Extreme Faith Workout
Introduction: Welcome to the Extreme Faith Workout. This is a series of challenges, based on the message series about the book of James, here at Grace. Each week, you will find challenges for each day (except Sunday). Your Sunday challenge is to get to church and hear the message on James! These challenges are designed to get you out of your comfort zone and to grow in your faith. There is no better way to do that than to be immersed in God’s Word, and to then consider how to put the truths of God’s Word into action. That is the goal of these workouts.
One way you can help us is to let us know if you are taking any of these challenges and what affect, if any, they are having on your spiritual growth. Any feedback you can give us, throughout this series, will not only help us improve this for others, but it may be a testimony to others of God’s grace and work in your life for His glory. Thanks for taking the time to pray and consider an extreme faith workout!
The challenges will change each week, based on the passage from James under consideration. You can pick and choose what challenges to undertake and to what extent, based on your own stage of spiritual development. It is always better to do something than nothing; so, if you are not used to spiritual training, then take it nice and slow. Just take a small step, and work for 5 minutes a day on the list. Once 5 minutes seem to go quickly and it is a habit, take it to 10 minutes and so on. The time is not the important thing; but taking time to grow spiritually, on a daily basis, is the important issue.
You will also see challenges for the entire message series which you can take at any time. This includes books or articles to read, other passages of Scripture to study, and other actions to take, that will stretch and grow your faith during this study. The daily challenges are based on 30 minute investments, so if you are looking to spend more time each day, begin on one of the extra challenges. You may also choose to spread out one or more of these extra challenges over the next several months that we will be studying James. Again, the goal is not to do more of the challenges than other do (thereby feeling superior spiritually), but to understand what your next steps are in growing in the knowledge and application of God’s Word; and then taking those steps.
My prayer for you is found in Colossians 1:9-12 – “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Greg Whiting
Lead Pastor
