Blog

March 13, 2019

7 Day Challenge

Here is a challenge for you for the next seven days. The goal of this challenge is to create space in your life for you to open your heart to hear God speak to you through His Word.

Having a Heart Ready to Hear God Speak

Seek

I want to seek God’s Word for my life. And I want to see God’s Word come alive in my life.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 7:7-12 (NKJV)

Secure

I want to secure God’s Word in my heart through memorization and meditation.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)

Shout Out

I want to shout out to God through prayer and praise.

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.”

Psalm 98:4 (NKJV)

Serve

I want to serve God by living out God’s will and purpose for my life.

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:28 (NKJV)

Daily Challenge

So practically, here’s what you can do each of the seven days. Start by finding a quiet place, a place with no distractions for you.

Ask

Pray and ask God to speak to you through His Word.

Read God’s Word

Choose one of the passages of Scripture from the list above to study today: Matthew 7:7-12, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 98:4, or Matthew 20:28. Read the Scripture passage you have chosen. It is helpful to read the context around the verse(s) you have chosen to study. It can be easy to take verses out of context, so make sure to read what’s around the verse(s) in the chapter and not just the verse(s) itself.

Seek

What does God want you to hear Him say about these verses? Listen carefully but don’t get upset with yourself if you don’t feel like you’re hearing anything right away. Listening to God is like using a muscle - if you haven’t used it much before or recently, it may take a while to get in shape. Listening to God is definitely a muscle worth exercising, though, so don’t give up!

Secure

Meditate on and memorize the verse(s) you have chosen for the day. Many people are scared off by the word “meditate” but it just means “think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time.” By taking the time to think deeply and focus our mind on God’s Word, we give him space to speak to us.

When memorizing Bible verses, some people find it helpful to write out the verses themselves, say them outloud, create motions to go with the words, or find a song version of that verse to help them remember the words.

Shout out

Share the verse(s) you have chosen for the day with someone else at some point during the day.

• In a conversation
• In a text
• On a post-it note
• Whatever other creative way you can think of!

Serve

Respond to what you believe God is saying, according to His Word. If we don’t choose to act on what God is telling us, then why take the time to listen? Don’t ignore God’s gift of himself to you today - put into action what you’re learning.

Journal

Journal what you believe God is speaking to you each day. Human brains aren’t great at remembering things. Just a few notes will help you remember this special time with God.