To be intentional means working with purpose making every action count. Successful people are intentional. They know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. The following are some steps to becoming intentional in our living for God.
Have a Purpose Worth Living For
Willis Whitney, the first director of General Electric’s research laboratory stated, “Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can”.
All purposes in God are worth living for. 1 Peter_2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. In this one verse, God shows us that our lives have a purpose and that purpose is worth living for!
Whether we’re cutting grass (I’m going to get this much done today), making calls (I’m going to call this many people today), cleaning a bathroom (I’m going to clean, and then carefully look back over for mistakes), or confronting an issue that needs to be addressed (I’m going to deal with this situation today and work until I bring it to a solution), these are all parts of a complete life for God that is worth living. Ecclesiastes_9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might…
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Capitalizing on your strengths renews your energy and passions. An observant leader is not looking to just make the machine run and hopefully it won’t break down while on his watch, but he is constantly looking to put people where they flourish the most.
Some questions I’ve learned to ponder when I’m observing people are, what are their strengths and how can we capitalize on those strengths to strengthen our church , and in turn, strengthen the kingdom of God? Know your weaknesses and work on them to turn them into strengths. This takes work and intention, but it can be done.
Prioritize your responsibilities, don’t run from them
Once we know the “why” of our lives, it’s easier to find the “what”, “how”, and “when”. Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Wherever God places us in His kingdom, we are there to fulfill a purpose for that season and time of our lives!
Be intentional in your living, and God will be intentional in blessing you for it! Revelation_22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Start being today what you want to become tomorrow! Start doing today what you want God to bless tomorrow!
Learn to Say “No”
God made us to excel at certain things, generally to advance His kingdom and specifically to advance in our own gifts and callings. God should always get a “yes” while things that detour us from our calling should get a “no”.
Our church has a mission to “Preach a living Christ to a lost and dying world”. Our church also has a vision “To lead men and women into a closer relationship with Christ, through evangelism, education, and example”. Everything we do is done with those things in mind and guides us toward those specific goals. Anything that would detour us and take us off course from those things, gets a “no”.
We can’t accomplish much without focus. Zig Ziglar said, “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” If you try to do every noble and good thing that comes your way, you will not excel at what God has created and called you to do. Noble causes in the world will come and go, but I’m not going to get off track and thus miss my blessing to do them. We must learn to set boundaries so our lives for God can stay focused on what God has us doing.
Commit to long-term achievement
Most victories in life are achieved through small incremental wins sustained over time. We must have a purpose worth living for, know our strengths and weaknesses and capitalize on them, and we must learn when to say “no” even to noble causes that would take us off the course God has us on, even if it’s just momentarily. Go with God from victory to victory and soon you’ll have an intentionally victorious life…and soon after that, you’ll see Heaven and it’ll be worth it all!
Next Level Living 