Good Intentions vs. Failing

Getting things done.  This is the 7th day of 2017, a brand new year.  It used to be at the beginning of a new year that we all made promises to do something that we said we were going to do to fulfill some desire that we have had for a long time.  We would say that we were going to get ourselves in better shape, eat healthier, save more money and/or get into a better relationship with God.  We all started out with good intentions; however, we all know that good intentions do not always lead to a change in action.  There is a scripture in the Bible that tells us that God not only sees what we do, but he is able to discern our thoughts and what we intended to do.  Good intentions are important to have, but often times there is a disconnect between intent and action. 

For most of us, we struggle in the doing part.  What is it that causes us to not do what we intend to do? We all do things that we do not intend to do and this often gets us into big trouble.  What is the difference between succeeding in what we intend to do and failing?  You tell me.  Why do you fail?  For a lot of us, I do believe that the difference is in perseverance.  Perseverance is a key ingredient to succeeding.  It is possible to have a vision and no perseverance and it will still lead to failure.  I have learned from my journeys that I will always have obstacles in my way that will hinder my good intentions.   If I do not have the muscle of perseverance to keep me going,  I will fail.  There are many ingredients to success, like being surrounded by the right people; people that will encourage you when you are down to help motivate you when you are falling short of the intent. 

Nobody succeeds at anything without having setbacks.  One of the reasons for failure is the lack of planning.  It has been said by someone that "to fail to plan is to plan to fail".  We need to remember, in our planning stage, that God does not always honor our plans.  For some of us, our plans are against His plans for our lives.  The Bible tells us, in Jeremiah 29, that God said to Israel, I know the plans that I have toward you.  Plans to prosper and to not harm you.  He has plans to give you an expected end.  The expected end is what God desires for us in our lives and when my plan goes against His plan, I will never receive it.  Believe me.  He knows what is best for you.