March 3-9, 2024
As we approach Easter at the end of this month, we recognize that this is a season about preparing our hearts to hear from God.
Maybe you have never prayed before. Maybe you have not made a habit of reading the Bible. Maybe you have never practiced Lent before this season. Maybe you regularly do all three - we are simply asking that He speak in new ways. We are all coming from different places but God has something to say to each of us as individuals.
Here is your invitation: Take time to study the Scriptures that reflect Jesus' ministry, His death, and His resurrection for the next four weeks. Take 15-20 mins of your day to read these verses, reflect, and pray. We will have some additional challenges at the end of each week. You can choose to do all of them or just try one for the first time. We are praying for you as you embark on this experience.
This week's Bible reading: John 12:20-28
Focus Verse: “The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life (John 12:25).”
Prayer Prompts
Day 1: Read verses 20-22 - We all want to see Jesus. Sometimes it seems like He's hard to find. In your prayer today, ask Him to come sit beside you, visit you, and share something with you. Be on the lookout for Him along the day.
Day 2: Read verses 23-24 - What seeds have you been sowing? Say a prayer confessing where you might need to uproot those seeds or plant anew.
Day 3: Read verses 25-26 - What does it mean to lose your life? What ways do you hate the world? Say/write a prayer that reflects how you want to pull away from the world and press into Christ?
Day 4: Read verse 27 - Jesus uses inner talk to remind himself of the purpose for which He came. At this turn, Jesus doesn’t ask God to save Him but Jesus asks God to glorify Himself through Him. What does your inner talk look like? Is it helpful or does it tear you down?
Day 5: Read verse 28 - Write down a cry to the Father to glorify His name through you. What would it say?
Challenge: Write a myth (this might be a tricky story that you believe that is not true or a message someone told you that you struggle to let go of) you have rolling around in your head down on paper and rewrite it as a truth based on the reflections you made this week. Place it somewhere you will see it daily. You may have to say the new truth out loud a few times a day until you start to believe it.
Prayer Prompts and Bible Readings are provided by Michele Bowden and Lisa Brass, Coaches and Digital Missioners with Visual Faith™ Ministry.
Find them on our Creative Devotion page, on Instagram @victoryinart and @aworthylif, and on the web at victoryinart.com.