God Has Bigger Plans for You Than You Have for Yourself: Seven Keys to Step into Your Next Season

Just a few days ago, I had the privilege of sharing this message at my dear friend Pastor Israel Boole’s Mustard Seed Faith Conference at the Legacy International Center. God gave me a word that I believe is a word for you today: God has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself!

What follows comes directly from the message, edited for readability. I want you to hear the heart of what I shared—especially how Paul’s words to his spiritual son Timothy brought back the voice and counsel of my own spiritual father, Dr. Morris Cerullo.

God has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself!

I want you to know something. God sent me here today to tell you: you are not a little group. You are an incredible group! God gave me a word in my little office as I was praying before coming in. He said to tell you that God has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself.

God sees something greater in you than you see in yourself. He sees something greater for you than you see for yourself. “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.

This is not the work of a man. The mustard seed is His Word, and His Word does not return to Him void. His Word accomplishes the thing for which He sends it. As I shared at the conference, I believed God was speaking about the remaining 68 days of the year and crowning the year with an abundant harvest. I am not just talking words; I am talking the Bible.

I am preaching to myself today. I do not just have certain things I want to read to you. I have a word I want to give to everyone who will receive it: your promotion is in motion without commotion, in Jesus’ name!

I am in a season right now like I have never been in my life. Birthing something is never pain-free. It is never easy. But destinies die in the comfort zone! God is pushing us out. God sees something greater in you and something greater for you.

The Bible speaks about the time coming to fulfill Joseph’s dream. God has a greater dream for you than you have for yourself. That is what the Lord was telling me: God has a bigger dream!

It was not that I had no relationship with the Bible. I had been a Christian for 40 or 50 years. But I did not have a nonnegotiable relationship with the Bible—a “I will not begin a day without spending time in the Word” relationship.

I said, “God, I am not like Dr. Cerullo. But Lord, if You will help me, I will do this.” It was a Sunday when God asked me that question in church. As I shared in this message, that was 3,030 days earlier. That desire has become a discipline, and that discipline has become a great delight!

When I tell you that God sees something greater, thinks about you more, and thinks higher, I am not repeating a Joel Osteen message—whom I love. I am not preaching some positive-thinking message. This is what the Scripture says. This is what I have discovered in those days in the Word: there is a God in that Book who is greater, kinder, and more for you than you could ever imagine.

Psalm 139 tells us about God’s thoughts and says that if we could count them, they would be more than the sand. I talked about the sand at La Jolla Cove and all the other shores combined. Have you ever picked up some sand? When we take our granddaughter to the beach, she brings plenty of it back! I do not think about myself that much in my whole life. Yet Scripture gives us that picture of God’s thoughts.

God is thinking about you more than you realize. Every hair on your head is numbered. He knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb. This is a God who is intimately invested in you.

Then Isaiah tells us that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; His thoughts are higher. I was encouraging you with this: God thinks more highly and sees more than the little picture we have of ourselves.

I want to share seven things I learned from Dr. Morris Cerullo. These are things I am applying to myself. If we will focus on them and allow them to work in our lives, we can move toward what God has for us. God has bigger plans for our 2027 than we can think or ask!

A spiritual father speaking to his spiritual son

Here is how this message came to me. One morning I was missing Dr. Cerullo. I miss him, but that morning I was really thinking about him. I thought, “I wish I could have a conversation with him right now about everything that is going on.”

I turned my Bible to 1 Timothy 4 and read verses 6 through 16. Let me tell you the context: this is a letter from a spiritual father. It is a letter from Paul to Timothy, his spiritual son.

There were legacy people in that room—spiritual sons and daughters. As I sat in the place where I read my Bible, I began to hear Dr. Cerullo’s voice through the Apostle Paul’s words speaking to me. It was so precious! From those verses came seven things.

I asked my wife to read the passage. Paul tells Timothy that a worthy servant of Christ Jesus is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching he has followed. He tells him not to waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales, but to train himself to be godly.

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. Our hope is in the living God. Paul tells Timothy to teach these things, not to let anyone think less of him because he is young, and to be an example in what he says, how he lives, his love, faith, and purity.

