When Point Loma Nazarene University student Renee Wasson took on a rigid, Christian-based challenge to pray and undergo soul-searching for 21 consecutive days, she wasn’t sure what she was getting into or how it would affect her life.
Turns out, it brought her closer to God than she ever imagined possible, she said.
“I have never felt more at a high with God then when I did it,” she told The College Fix. “It tests you and forces you to grow in new ways.”
“It” is known as the Burning Heart Contract, in which students pledge to spend an hour each day in prayer to God for three weeks in a row – 21 days.
The contract asks students to secure spiritual mentors for accountability, and includes booklets that provide direction on how to spend the hour each day.
It’s been used at Point Loma Nazarene University for years with much success: some students have discovered spiritual gifts; others have experienced release from addiction; and many have revitalized their relationship with God.
“The 21-day prayer challenge has been a wonderful tool that has not only built meaningful community, but has stirred a commitment to prayer, Scripture, and deep intentionality in the lives of many on campus,” said Melanie Wolf, associate director of chaplaincy ministries and a spiritual mentor at Point Loma Nazarene.
Untold numbers of college students have taken the pledge over the years at colleges across the nation.
The movement was started by Becky Tirabassi, a popular Christian speaker and author. Tirabassi wrote the book The Burning Heart Contract: A 21 Day Challenge to Ignite Your Passion and Fulfill Your Purpose, which creates structure during the challenge.
The idea it to show students the power of prayer.
“Society gives you all the permission you need to live life on your terms – you don’t need any more permission. But here’s what I believe God wants me to call you to – holiness and purity,” Tirabassi told Azusa Pacific University in 2004 when she issued one of her first Burning Heart challenges to students during a chapel service.
“What would happen if you were an entire student body that left this place set apart and holy?” Tirabassi had asked students, according to the book. Students responded by kneeling, confessing, and accepting the challenge.
Similar reactions have occurred at Point Loma Nazarene over the years.
“I have had a number of conversations with students who articulate a renewed commitment to their relationship with God as a result of their participation in the 21 day challenge,” Wolf said. “I have talked with people who have discovered spiritual gifts, experienced release from addiction, and found that the challenge has helped them find new life and vibrancy in their relationship with God.”
Several participants told The College Fix that completing the contract brought them closer to God, and eliminated the excesses of daily life. For some, it had a drastic impact.
Point Loma Nazarene student Lauren Christensen said it always brings her closer to God, as she had done it several times. Student Danika Brown said the accountability gave her the discipline she needed to complete it, and grow spiritually.
The Burning Heart Contract offers daily themes, such as “Rescuing Prayer,” followed by a recommended Bible reading to accompany the topics, as well as journaling questions. It’s almost like a personal Bible study – on steroids.
Sometimes Tirabassi, in her book, will tell a story of how prayer impacted a person’s life. Other times, she will ask questions about readers’ personal relationship with God.
And while the challenge is rewarding, it doesn’t make it easy.
“The most difficult part for many is keeping up with the patterns and habits of spending an hour in prayer with God,” Wolf said. “It can be discouraging when the challenge is over and that passion and commitment are harder to maintain. Schedules feel overwhelmingly full again. People can feel defeated.”
Wolf said that over the years she has advised students to remember “that the spirit of the challenge is cultivating intimacy with Jesus.”
“Like any other tool or spiritual practice, the goal is to put ourselves in a posture where we can see and hear God at work among us,” she said.
College Fix contributor Samantha Watkins is a student at Point Loma Nazarene University.
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