Day of Preparation
Selah - stop, ponder, think, listen
Photo by Katie Drazdauskaite on Unsplash
Good Morning Beauties!
Welcome to our Spring 2021 40 Day Journey! There’s a reason you’re here. God has something magnificent planned for you. Let me begin by saying I admire your courage, strength and dedication to grow deeper in your relationship with God. We have a promise about our desire to seek God in Matthew 7:8, “For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.”
I believe this 40 Day Journey experience is a “narrow gate” which leads to the Truth of God few people find as written in Matthew 7:13-14. “Come to God through the narrow gate, because the wide gate and broad path is the way that leads to destruction—nearly everyone chooses that crowded road! The narrow gate and the difficult way leads to eternal life—so few even find it!”
How can we possibly navigate through this world without knowing who we really are? Without knowing the Truth, the enemy fills our heads with lies. Our belief in them leads to our destruction. God desperately wants you to know the Truth about who you are and who He created you to be, which will lead to a life of love, joy, and peace. A life of fulfillment. A life He died to give you.
As you can see, this journey is significant, and with anything of great importance, we must approach it with great intentionality. We must prepare for our journey. We will take time today to pray, search our hearts, and look at our expectations, obstacles, and motivations.
Let’s start by defining our expectations. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want God to do? What are you willing to do, to give, and to surrender in order for you to consider it a successful experience? Selah. (Stop and ponder)
Take time this morning to pray and ask God about these things. Find a place in your journal to write down your answers. You will want to refer back to them during your journey.
Next, we need to plan for obstacles along the way. Spend time in prayer asking God to reveal anything that may stand in your way of a smooth journey. I know from personal experience, as well as hearing from several women who’ve taken this journey, having a busy schedule is a big obstacle. Like with this example, we have to create an action plan to overcome road blocks.
Take charge over anything standing in your way! You have the power to make your schedule. What will you do to allow for more time to spend with God each day and journey with Him? What sacrifices might need to be made? Is it worth it? Like your expectations, please write down a list of obstacles standing in your way, and beside each one, write down your action plan to overcome it with victory.
Lastly, we’ll look at motivation. Why do you want to take this 40 Day Journey? What’s calling you to a deeper relationship with God? Has something changed? Do you find yourself in a valley and want to be brought out, or are you in a mountain top place in your life where you want to grow even closer to God? Is it somewhere in between?
I love the verse in Psalm 42:1 from The Passion Translation, “I long to drink of you, O God, drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you!” King David, often quoted as “the man after God’s own heart”, wanted to be in the presence of God and in deep relationship with Him more than anything else. Is that where you are? Longing for God? Longing for Truth?
Please write down your answers in your journal. Trust me, you will want to review your motivations, your “why” on those mornings when it’s hard to get out of bed and get to your journal. Let it remind you of all the reasons you’re taking the journey.
All of our journeys will be different, but we can all agree that today, as we begin, there is an uncertainty about where our journeys will take us. That’s okay. Do not fear. Though the experience is unknown, we do know the one who is leading us, and He will be with us to love and care for us the entire way.
The universal goal is change. We are asking God to reveal the lies we’ve been believing and replace them with His Truth. The battle is waged in our minds. Transformation occurs when we trust God and allow Him to change our thoughts. Are you ready for this kind of change? Selah.
Please know I’m praying for you, and I believe in you!
Love and Blessings,
Kendra
“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”