He tells him to focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. He tells him not to neglect the spiritual gift he received through the prophecy spoken over him when the elders laid their hands on him.

Then Paul says to give complete attention to these matters, throw himself into his tasks so everyone will see his progress, keep a close watch on his life and teaching, and stay true to what is right—for his own sake and for those who hear him. That is the passage behind these seven keys: 1 Timothy 4:6–16.

I love God’s Word so much! What God has for us does not happen automatically. We have things to add to our faith, decisions to make, and choices before us. But these things are not meant to put more pressure on your life. Jesus came to lift burdens, not to add burdens.

The old covenant was a performance-based relationship with God. The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The new covenant is not an upgrade or continuation of the old way of relating to God. It is a replacement! These seven things will help lift burdens and help you fulfill what God has for you.

The transformational seed of the Word of God

The greatest mustard seed of all is the incomparable, transformational seed of the Word of God.

I traveled with Dr. Cerullo for a year when he preached this message: whatever God calls a seed, He gives power to multiply at superabundant levels. It was like a theme for that whole year.

Think about what God has put into this world. A seed is an incredible thing. Grass, corn, crops, mustard seeds—you put those little seeds in the dirt and something grows. There has to be a hidden power in that seed. And it is not only power; it is transformational power. What grows does not look like the seed you planted.

Think about the butterfly and the caterpillar. Think about transformation. The Bible says to let God transform you by changing the way you think. The Word is the greatest source of good thoughts, the greatest seed you could plant in your life.

Jesus spoke about the parable of the sower and the seed. He said that understanding that parable would help us understand the others. And He clearly identified the seed: the seed is the Word of God.

Listen to what I am telling you: the Bible is the only Book that has the power in and of itself to cause you to become what it says you can become and to do what it says you can do, simply by reading it!

If I were taken to heaven, that is one statement I would want on my tombstone. I have found it to be true. We have so complicated our relationship with God. Jesus said to come like children.

Do you want to do a Bible study? Do a Bible study on what the Bible says about the Bible! You will be blessed beyond measure. God is so proud of His Word. God and His Word are one. “In the beginning was the Word.” The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

In the message I pointed out how often Jesus and the New Testament writers referred to Scripture. When Jesus faced Satan, He could have dealt with him through angels or divine power. Instead, He said three words: “It is written.” Scripture was central to the ministry of Jesus and to the ministry of the church.

1. Stay nourished in the Word of God

Paul tells Timothy that a worthy servant of Christ Jesus is nourished by the message of faith. I can hear Morris saying, “Stay nourished in the Word of God!”

As Christians, and especially as ministers, sometimes we look at our performance or our ministry success for nourishment. We look at praise, power, popularity, pleasure, possessions, politics, philosophy, or plugging into social media. But Paul says to stay nourished in the Word.

Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word. I am trying to tell you: do not just read the Bible—eat the Bible! First Peter speaks about newborn babies desiring the sincere milk of the Word so they may grow. Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them,” and that God’s Word became the joy and rejoicing of his heart.

Job said he had not gone back from the commandment of God’s lips and had esteemed the words of His mouth. Do you realize that when we read the Bible, we are reading the words of the mouth of God? Scripture does not simply say, “Thus says Jeremiah” or “Thus says Isaiah.” It says, “Thus says the Lord!”

Dr. Cerullo would hold his Bible and say that he held in his hands a Book that is the voice of God. We have a Book that contains His voice!

Outside of Jesus coming into this earth, I do not believe there is a greater miracle than God giving us a Book that contains His voice. I spoke about the many different authors and the long span of time through which it came to us. Think about God working through all those people and preserving His Word.

We look at the sky, the rain, the snow, the sun, and the moon. We think about the parting of the Red Sea. Those are amazing things God did. But think about what it took to work through people and preserve this Book. Satan understood what it represented; he was not sitting back.

I read a passage about Baruch, Jeremiah’s assistant, that really affected me. Baruch wrote down the words Jeremiah dictated and carried them to be read. When those words were read to the king, the king took a knife, cut the scroll, and threw it into the fire. He kept slicing and burning it.

The enemy wants this Book to stay on our shelf. He wants us to do anything except read it. But Paul said—and I can hear Dr. Cerullo saying—“Stay nourished in the Word of God!”

The Bible was so central to Dr. Cerullo’s ministry. People see the miracles and imagine something extraordinary about his presence. But he had the most marked-up Bible I have ever seen.

His Bible was in the room at the conference. Before I spoke, I put my hands on the case and prayed, “Lord, help me represent Your Word. Help me share the burden You have for us to connect with Your Word.” God wants to nourish us through it.

Near the end of his life, the thing Dr. Cerullo asked for more than anything was his Bible. It was during COVID, when you could not simply go into the hospital. Susan went in wearing a hazmat suit and delivered it. He went from this world to the next with the Word of God clutched to his chest like an incredible champion. Stay nourished in the Word of God!

2. Avoid arguing over pointless doctrines or politics

I have more of an evangelist’s heart. If I post something on social media about politics, I immediately think about the people I may lose—and the entrance I may lose to share something much more important than politics. We are talking about the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

I am not criticizing somebody else who does that. But I knew Dr. Cerullo’s political beliefs, and if you came to one of our meetings, you would not necessarily know them. He did not give his pulpit to politics and controversy. He focused on the Word of God and what God was saying.

Paul tells Timothy to avoid arguing. I love what my wife says: “Don’t shout what Scripture whispers, and don’t whisper what Scripture shouts!” Do not major in the minors and minor in the majors.

There is such a toxic social media world trying to tear people down and argue over things. People argue about when Jesus is coming or whether your worship looks like this or like that.

Dr. Cerullo said he did not have a problem with denominations; he had a problem with denominationalism—with exclusivity. Why find things to argue over when we have the greatest message, the greatest Lord, and the greatest promise we could possibly have?

3. Live a life of spiritual discipline

This is what Paul is saying, and it is what Dr. Cerullo lived. Physical training is good. You can become a UFC champion through physical training. But training for godliness is much better! It promises benefits in this life.

We are not just doing this as a fire-insurance policy to get to heaven. There are benefits now. David said not to forget His benefits. We tend to forget what we should remember and remember what we should forget.

He fills your mouth with good things. He renews your strength like the eagle. He forgives your sins. He removes shame, guilt, and fear from your life.

In this message I referred to research by the American Bible Society, involving nearly 3,000 people, about Scripture engagement, stress, anxiety, loneliness, and hope. My point was to encourage us to engage with the Word. The Bible says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” This is where you discover His goodness.

Live a life of spiritual discipline. I say it this way: the greatest investment you can make in your life is spending a little more time with the Word of God and establishing God’s Word as the greatest voice in your life!

4. Thinking little of yourself is not a virtue

Paul tells Timothy, “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young.” We can fill in our own blank: not educated, not as good-looking as we would like to be, not in the shape we would like to be in. But thinking little of yourself is not a virtue.

I wrote this down: humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is seeing yourself and others as God sees them.

I liked what Israel said about not rising any higher than your knowledge of God. You also cannot rise any higher than how you see yourself. What happens in the Bible? Two things: the Bible changes how you see God, and the Bible changes how you see yourself.

This false humility says, “I’m just nothing.” The devil does not always use obvious lies; he is subtle. There is truth in saying that apart from God we can do nothing. But we are created in His image and likeness. God sees something greater.

Do not take your assignment lightly. Do not take God’s anointing on your life lightly. Stop disqualifying yourself for what God has already qualified you for. Stop hiding from your promotion!

Real leaders do not try to push you down; they try to push you out. They lead through empowerment. I would come out of a meeting with Dr. Cerullo feeling that I could do more—not just in ministry, but in my relationship with the Lord.

After one particular meeting, I knew I needed to make some changes. I was comfortable being “that guy.” I flew home and fasted for several days. The Lord gave me the message, “Your Promotion Is in Motion.”

It is a message about transition and about the greatest battle over your life: what you believe about God and what you believe God believes about you. That is the word I was sharing at the conference. God has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself. Thinking little of yourself is not a virtue!

