My boys have always made fun of me... well, for lots of things, but quite often, for how I walk when I am in Walmart. "Mom, slow down, why are you walking so fast?" resonates in my ears. What they don't understand is that I am on a mission. There's lots to accomplish on my trip to Walmart! As this new year rolled around, there was something that God laid on my heart that I cannot shake... INTENTIONAL. God has placed in my heart an urgency for Prayer and intercession this year. Whatever he is speaking to you in this season of your life, I believe more than ever we must be INTENTIONAL. Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT reads, "15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Paul begins chapter 5 of Ephesians by telling us to " Be imitators of God." Paul is writing these verses while imprisoned. He is not telling us to do something that he, himself is not willing to live out. There are three things in these verses that "SHOUT" be INTENTIONAL to me!
Pay careful attention to how you WALK
Make the MOST of the TIME given to you
Understand the will of God for your life
How are you WALKING? Are you on a mission? Do you believe your steps are ordered by the Lord? If we truly believe God is ordering our steps, it should cause us to be INTENTIONAL about how we walk. I'm not just talking about what you do. Your walk is much more than just your actions. It's what you are speaking, how you are making decisions in your life, your priorities. Your walk speaks volumes to those around you. It tells them the place that the Lord holds in your life. Is he the LORD of your life? Does his word and presence in your life change the way you walk?
I love the mission posed to us in verse 16. MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY IN THESE EVIL DAYS! God is instructing us to live every day INTENTIONALLY! Before you leave home each day, pray that God show you the people he is placing in your path, that may need an encouraging word, you to pray with them, or just need to see Jesus lived out in a real way! How exciting is it to know that everyday, when you wake up, God has set opportunities for that day, JUST FOR YOU! I don't know about you, but that gets me excited! This might just change the way you walk out the door each day... Knowing that God has something amazing set up for you today...You just have to be ready to see it and allow HIM to use you!
What has God called you to do? Verse 17 is so profound! Paul writes, "Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." Knowing that God created you, yes, "YOU", for a purpose should stir something inside of you that has you anticipating the extraordinary in your life. You're not serving a God who does things haphazardly! God has a plan for you. What you do with that is up to you. Webster's dictionary defines intentional as, "performed with a purpose." This is so good! Why are you doing what you are doing? If we could ever grasp the fact, that everything we do should stem from the fact that God has designed us for a purpose, it would change our lives.
Is God's plan and purpose for your life what drives you? Are we living INTENTIONALLY? These are questions that I believe we all need to ask ourselves. What peace it should bring to our lives knowing that the God who created us, has a plan for us! Each of us must come to a place in our lives where we say, "God, you are not just my savior, you are my LORD!" You can trust HIM! Allow him full access to your life. Walk out this day knowing that the God of all creation is directing your steps! Come on somebody, you might want to get excited about that! Be intentional about your walk with Christ and watch him show you just how awesome he is!
