At the start of each year, I’ve done a Journal Challenge, challenging women to relentlessly pursue the Father and return to a place of prayer and intimacy with Him. This year is no different!
If we can be honest, spending time with God daily can be tough! We have countless distractions and responsibilities around us competing for our attention – social media, kids, our spouses, work, television, travel.. the list goes on!
How is it that many of us want God’s power, but we aren’t willing to pay the cost of spending time with Him for it? We prioritize everything else above Him. I guarantee if we had a flight to Hawaii every morning at 5am that was an all expense paid trip, we would be at the airport on time. We would MAKE time to pack and check in on time. 2020, we are resetting our focus on who matters most!
For 21 days (of course I encourage you to continue every day after that), myself and thousands of other women are making a decision to make Jesus our priority! We will be taking time every day to pray, study God’s word, sit at His feet and journal what He instructs us to.
I truly believe that the Lord is pouring out His spirit on His daughters to accomplish their purpose and I am confident that this journal challenge will play a large role in helping us continue to walk it out. At the same time, I am also aware that distractions and the temptation to quit will also be present, so it is important that we stay focused on the Lord, refuse to quit and keep TRUSTING Him no matter what!
—
How amazing is it that thousands of us will be journaling together and will have the opportunity to hold one another accountable by writing out the “day” that we’re on? We will do this by labeling our journal posts – so January 1st will be “Day 1”. You will continue to note what day you are on every day after that. (example, January 15th will be Day 15). And remember, this is not for show – it is for us to get in the habit of spending time with God daily and allowing Him to change us from the inside out. Writing the day you’re on in your journal is for accountability purposes ONLY.
So, what will I need for this year’s Journal Challenge?
- A Journal! (I must add that the Pinky Promise Store has some fabulous journals – but find one that works for you!)
- Notecards! I swear by notecards! I use these often as it does something to your brain as you physically write out the scriptures. Then, I meditate on the notecards throughout the day. Simply write out the scriptures longhand based on what God places in your heart to study and then meditate on that. Here’s an example of how you’ll start your journal. I always start mine with “Dear Daddy”. Remember to write the DAY consistently throughout the challenge also. The point of this journal challenge is to get you to be consistent in spending time with God daily. So day 1, day 2, day 50, day 56.. etc.
- Your favorite bible. I like to study with a few bibles. I love The Life Application Bible – NLT version. I purchased it from Lifeway Christian store. It is a GREAT study bible that breaks scriptures down. I also love the Dakes King James Version Bible.
- A time and place set ASIDE to spend time with God. Make sure this time is when you are at your best. If the time you choose is a time when you’re tired and will fall asleep, heavily distracted, etc., choose a different time. Choose a time that will allow you to give 100% of yourself to God!
ALSO, we are going to add a few things this year:
- Read one Christian based book for the month of January
- Keep your phone in another room to avoid any distractions and to keep from reaching for it!
- Download the Bible App or a Christian based app – so, when you do reach for your phone in the mornings you get in the habit of opening the app vs. instagram/social media
Now, how do I sign up?
- Simply click HERE – use this page to enter your name and email to sign up – this will subscribe you automatically to receive updates and emails! I will be sending emails throughout the 21 days. This will be a precious time of pouring your heart out to Jesus, staying focused, getting rid of distractions and prioritizing what the Lord is telling you to do!
- Join our Pinky Promise Sisterhood Facebook Group also by clicking HERE.
How do I journal?!
Now that you have all of the materials, you may ask, “How do I journal?” “What do I say?!” I speak about this in my blog, “How to Spend Time With God” (be sure to read the entire blog if you’re joining this challenge) But to answer your question, I look at my journal like my diary to God. I simply pour out what is in my heart. I thank Him for being God, I tell Him I love Him, and I tell Him what is going on in my life. I also speak up about my struggles.
Prior to journaling my heart out to the Lord, I like to put on worship music (like Bethel, Hillsong, Upper Room Worship, etc) and dance to him, sing, cry out, pray in the Holy Spirit, and pray in English. This helps to soften my heart and declutter what’s in my spirit. I never want to go into the presence of the Lord meditating on worries and fears. After that, I sit down/lay down and I begin to write. I start with “Dear Daddy” and I pour my heart out. Then, I sit and wait for Him to respond. He typically responds back to me by saying, “My beautiful daughter” or “I love you so much, Heather.” Then, He begins to speak into my heart about my life and I make sure to write everything down. There are also times when I don’t hear anything directly from God, but still I will just sit there and rest in Him while worshipping Him with my words.
Then, I’ll open my bible to spend time in His word. My husband taught a GREAT study on “How to Study the Bible” – you can watch it before the challenge starts if you find yourself having a hard time studying the bible. I study my bible based on what is going on in my life or whatever the Lord leads me to study. Most times, He tells me to go to certain books in the bible and I study from there.
The set dates for the journal challenge are from January 1st-21st so that we can all do it together. However, if it’s after January 1st, 2020, that is okay! You can start the challenge WHENEVER you read these words. You could be reading this a month after today’s date, but I challenge you to get started TODAY and I encourage you to spend time with the Lord daily. The beautiful thing about this time is that you don’t have to only do it for 30 days either – instead, you can do it for 60, 100, or 300 days.
Before I close out, know that satan is going to attack you. You’ll be sleepy, too busy, or whatever else. Remember that you will desire WHAT you give your attention to. So, shut your phone off, Facebook and the TV. Say no to distractions!
You can get connected via www.pinkypromisemovement.com and Join A Group to connect with other sisters in Christ along this journey!
Let’s go!! It starts on January 1st!
God loves YOU like CRAZY!
-Heather Lindsey
