5 Steps to Develop an Intentional Faith

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We’re back for another edition of our series called “Grow Your Faith” where you’ll get to hear from myself and a few others on topics such as prayer, Biblical context over cuteness, and growing through what you’re going through, as well as many more. Follow along here – Grow Your Faith Blog Series.

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When I rededicated my life to Jesus in 2018 after a few years of feeling lost, I knew that I needed to make time with my Savior a priority in my day.  I wanted prayer and reading His Word to be the foundation of each of my days.  

Even though I knew I needed to make this time a priority, I didn’t want to add it to a daily “to do” list.  I felt like adding it as an item to-do was just making it another thing I checked off when I was finished.  I wanted to spend time with Jesus each day because it’s something I desired, not because I had to.

Faith with Great Intentions

So, I decided that I would have my Jesus time whenever I had a chance within my day.  

As you can probably guess where this is going, I struggled to find time in my day for Jesus.  I’d get up too late and only have time to get ready before heading out the door to work.  When I would get home from work there was dinner, chores, grading, dog walking, church commitments, life commitments, you name it.  It wouldn’t be until I laid down in bed at night, completely exhausted, that I realized I hadn’t spent time with God.  

It wasn’t that I didn’t long for that time with Him, I just wasn’t prioritizing it.    

Then one morning as I was getting ready, it hit me.  I asked myself, “How do you connect with a friend or family member?  What do you do to build deeper connections with those you love?”  You schedule time to be with them.  You plan a dinner date, or a hangout, or a bonding trip.  

We intentionally schedule time into our day or week to be with loved ones.   Why wouldn’t we do the same for Jesus?

Intentional Faith

From that point on I have been intentional about spending time with Jesus.  Typically, I will get up and drink my coffee while I pray, read His Word, and journal.  This has been an amazing start to my day and helps get my mind focused on what is important as I head into my day.  But how can we be more intentional AND successful in spending time with the Lord?

There are five simple steps that I follow every time I sit down and open my Bible, and these steps could help you overcome these challenges and find yourself craving more time in the Word.  Through these steps, you can not only be more intentional but also more successful in spending precious time with God.

5 letters will help you remember these 5 easy steps:

I – Invite
F – Focus
I – Investigate
L – Learn
L – Listen

I Fill.

Grab the free download (below) and let’s go through the 5 steps together!

Go grab your Bible, a pen, a notebook, and now your 5 step guide bookmark, and let’s get to it!

Invite

Before we even open our Bibles it is important that we invite God to join us by asking Him to send His Spirit to provide clarity and wisdom. 

Reading Scripture is not always easy, but intentionally taking this time to connect with the author helps me to prepare my heart to receive what He desires for me to learn and to seek His guidance for the parts of His Word that are challenging to understand or accept.

Focus

In the world we live in, our attention is constantly being pulled every which way, so when you intentionally set out to connect with the Lord, you’ll want to find a quiet place, free of as many distractions as possible (you have my permission to put your phone on silent, or gasp, turn it off during your quiet time).

Investigate

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and not understood a single word you read?  It is important to remember that we’re reading the words of an author and an audience from a different culture and time period.  A lot has happened in 2,000 years, so take time to do some sleuth work to gain a better understanding of the Word.  

One way I do this is by using my study Bible and following the trail of cross-references and exploring the footnotes written about the passage to learn more about what was happening at that time and who is involved.  Also,  consider using tools like blueletterbible.com or other concordances to investigate the context.

Learn

When you’re done investigating don’t just close your Bible and go about your day.  Take the time to intentionally review what you have learned from your reading by taking notes and reflecting on the passage you read.  Truly take time in this process, friends.  Do not rush through this.

Listen

The last step that you’ll find in the I FILL 5 Step Bible Study Guide is sometimes one of the most difficult – listen.  Just as we began our time meeting with the Lord with prayer, there is so much goodness found in spending some intentional time in prayer at the end.

Thank God for what you learned during your time in the Word, but also take the time to pause and listen.  Listening for Him is not as easy as waiting for your bestie to give her opinion on something, you have to quiet yourself enough to truly listen for Him.  But don’t worry, God loves to hear from us and longs for us to listen to Him, so listen for that still small voice within you. 

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Friends, it is possible to be intentional in your faith, as you spend time with God.  

• Write it down on your calendar – in pen.  Gasp!  
• Make it a habit.  
• And use tools, like the I FILL 5 Step Bible Study Guide to help you make the most of this time.

Do you feel a little more comfortable exploring Scripture by following these five steps now?  

Let me know what you think of this process in the comments below.

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