“I’ll do it tomorrow”. Our favorite line when we are too busy, feeling too overwhelmed, uninterested or procrastinating. But God didn’t create us to live a life where we watch each day pass by without being intentional about what we do with it. He created us with purpose and desires for us to be intentional in leaning into Him, joining arms and taking each day together. Let this be an encouragement to you to bring intentionality into your spiritual growth journey in a few simple ways.
God is Intentional
To understand why it is important to bring intentionality into your seek for spiritual maturity we must first know that God is intentional. It started with the creation of the world. In one breath He could have created the entire world, the sun, the moon, the stars. But he didn’t. He very intentionally laid out six days of work. And intentionally set aside one day of rest.
We can see His purposeful approach to creation in many of the verses in Genesis 1.
An example of how specific He gets is in Genesis 1: 14 -18.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. – ESV
We also know from Genesis that God was very intentional about the creation of man.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
We were created as a reflection of Him. If He is intentional and purposeful in His actions, His work, His days – He wants us to be as well.
Bringing intentionality into your spiritual life requires you to take action. Don’t let the days just pass you by. Living intentionally means using the short time on earth to live for Jesus.
Lets look at some simple ways to bring intentionality into your spiritual growth journey.
Get into the Word
That’s right! You may have to dust it off but crack your bible open. There is no shortcut around it if you really want to be intentional in your relationship with the Lord. It’s okay if you don’t know where to start. There are many resources out there to help you. I have listed a few below.
The bible says that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We do this by reading the Word and rooting the truth in our hearts. This is how we come to understand the will of God and his plan and purpose for us.
Just like we eat food that enters through our mouth that is digested in our stomach and nourishes our physical body; when we read God’s word it enters our mind, is held in our heart and it nourishes our spirit. We need spiritual nourishment to survive and live well.
Some ways to take action and get into the Word:
- Get up early to set aside your first part of the morning to read your bible
- Join a bible study group at your church or online
- Try a bible reading plan (I am not an affiliate but I enjoy this one from The Bible Project)
- Ask a friend, mentor or family member to keep you accountable
- Pray over this and ask the Lord to help you stay intentional and create a habit out of this
If you are needing resources like journals, commentaries, bible studies, guides or a bible, you may want to check out The Daily Grace Co. I am not an affiliate here either but they have some beautiful study tools.
Speak the Word
Now that we have read the Word and are working on memorizing scripture and intentionally rooting our hearts with the truth it’s time to speak the Word. We do this by declaring God’s truth over ourselves, others and the world around us. God’s Word has so much power. He is the almighty authority. His Word never returns void – what He says will be done.
For every disillusioned thought that the enemy tries to bombard your mind with there is scripture to combat and overcome.
When the devil tried to tempt Jesus while He was in the wilderness without food or water for forty days and forty nights, Jesus kept repeating “it is written” in his responses to each temptation that was put before Him. He was referring to the Word of God.
Eventually, the devil had to back down because he had and still has no chance against God’s Word. It is infallible.
So when you find yourself thinking:
–“I look awful today. I need to.. (lose weight, cut my hair, look like someone else, etc).”
–“I have messed up my life so much. No one would want me.”
–“I am not good enough.”
–“I’m afraid to take the next step.”
Tell the devil to take a hike because it is written and forever remains written that:
– “I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14
– “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
– Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? Matthew 6:26
– For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. 2 Timothy 1:7
Being intentional when speaking the Word could look like:
- Stopping yourself from a negative thought spiral the moment you realize it’s starting and declare scripture over yourself. Accepting God’s truth into your heart and releasing the intrusive or negative thoughts.
- Adding scripture into your prayers. An example of this would be “Lord, your Word says that I am not made with a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. I declare that all fear must go now in Jesus’ name and I receive peace in my mind. I will not be fearful of this situation because I know that you are with me, Lord. Thank you for being my protector. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
- Keeping scripture cards around the house or on your bathroom mirror where you frequently see them and read aloud to yourself.
Worship With Intentionality
Worship is so important in bringing intentionality into our spiritual growth journey. It turns our focus away from ourselves and puts our attention on Jesus.
We thank Jesus for all that He is and for the sacrifice that He made in order for us to be free. We bless and glorify God for being the source of everything that we need. And we praise Him for loving us so much that He wanted to reconcile us with Himself so He gave His son, Jesus, to be the atonement for our sins.
Worship allows us to connect with God and experience the presence of the Holy Spirit. We get to connect in a different way when we worship because we are not necessarily asking the Lord to do anything for us, we are simply praising and glorifying His name.
Bringing intentionality into our worship could look like:
- Focusing on the words in the song you are listening to and really making a connection with God through them.
- Making a point to not be distracted by other people during the worship service at church. Closing your eyes may help you stay in the moment and focus on what you are doing and why it is important.
- Setting time aside while doing your quiet time with the Lord to sing or just talk to Him and thank Him for all that He has done in your life.
Bringing Intentionality into Your Spiritual Growth Journey: Overview
Introducing intentionality into your spiritual growth journey doesn’t have to be complicated. You can start with picking one or two areas that you want to focus on. Once you have built them into your routine you can work on others and add from there. Developing spiritual maturity is a lifelong process. Finding actionable steps to keep moving forward will help you.
If you are looking for a FREE tool to help you with intentionality in your walk with the Lord check out my Spiritual Growth Goal Setting Workbook. It will walk you through 5 main goal areas, offer ideas and actionable ways to incorporate those goals into your life and provide you with goal examples. You will also get three templates to use: a S.M.A.R.T. goal worksheet, a S.O.A.P. Bible study template, and a monthly goal tracker template. This will be your companion as you set off on your spiritual growth journey and it is absolutely FREE for you today.
And don’t get discouraged when it feels like you aren’t where you should be. The Lord sees you and is there to help you along the way.
Closing Prayer
Lord, I lift up the woman who is reading these words. I ask that you would honor her seek of you. Thank you, Lord, that she has felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to lean in closer to you and has a desire for more of you. I ask that you would help her develop in her spiritual growth. Your Word says that if we seek you we will find you. To ask and we will receive. To knock and it will be opened unto us. Lord, please help this woman develop in your wisdom and discernment. Stir up her faith and bring her revelation. I declare a blessing over her spiritual life and ask that you would have your hand upon her as she learns and grows closer to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
