Living life intentionally

Published 2:19 pm Thursday, July 21, 2022

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The word intentional means to do something on purpose with a plan of action. How can we live life intentionally when we have such limited information about the world around us? We do not know what tomorrow holds. Circumstances change in a moment. We cannot see into the next five minutes. Is it possible to live intentionally, or are we just destined to be carried about by the wind like a ship without a sail? I believe we can live intentionally when we choose to give God complete and full access to our lives. We often live haphazardly because we refuse to allow God to lead, guide, and direct us. We take matters into our own hands, and we make decisions based on our extremely limited knowledge. Everything that God does is intentional. He had a plan and purpose when He made each of us. Psalm 139:13-15 proclaims, “13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”
God shaped us and gave us all talents, abilities, and a purpose. It is His will to guide our lives; however, He will not force His will on us. He allows us to make choices and to be in control. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” If we choose to listen to His voice and follow Him, we are living life intentionally because He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. He has a journey and a destination in mind for each of us. So much pressure would be alleviated if we submitted ourselves to the perfect will of God, and gave Him complete access. He knows BEST! He has the knowledge and information we lack, and He knows us better than we know ourselves.
God says to Jeremiah in chapter 1 verse 5, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” God had big plans for Jeremiah before he was born. He was ordained and set apart to be a prophet of God. He has plans just like that for each of us. Before we were created, He mapped out a plan for our lives.
You may be doubting that plan. It may seem that your life has no direction. If you make all the decisions, that may be the case. Just because we have a map doesn’t mean we follow it. Unfortunately, we can be lost if we do not use the map to navigate. If you allow God to open the doors, create the right relationships, and blaze the trail, all while following Him, I can guarantee you that you will be in the right places at the right time doing the right things! You will be living life intentionally.

(Brandon Young is pastor of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, Hampton) 

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