The Pill of Intentionality

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Did you know that intentionality is part of submission?

That is one of the biggest things of surrendering to GOD.  We don’t like to make those first moves or follow those promptings that tell us to do the RIGHT thing and make the right efforts.

It is hard.  We avoid them, think other things, and just don’t follow through with what He calls us to actually do on the regular.  This is why we go through the seasons of life that we do.  And in each we have to respond the right way with intentionality.  We have to rejoice in the season God brings us into.  We have to be intentional at making the right steps and the right choices.

You may be scared, frightened, anxious and challenged with this season or with the acts of intentionality that He is requiring of you but rest assured –He knows all things and is the one that aligns us into His perfect plan.

The question for you and I is — Are we willing to follow through and align even as uncomfortable as it may be? Hm! Especially when we are so used to flowing in a realm that makes us comfortable. God says it’s going to look like this! When we want it to look and be like how we want. 

These are precisely the areas He wants to work on and IN us. This is why God is so intentional with us – so we need to be the one that responds with intentionality in return.

Think about it.

There hasn’t been one moment where He hasn’t brought you through, even if it wasn’t the way that YOU thought would be best.  You think its better to say nothing.  You think its better to do nothing. You think its better to only do things on your terms.  You think its better to silence the pain or fill the voids on your terms. But what about God’s terms?  What about when He says to abandon the things that are wrecking you? What about when He says to walk in LOVE?  What about when He says to seek peace and PURSUE it? What about when He says to be still and know that He is God?  What about when He says to speak to the mountains, and you do nothing?  What are you doing with your time – are you redeeming it well as the bible says to do so in Ephesians 5:16 “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

We cannot be like the rest.  We can’t ignore those inner spiritual promptings.  We can’t always sit back –there is a time for that and a time to move. But here is how He is telling us… by submitting all our ways to Him. Are you doing “God things” and not just “good things” that are most pleasing to you?

Read this again slowly:  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART.  Are you limiting that trust?  Are you only trusting through the good times and not through the worst?

Are you leaning on HIS understanding and not just your own?  Especially when you think you are always right.  When you think your perspective and perception is enough.  No its not.  We need to be more open to the Spirit of God speaking LIFE into us so we can follow that right path. Even when it hurts.  Even when it doesn’t look like it is working in our favor.

We have to ensure that ALL our ways… yes not some of our ways.  Not our Sunday ways or our Tuesday preaching night ways… that make us look all smart and spiritual.  Or the just came out of prayer days. But ALL! OUR! WAYS!

And this cuts me deep.  It does.  Because I would be lying if I said I had this all down packed! I do not.  But I acknowledge that and I need a lot of help to make this better.  Here is where my intentionality must kick in.  Especially to be intentional to feed myself daily and regularly in prayer, study of the Word, lifestyle of worship, my fellowship and giving, so that it all comes into alignment with God.

This is a hard pill to swallow.  The pill of intentionality.

The quality of mental states (e.g., thoughts, beliefs, desires, hopes) that consists in their being directed toward some object or state of affairs.

Those objects and state of affairs are found in God’s Word.  Because He tells us who, how, when, why, where and what to do with our thinking patterns, feelings, beliefs and hopes on what we wish to accomplish in life.

Let’s get it right today.  Let’s be intentional and follow through by submitting our ways to the King. All of our ways.  All of our being.  All of our hopes and dreams.  All of our actions and steps.

May it be in alignment with the One who governs all things. May it be in alignment with His Holy Word.

In His Name.

AMEN.