WEEK 1: SEEK GOD FIRST IN YOUR HEART
DAY 4
PRAYER FOCUS: Releasing What You’re Carrying
“Let us throw off everything that hinders…” - Hebrews 12:1
Your soul was not designed to carry everything you’re carrying. Some burdens weigh you down slowly: tension you ignore, pressure you internalize, fears you never speak out loud. When these things build, spiritual attention becomes difficult. It’s hard to seek God when your soul is overloaded.
Naming your burdens is a spiritual discipline. It requires honesty and humility. Releasing them requires trust. You’re not pretending they don’t exist - you’re placing them into God’s hands instead of managing them alone.
Release is not dramatic. It’s steady. It’s daily. Some weights you’ll give to God once; others you’ll need to give to Him again and again until your heart learns not to hold them so tightly.
PRACTICE:
Write down three things you are carrying today. Pray slowly over each item and give it back to God.
PRAYER:
God, I’m carrying more than I realize. Help me be honest about the weight in my soul. Teach me how to release what was never mine to hold. Lift the heaviness that has shaped my thoughts, emotions, and decisions. Fill the space left behind with Your peace. Teach me to trust You with what feels uncertain, overwhelming, or unresolved. Lighten my inner world so I can follow You freely. Amen.
REFLECTION:
Which burden is hardest for me to surrender - and what keeps me holding onto it?
“Let us throw off everything that hinders…” - Hebrews 12:1
Your soul was not designed to carry everything you’re carrying. Some burdens weigh you down slowly: tension you ignore, pressure you internalize, fears you never speak out loud. When these things build, spiritual attention becomes difficult. It’s hard to seek God when your soul is overloaded.
Naming your burdens is a spiritual discipline. It requires honesty and humility. Releasing them requires trust. You’re not pretending they don’t exist - you’re placing them into God’s hands instead of managing them alone.
Release is not dramatic. It’s steady. It’s daily. Some weights you’ll give to God once; others you’ll need to give to Him again and again until your heart learns not to hold them so tightly.
PRACTICE:
Write down three things you are carrying today. Pray slowly over each item and give it back to God.
PRAYER:
God, I’m carrying more than I realize. Help me be honest about the weight in my soul. Teach me how to release what was never mine to hold. Lift the heaviness that has shaped my thoughts, emotions, and decisions. Fill the space left behind with Your peace. Teach me to trust You with what feels uncertain, overwhelming, or unresolved. Lighten my inner world so I can follow You freely. Amen.
REFLECTION:
Which burden is hardest for me to surrender - and what keeps me holding onto it?