Many things in our lives today are completely out of our control, so we give all those things to God every day. But there are things that are within our control, and we are where we are today, as a result of the choices that we have made in our life up to this point. If you or I wrestle with being angry, because we’re holding grudges against people, that’s a decision that we’ve made. Our lives are the sum of the choices we’ve made—good or bad.
Orville Wright said, “If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, there would be little hope for advance.” Up to that point, almost everyone assumed that flight was impossible. Orville and Wilbur Wright believed otherwise and set out to discover the truth. They found that God had created the universe to allow machines to fly.
There are two paths that you can choose. You can choose an intentional life or an unintentional life. I believe it’s important to know what God’s intentions are for us. The Apostle Paul shares how we, as Christians, are to live in this world in Ephesians 4:17. We are to put off the old man: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! I like to think of the old man versus the new man like an old coat versus a new coat you choose to wear. I believe when we choose to put on the new coat—the new man—we choose the intentional life in Christ.
Unintentional people live with assumptions. It gets me in trouble when I assume things. Every one of us has made assumptions about other people. We even make assumptions about God. You might be surprised to realize that we make assumptions about ourselves. Many of us live at a level of mediocrity because we’ve made an assumption that “It’s all I can do.” But how can we be limited when God is limitless?
You and I live in assumptions every day. I pray God relieve me of my wrong assumptions—those assumptions that keep me limited from what he has for me and for you.
I believe it is important to challenge your assumptions. What are you assuming about yourself, about God or about others? What do you assume about your job? What do you believe about your finances or your health? Are those assumptions the truth? Take a good look at your life and tell yourself the truth.
Intentional ONE THING Challenge
If you could do ONE THING and know that it would make a significant, lasting, possibly life-changing difference in your life, would you do it? Dr. Carlson shares the power of ONE THING and why you should get started doing your ONE THING today.
Tell Us
What decision are you struggling with today? We’d love to hear your stories. Post your comments below.
