90-Day Challenge to Build Blessed Disciplines

A Invitation from Pastor Dennis Schaffer

Psalm 1: study | obey | memorize | share

As mentioned throughout Stewardship month, it's my desire to help and equip you to grow in your walk with Jesus and your witness for Him.

And if we are going to do this well, then you and I will need to be great stewards of the resources He has entrusted to our care.

I still believe that as we take these steps together, we will be refreshed and find the spiritual motivations we need to overcome the doubts and sins that try to enslave us. The world, the flesh, and the devil and our relentless foes, but in Christ we are more than conquerors!

The 90-Day Challenge to Build Blessed Disciplines is going to take some work on your part. I will not promise it will come easy, but most things worth doing are not easy.

Psalm 1 shares promises we need to accept by faith, and as we act on those promises we begin to realize that subtle and even significant changes begin to happen in our thoughts, actions, words, and attitudes.

I invite you to participate in this challenge--not because it's challenging--but because it will change you and others lives as a result of God's Word and the Gospel.

Fill out the form below to let me know that you're in, and I'll follow up by sending you an email with a link to get you started.

The link in the email will take you to a PDF document that will give you the specifics of what I'll describe below. There are four steps each day. I encourage you to use a notebook or journal to give you more space to record your thoughts.

1. Set aside time to ready and study the passage.

For this challenge, we're going to go through the life of Jesus, starting with His birth and ending with His ascension, by reading the Gospels. We'll primarily study John and Luke, but you'll also see verses in Matthew and Mark. As you read, I hope you will not just see Jesus as a character but will see Him as God, the Savior, and the Friend of Sinners that wants us to know and walk with Him each day. Grow your heart for Jesus, not just your head. Love Him in return for His great love to you!

(If you do this challenge with us beginning in February 2025, you'll get a great view of Jesus' life spanning between what we recently celebrated at Christmas and what we will celebrate on Resurrection Sunday/Easter. Jesus' ascension occurred 40 days after His resurrection, which was ten days before Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit began filling His church and believers at the moment of salvation.)

If you'd like a great Bible app to help you study the Bible, we recommend the Logos or Faithlife Bible. Visit the Logos page to get it. (As a bonus, during services on-site at Open Door, we often send "signals" that you can follow, such as the Bible verses we read, links to resources, and dates you can add to your device's calendar.)

A method of study I use is to ask the questions writers and reporters use: who? what? where? when? and why?

2. Obey

After you've read and studied the passage, ask God to help you apply what you've learned. Here's where the transformation process starts to take hold. Obedience is for all of God's children. What ways as God's child can you live out His Word? This might be things we think, say, or do, but it also involves things inside of us, such as our thoughts, beliefs, reasons, and attitudes. Are there sins that need to be confessed? Does a prejudice hold you back? Do you have feelings or bitterness? Perhaps there's a bad habit or addiction that needs to be turned over to Christ. Now is the time to surrender those things and obey the Lord. Pray and ask the Lord to help you live out the Bible.

3. Memorize

When you memorize Scripture, it helps to change all those inside thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. The best way to memorize Bible verses is by thinking about them over and over again. We find many things to fill and occupy our minds. If we were to fill them with the Bible, we'd find ourselves being able to combat negativity and temptation much better. Get the Bible into your heart, so It can begin to shield you and shepherd you. Make cards or use repetition or other tools to help. Go back and review earlier verses you memorized periodically, so you don't forget them. These verses will be life-long friends.

4. Share

When you have friends, you share stories and happenings about them. Well, if the Bible verses you study stick with you, they'll be friends you want to share with others, too!

If you follow the plan for this 90 challenge, by the end of it, you will have memorized two whole chapters in the Bible to share with others by memory!

You'll also be able to share what God is doing in your life from the Bible studies you're doing through the life of Jesus Christ, as you explore the Gospels.

I love studying and teaching the Bible, so if you have any questions or get "stuck," please let me know.

Also, I frankly would love to hear what God is doing in your life through this challenge.

Studying the Bible is the best way to lean into God's heartbeat and to discover the treasures He has in store for you and all His children. Watch for the Gospel on every page.

You started with the 90-Day Challenge to Build Blessed Disciplines form by filling in the form below: