LESSON 2: “STARTING RIGHT”

Contributor(s): Apostle Ebenezer Hagan and Pastor Kwame Agbeshie

Objective: Helping young people to start the year right through effective planning to warrant success.
Bible Texts: Luke 14:28-32; Proverbs 19:21; Proverbs 16:1-3,9.
Lesson Description
By God’s grace and divine purpose for our lives, we have been ushered into this year to fulfil God’s
mandate. As children of God, it is important to start the year right in order to make our presence count
and get the best of whatever we do. This is why in starting right, you need to plan. Planning has to do
with defining a course of action, projecting and making preparations and provisions for the task (year)
ahead. We are in early days of 2024, and there is a good opportunity to take quality time to prepare and
make projections into the year. Jesus taught the importance of planning (Luke 14:28-32). It is prudent
to go through the year having a sense of direction therefore, start right by planning it out. In planning,
young people must know God’s will and trust in Him (Proverbs 19:21) because although man will have
many plans, God’s counsel will prevail. That is why you will need to commit everything into God’s hands
for your plans to succeed (Proverbs 16:3, 9). Starting the year right can mean planning out your year with
God.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the lesson, young people will be able to;
a. Demonstrate understanding of planning and draw lesson on planning from Jesus’ parable in
Luke 14:28-32.
b. Identify and discuss the importance of effective planning to achieving success.
c. Write down the ideas and thoughts as they come to mind and organize the written down ideas
using the planner provided. Participants should be informed of their plans being supervised.
Schedule and Activities
1. Understanding biblical perspectives of planning.
a. Activity 1: Brief teaching on planning from Jesus’ parable (Luke 14:28-32) and how we
should base our plans on God’s will (Proverbs 16:1-3,9; 19:21).
b. Activity 2: Allow participants to demonstrate their understanding on planning from the
biblical perspectives.
2. Identifying the importance of planning to young people.
a. Activity 1: Brief discussion on the importance of planning (Luke 14:28-32).
b. Activity 2: Participants tell what they identify as the importance of planning from the
teachings of Jesus. Other passages of scripture on planning can be cited.
3. Guiding young people to prepare their plans for the year.
a. Activity 1: Introduce young people to the sample planner.
b. Activity 2: Supervise young people to write their ideas and organize them into plans.
Approach: Teach the content briefly, interact briefly with class on the content through questions and
answers, give the accompanying year planner to members and give them some time to start filling in the
planner as you go round to supervise. They may later take it home and shape it well for action. They may
later show it to you for supervisory discussion on it.
Required Materials:
Bibles, Sample Planner provided in this study guide.
Conclusion:
Planning involves a conscious and intentional attempt to consider and estimate what is ahead. This is
why when we fail to plan, we may be planning to fail. Jesus’ teaching shows the importance of planning
as a guide to our decisions and actions, enhancing our chances of success. As children of God, we must
plan within God’s will. This can be done by committing everything into his hands and trusting him to
guide us through the process. Let us start this year right by developing our plans with the help of the Holy
Spirit.
 PLANNING FOR THE YEAR 2024
(YOUNG ADULTS)
What do you want to achieve in the year 2024? It is good to sit down, pray, think, and plan for the year
2024. God is a planner. He planned the world and everything in it ahead of time before He created it. We
are His children if we also plan ahead of time and do them one after the other when their time comes for
us to do them. Jesus strongly recommended planning. Jesus taught that before executing an action one
needs to sit down to plan, and that planning leads to success (Lk. 14:28-32). Planning requires making
specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART) projections. It requires writing
down what you want to achieve (your objectives), where you want to reach (your targets), and what you
want (or have) to do (activities).
What do you want to do in the year 2024 (your objectives)?
1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Where do you want to reach in the year 2024 (your targets)? Write down 5 of them
below. Let it be holistic, looking at your whole life and not only one aspect.
1……………………………………………………………………………………………
2……………………………………………………………………………………………..
3………………………………………………………………………………………………
4………………………………………………………………………………………………
5………………………………………………………………………………………………

What do you want (or have) to do to achieve your targets and objectives?
1………………………………………………………………………………………………
2…………………..…………………………………………………………………………..
3………………………………………………………………………………………………
4………………………………………………………………………………………………
5………………………………………………………………………………………………

When should each of them be achieved (your timelines)?

1………………………………………………………………………………………………
2…………………..…………………………………………………………………………..
3………………………………………………………………………………………………
4………………………………………………………………………………………………
5………………………………………………………………………………………………
SUMMARY
Put your Responses in tabular form as follows. You are free to expand it to meet your peculiar situation.
Paste your plans where you can see them every day and develop the habit of praying on them every day
and working hard to accomplish them. Invest all your attention and energy into executing your plans
according to the deadlines you have set for them.
My Objectives My Targets What I Need to Deadline (When Remarks
for 2024 for 2024 Do to Achieve I should have
My Objectives achieved this)
and Targets

1. 1 1.

2.

3.

2. 2

3. 3

4. 4

5. 5
 PLANNING FOR THE YEAR 2024
(TEENS)
What do you want to achieve in the year 2024? It is good to sit down, pray, think, and plan for the year
2024. God is a planner. He planned the world and everything in it ahead of time before He created it.
We are His children if we also plan ahead of time and do them one after the other when their time
comes for us to do them. Planning requires making specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-
bound (SMART) projections
What 5 things would you want to accomplish or achieve in the year 2024? Write them
below.

1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How would you achieve these? What do you have to do to achieve them?

1……………………………………………………………………………………………

2……………………………………………………………………………………………..

3………………………………………………………………………………………………

4………………………………………………………………………………………………

5………………………………………………………………………………………………

When in the year 2024 would you like to achieve them? Which month?

1………………………………………………………………………………………………

2…………………..…………………………………………………………………………..

3………………………………………………………………………………………………

4………………………………………………………………………………………………

5………………………………………………………………………………………………