40 Days to Lasting Change: Days 39 and 40

Okay so that title probably sounds a bit weird to you seeing as how today is the 1st day of the year and I’ve not been doing a 40 day series!  Well the truth is I am part of a linky series through blogs on a new book titled 40 Days to Lasting Change.  It’s a great book!  Thanks to Family Christian for sending me a copy to review and tell you about two days!

Okay, this book is called 40 Days to Lasting Change: An AHA Challenge by Kyle Idleman.   Now your first thought after that is probably what is AHA?  I know it would have been mine!  AHA can be found out about by reading the book, but I’ll go ahead and tell you so you know what’s going on.  

A– Awaken

H– Honesty

A–Action

So, we are to be awakened to our spiritual condition.  Next we are to see ourselves and our need for God where we are now with brutal honesty.  And the last is to take action.  

Okay so now onto the two days I have!

Day 39:  All About the Father

Each day starts with a verse.  The verse of the day for this day is Ephesians 1:3-5(KVJ copied below from Bible Gateway)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

It’s a great verse!  But the story they share next is even better.  I loved it.  You see I worked in a nursing home as a CNA for 4 years when I was in high school.  I know these residents.  The ones who wait daily for family to show up.  Unfortunately, most wait all day for someone who never comes.  I love the way they explained this though.  The man waiting for his daughter everyday when she only comes on Sundays, says he waits for her everyday.  He is waiting on her to come to him knowing that she will, never giving up.  Just as God is waiting on us to turn to Him, knowing that we will.  

Next we talk a bit about the story of the Prodigal Son.  Not just about the son who left and returned but about the other son as well.  He stayed but he had a bitter heart.  The father was kind and forgiving of both.  Remind us of another Father?  Another Father who is excited when we return?  He loves us unconditionally and extravagantly.  

The AHA for the day is “Let it all go in the Father’s Embrace.”  Powerful words.  Hard to do sometimes though.  Definitely something to work on.

Day 40:  More to the Story

The verse to start the day on this day is Psalm 34:8.  (again KJV copied from Bible Gateway)

8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Another great verse to think on.  The Lord is definitely good and we are blessed.  But not onto the rest of the story(giggle that comes from my childhood and my father always quoting Paul Harvey).

The story talked about on this day is the story of Elisha and his servant when they were surrounded and being attacked.  Elisha was not worried but the servant was.  Elisha stated that their army was far greater.  This army was not an army of men but the army of the Lord.  You can find the Bible reference for this in 2 Kings 6.  The Lord opened the eyes of the servant at the request of Elisha so that he could see this army surrounding and protecting him.  In AHA fashion he was awakened. 

In this day it says that there is always more to the story(maybe he heard Paul Harvey too?).  We should ask for our eyes to be opened so that we may see.  There is a great prayer for this day in the book but I’ll get you get the book and go through the days to find it.  It definitely touched me.  So much we hide from because we don’t want to know, we don’t want to see, but we do need to see, not in our own sight but with the eyes of God.  

For me my prayer would go more along the lines of “Dear God open my eyes to see what you see.  Allow me to see the person that You see when I look at xyz and love them with Your love.”  What might your prayer say?

Make sure to go on below to enter the giveaway and hop around the Linky to check out the other days.