It’s that time of year. Whether you want to shed a few pounds, get a new job, save money, or start a new hobby, as the calendar turns to January 2019 many of us are firmly focused on self improvement.
“While we’re busy making all these New Year’s resolutions, why not make it a time to renew your spiritual practice, too,” says Guideposts Executive Editor Rick Hamlin.
Our 21-Day Prayer Challenge is designed to not only reignite your prayer life and bring you closer to God, but to inspire you to improve your life in 2019. The material, which is new each morning, includes a daily Bible verse and a prayer, as well as an action plan. It covers a wide variety of topics from living a life of abundance to practicing gratitude to giving your worries to God.
Many say that it takes 21 days to form a habit; this challenge is a powerful motivator to make sure that in the midst of your busy life you regularly hit the pause button to check in with God. Participants of our 7-Day Prayer Challenge, which was held in October and focused on relieving anxiety, told us that the program’s structure helped them to stay on track with their spiritual goals. “It makes me remember to stop and just say ‘thanks,’’’ said one participant. Another added: “It’s is reminding me of God’s love for me and the fact that He knows what I need, even when I don’t.”
Hamlin thinks a prayer challenge is just the thing to kick off the new year; he offers a tip for how to keep that daily prayer practice going after the three-week program. “It’s important to have a place where you pray,” he says. “Mine is the subway, but it can be a comfortable chair somewhere in your house. Then every time you see it, you’ll be reminded again and again, ‘this is my prayer place. I’ll come here everyday.’ “
Start the new year right! Join our challenge.