INTENTIONAL WALK

By: Dennis Harworth

     It was the bottom of the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers came up for their last at bats trailing 2-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  After a leadoff double and one out, Freddie Freeman was given an intentional walk, putting him on first base.  This was for a good reason.  Freddie not only had the highest batting average in major league baseball, but also had nearly a .400 hitting average with runners in scoring position.  The D-backs would rather walk Freeman than let him try to hit.  They purposely put him on first to give them a chance to turn a double play and win the game.  They chose this option rather than giving Freddie a chance to hit a game winning home run or a base hit to tie the score.  Arizona’s gamble failed as a dramatic 2 out, 3-2 count, base hit brings Freeman home to score the winning run as the Dodgers celebrate their 3-2 victory.  This win brought the Dodgers one game closer to their most wins in a season in franchise history.  (In case you couldn’t tell – I am a Dodgers fan!).

     It was no coincidence that as this game was played, at the same time, God was teaching me how to intentionally walk with Him.  The difference between baseball’s intentional walk and our intentional walk with the Lord is that we choose how to deliberately walk out our faith– not the opposing team choosing for us.  And in the believer’s life, the opposing team would be the enemy forces of evil.  Don’t you know the last thing the enemy wants to see is us living out our faith walk with Jesus Christ on purpose for His purposes?

     This is by no means an easy thing to do, but I hope by now you have realized the victorious Christian walk is not automatic.  There are no shortcuts to living a life of godliness, and there is no way you can do it on your own.  However, there is good news!   By God’s divine power, He has given you “absolutely everything necessary for a dynamic spiritual life and godliness”. (2 Peter 1:3, AMP).  He is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly far over and above all that you dare ask or think (Ephesians 3:20a, AMPC).

     Although God will always give you the strength, power, and ability to “walk the walk”, you still have a part to play.  You must intentionally choose to consistently walk in the things of God.  Now I am not talking about just going to church every Sunday and maybe a mid-week service.  That is really good to do, but I am talking about releasing yourself to God fully and drawing closer to Him daily.  By doing this, you will thoroughly enjoy a victorious life and a close intimate fellowship with our Faithful, All Powerful, Limitless, Almighty God.  He alone is the One who is able to do all things infinitely beyond your highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams!! (Ephesians 3:20b, AMPC).

     So, if you want to walk victoriously in the things of God, you must be determined and consistently intentional in your daily actions.  As you walk with the Lord, God will empower you if you choose to do these simple steps.  Make these steps also faith confessions and they will help and encourage you in your daily walk:

1.  I will feed on the Word of God daily.

Real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:3, NLT).  I will live my walk of faith by daily reading and feeding on the Word of God because His words are what sustain me.  They bring me great joy and are my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God Almighty. (Jeremiah 15:16).  It is possible for me to be all God has called me to be with His Word to instruct me, teach me and guide me. (Psalm 32:8).  Since life comes from a right relationship with You, give me life through Your Word. (Psalm 119:25).  

2.  I will talk to God daily.

Prayer is always available to everyone because God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).  Prayer is simply talking and listening to God; which is vitally important to my walk with Him.  God commands me to pray all the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17), so I will talk to the Lord throughout each and every day.  For the more time I spend conversing with God, the more blessed my life will be in close relationship with Him.  I can also be confident that He hears my requests and petitions by giving me anything I ask for whenever they line up with His will (1 John 5:14-15).  Therefore, I will not worry about anything; instead, I will talk to God about everything and thank Him for all He has done. (Philippians 4:6, NLT)

3.  I will walk in all God’s ways daily.

One of the things the Lord requires is to walk in all His ways.  God expects me to reverence, follow, love, serve, and obey Him completely (Deuteronomy 10:12).  It is up to me, however, to choose to commit my life to Him with all my heart and all my soul.  No longer will I depend on my way of doing things.  I will trust the Lord and acknowledge Him in all my ways and He will direct my paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).  As a result, God promises me a life full of blessings.     

     An intentional walk in the game of baseball seldom wins the game, but a close walk with God is always victorious.  By daily drawing close to the Lord, you will be triumphant in life and enjoy all of Heaven’s best!  The key is the daily commitment.  Case in point: the Dodgers were “clicking on all cylinders” at the end of the 2022 season.  Only three teams since 1876 had won more games.  It’s no wonder the Dodgers were favored to win the World Series.  However, they didn’t have to play in the first round of playoffs and consequently were not as “sharp” after a week with no games to play.  As a result, they experienced a stunning upset in their first-round playoff series against the Padres. 

     Likewise, your triumphs today cannot depend on yesterday’s victories.  In order to be consistently victorious, you must daily and deliberately be committed in your walk with God.  Therefore, each and every day, choose to feed on His Word, intimately converse with Him, and walk in all His ways.  This will then be your

INTENTIONAL WALK!