So many different things run through my mind at the beginning of a new year. It’s a feeling of expectation and anticipation of what a new year brings. It feels like a new start, a fresh beginning, new opportunities and more time. Each year for a few years I usually try to pull away from all social distractions at the beginning of a new year. As I put all distractions down, I pull closer to Jesus in an effort to hear him more clearer. It also is the time of year where most churches go on 21 days of fasting and prayer to seek his face about what he desires from them in the new year. It is a time to seek the face of God about things concerning your life, ministry , relationships, friendships, work life, church life, directions for how God desires to use your life and more than anything to ask God to show you areas in your life that are standing against his plans for you. One thing that I love is when God speaks a word into my heart that I use or try to use to govern my life throughout the new year. I want to share with you in the next few paragraphs the word that God spoke to me and a few other things he shared with me about this new year. I am praying that it might encourage your heart.

So, the word that the Lord spoke to me while lying in bed awaiting the new year was,”intentional”. The word intentional means to do it on purpose, deliberate. When we move with intention that means that we have a purpose for what we are doing, we are not doing it just because it is something we always do but we are doing it with a purpose in mind. God told me to be more intentional with my time, in my relationships with those that I love, be intentional with my words and the conversations I allow myself to be a part of even if it is only listening. This is going to be a year of intention for me. God even spoke to me about being intentional with encouraging others. God has been showing me how I am so out of focus with what is happening around me and not as focused on what is happening inside of me. I moved through 2024 doing good things but I am seeing how those good things might have taken time from me doing the God thing. My heart was in the right place but was the good thing hindering me from the God things that he wanted to use me for. When we live from a place of intentionality we live deliberately on purpose. Our purpose is not steeped in what we want to do, but oftentimes it is buried in the things we never thought we could do. I want to intentionally live my life that others may desperately see their need for Jesus. I want to intentionally shine the light of Christ in a world that needs a savior. We should allow our God intentions to drive us forward in this new year.

I truly believe that our purpose helps to guide our intentions. I think that when we understand our God why, it helps us say no to things that do not necessarily line up with what God has planned for us. This word is the word I will lean into more and more this year. Even here in this space, I want to be more intentional about what I write and what I share here. I want my words to be words that will draw anyone that reads into real relationship with Jesus, or words that uplift, inspire or leave you pondering a better way. I love that one of the words that describe intention is deliberate and deliberate is purposeful. Can you imagine with me for a moment if we made a commitment for 2025 that we would live our life with intentionality? Let’s just make it personal and think in terms of what if you made the commitment to do it with great intention in 25. This means that what we do, we don’t just do it to just check a box but we do it deliberately, on purpose with intention. What do you think that would look like for your life? What do you think it would look like through the eyes of Jesus? I think that it would encourage us to think and process our decisions better if we took a moment to look at our intentions for doing it.

I wanted to leave you with a scripture that I came across as I was studying and searching for scriptures that talk about intention. This verse of scripture felt like the perfect one to close out with.

      This scripture tells us that the intentions of our heart belong to us but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord. What this scripture meant to me was that I have a responsibility to make sure that the intentions of my heart  align with God’s will for my life. I want my why to always be rooted in my love for Jesus. I want my love for him to be the driving force behind my intentions. I hope you are encouraged to take time to explore what intentionality looks like for you. Maybe this word resonates with you and maybe you feel encouraged to ask God for your own word for the year. I am praying that you experience Jesus in a whole new way this year. Thank you for being here. Walking alongside you as we continue to step into the light together.