29
Nov
2023
75 Challenge for the Lord
75 Challenge WHY???
I keep seeing posts, blogs, videos, etc about the 75 Hard Challenge. I thought that would be awesome to do. With my health being in a delicate state it isn't feasible for me to do that. I looked into the 75 Soft Challenge and that seemed more doable but still not something I could commit to. So I thought, why not create my own 75 challenge? I wanted it to be doable yet challenging. While in church on October 22, 2023, I got the idea to do a 75 Challenge for the Lord.
People want to be remembered, to leave a legacy. Desiring 10 seconds of fame seems to be the goal for many. All you have to do is look to see how many people will do anything on YouTube or Social media. Couples who say they care for each other yet they are pulling mean and cruel jokes on each other. Parents putting their children out there so they will become famous. Teens dressing in dresses that show less than nightgowns for attention. People selling their bodies online to make money and for people to watch them. Fame and fortune is the goal.
I want my life to be meaningful and to make a difference. The difference is I want my life to make a difference for Christ and not the standards of this world. This life passes away and I want my life to matter for eternity. So it made sense to do a challenge that points me and others to Christ. What can I do to make a difference for eternity?
So what would my challenge look like?
75 Challenge for the Lord:
- Devotions
- Prayer Walk
- Reading for Spiritual Growth
- Share the Gospel
- Memorize scripture
- Be Thankful
What do these things mean? They are very personal to me. You could take the same list and make it personal for you. Here is what mine looks like. I am including links to items and websites. I will begin my Challenge on December 1, 2023. I will share updates on how it is going and how the Lord is working in my life.
Devotions daily. There is no better way to start your day than being in the Word (Bible). Some days it is hard because you get up and get ”busy” going about your day. Some days you might get up late and feel rushed and that you don’t have time or you forget. And in all honesty, there are times you, meaning me, just don’t want to. When you don’t want to read your Bible is when you need to the most. Being in the Word doesn’t make the day better but it does help me handle my day better. Bad things happen and there are bumps in the road but when you are walking with the Lord you can handle things better. For me, I want to spend time daily in the Word either using a devotional or just reading scripture or listening to the Bible and reflecting. There are days when my eyes are bothering me and it is difficult to read but I am not going to use that as an excuse to not be in the Word. Those days I will use a Bible app to listen to the Bible and reflect. My hope to actually do a study completely. I plan to be reading The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent by John Piper. I thought this is the perfect book since I am starting December 1st.
Prayer Walk. My goal is to walk my cul-de-sac praying for each of my neighbors while I walk past their house. I honestly know this might not be 100% possible. I want the goal to be something I can do no matter what my health looks like or if we go away during the next 75 days. So my goal is to walk while praying for my neighbors. In the past, I have kept a notebook as a prayer journal. I really like that system but I’m going to try something new during this challenge. I got these little cards on a ring at Walmart during back to school sales a couple of years ago, not sure if they still have them. I plan to use the cards to write prayer requests on them, not just ones for my neighbors but for others as well. I can also take them with me on my walk and not look like a weirdo. For my neighbors I will be writing their house number & name (if I know their names) on the front and as I learn of things to pray for I will write them on the back. Nothing fancy, just simple and something I know I can do.
Reading for spiritual growth. There are so many books I have on the bookshelf that I want to read. Why haven’t I? I could make a million excuses but it all boils down to laziness and making other things a priority. I don’t mean good priorities like making dinner or spending time with my family but meaningless priorities like playing stupid games on my phone or watching reels. Reading 20 minutes from a book to help my spiritual growth, I can also listen when my eyes don’t want to work. The book I am starting with is Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt. I was given the audio a little while ago which will be nice too. I personally tend to do better when I can listen and follow along with a book.
Share the Gospel. How often do I miss opportunities to share the gospel because of fear? Way too many. I need to not worry about what people think of me and be more concerned with what Christ thinks of me. Do I really want people to spend eternal life in torment? If I can prevent someone from a life in hell, why don’t I? So sharing the gospel daily is my goal. It can be person-to-person, handing out a gospel track, sharing the gospel on social media, and other ways. Just share the gospel. My favorite gospel tracts are from Living Waters.
Memorize scripture. My goal by the end of 75 days is to have at least 25 verses memorized. I need to be working on memorizing daily. Sounds easy for some but it's not easy for me. I have brain damage, from a medical incident in 2001 and my brain doesn't seem to work the way it did before I had chemotherapy in 2022. It takes a lot for me to memorize and even remember. All the verses come from a book called Scripture Memory Made Easy. It’s an older book and might be a little harder to find. I really like the chart/poster that came in the book, I have it hanging on my refrigerator.
Be Thankful. Write 6 things I am thankful for daily. I used to do this and I stopped. Doing this helps your mood, perspective, and attitude. It is hard to be down and negative when you are thinking about good things. Sometimes it is hard to think of 6 things but they can be small things. Sometimes thankfulness comes easily and other times we have to look hard. We are to be thankful in the big things and the little things. Even thankful for what sometimes seems like something bad to us but can be actually wonderful. Not too long ago I fell and injured my hand and wrist. I had plans to spend the day with my oldest daughter, I was so looking forward to it. Instead, I had to cancel and spent the time at urgent care instead and left in a splint. It was also the weekend of my other daughter's surprise party and I had a lot to do to get ready for it still. I told my husband this is the worst possible time for an injury to happen. He looked at me like I was crazy. He asked me, “Is it the worst possible time? Would right before our wedding have been worse? What other times would it have been worse?” Boy did that change my perspective. There are lots of times it could have been worse. It was an inconvenience yes but not a tragedy. Later that night I got a text from the daughter I was to meet with, since we didn't meet up she went to church and it was a message she really needed to hear. Praise the Lord for my fall. It also caused me to rely on my family to help with things that needed to be done. Everything came together how the Lord planned, not how I planned. His plan is far greater than my plan.
If you decide to join me on this 75 Challenge for the Lord or create your own, please let me know. Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” As believers we should be encouraging one another in our family, pushing each other to be more like Christ even when it's not easy or doesn’t feel good. I pray that this Blog helps to sharpen just one person.
Daughter of the Most High King,
Georgi
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