“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:17, NLT).

Let’s play a game. Of all the good intentions that you have set out to accomplish in your life, how many of them did you get done and how many of them became nothing more than a daydream?

What are some of our other good intentions? Finish school? Start a business? Get out of debt? Find the right husband or wife? Exercise more? Eat better? Were they successful or did they fizzle out or did they end in catastrophe?

With the right motivation and encouragement, and God’s help, we can tackle many of these good intentioned goals. But when the rubber meets the road and we have to start taking action toward our goals, often times we hit “the wall” of discouragement or disappointment and we just give up completely.

The Scripture verse above suggests that there is a war going on within us. A war of compromise. A war that pits God’s will against the worldly influences around us, both trying to sway us in their direction.

In this war of compromise and confusion, we can take great comfort in one undeniable, unchanging, and very solid fact. God’s intentions are always for our good and God’s intentions never result in failure. Psalm 33:11 says, “But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.”

The challenge for us, then, becomes WALKING WITH GOD to make His intentions, our intentions. There is no path that is more sure, safe, and secure. But, we’re the ones that have to start moving forward with Christ, one step at a time, INTENTIONALLY.

Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, and Jesus demonstrated God’s intentions toward us. They learned how to make God’s intentions, their intentions. Let’s learn from them a better way than our own.

David McCall

Executive Pastor