Intentional Disciple: Discovering Your New Identity in Christ

Copyright © 2020 Sherry Dale.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-0233-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0234-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020915478

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/10/2020

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English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing

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Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright

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Contents

Foreword by Billy Beacham

Preface

Introduction

Day 1 What Are Your Intentions?

Day 2 A Disciple by Invitation

Day 3 A Disciple by Definition

Day 4 Being a Disciple Makes a Difference

Day 5 The Mission of a Disciple

Day 6 The Way of a Disciple

Day 7 The Identification of Baptism

Day 8 The Walk of Baptism

Day 9 The World Takes Notice

Day 10 The Language of an Intentional Disciple

Day 11 How Do We Learn This Love Language?

Day 12 The Treasure of an Intentional Disciple

Day 13 Speaking to God in Prayer

Day 14 Evidence of Our Love for God

Day 15 What on Earth Does Love Like?

Day 16 About Face

Day 17 Family Reunions

Day 18 Spiritual Gifts

Day 19 Called to Freedom

Day 20 Locking the Doors to Temptation

Day 21 Looking for Fire Escapes

Day 22 Mercy Scars of the Warrior

Day 23 Intentionally Be Still

Day 24 Intentional Forgiveness for Ourselves

Day 25 Intentional Forgiveness for Others

Day 26 Fight the Good Fight

Day 27 Garden Friends

Day 28 The Heart Test

Day 29 Intentional Aim

Day 30 Worry Not. Fear Not.

Day 31 Your God Story

About the Author

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my husband Jack. Thank you for your perpetual joy that wakes me with a smile every day, for your unending love that seems to never end no matter what comes our way and your constant encouragement cheering me from every sideline. You inspire me to be the best version of myself for Jesus. There is no one else that I would rather grow up and grow old with than you.

Acknowledgement

First, I would like to thank our Heavenly Father. My highest honor is to share Your love with the world. May any and all glory be Yours.

I would especially like to thank Becky Getz for her many hours of kind, editing feedback and to Laura Taliaferro, who kept me accountable to never stop this project. Everyone should be blessed to have an amazing cheerleader like you.

And to all of the encouraging friends who have helped bring this book to life, thank you. What a blessing to sit at the feet of Jesus and study His Word with you, to carry one another’s prayers to His throne and to see His face revealed in yours. You each are a gift to me.

Finally, with deepest appreciation, I especially would like to thank my darling daughter Summer for her expert advice and encouragement throughout this project. Thank you for being the first set of eyes to read and reread so many scribbled pages and for always hearing what I was trying to say. And to my precious son Jackson who I can always count on to motivate and remind me to fully share what God speaks. Thank you both for always believing in me. I love you both more than life will show.

Foreword

Wow! A masterpiece! I have never seen so much rich, in depth content, saturated with Scripture, contained in a one month devotional. Yet it is simple, understandable, and practical! This book is on point, no fluff! It will challenge you to GROW!

I have known Sherry since she married Jack, decades ago. Jack interned at our ministry and we later served together on staff. I was their Sunday School teacher when their daughter Summer was young. Sherry is the real deal! Her faith is unwavering! Her heart is sold out to Jesus! Combine that with her experience as a wife, mom, and many years as a middle school teacher, and you understand how God so masterfully used her to chronicle these essential truths of the faith.

It will challenge you to go deep, yet in very practical terms. I believe this book is so anointed because Sherry lives it …day in and day out, in the trenches of life. Sherry is a woman of God (WOG), and her desire is to challenge you to become a woman or man of God (WOG, MOG) …or if you are a young person, a YWOG or YMOG.

I have never met a single person that became a godly Christ follower by accident. You purpose to. It is your choice! As this book states often, it must be intentional if you desire to be His image bearer!

I often ask people about their spiritual journey and how they view their current spiritual growth curve. A common response is, Well, right now, I have kind of plateaued, not really growing, but not necessarily falling away either. There is a serious problem with that answer. It’s impossible! You do not spiritually plateau. Just like any plant life or other living thing, you are either growing or dying —no plateau! Jesus said, there is no neutral ground …if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse. (Mt. 12:30 MSG)

This devotional tool will help get you growing again and chasing after your Savior like never before. I once heard it said, The Christian life is either a whole lot more than I am experiencing or a whole lot less than it is cracked up to be. I was the former and had to intentionally choose to dig into God’s Word daily, and then the experience was off the charts! Everyone around me could see the radical difference because it was obvious that I had been with Jesus.

You will always find time for what is most important to you! We all worship something. If Jesus really is important to you, you will find time for Him daily. I can think of no better way to jumpstart your walk than this guide of non-negotiables of the faith that will help you dig into the Scriptures.

A verse that continually came to mind as I was using this devotional is when Paul said, All I want to know is Christ (Phil. 3:10 CEV) My goal is to Know Him (Phil. 3:10 HCSB). My favorite version is the Amplified Bible: For my determined purpose is that I may know Him that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly… to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness…

Paul pretty much sums up this book, "For my determined purpose is that I may know Him!"

As Sherry often admits throughout these devotional