40 Day Cultivate
A time to intentionally cultivate your relationship with God through letting go and nurturing.
Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Sinai with God.
Elijah spent 40 days and 40 nights journeying to Mt. Sinai before hiking to the top to hear the soft whisper of God’s voice.
After his baptism, Jesus, being lead by the Holy Spirit, spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness before starting his earthly ministry.
There is a lot of significance in scripture about 40 days. 40 days is a period of time where individuals experience a spiritual cultivation. Cultivating is intentionally preparing something to thrive and experience new life.
Our church embarks on a 40-day journey of intentionally cultivating our relationship towards God. We do this in 3 ways – letting go and nurture.
Letting Go
To cultivate requires trimming & getting rid of parts of a plant. This allows the nutrients of the plant to surge to the areas more vital to the life of the plant.
Pray and reflect on what it is in your life you would like to let go for 40 days. Make it something that is meaningful to you. Below is a list of ideas if you need help.
Television
Sugar
Wine/Alcohol
Coffee or favorite coffee shop
Social Media*
Eating out
Fast from one meal a day**
Don’t buy anything you don’t need
Donate/throw away 1 item in your house each day
Don’t gossip/ use negative words
Snacks/don’t eat after dinner
Video Games
Don’t eat lunch with others
This is not an exhaustive list. However, it gives you some creative options.
*If you are letting go of social media and are concerned about not participating in Online Worship Experience, you can access the Online Worship Experience from the website by clicking LIVE at the top.
** Only fast if you are able to do so. Some people are not able to fast because of their health. Use wisdom if choosing this.
Nurture
Cultivating is more than just the removal of what is not important. It requires nurturing what IS important.
After deciding what it is you would like to let go for 40 days, pray and reflect on how you want to nurture your relationship with God. This can be done by intentionally blocking out time to pray, read scripture, go through a devotional, etc. Create space each day of the 40 days to nurture.
When you feel the urge to go back to whatever you have let go and replace that urge with how you are nurturing the relationship.
Below are some ideas to help nurture your relationship with God. DO these things at least each day for the “40 day cultivate.”
PRAY
Intentionally block out 15, 20, 30 minutes to pray. If you’re not sure what to pray about, here are some ideas:
Pray for your spouse, children, and/or family specifically by name.
Pray for the church and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Pray for our nation and the nation’s leaders.
Pray for the sick and hurting.
Pray for your neighbors specifically. Even if you don’t know them, pray that God provides opportunities for you to meet them.
Pray that God opens your eyes to see others how he sees them.
Pray for someone who you may be struggling with or that you would consider an “enemy.”
Read scripture
Intentionally block out 15, 20, 30 minutes to read scripture. If you are unsure on what to read below are some ideas:
Read through the 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) in 40 days. You can access a reading plan online or through the Bible App on your mobile phone by clicking here.
Read 40 scriptures in 40 days. You can download a list of scriptures here.
Read the entire New Testament in 40 days. This is a big challenge! But, if you are feeling the move to do so, here is another reading plan to help you stay on track to complete the entire New Testament in 40 days.
You can just start reading a particular book of the bible.
A Devotional
You can do a devotional about a particular topic. Whether it’s about prayer, spiritual formation, women’s devotional, men’s devotional, there are a lot of physical book options that can be found at Mardel’s or Amazon.
Or, you can start a 40-day devotional on the Bible App or online. Here is a long list of 40-day reading plans.*
*We do not promote or support all the beliefs in the reading plans listed. Their views may differ from our views. Please use discernment when choosing a plan. If you have a question/concern about a plan and would like to get advice from one of our pastors, contact us here.