40 Days to Lasting Change

It is important to realize where you are whenever you begin a journey. You will be taking an AHA journey as each day you discover what an Aha moment entails. An Aha moment is a Sudden Awakening, Brutal Honesty with Immediate Action.

The book is done in 3 parts. Using the biblical story of the Prodigal Son, we have better understanding of these three parts. What is a sudden awakening? What does brutal honesty look like? How do we take immediate action?

Until your desire to not hear the alarm outweighs your desire to keep sleeping, you won’t wake up. Sometimes we need something to abruptly happen before we take notice, before we realize the reality of where and what we are and the desperation we are really in. What alarms are sounding off in your life that God is trying to get your attention?

Sometimes in life we have an aha moment when we finally realize the truth of the very thing that is hurting us. We need people to be honest with us. You only need a couple that you know that want the best for you and have your spiritual back.

Sometimes our Aha moment is being quick to ask for justice for others but desiring mercy from others when we miss up. What does this say about justice?

Sometimes our Aha moment comes in the most extreme loss and pain. We are familiar with the story of Job, he lost it all but in the loss he was able to say “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5. Can we say with Job that we have seen God in our pain? It is when we have nothing that we realize we have everything in Christ. That is when we see him. The reality is we really do not have anything that lasts. It can be gone in a few seconds. It is in the Aha moment we realize that God uses the pain, He is not the cause.

Sometimes our Aha moment comes when we sell our inheritance and we come to a self-realization of the wrong path we are taking. It is the silence without distraction that we can have awakening. A great definition he has of stillness is “silence on the outside and surrender on the inside.” It takes humility to listen.

Sometimes an Aha moment is not in the regret but in the repentance. Repentance requires honesty, regret is an unsubstantial sorry. We first must become honest with ourselves, our God and others.

Sometimes an Aha moment is a brutal honest look at reality instead of walking with each step in denial. Confession is the only cure for denial.

Sometimes an Aha moment comes when we are honest about our pain from our past and start to take responsibility for our present and our future. Playing the blame game does not fix anything.

Sometimes an Aha moment comes when we are honest about sin. We cannot minimize sin and the dangers of sin. The dangers of sin is listening to the small voice that things will get better as we continue to minimize, justify, vindicate instead of run away. Run far far far away. Run Forest Run.

Sometimes an Aha moment comes when we let go from awaking from sin to being brutally honest about sin to taking immediate action to rectify. Don’t get stuck between honesty and action. Our lack of action will create symptoms in life that do not align with our core values. Do you feel tired? Do you have undirected anger? Do you have tension in significant relationships?

The 40 days is a wakeup call to honesty and action. It is not easy but it is simple. You get up. Do not live in passivity. With passivity comes the desire for the easy way instead of the right way. Passivity looks for shortcuts, for cheats, for a way around, while immediate action moves directly. Passivity looks for the path of least resistance-the wide path. Immediate action looks for the path of righteousness-the narrow one. Passivity wants to cheat. Action wants to change. Passivity says, “Everything will work itself out, Action says this going to take some work. Passivity says, what’s the least I can get away with? Action says, what needs to be done? Our passive approach to the action God has called us to take shows that we are honoring something more than Him. It is not meant to be another list of do and don’ts but a call to wake up, to be honest, and to take action. Each chapter brings scripture and examples of life lived, and the traps we find ourselves in. Specific questions will help you identify weak areas in your heart and a call of action. Our call for action requires immediate action. If you aren’t willing today, chances are you won’t be tomorrow.

The prodigal son showed me how much of a prodigal daughter I still am.

A special and Huge thank you to David C Cook and Netgalley for the ARC with the opportunity to review.