Good morning Gems!!!
Today is the first day of the 40 day prayer challenge. I pray you are all well this morning and ready for a life-changing experience. As I mentioned in the introduction for this challenge, this a 5 part daily challenge. Each day there will be 5 things to do. It will all be posted and emailed around 5am EST with all the information you will need.
Hopefully you had a chance to read through the post on preparation, if not definitely read that post before beginning day 1, it will help you with the challenge. I also did a post on the tools I'll be using for this challenge so if you're looking for books to read that focus on prayer check out that post.
Today we are focusing on what prayer truly is. Let's dive into the challenge and then read up on what prayer is.
Journaling Prompt
Today is day one and I want this to be a real and vulnerable beginning. The journaling prompt today is all about what your view of prayer.
Today's key scripture comes from Psalms 141:2
Spend 2-5 minutes journaling your thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Take 2 minutes and verbally speak your written prayer.
Sit quietly in a position that will not make you tired and wait on God. You may feel His presence, you may hear from Him. If you do, write down what He says or what you're feeling. Give yourself at least two minutes of pure silence to be able to hear from and feel God. This is a conversation, not a rant. Allow Him the opportunity to speak to you after you've spoken to Him.
What Is Prayer?
Prayer is simply a conversation with God. A spiritual telephone, if you will, that allows you to communicate with God 24/7 anywhere you please. It's where you can cry out, ask for help and speak to Him.
To God, prayer is a conversation between a parent and child. Prayer comes in all forms such as supplication, thanksgiving, intercession, praise and the list goes on. Prayer is where you speak to God and He speaks back to you so it does require you to take time and listen AFTER you've prayed to Him.
Prayer is not hard, but we make it hard because we overthink it.
Let's pray together:
Heavenly Father, we come to you humbly this morning with a heart of gratitude. As we embark on this journey of focused, steadfast and intentional prayer may we grow closer to You. Reveal Yourself to us over the course of these 40 days. I pray that we each strengthen in our prayer lives. That we all grow in our desire to spend time with You and pray. Holy Spirit, help us to commit to these 40 days. Nudge us when we feel the urge to give up.
Abba, we have been relaxed in our prayer lives, maybe even lukewarm. Help us to turn the heat up and renew our commitment to praying daily. We pray for fresh eyes and a new mindset. May we understand that prayer is not a task and not just our duty, but that it's how communicate with You.
May we not only speak to You openly and vulnerably Father, but may we also take the time to listen to You. This we pray, in Jesus' name, Amen.
With day one, I pray you allow yourself to be vulnerable and open for God to move and reveal Himself to you.
Blessings,Today is the first day of the 40 day prayer challenge. I pray you are all well this morning and ready for a life-changing experience. As I mentioned in the introduction for this challenge, this a 5 part daily challenge. Each day there will be 5 things to do. It will all be posted and emailed around 5am EST with all the information you will need.
Hopefully you had a chance to read through the post on preparation, if not definitely read that post before beginning day 1, it will help you with the challenge. I also did a post on the tools I'll be using for this challenge so if you're looking for books to read that focus on prayer check out that post.
Let's begin!
Journaling Prompt
Today is day one and I want this to be a real and vulnerable beginning. The journaling prompt today is all about what your view of prayer.
What is prayer to you? What does prayer look like to you?Scripture
Today's key scripture comes from Psalms 141:2
Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.Prayer Journaling
Spend 2-5 minutes journaling your thoughts, feelings and emotions.
What's weighing down your heart? What do you need to confess? What do you want God to do for you today? What does today's scripture mean to you?Verbal Prayer
Take 2 minutes and verbally speak your written prayer.
Pray out loud so that He can hear your voice. If your prayer is short, try to add to it. Ask God to help you pray. Tell Him what's on your heart. Don't allow your nerves to get the best of you. Pray to your Father with an open heart.Listen
Sit quietly in a position that will not make you tired and wait on God. You may feel His presence, you may hear from Him. If you do, write down what He says or what you're feeling. Give yourself at least two minutes of pure silence to be able to hear from and feel God. This is a conversation, not a rant. Allow Him the opportunity to speak to you after you've spoken to Him.
Prayer is simply a conversation with God. A spiritual telephone, if you will, that allows you to communicate with God 24/7 anywhere you please. It's where you can cry out, ask for help and speak to Him.
To God, prayer is a conversation between a parent and child. Prayer comes in all forms such as supplication, thanksgiving, intercession, praise and the list goes on. Prayer is where you speak to God and He speaks back to you so it does require you to take time and listen AFTER you've prayed to Him.
Prayer is not hard, but we make it hard because we overthink it.
Let's pray together:
Heavenly Father, we come to you humbly this morning with a heart of gratitude. As we embark on this journey of focused, steadfast and intentional prayer may we grow closer to You. Reveal Yourself to us over the course of these 40 days. I pray that we each strengthen in our prayer lives. That we all grow in our desire to spend time with You and pray. Holy Spirit, help us to commit to these 40 days. Nudge us when we feel the urge to give up.
Abba, we have been relaxed in our prayer lives, maybe even lukewarm. Help us to turn the heat up and renew our commitment to praying daily. We pray for fresh eyes and a new mindset. May we understand that prayer is not a task and not just our duty, but that it's how communicate with You.
May we not only speak to You openly and vulnerably Father, but may we also take the time to listen to You. This we pray, in Jesus' name, Amen.
With day one, I pray you allow yourself to be vulnerable and open for God to move and reveal Himself to you.
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