40-Day Challenge

Hope you’ll join me for the 40-Day Challenge in Prayer beginning September 1.    I’ll post a new blog each Sunday to “coach”  you through six simple steps that will add power to your prayer life.   You’ll have a chance to practice a different step each week.

Yesterday’s blog “auto-posted” before I corrected the start up date.  Oops! Here is the correct version in case you missed it.

INTRODUCTION TO THE 40-DAY CHALLENGE: 

Listen! How often do you take time to really listen to God’s voice? Many of us blow through our days without thinking about God.  Even our alone times are filled with so much noise that I wonder how His voice can be heard above the fray.

I believe that training my heart to hear (and obey) God’s voice is my most important task of the day.  No doubt it has the most eternal impact. 

Maybe you’ve discovered that listening for God’s voice is not so easy.  Every voice you hear in your head is not from God.  Have you figured that out?  We pick up signals from the world, our flesh, and even our enemy, the devil.  The Bible tells us he can disguise himself as “an angel of light.”  Personally, I find he sometimes speaks with a Southern accent sounding remarkably like me!

Because we live in such a busy, noisy world, it takes intentionality to hear God’s voice, especially His whispers. That’s why I periodically embark on what I call a 40-Day Challenge in listening to God.   I find it helps to add a bit of structure to my commitment to seek God.

I tell the story of my own journey in prayer in Sometimes He Whispers, Sometimes He Roars: Learning to Hear the Voice of God.   It’s  filled with lots of practical tips I’ve discovered along the way. My readers tell me the book has helped them to create a pattern for prayer that helps them to be more intentional about listening to God each day.

I find it also helps to have some teammates, fellow seekers to provide a little positive peer pressure.  This helps me stay on task. Perhaps you’d like to join me for the 40-Day Challenge.

But first, let’s take a “warm-up” up lap.  I’ll give you a few weeks to prepare like you would for any race.

Getting started is simple: 

1. Pick out a special place for prayer.  A favorite chair, a corner of your study, your back porch.  Wherever you feel close to God. This is your spot.  My time alone with God sets the tone for the rest of the day.

 2. Gather your tools: A Bible, a notebook or journal, some 3×5 index cards (I like the wirebound version), a copy of Sometimes He Whispers, Sometimes He Roars: Learning to Hear the Voice of God.

3. Begin now to talk to God and tell Him you want to learn to hear His voice more clearly. You might not notice much at first, but I can assure you.  If you are serious about seeking God, the rewards will come. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart,” the Lord promises (Jeremiah 29:13).

We’ll begin our 40-Challenge on September 1.  I like to begin on the first day of the month.  As your “prayer coach,”  I’ll post a new blog each Sunday morning.  We’ll wrap up on October 10.

Sign up to receive the blog at the bottom of this page if you want to be a regular subscriber.  Or simply check my website each Sunday morning.

Hope you’ll join me for the journey!