Living intentionally means purposefully pursuing the life God has called us to live. Being intentional takes focused action and living God-inspired intentions. God is intentional and calls us to be the same. Just as He intentionally created the world and humankind, He would ask us to be as intentional in our relationship with Him.
God is Intentional
The Lord we serve is profoundly intentional in all His ways and dealings. All His intentional actions flow out of His vision, passion, and purpose.
In order to live intentionally with God, it requires us to be in constant communication with ourselves and to be emotionally intelligent. Our self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness and relationship management should all work for the glory of the lord.
Genesis 1:1-31 tells us God’s intentions from the beginning. The first day of light, the second day of firmament, the third day of dry ground, the fourth day of the sun moon and stars, the fifth day the fish and birds, and the sixth day creatures of the land. After all of this creation, God concluded with the observation that the intention of His work was good and it created meaning and value with forethought.
Genesis 1:31: God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
You are Not an Accident but God’s Intention
We must realize that every detail of our lives is not an accident. Nothing in life just happens but is a learning experience for us, even though we may not understand it at the time. One thing that is easy for us to understand is God’s love for us.
The Bible tells us that God’s intentions for creation was not only to reveal God’s character, but also to provide the needs for all that God has made, human and non-human.
In Genesis 1:28, God further explains this when He refers to our being created for abundance and goodness – “God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
God directs us through His emotional intelligence to be fruitful, multiply, and rule all with His intention for us to have abundant living.
So how do we discover God’s intention for us
It is important that we learn how to live intentionally and not leave out the Source that enables us to do so.
Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
Living intentionally takes our discovering the answers to our purpose and direction in the Scriptures, God’s living Word, and seeking His divine intervention for us.
Steps to Living Intentionally
- Honor your Beliefs
Living with intention means being in constant communication with yourself. We must be authentic to who we’ve been created to be and work toward developing ourselves in a Jesus-like way. Being emotionally intelligent in Christ helps with this, as it answers the question of whose am I and in what ways does my relationship with Christ shape my understanding of myself?
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me,” Galatians 2:20.
It is because of the reality of the new life we have taken on that allows us to experience and honor our beliefs in the intentions that God has for us. Start by shining a light on yourself to reflect on who you now are.
- Praying Intentionally
When you ask God for help or ask Him to bring things into your life, believe with all your heart that He will take care of things. Praying intentionally requires you to first be patient. Ask the lord to speak to you and direct your prayers in the way He would have you pray. God listens, we ask, but we must have the patience to wait for His reply. It is important also to ask for His help. This involves not only praying in unison but with faith. Christ connections is an emotionally intelligent behavior that Jesus Himself set as an intention for us.
John 13:34-35 tells us “A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
We all should be enlisting our prayer warriors and setting intentions. The move away from the I/Me mentality to the awareness of others meets all our needs and shows that we are disciples of Christ. The Lord is faithful and, through Godly intentions, all things are possible that are in His will. As you make Christ connections, you develop a deeper awareness that Christ is demonstrating to others that you are a true disciple of God.
- Living your Purpose
By identifying God’s purpose, you allow that to shape your approach to life. You then see changes in your attitude and make your decisions based on the discernment of the Holy Spirit. Emotional intelligence in Christ is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit within you to discern and manage emotions as Jesus did. The Holy Spirit enables you to set Godly intentions and will guide you in your purpose driven life. Change is all about the God in you.
Learn to incorporate intentions in your daily life and verbalize the intention that God has for you. Believe that in Christ, you are intentional. Jesus is your guiding light for the intentions He sets. Being emotionally intelligent in Christ helps you demonstrate the intentions God has for you. Then sit back and marvel at the love, peace and joy God gives to you.
Discover how you can live your life more intentional for God by taking our Biblical EIQ Assessment.
Estella Chavous is a global marketing executive, educator, published author, magazine columnist, radio personality, and keynote speaker. She holds a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry, an MBA, and an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership. She has significant professional experience in sales, marketing, and education, working in strategic leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies, including Abbott, Amgen, and Bristol Myers-Squibb. She is currently the Global Channel Communications program manager for AVEVA Industrial Software.
As a co-founder of EDGE GOD IN, Dr. Estella provides weekly podcasts and Christian education. She also consults on all aspects of well-being, focusing on Christ-filled education, meditation, and contemplative prayer. She an Inside Timer meditation coach, adjunct professor, the Christ-filled Relationship Evaluator’s creator, and co-author of an Amazon best-selling book, Let Meditation Mend You.
Estella is actively involved in her faith and family and is commonly referred to as “The Mindful Dr. E,” using practices to focus first on the mind of Christ as the starting point to good health. She is a graduate of the Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching Program, a Holistic Chamber of Commerce member, and a certified Spin instructor.
This is incredible- I am currently teaching on
“Perilous times call for determined and intentional disciple”. I can’t wait to share this with them !
Blessings
Evangelist Rachel
I loved the teaching. It will definitely compliment the teaching of the Armor Bearer’s True Roll that the leadership team is conducting with our teen group. However, I would have liked to have taken the test at the end. But the link led to a 404 error.
@Roxanne – Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We transferred the ownership of this assessment to the Emotional Intelligence for Christ team. I have update the link in the blog. You can now access the assessment here: https://emotionalintelligenceinchrist.com/assessments/ – Please let us know if we can serve you in any other way. Blessings!