God’s plan for your life is better than the one you’ve been writing for yourself. That was the heart of “His Plan Is Better Than Yours,” the message Jeremy Curtis brought on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at Ellijay City Church in Ellijay, GA. If you’ve ever wondered whether salvation is more than a prayer for someday, this one is for you.
Salvation is more than waiting for someday
Jeremy opened with something many of us grew up with: the idea that salvation is mainly a prayer you pray so you can go to heaven one day. Heaven is real, and we will spend eternity with Jesus. But Jeremy pointed out that a salvation built only on “someday” can leave us stuck right where we are.
As he put it, “a prayer you pray to go to heaven leaves me waiting for someday.” Jesus didn’t go to the cross so we could stay the same and wait. In John 3:16, God gave His Son so that whoever believes would have eternal life. Jeremy’s point was simple and strong: the moment you believe, eternal life comes to live on the inside of you.
He took us to John 14, where Jesus says He is going to prepare a place. Jeremy taught that Jesus was speaking of the cross. Peter was about to deny Him, and the weakness of his flesh was about to show. But Jesus was preparing a way for the power of God to live inside Peter. And the same Peter who once ran in fear later faced his own death with courage. That’s what salvation does. It changes us now.
Seeing our need for a Savior
The first step in understanding the gospel, Jeremy said, is seeing your own need for a Savior. We live in a fallen world. God did not create it to be the way it is. Too often we make God the scapegoat when life goes wrong. But the pain and brokenness we see were never His intent.
From John 1, Jeremy showed that Jesus brought the thoughts, motives and reasonings of God into the earth. “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5). The world could not understand a Savior who would hang on a cross and say, “Father, forgive them.”
Then he walked us back to Genesis 3. Before the fall, Adam and Eve stood before God with no shame and no insecurity. After the fall came hiding, guilt and fear. Jeremy said that’s our nature apart from Christ. Put two kids in a room with one toy and watch what happens. Nobody has to teach them to grab it. You have to teach them to share.
Here’s the turn that hit home for a lot of us: “God didn’t create you to need love. He actually created you in the beginning to be love.” When we live from a need for love, approval or a platform, we try to pull something out of people. When we live from God’s nature, we pour Jesus out to them. That’s why Jesus could wash the feet of the one who would betray Him.
God’s plan for your life is good
Jeremy read one of the most loved verses in the Bible: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). And Ephesians 2:10 says we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared for us to walk in.
“God’s plan for your life is not to fulfill your dreams. His plan is to fulfill his purposes.”
But Jeremy drew a clear line. There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing Him. The deeper kind of knowing comes through relationship. And from that place, you can trust that His plans are better than yours, even when a good Father lets you be uncomfortable for a season so it produces something good later.
He painted a picture of waking up, looking in the mirror and saying, “I am an image-bearer of God. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit.” When your identity is rooted in Jesus, other people’s opinions don’t steer your life anymore. That’s transformation.
Faithful when nobody is watching
Jeremy shared a story from his construction days. He was bent over tying rebar for a concrete machine pad, every eight inches, while everyone else had gone to the break room. He got mad and stood up, ready to confront someone. Three steps in, the Holy Spirit spoke to him: “I see you.”
That was enough. He went back to tying rebar. Jesus said those who are faithful in little will be faithful in much (Luke 16:10). God’s purposes often show up in the small moments when you think nobody is looking. How people treat you doesn’t get to decide who God is in you.
Trading your plans for His
In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul says his preaching came “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” so that our faith would rest in God’s power, not human wisdom. Then comes the verse we love to quote: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Jeremy pointed us to the next line: “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
When you surrender and choose His plan over yours, His Spirit comes to live inside you. Romans 8:15 says we received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” Old thought patterns pass away and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). And the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. In Jeremy’s words, “You’re unstoppable and you don’t even know it.”
Jeremy also shared how being baptized in the Holy Spirit and praying in his personal prayer language changed his life. Romans 8:26 says the Spirit helps our weaknesses and prays for us when we don’t know what to pray. He said this gift changed things inside him that made him a better leader in his home, and it brought down old thought patterns he didn’t even know were there. You can read more about what we believe on our beliefs page, and if you’re looking for freedom from those old patterns, our Rooted ministry is a great next step.
He closed with Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” His summary of salvation was beautifully simple: “It’s really just you trading your plans for his and his plans are better.”
Scriptures from this message
- John 3:16
- John 14:2
- John 1:1-5
- Genesis 3:14-15
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Ephesians 2:10
- Luke 16:10
- 1 Corinthians 2:4-12
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
- Romans 8:11, 8:15, 8:26-29
Questions to talk about this week
- Did you grow up thinking of salvation mostly as a ticket to heaven someday? How does “eternal life living inside you now” change that?
- Where do you notice yourself trying to get love or recognition from people instead of giving it?
- What is one “little” place where God is asking you to be faithful when no one is watching?
- What plan of your own do you need to lay down so you can trust His plan instead?
Questions about this message
What does the Bible say about God’s plan for your life?
Jeremiah 29:11 says God’s thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace, not evil. Ephesians 2:10 says we were created in Christ Jesus for good works God prepared for us. In this message, Jeremy Curtis taught that God’s plan is to fulfill His purposes in us, and His purposes are better than our own dreams.
How do I start following God’s plan instead of my own?
Jeremy described salvation as trading your plans for His. It starts with surrender: telling God you trust that He is good and asking Jesus to live inside you. From there, His Spirit leads you, renews your thinking and shows you His purpose day by day.
When can I hear the next message at Ellijay City Church?
Sunday services are at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM at 443 Pleasant Grove Rd, Ellijay, GA 30540. Every message streams live on our YouTube channel.
God’s plans for you are bigger than you can imagine, and we’d love to walk that road with you. Plan a visit this Sunday, or catch up on more messages anytime. There’s a place for you here.
