A prayer challenge.
10:10 – John 10:10 says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
The Lord challenged me that if I can’t get a full 2-hours of soaking with Him or praying, then break it into 10 sets of 10 mins. 100 minutes got me close – but was it really doable?
When I stepped back and thought about it, there were many times in my day where I was aimlessly waiting in a line, driving from here to there, on hold on the phone, walking to lunch, going the bathroom, and cooking or cleaning up dinner – all of which I could choose to focus on Jesus rather than the next “task I needed to do.”
So, the challenge was on!
Can I focus for 10 minutes, at ten different times in my day, to listen for the voice of the Lord, speak truth into my life, share the desires of my heart, and meditate on The Word?
I decided to focus each segment on a topic so I didn’t get distracted.
Here is an idea of what to focus on for each 10 mins. (Decide ahead of time where your 10-min breaks are! I almost switched on my radio going to work and then remembered, OH YEAH!, I CAN PRAY FOR 10 MINUTES!)
See how many sets you can get in… and expect CONVERSATION! That means that Holy Spirit speaks back – so expect to see, feel, hear, and know His voice as your practice conversing throughout the day.
10 Ten-minute Prayer Set Suggestions:
- B – be still. Our minds and lives are full of clutter and noise. The Bible actually commands us to ‘be still’ – to know that He is God… and that those who ‘wait’ will run and not grow weary. So begin with being still so you hear His still small voice.
- R – repent and receive. Confess your sins. Leave nothing in the dark and ask Him to reveal hidden things so you can confess. Thank God for His forgiveness. If it were not for His grace, we would be condemned forever. This deserves endless thanks for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the payment for our sin.
- O – open. Pour your hearts desires out/become empty. Entrust your desires to His purposes and His plan. Ask Him to change your heart, remove selfishness, and verbally give Him permission to do whatever it takes to have your heart.
- K – king. Declare Him Lord and King in faith over all areas of your life. Invite Him as Lord and King over every area that comes to mind.
- E – examine. Ask him to reveal hidden sin, impure motives, selfish ambition, and the secrets of your heart.
- N – new song. Sing and make melody in your heart! Yep – make a joyful noise. Take all pressure off, and let it out.
- F – fight! Literally do 10 mins of exercise. Yep – pushups, squats, jumping jacks… your physical and your spirit can work in tandem together. So make physical preparation for war as you prepare your spirit man. Content for your wife, kids, loved ones, and brothers impact by sexual sin.
- R – renew. Worship/Soak/Renew your mind. Turn on your favorite worship tunes, and focus on soaking in His presence.
- E – envision. Ask the Lord for His perspective on your life, your past, your future – and that He would be first in all things.
- E – empathy. Ask the Lord to give you His eyes for the lost, the least, and those living in darkness. As Him to see what you see concerning others, those that you have hurt through your sin, and that you would understand His heart more.
If you are interested in doing this, and want to ramp-up to it – then I encourage you to take our 10 Day Freedom Challenge! Each day, you will get an email with a short video, reading assignment, and your challenge for that day. On the first day, you need only to pray for 10 minutes. On the second day, you will get a new video and reading assignment, and a challenge to add another 10 minute prayer set to your day… and so on!
Brothers and sisters, the freedom Christ purchased is not just for a select few. It is for those who will fix their eyes on Jesus and allow Him to perfect the good work He began in you!