Why We Must Be Intentional

I want to be honest about something.

I do not write these posts because I have extra time. I do not write them because I am looking for more to do. Between pastoring, writing books, discipling, raising children, loving my wife, and simply trying to walk faithfully with Christ myself, my days are already full.

So why do this?

Because I feel a responsibility.

We are living in difficult times. Confusing times. Loud times. Everything feels urgent. Everything feels divided. Everything feels reactive. And in the middle of it all, there are men and women who genuinely want to live a life that matters, but they feel overwhelmed before they ever begin.

I meet them often.

They want depth. They want clarity. They want to raise their children well. They want to honor Christ in their work. They want their lives to count for something eternal. But somewhere between the pressure of culture and the weight of responsibility, formation feels impossible.

It feels like something reserved for people with more margin. More discipline. More spiritual strength.

I do not believe that.

I believe formation is possible. I believe it is necessary. And I believe it is worth it. Not for personal recognition. Not for building a legacy around our names. But for a heritage that outlives us. A way of living that shapes our children, our churches, and the generations that follow.

Formation is not about becoming impressive Christians. It is about becoming faithful ones.

And faithfulness is built in small places.

We have already talked about how formation happens in hidden places. Now we need to ask a clearer question: what, specifically, are we asking God to form in us?

If we do not name it, we will drift.

Over the next season, I want to walk intentionally through particular areas where formation quietly reshapes the follower of Christ. Not dramatic reinventions. Not spiritual hype. Small, daily, often unseen adjustments that, over time, define who we become.

Here are ten areas where formation does its work.

1. Desire

Before anything else, what do we actually want? Comfort, recognition, ease? Or Christlikeness? Formation begins when our desire shifts.

2. Lordship

Who sits on the throne? Formation cannot move forward where Christ’s authority is still being negotiated.

3. Surrender

Not once, but daily. In our reactions. In our disappointments. In our need to be right.

4. Thankfulness

Gratitude retrains the heart. It fights entitlement and steadies perspective.

5. Humility

A teachable spirit invites growth. Pride resists it.

6. Speech

Words reveal formation. The tongue often exposes what the heart is still learning.

7. Obedience

Small obedience builds spiritual strength. Quiet faithfulness matters.

8. Disappointment

How we respond when expectations collapse reveals what is truly being formed.

9. Patience

Waiting is not wasted. It is shaping trust.

10. Love

At the end of it all, formation produces love. Steady. Sacrificial. Consistent love that reflects Christ.

These are not overwhelming categories. They are small doors. But small doors lead to deep rooms.

If we try to change everything at once, we will quit. If we invite God to shape us in one area at a time, faithfully, honestly, consistently, we will look back and realize we are not who we once were.

This is possible.

It is hard work. It requires attention. It requires surrender. But it is possible because the same God who breathes life into us is the God who forms us through it.

And a life shaped that way does not just benefit you. It shapes a heritage. It shapes children. It shapes churches. It shapes communities.

That is why I feel compelled to write this. Not because I have arrived. But because I am still being formed, and I want to walk that road with anyone who is willing.

Formation begins in hidden places.

And it begins now.