9 Powerful Ideas for Being Intentional in Faith Every Day

In a perfect world, we’d feel Christ with us every moment. Hm, that perfect world would be Heaven, right? But now, while we’re still here on earth, there are many times when we don’t feel His presence.

That doesn’t mean Christ isn’t with us. I feel confident about that. My confidence in His constant presence comes from my knowledge of how much He loves us.

He’s always waiting ‘in the wings’ for us to acknowledge Him through our thoughts and our actions.

John 15:9-12  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

I can picture Jesus jumping forward to help us when we call on Him. Oh, I do believe there are often times He helps us when we don’t even know we need Him. I’m not trying to insinuate otherwise.

But He wants us to call on Him, too.

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye. shall find; knock, and it shall beopened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh. findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

In the post, 7 Tips for Your Intentional Relationship with Christ, I shared ideas on how to nurture your relationship with Jesus.

Today I want to expound on that and talk about the importance of being intentional in faith every single day and best practices for doing that.

Being intentional in faith doesn’t mean everything will go perfectly for you. Christ never promises that.

However, being intentional does mean that the power of Christ will move through you allowing you to better live peace, hope, love, and grace.

I know that’s how I want to live! Don’t you?

These ideas aren’t a one time list to implement. Instead, they’re a series of tips designed for you to incorporate into every aspect of your life. We’re looking at the big picture here and what you can do to take care of yourself and your faith.

You’ll want to immerse yourself into your intentional faith. Otherwise, the busyness of life may keep you from truly nurturing your faith.

9 Ideas for Being Intentional in Faith Every Day

1. Get enough sleep.

There’s no doubt about it. Lack of sleep keeps us from thinking clearly and from being ‘all in’ throughout the day.

Set a bedtime for yourself and stick to it. Even if you don’t fall asleep right away, lay quietly without electronics so that you can rest.

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. ~Hebrews 4:9-10 

2. Eat healthy foods.

I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, so I’m not one to preach on this. However, I know how much better I feel when I’m eating whole, natural foods for the majority of my meals.

Starting off your day can make the difference in how you feel and eat all day long. If you begin with a weight loss breakfast, you’ll feel more satisfied and be on track for an overall healthy day.

Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. ~Proverbs 23:20-21 

3. Establish routines.

Routines help establish focus and allow you to get things done without having to think too hard about them. They’ll help you save time and be more productive which makes your days run more smoothly.

4. Plan your day.

When I began spending about 10 minutes each morning planning my day and what I wanted to accomplish, my stress level plummeted.

When you go into your day with specific goals in mind, you can spend time on what truly matters the most.

Related: Intentional Christian Life Planner

5. Schedule quiet time in the Word

Part of your routine and daily plan should always include quiet time in Scripture. When we allow busyness to take up all our time, we get further away from the Word which hinders our connection with Christ.

Related Post: Acts in 30 Days: Beginner’s Bible Study and Reading Plan

6. Have downtime

In addition to making sure you get plenty of sleep, be sure to take some time during the day to read a book, stare at the TV, take a stroll, or just sit in the quiet with your thoughts. If you need to schedule in the time in your planner, do it!

7. Reach out to others

Part of being intentional in faith is remembering that we are called to minister to others.

Some days, this will look BIG as you might volunteer for a charitable organization, and other days, this will look small as you might just make a phone call or send a text to someone to let them know you’re thinking about them and praying for them.

8. Pray regularly

I had a friend who shared at bible study that she tried to stay in prayer throughout the entire day. At that time, I prayed in the morning and at night and any time I ‘needed’ something. T

he concept of being in prayer all day was new to me. I learned more, though, and realized that having those internal conversations with Christ throughout the day helped me focus on Him.

Prayer is a huge part of being intentional in faith.

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. ~Mark 1:35

9. Write in a gratitude journal

Along with prayer, journaling is a great way to stay connected to God. Noticing and writing down the things you’re thankful for allows you to see the beauty in every moment big or small.

I first began doing this when my bible study group covered One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.
 

Related Post: 40 Little Things I’m Thankful For

You can see that being intentional in faith isn’t an easy, quick checklist but instead, a way of life, learning to incorporate healthy physical, emotional, and spiritual habits into your day.