Lose the Good Intentions....

....gain the tools for godly actions.

Arterburn (2007) states:

Ever notice how good intentions don't always bring success? The reality is that action is required to achieve goals.

....action must follow what we read and hear....

James 1:22-25:
Do what God's teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God's teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God's perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God's teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy (NCV).

I love this, "action is required to achieve goals." That statement is so true. Of course we have all heard the famous quote, "The road to failure is paved with good intentions." Imagine what a perfect life we would live if only good intentions created real change.

I don't know about you, but some areas of my life are marked by continual action leading to the achievement of goals while other areas simply are "paved with good intentions." So, what's the solution?

According to James, don't just listen to the Word, do what it says. So, gaining the tools for godly action is a matter of the will. It's not just a visual, auditory, or emotional proposition, it is a choice.