Intent is defined as intention or purpose...when someone is intent upon doing something, he or she is resolved or determined to do it.
God is a God of intent.
"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, "My PURPOSE will be established, and I WILL ACCOMPLISH all My good pleasure; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My PURPOSE from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I WILL BRING IT TO PASS. I HAVE PLANNED IT, SURELY I WILL DO IT."' [Isaiah 46:10,11]
He plans for His Word to come to pass. His Word is, in fact, the agent of His purpose. He plans, He speaks, it comes to pass.
'Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it."' [Jeremiah 1:12]
Hebrews 4:3 tell us that His works WERE finished from the foundation of the world.
In other words, He planned it, He spoke it, AND IT IS ALREADY DONE!!
'That which HAS BEEN is that which WILL BE, and that which HAS BEEN DONE is that which WILL BE DONE. So there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one might say, "See this, it is new?" ALREADY IT HAS EXISTED FOR AGES WHICH WERE BEFORE US.' [Ecclesiastes 1:9,10]
'That which is has been already and that which will be has already been...' [Ecclesiastes 3:15]
'Whatever exists has already been named...' [Ecclesiastes 6:10]
And don't forget, His Word is settled forever! [Psalm 119:89]
What does that mean, exactly?
He spoke everything into existence...every Word, not just Genesis. He intended for it to come to pass, and it did...every Word, not just Genesis!
Every Word of blessing, every Word of healing, every Word of abundance, every Word of angelic protection and favor.
And guess what? We are created in His image, by His Word! He intended that we would exist...He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world!
'...for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.' [1 Peter 1:23]
He is a God of intention, and His children are just like Him.
In fact, 1 John 4:17 tells us that '...as He is [Jesus], so also are we IN THIS WORD.'
He is the Word, we are the Word multiplied, one Spirit with the Lord! [John 1:1,2 14; Acts 12:24; 1 Corinthians 6:17]
Jesus, Too
Jesus was completely a Man of intent. When He laid hands on the sick, He fully intended for them to be healed.
When He spoke to storms, or fig trees, He fully intended them to obey.
For instance, at the tomb of Lazarus, He just said "Lazarus, come forth!" [John 11:43]
And he did!
In fact, He told us to do the very same thing.
'And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.
"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."' [Mark 11:22-24]
He's teaching them, and us, how to live by faith...how to live by intent. To intentionally speak to physical objects, with the express purpose that they would obey!
To live by faith is to live by intent!
Jesus told us to speak to trees and mountains. This is not some made up doctrine! It is our part to do it and fully intend for it to work because He said it.
The Word Himself said it. With the intent that we would obey Him.
But we cannot doubt in our heart. Doubt is the antithesis of intent, the unbelief that stops mighty works.
The righteous will live by his faith. [Habakkuk 2:4]
And we've become the righteousness of God in Him! [2 Corinthians 5:21]
Nazareth
Interestingly, the only place Jesus could not do what He intended to was His hometown. There, their unbelief stopped him.
Think about that...unbelief stops the very intent of God!
God intended for Israel to enter the Promised Land after He delivered them for Egypt, not 40 years later! But Hebrews 3:19 states 'So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.'
Psalm 78:41 says that this pained the Holy One of Israel!
Since we know that His works were already finished from before the foundation of the world, they were denying the blessing He had already provided for them!
Matthew 13:58 says 'And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.'
God intended miracles for the people of Nazareth...KJV calls them MIGHTY WORKS.
Listen...if God has intended and already established mighty works for me, I don't want to stop them by my unbelief.
I want to join my intent with His intent...I want to intend to receive every blessing He has already intended for me!
He's my Father and He has ALREADY blessed me! He intended to bless me by His Word, and what He has intended is already finished.
Now it's up to me to intend to receive it. To be determined to receive all that He has already given.
To walk in love and speak to things. To plant His Word in the earth.
Hallelujah!