5. Keep Scripture at the center of your ministry

Paul tells Timothy, “Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church.”

You can get on YouTube or Instagram and hear somebody polishing their latest revelation. You may find yourself wondering, “What in the world are they saying? They must be much more spiritual than I am, because I do not understand.” There may be plenty of shouting, but only one or two Scriptures in an hour of preaching.

Paul says, “Timothy, read the Scriptures to the church.” Preaching does not have to become a big performance. We have the Book! God needs your voice. Keep Scripture at the center of your ministry.

That is what Morris Cerullo did. Over the last six years, as we have worked on the school of ministry, the study notes, and the graphics highlighting each Scripture he referred to, we have found 20 or 30 Scripture passages in an hour of teaching. He kept Scripture at the center.

That is what Jesus did. That is what Paul and Peter did. When they explained why someone should believe, they took people back to what was written in Scripture. Do a study sometime on what the Bible says about the Bible!

6. Use and develop the gifts God has given you

This is what Dr. Cerullo was telling me in that meeting years ago. I struggled with fear. “Struggled” is a better word, because I do not struggle with it as much anymore.

Can you imagine being called to be the vice president of ministries for Dr. Morris Cerullo and having something like a panic attack? I struggled with standing before people. I would find ways to work around the fear so I did not have to face it fully. Maybe I could get to the edge of it.

After that meeting, the Lord said, “Greg, you need something you don’t have. I want to give you something you don’t have.” That is part of the story in Your Promotion Is in Motion, and it was part of how the challenge of reading Scripture was born.

I can tell you the power of God is real because I know what it is like to be bound by fear and to think little of myself. When you look at me, you might find that hard to believe. But I had a transformation through the Word of God!

The Lord said, “Greg, it is time to stop hiding from your promotion.” He showed me people who were hiding: Adam, Jonah, Moses. He told me it was time to stop hiding.

One of my favorite Scriptures is Hebrews 11:34. After describing the heroes of faith, it says their weakness was turned to strength and they became strong in battle. They became strong in the battle—not on the sidelines!

The thing you are afraid to do—you need to do it. God will make you strong in the battle. Use and develop the gifts He has given you.

Think about the three people who received talents: one received five, one received two, and one received one. I picture the man with one looking at the others and thinking, “I am not like the one with five. I am not like the one with two.” Do not compare yourself to anybody else. Comparison is a destiny destroyer.

Use and develop what God has given you. I appreciated the point about Dorcas using the gifts she had. Not everybody has a calling to preach, but you have a calling to do something. Say, “I am going to do it!”

7. Stay focused on your God-given assignment

Paul tells Timothy to give his complete attention to these matters, throw himself into his tasks so everyone will see his progress, and keep a close watch on his life and teaching. Stay true to what is right, for your own sake and for those who hear you.

If there were two words I heard Dr. Cerullo say more than any other two words, they were “Stay focused.”

You are gifted to do what God has gifted you to do. Do not try to be like anybody else. God has not called you to be an echo. God has called you to be a voice!

God is looking for number twos and number threes. Not everybody is called to be number one. In the message I talked about the thousands of people named in Scripture. Most were not the leading person or the preacher. They had other gifts that were necessary.

Stay focused on your God-given assignment. I have a particular assignment on my life that I will stay focused on, come hell or high water. You have a particular assignment on your life.

Dr. Cerullo received all kinds of proposals. We did many things: built hospitals and orphanages, donated a million dollars to the Dream Center, and donated millions in Jerusalem. But Dr. Cerullo had a focus: souls and building God an army. That was the heart of what we did.

There is a battle over your life and your focus. If you will stay focused on your assignment and give it your full attention, the Lord will increase you, bless you, and help you!

Thank you for taking time to receive this message. Which of these seven keys speaks to you? Let me know in the comments, and share this with someone who needs encouragement for their next season!

For more Bible-centered encouragement, visit the blog, explore my books, and stay connected with Greg Mauro Ministries on YouTube.

Pick up the Bible and let the Bible pick you up!