Sometimes the simplest things just come to you. That’s what has happened today. Grow From Your Overflow is about teaching you to cultivate practices that will GROW your Faith-life. What better way for me to help you do that than by giving you activities designed to GROW you in your relationship with God. By filling up on HIM each day you will OVERFLOW to the other parts of your life in a positive way.
I have a challenge for you. It is the 10 x 10 Challenge. This is what you need to do . . . carve out 10 minutes a day for the next 10 days. I will make it even easier by giving you the weekends off! J SO, for the next two work weeks we will take the 10 x 10 Challenge together. AND, because you are the WISE business person that you are, I know you can pencil this time into your planner.
The FOCUS will be Worship. Worship means that you focus ONLY on God. That is what you will do each day during your 10 minutes. Decide what time of the day to do it. I like giving God my best time of day, which for me is first thing in the morning. But, you may need a ‘re-charge’ time during your day or even a calming down-time at the end of your day. When, does not matter as much as taking ACTION every day.
I also know that not every activity will speak to you in the same way. That is okay. We are all created differently. God designed you to Worship HIM in a way that is unique to you. Explore all 10-minute/10-day activities and keep track of the ones that really satisfy your thirst and sprout new roots in your Faith. Those are the ones you will want to return to and add as part of your daily practice.
I am going to give you all Ten-10-Minute activities BUT I want you to do them in order. We will be talking about them on Facebook LIVE and Periscope for the next TWO WEEKS. Are you excited to see how you can THRIVE in your Faith-life through Worship? Then let’s get started . . .
Day 1:
Using your journal, either list or write randomly on the page all the words that you can think of that complete this phrase: God you are. . .
Use words that describe God. Use words that reflect His character. They can be things that you feel, things that you have learned from the Bible, and the Names of God; anything that focuses only on God. (Google is a great place to get more for your list once you have exhausted your own.) Worship is defined as “God’s Worth”. It is one-directional and focuses on Him alone.
Day 2:
Choose a Worship song to listen to, at least twice. As the song plays write down the things you hear about God, learn new about God, had forgotten about God and/or hadn’t thought about in a while about God.
After you write these items down on your paper, play the song again and as you listen think about these things.
Day 3:
Go for a walk and choose an item or two from God’s creation to bring back for a time of reflection. Read the verse about your particular item(s) and journal about God as Creator.
Here are some examples: Leaves- Mark 11:13; Rock- Job 30:6; Dirt (or dust)- Psalm 18:42; Flower- 1 Kings 6:29; Branch (or vine)- John 15:4; Water or vegetables- Daniel 1:12; Wood- Genesis 6:14; Worm- Isaiah 51:8
If you find a different treasure on your walk just use www.BibleGateway.com to look up the item and see where the object shows up.
Day 4:
Do these deep breathing exercises as you focus on/think about a portion of scripture. First read through the verse and get familiar with what it says. Then, lie on the floor. With one hand on the chest and the other on the belly, take a deep breath in through the nose, ensuring the diaphragm (not the chest) inflates with enough air to create a stretch in the lungs. Start with filling up the lungs slowly to a rhythm of 4 count in- 4 count hold- 4 count out. Repeat this 6 to 10 times. Increase breathing to 6 and 8 counts as you grow in the practice.
Here are some verses to get you started: Colossians 3:16; Romans 15:13; Psalm 70:4
Use www.BibleGateway.com to look up other themes.
Day 5:
Worship allows us to learn about God, to truly live in Him. Look up the following verses and write down how the word ‘Worship’ is being used in each verse; record what is it teaching you. Psalms 22:27, 29; 29:2; 66:4; 81:9; 95:6; 96:9; 97:7; 99:5, 9; 132:7
Day 6:
Choose a verse from the Bible that has a concept you want to think about or experience. It can be as simple as ‘God is my rock’; ‘Being rooted’; or, ‘Fill me with your Spirit’. (www.BibleGateway.com)
Read the verse and/or write it down and think about what it means to you. Then, close your eyes and see the images of the verse in your mind. Play out the scenes in your own movie.
For example, 2 Samuel 22:46(NLT) says, “The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!” In this verse you may imagine a rock, climbing on the rock and yelling praises. You may see yourself running around the rock dancing and singing. God, the rock is unmovable, try to push it. Do what you want and tell God what it means to you. It’s your movie.
Visualization prayer is taking God’s Word and seeing it in your mind’s eye. It allows the focus to be in pictures which uses the other side of our brain. Most of us are visually oriented and we love experiences. This is a way to experience God through creative images.
Day 7:
Choose a Bible story (Numbers 11:4-9 is a place to start). Think about the story as if God were telling it. Re-write it from His point of view. How does God feel about what is going on? How does God think about the situation? Journal what you learn about God’s character and about His heart for those He loves. (Continue with stories from Jonah 1:1-15, Daniel 1:3-15, Joseph Genesis 37:14-28, etc.)
Day 8:
Get out in Creation again! Create a music mix (Spotify, Amazon Prime, Pandora) with songs that inspire you and go out for a walk/run. Use this time to converse with God and allow Him to talk to you through the praise music.
Day 9:
This is a chance to write out praise and worship to God. Use examples from the Psalms to create wonderful pieces of poetry and prayer. Use your Journal to record your own piece(s).
Begin by reading a couple of praise psalms to inspire you in your creativity. Good examples are Psalm 92, Psalm 95:1-7 or Psalm 148.
Use this structure to guide you through the writing:
- Write at the top a line a praise to God – eg, ‘Lord, I worship you’.
- On the next line write an aspect of God’s character starting with ‘because’ – eg, ‘because you are good’.
- Then write another aspect of God’s character starting with ‘and’.
- Now write two things about how wonderful God’s creation is, such as ‘Your mountains are big, your rivers shine in the sun’.
- Write something God does for you personally. It could be something like ‘You guide me’.
- Write a personal message to Jesus with ‘because’ in the middle – eg, ‘I thank you, Jesus, because you died for me’.
- Write a resolution, such as ‘Therefore, I will be glad and share your love with others’.
- Finally, add ‘Amen’.
Day 10:
Choose your favorite activity and repeat it. Your preferences are a clue to how you ‘should be’ Worshipping God.
I want to ENCOURAGE you to stick to the 10 x 10 Challenge. Relationships take time and lots of work. You will NOT be disappointed by the results of this Challenge. In fact, I can guarantee a huge GROWTH Spurt in your Faith-life.
Be filled to overflowing,
Deneen
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