I heard a word the other day that I have not been able to shake, and that word is INTENTIONAL. I was listening to a man on YouTube talk about his dad and how effective he was as a father. He continued to talk about what a good man he was, and that the family loved him dearly. And the reason … he parented intentionally. INTENTIONAL: deliberate, calculated, conscious, planned, considered, thought out in advance, willful. He said his dad parented intentionally because he knew the path he wanted him to walk, so, with intent, he put him on it.
Recently, my sister and I were discussing on our podcast (https://anchor.fm/crystal14) how most people we know are living almost in a “zombie-like” state. Life is happening and they just react. No real purpose, no real passion, just … living. I admit life is challenging, and it can downright stink at times. These challenges can almost break our will where we don’t even want to try. But try we must! We must live our lives with intention. Life as a Christian should never be dull or boring. If it is, our focus is off.
Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” To only think and focus on what is carnal, or this physical world will kill your purpose for living. It will rob you of your passion. It will steal your joy and put you in a zombie state where nothing is fulfilling. But, if you're spiritually minded, life takes on new meaning. You come alive. We get a say in how our lives go. Did you know that? How happy you are. How successful you are. How close to God you are. How influential you are. But we must fix our eyes on what truly matters in this life. Carnal thinking will dumb you down, numb you out, and you sure won’t be living intentionally. Life was meant to be exciting. Think about it, if you are a Christian, you have the very God of the universe as your Father who wants you to know him. He wants to use you and make your life matter. If our lives are dull and boring it is completely our fault. We're just not doing it right.
Here's what we do. Decide to make life happen, not just let life happen. Things can change. If it went from good to bad, it can go from bad to good. We as Christians have to get rid of the mindset that everything is up to God. No, God left some things up to us. There is a devil who is out to steal, kill, and destroy and we are to “FIGHT the good fight of faith. LAY HOLD of eternal life.” That doesn’t sound like “Let God do everything.” God gave his word to read, study, and meditate. Why? So we can think like him. He gave us the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct our path.
Proverbs 4:18 says, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Our life is supposed to SHINE more and more, not get darker and darker. Decide what it is you want. What matters to you? It is not a sin to think about what you want. God said, “I give you the desires in your heart.” Now, with INTENTION fix your attention on those things. The things of this world will rot your brain. Focus on things that lift you, energize you, make you want to be a better person and help others be better. Jesus was a man of intention. He lived on purpose. Life didn’t control him, he controlled life. Be the same. Don’t let life keep you down. Stop being so boring. Enjoy yourself. Get in shape. Make some money. Get to know God. Be a loving parent. Be a diligent worker. Start a business. Travel. Love people. It’s up to you. Live intentionally!
Read more:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B1V4BZW/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_h6v9CbQ8RBFVF