautiful. Give to the world only that which can magnify the Father’s life, Light and Power. So shall your days be blessings to God and the children of men. Only thus can you open new Gates and in doing so little, you can open them wide. Plan now how you will use it for your new year.—Edna Lister, December 26, 1968.


You make plans and do your best. God appreciates your best and adds His Power to your plan.—Edna Lister, August 3, 1969.


In your just appraisal of your past, you also plan the future. You oversee the mental and emotional gains in conquering self, and that determines the physical.—Edna Lister, November 3, 1970.


If your plans are delayed because of interruptions, just know that it was not yet the right time. Use the delay to strengthen your plan-mold. Don’t give up the plan, but declare, The time is now, which converts the world’s doubts and fears into determination.—Edna Lister, Faith Complete Now, November 15, 1970.


Plan your service ahead so that God can reward you twice as much for what you still owe.—Edna Lister, April 15, 1971.

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New Testament on Plans and Planning

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.—Luke 14:28-32.

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Edna Miriam Lister
1884—1971
The original Pioneering Mystic, Christian Platonist philosopher, American Idealist, Founder, Society of the Universal Living Christ, minister, teacher, author, wife, and mother.


Edna Lister


Etymology of plan: French, alteration (influenced by plan, flat surface; plain) of plant, ground plan, map (from planter, "to plant"), from Latin plantere, from planta, "sole of the foot."


Planning is a mental law of doing.

Planning is an initiation that deals with a goal


References

Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, 2023.

The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV). Public Domain.

The Oxford English Dictionary: Compact Ed., 2 vols. E.S.C. Weiner, editor. Oxford University Press, 1971.


Related Topic

Goals