Be Intentional

No school. Sleeping in. Vacation. Camp. Mission Trip. Atlanta Overnighter. Lunch Bunch. High School Boot Camp. VBS. Wednesday Night Activities. Hangouts with friends. This was summer during my teenage years. I loved it! There was always so much to do and lots of fun to be had. But in my 8th-grade summer something else became much more important to me than all these fun activities. 

At the beginning of my 8th-grade year, I was participating in a See You at the Pole rally. I couldn’t tell you who was speaking that night as I sat in the arena but I’ll never forget what the Lord did. I had accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 7 years old and till that point, I was just going through the motions of church. Sitting in the arena that night, God revealed that life was more than just being saved by grace through Jesus. It was also about intentionally growing closer in my relationship with Him. 

I had been growing in my knowledge of Jesus and what the Bible said. I was trying to live a good Christian life. But that night I realized I wasn’t being intentional with my spiritual growth. Sure, I was doing a quiet time as often as I could but it was more out of obligation because I knew it was what I was supposed to do. 

That night, however, changed everything. I started to become intentional with my relationship with the Lord. It wasn’t easy. My busy schedule meant I had to learn to protect my time with the Lord and make sacrifices. I had to choose to go to bed early so I could wake up rested, refreshed, and able to give 100% of my focus to my time with God. When I was up late because of projects or homework after an evening activity I had to make myself get out of bed and not hit snooze. But I wasn’t perfect. I still stumbled and there were more times I felt like I failed because I hit snooze. Then there were weeks that I was so overwhelmed, I’d revert back to letting church be good enough. I would neglect my personal time or shortchange God by reading a verse and saying a quick prayer and not really applying what I was learning. But each time God brought me back to Him and I started being intentional again. 

When summer hit that year, I made a choice to use my extra time because school was out to develop a routine of spending time with God. Not that my time with God was just another routine like getting ready for the day, making the bed, or cleaning my room. The desire was for it to be a natural part of my day because it was important to me and essential to my spiritual growth. 

I want to challenge you this summer to become more intentional in your spiritual growth. Whether you are starting out in your spiritual growth or you want to go deeper, let me share with you ways to do that.

Just the beginning

PICK A TIME: You need to pick a time of the day that you are going to consistently set aside to spend time with God.  Choose a time that works best for you, who you are, and your schedule.  It won’t do you any good to get up early in the morning if you’re not a morning person. You might just find yourself falling back to sleep.

PICK A PLACE: You will want to choose a place that is distraction-free. This is different for everyone.  If you can focus with other things going on around you, wonderful!  For me, I have to have a quiet place and if I'm outside, a place where I don’t know anyone.

CHOOSE A DEVOTIONAL OR BIBLE STUDY:  When I was choosing one of these as a teenager, I often asked my parents what would be good. My dad was the student pastor so that was always a win for me because he was in the know when it came to good devotionals and bible studies. So, as you are looking for a devotional or bible study ask your parents, student pastor, or small group leader. Here are a few suggestions I have for you. 

In Her Shoes: Walking in Virtue, by Krista Michelle
A Beautiful Story, by Erin Davis
Beautiful Encounters, by Erin Davis
Experiencing God Youth Edition, by Henry T. Blackaby & Claude V. King

Going Deeper

If you are wanting to grow deeper in your relationship with the Lord, I have two suggestions. First, is to study God’s Word on your own. To learn how to do this check out my blog In the Word. When starting out I suggest starting in the New Testament as it can be easier to understand as a beginner. Below are some of my favorite books that you could start with. For those of you already studying the Word on your own I have some Old Testament book suggestions if you are ready to give it a try. 

NEW TESTAMENT
Ephesians
1 & 2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
1 John 

OLD TESTAMENT
Joshua
Ruth
Esther

If starting out on your own studying seems overwhelming then ask a leader to do it with you. Another great way to get into studying a book of the bible on your own is with the Warren Wisersbe, Be Series. Always remember as you study on your own to ask questions of your student pastor and leaders if you don’t understand. I did this a lot when I first started out.

My second suggestion to you is to find ways to add time to your day with the Lord through prayer and worship. One way I do this with prayer is to start my day in prayer before my feet hit the floor and end the day in prayer by going to bed thanking God for all He has done that day. At night I also try to read a YouVerison devotional as well to end my day encouraged. 

The way that I have added more time for worship with the Lord is by reserving the first drive of the day for worship. I listen to worship music and sing along. I probably look silly at times to those driving by or sitting next to me at a light. I also put on worship music as I do things around the house.  I may or may not be singing along but it is so refreshing to listen to as I work. There are even times a song will remind me of what God is teaching me or a person which prompts me to stop and pray. 

Wherever you are, if you want to grow in your relationship with the Lord, I encourage you to start today. Pray even now and ask God to help you grow as you become more intentional in your time with Him. Then make a plan and use this summer to grow intentionally in the Lord.