Intentionally Devoted

I read a quote this week that said, “Potential is actualized through intention and devotion.” This really struck me and caused me to ask the question, “where is my devotion, and am I being intentional with this everyday?”

We will never reach our full potential without being intentionally devoted to Christ. To break this down: in the world we live in today, if you are not intentional with your devotion to the Lord, your devotion will easily shift to the things of this world.

So how do we make sure we are being intentional each day to be devoted to our Heavenly Father and His plans for our life?

Colossians 2:5-7 says,
 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

We see through these scriptures, that we will have good discipline and stability in Christ, when we are intentionally devoted to Him, we discipline ourselves and are not swayed by the desires of our flesh or the things of this world. When we are disciplined, we are stable. We are to walk in Him, not our own power, and we will be firmly rooted, built up in Him and established in our faith.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely want to be rooted and grounded in Jesus. I do not want to be easily swayed or shaken. God does not want that for us either, which is why He instructs us how to be established in His Truths.

Psalm 1:1-3 tells us,
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

We are blessed when we are not seeking counsel from the wicked (the way of this world), when we delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night. To quiet our minds from the constant noise of this world and the lies of the enemy, and to refresh and renew our minds with the Truth is something we must practice throughout our day, every single day. When we do this with intention, we will be like a tree firmly planted, prospering and producing good fruit.

Galatians 6:7-9 says,
“7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

Whatever you sow each day is what you will reap. You will either be sowing into your flesh which is corruption, or sowing into the Spirit, which is eternal life.

There is no neutral ground, you are sowing into one or the other. It is up to you to decide which you will sow into.
 
The truth is, we are all devoted to something. Our actions, our words, and how we spend our time make it very clear what that something is.

Do you want to be a follower of Jesus who chooses to follow Him every minute of every day, intentionally seeking His way with full devotion? Or do you want to be someone who says they follow Jesus, but stays passive, falls into the lies and the lusts of this world and is tossed to and fro by false doctrines?
 
The Lord has equipped us with everything we need to stand firm and be fully rooted in Him, walking in Truth and in victory, it is up to us to decide to be awake, to be aware and to be intentionally devoted to Him above all else.