C'mon. Be honest...I know I sure have.
Sometimes I'm tempted to retreat from all the giants in my path. I shudder at the magnitude of their size. I shrink and cower to the reality of their strength and opposition.
BUT (by God's grace) NOT ANYMORE!
I have determined to LIVE intentional for Christ, knowing full well that intentional living requires complete surrender. And, surrender is not an event. It's a process. A process that demands a commitment to die to my personal agendas, desires, and time lines.
I love the abandon Habakkuk displays in Habakkuk 3:17-18. He writes, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (NIV)
Today, I feel the challenge to live a life of joy, intentionally.
Notice, Habakkuk doesn't say I will be joyful in my circumstances, oppositions, or fears...RATHER, he writes,"I will be joyful in God my Savior."
Friends, circumstances can deter us. Obstacles can weary us. The enemy's opposition attempts to kill, steal, destroy and immobilize us through indifference. He fills our thoughts with...
Whatever, no one cares any way...
Whatever, like my life really matters...
Whatever, I'll try when he or she starts doing x, y, or z...
STOP and realize indifference is the enemy of intentional living!
God desires that we intentionally declare (as Habakkuk did) "I will be joyful in God my Savior."
Today, I sense God encouraging me to focus on Him. To remember Who I serve. To hold fast to HIS promises.
Will you join me? Will you live intentional? Will you seek to live joyful in God our Savior? If so, here are some helpful hints that you can implement in your life:
- Each time a discouraging thought presents itself, declare out loud, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
- Thank God for your salvation and that He works ALL things together for our good.
- Write down a specific promise that He has given you in His word.
- Reflect on His promise throughout the day and remember, He keeps His promises.
- Ask, How can I live intentionally for God today in my marriage, parenting, work place, friendships...(etc...)
My wife and I decided to do this earlier this year. When we pray we not only thank God for the blessings, but also the trials that bring us closer to Him and increase our faith. What a difference it makes when we embrace hardship as a blessing that increases our faith that God's love for us will carry us through tough times. We must always remember HIS grace is sufficient for us. If we have nothing else in life, we have that. How precious is His love for us, His creation.
ReplyDeleteGreat insight, Elliot! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Julie - funny you should ask :) I have been given a battle plan to once and for all destroy the works of darkness that have been aligned against my marriage and family. I will be praying in tongues for so many minutes, praising for additional so many minutes, rehearsing God's promises/prophesies back to him and encouraging myself, praying prayers specifically written for marrriage issues, wearing the full armor of God and not stopping until the battle is won...no more hoping and waiting with little action...I am going to intentionally take on this challenge & through the Lord's strength and promises I will win...thus my family will win...to God be the glory! mary s.
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