Step 1.01 — Introduction to Part One: Preparing for the Expedition

We can’t talk about discipleship without first asking this question.

Not just His plan for your life or mine—but His eternal, overarching plan for everything. Creation, fall, redemption, restoration. Everything God is doing flows from this plan. If we get this wrong, everything else will unravel. But if we get it right—it becomes the compass that directs our entire journey.

In this essay, we begin to explore the shape of God’s plan according to Scripture. We’ll build a framework we can come back to again and again as we move forward in this expedition of faith.

This isn’t about inventing a clever theological system or trying to predict the future. It’s about understanding the purpose behind everything God has revealed—and how that purpose defines who we are, what we were made for, and how we should live.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”\
– Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

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Key Points from This Essay

• God’s plan is eternal, unchanging, and sovereign.
• Every part of Scripture tells the story of His plan.
• Discipleship begins with aligning our lives to that plan.
• We are not the center of God’s plan—Christ is.
• Understanding God’s plan forces us to confront whether we’re living in it or merely near it.

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Key Questions to Consider

• What do I believe God’s plan is—and where did that belief come from?
• Have I ever stopped to ask why I exist?
• If God has a plan, what would it mean to truly live in light of it?
• Am I willing to surrender my story for the sake of His?

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Next: Step 1.05 – Why Are We Here?\
Before we can trust God’s plan, we have to ask how we know anything is true in the first place. In the next essay, we’ll introduce the idea of epistemology and why it matters for every believer.

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See Also: [Field Note: “I Say I Want It—But Do I?”] – A personal reflection that honestly confronts the tension between what we claim to want and what God actually calls us to live.