Aligning Goals with God's Will
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy in Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sarita Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy in Every Step. I'm glad you're here. Well, New Year everyone. 2026 has arrived. This is a time when many of us are making plans and setting goals.
Sarita Bernadette:We begin to hear about vision board parties and exercise plans. Folks are busy writing out their resolutions and maybe even preparing to fast. Many people focus on the ways they can make improvements in certain areas of their lives, and they also consider how they can accomplish or do something they've never done before. And that is an honorable thing. It really is.
Sarita Bernadette:As I thought about plans for this new year, the word intention kept coming up. Most
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Sarita Bernadette:us are familiar with the word, but let's just dig a little bit deeper and look a little bit more closely at the word and consider it with a biblical lens. Intention is defined as an idea one plans or intends, right, to carry out. It may be a goal or objective or target, if you will. It's something one means to do. Something one means to do.
Sarita Bernadette:In the Bible, intention or intent goes a bit deeper. It's about inner motivation or direction of the heart. The Bible encourages believers to align their goals with God's will for their lives. We're urged to live on purpose while being guided by the Holy Spirit. In Psalm thirty seven and four we read: Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Sarita Bernadette:Understanding the true meaning of that scripture revolutionized my life many years ago. Taking delight in the Lord or aligning your joy, your satisfaction, and your purpose with God was always clear to me. But that next clause, He will give you the desires of your heart, is often misunderstood, and I believe I misunderstood it. God is our creator. He designs us with purpose in mind, and that purpose includes how we will serve him and how we will be of value to this world.
Sarita Bernadette:He gives us the desires. God is the one who knows what he has placed in our hearts. He knows the plans he has for us. So it's best that we consult the designer. I believe this verse also reassures us that he does indeed fulfill our deepest needs, but we need to understand that doesn't always include everything that we want.
Sarita Bernadette:Selah. So again, our intentions should be aligned with God's will for our lives that requires prayer and waiting. Asking God what he wants for us is what we need to do. Beloved, I found that things go much more smoothly when I ask the Lord prior to going in with my own plan. The Bible offers guidance on asking according to his will.
Sarita Bernadette:First John five and fourteen. Now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And John fifteen:seven, If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish and it will be done for you. We must consult the Lord before we make our plans. When we focus on pleasing the Lord by syncing our goals up with his, our why becomes more important than just checking off a box or achieving a goal.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, when I am in my lane, when I'm working in my area of assignment, the one God created for me, the grace to get things done is there. I notice as obstacles pop up, God gives me strategies to overcome them. The Bible teaches that our intentions really matter to him, and he oversees those. Two verses from Proverbs. Proverbs sixteen:two: People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.
Sarita Bernadette:Proverbs 20 one:two: People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines the heart. Heart posture matters to the Lord. Heart posture matters. As we consider what direction the Lord wants to take us in this year, As we pray and we listen for his response, it's important that we pause and look carefully at what he is asking us to do. We need to go in with eyes wide open, trusting him to reveal his plan as we walk it out.
Sarita Bernadette:I believe we would benefit from the advice Jesus gave in the tower parable. It's found in the fourteenth chapter of Luke and for context this parable follows two others that teach the importance of being fully committed to God's plan. If you're going to follow him, there will be some tough decisions you'll have to make. And so in Luke fourteen and twenty eight, we read: For which of you intending to build a tower does not first sit down and estimate the cost to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him.
Sarita Bernadette:Verse 30, saying, this fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Here Jesus gives us an analogy. Just as a builder wisely estimates how much it's going to cost, how much he will need to finish a tower, a follower of Christ must assess whether or not they can finish the journey or whether they can complete the assignment they've been given, if you will. We know the Bible tells us we can do all things through him. However, we must be aware that it will cost something. Jesus advises that we go in soberly in a serious, sensible, solemn manner.
Sarita Bernadette:He says plainly, There's a risk. Starting something then failing to finish it may lead to taunting and maybe even shame. Another translation says to count up the cost. So before launching into your goals for 2026, beloved, see what the Lord is saying. Allow him to examine your heart and then assess the cost.
Sarita Bernadette:Assess the cost. First Kings chapter six tells the story of the building of the temple by King Solomon, David's son. But in the previous chapter, we see Solomon taking the time to prepare after the Lord gives him this. He says, Rest on every side, no adversaries. He, Solomon, declares that the Lord has paved the way for him to begin building.
