Day 200 – Good Intentions

Psalm 101:1 (A Psalm of David.) I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O JEHOVAH, I will sing praises. 2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it will not cling to me. 4 A perverse heart will depart from me; I will not know wickedness. 5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, I will destroy him; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure. 6 My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he will serve me. 7 He who works deceit will not dwell within my house; he who tells lies will not continue in my presence. 8 Early I will destroy the wicked of the land, so that I may cut off the evildoers from the city of JEHOVAH.

God’s names:

JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal

Yeshuwa – Jesus

God’s character:

Merciful

Just

Did you ever decide that you would have a perfect day, you wouldn’t do anything wrong from the moment you woke up in the morning until you went to bed? Did it work? Some things are more easily said than done.

I heard about a person who had a perfect day, and then he got out of bed. Isn’t that the way it goes with most of us? We have good plans, good desires, but something always gets in the way to destroy our best intentions.

David also determined to live a perfect life before JEHOVAH. Scripture bears his record with family and friends. No matter his intentions, he was not a perfect man or king. However, he had one thing going for him, he was a man after JEHOVAH’S heart. He put JEHOVAH first in battle, and in his life. He read the Law and did his best to adhere to it. He prayed. His psalms are evidence of a right heart and spirit before JEHOVAH.

How well intentioned are you as Christians? When you accepted Yeshuwa as Savior and Lord, did you believe it would be easy being a Christian? Your war with Satan began the moment you gave your life to Yeshuwa. Every day you need to put on your armor against Satan. You need to live your life both defensively and aggressively. It’s not easy being a Christian. Satan will come against you with every weapon in his arsenal against you. No one knows your sins better than he does and exploits them against you at every opportunity.

You can do as David did and make your intentions known to Yeshuwa when you rise in the morning. You can pray for His faithfulness in your life and His help to make your intentions a reality. However, you will sin, and when you do, you need to pray and ask Yeshuwa’s forgiveness at once. Don’t wait. When you wait, you give Satan a stronghold in your life, and you soon forget to pray and ask for Yeshuwa’s forgiveness.

What problems are you facing right now? Pray. Speak the name of Yeshuwa out loud and watch your troubles fade away. Take a stand. Read your Bible, go to church, get together with other believers in Bible study and small group activities. Put Satan on notice that you will not allow him to set foot in your life. Your problems won’t vanish overnight, but they will vanish when you put Yeshuwa first in your life and not treat Him as an afterthought. When your prayer life looks like David’s prayer life, when you read your Bible as often as David read the Law, you will see Yeshuwa’s blessings as He takes care of you and your enemies.

Let’s pray: Father, I am a sinner. Help me seek You first in everything I do and not allow Satan a stronghold in my life. I don’t want to seek Your help as a last hope. Instead, help me put You first, seek You first, worship You and give You praise before I put my feet on the floor in the morning. Let me go to bed at night with praise on my lips for Your help during the day. Let my life be a blessing to everyone I meet because I trust in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 6 August 2025 by Valerie Routhieaux