Sarita Bernadette:That all takes place before he ever lays the first brick. Note here, he doesn't go in without the Lord's blessing. He gets that first. And it's in one Kings chapter five, starting at verse two, where we read, Solomon sent word to Hiram saying, you know that my father David could not build a house for the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him until he put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side.
Sarita Bernadette:There is neither adversary nor misfortune. So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to my father David, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.' Again, Solomon took the time to listen to the Lord, to plan, and to work out detailed designs and infrastructure plans according to God's instruction. He knew it was God's design. Another element of note here is that Solomon enlisted the help of a trusted friend of his father. Listen carefully, beloved.
Sarita Bernadette:King Hiram of Tyre came to his aid immediately when he heard that Solomon had ascended to the throne. The king had access to the perfect lumber for the temple. The cedars of Lebanon were to be used in the construction of the temple, and Solomon partnered with the king to have the trees cut and brought to the site. Side note: Beloved, seldom will the Lord give you an assignment and expect you to complete it without support. God sees ahead, and he puts people in place to assist you with the mission.
Sarita Bernadette:He's so wonderful. The Cedars Of Lebanon, I could talk for thirty more minutes about them alone and their characteristics, but I won't. There's a reason why God, chose them. God wastes no detail, as you know. And I found this description of the Cedars of Lebanon, and it reads, It's a majestic, slow growing evergreen known for its massive trunk, broad flat topped crown with horizontal branches and dark green needles in clusters developing a stately narrow upright form.
Sarita Bernadette:Hear me with your spirit as we say in the church. The roots grow deep into the ground. The cedars of Lebanon's roots can extend as far down as 30 feet for every 10 feet of height, and they become very wide over time. This allows them to access water when needed and anchor themselves firmly into the rocky ground. It allows them to hold out against the severe storms.
Sarita Bernadette:The roots are famous for being so strong that they can penetrate through the roughest terrain as they search for the nutrients needed to grow. My goodness. I read a quote recently that said, We only grow as tall as our roots are deep. Are you getting it, beloved? The cedar of Lebanon symbolizes strength, resilience, royalty, immortality, and God's sovereignty.
Sarita Bernadette:It's representative of the children of God who thrive in his kingdom like these mighty enduring trees. There's a reason God used them along with the Cypress in sacred buildings like Solomon's Temple. So the cedar of Lebanon is indeed a rich biblical image of enduring righteousness and divine glory, But it's also a cautionary symbol against human pride. Isaiah two verses 12 through 14: For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high, against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, and against all the oaks of Bashan, against all the mountains, and against all of the lofty hills. In other words, God is warning that we should not get so high and mighty that we forget who he is.
Sarita Bernadette:Amen. So chapter six of one Kings opens by telling us, Solomon began construction in the fourth year of his reign. That would have to mean that he continued to plan and listen to God's instructions. As we read about the building of the temple, we get a solid sense of the kind of specificity God gave to Solomon regarding its construction. We note that he had 30,000 men working in shifts, and supervisors were in place to oversee all that work.
Sarita Bernadette:The foundation was carefully hewed out and crafted by stone cutters. The temple's width, length, and height were specified as well as the internal walls and the external walls and all the layout. It took a total of seven years to complete the temple. So another side note here, beloved, don't beat yourself up if it takes a minute to finish what you start. You will finish if you keep at it.
Sarita Bernadette:Just don't quit. In first Kings six verses 11 through 13 we read: Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon concerning this house that you were building. If you will walk in my statutes, obey my ordinances, and keep all my commandments by walking in them, then I will God is making it clear to Solomon that building the house of the Lord was a good thing. That was something he was supposed to do. He was assigned to do that work.
Sarita Bernadette:However, in order to prosper, Solomon and the people would have to align their hearts with God's will. Selah. If you're familiar with the wisdom of Solomon as displayed in the book of Proverbs, he emphasizes the importance of practical, conscientious planning while seeking God's will and guidance. Proverbs sixteen:three: Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The message version of that verse reads, Put God in charge of your work, then what you've planned will take place.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, as you consider 2026 and all that you'd like to accomplish, get with God. Seek his plans. Consult the designer. He will give you the desires of your heart. You've been listening to Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy in Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you next time.
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