Linked UP Worship — July 26, 2026
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Title: “40 Days in the Word”
James 1:22
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22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
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Foundation text:
Matthew 4:4
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4 But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
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Week 1: “A Hunger for the Word”
Introduction:
One of the strongest instincts God placed inside every human being is hunger. A healthy baby doesn’t have to be taught to cry for milk. When it’s hungry, it lets everyone know. Hunger is evidence of life. The same principle is true spiritually. A spiritually healthy Christian develops an appetite for God’s Word. But when someone has little desire to read the Bible, pray, or worship, it is often a sign that something has affected their spiritual appetite. There are two kinds of hunger:
a. Physical hunger keeps your body alive
b. Spiritual hunger keeps your spirit alive.
Today, as we launch our 40 Days in the Word Campaign, my prayer is not merely that you’ll read more Scripture, but that you’ll develop a lifelong appetite for God’s Word.
One of the strongest instincts God placed inside every human being is hunger. A healthy baby doesn’t have to be taught to cry for milk. When it’s hungry, it lets everyone know. Hunger is evidence of life. The same principle is true spiritually. A spiritually healthy Christian develops an appetite for God’s Word. But when someone has little desire to read the Bible, pray, or worship, it is often a sign that something has affected their spiritual appetite. There are two kinds of hunger:
a. Physical hunger keeps your body alive
b. Spiritual hunger keeps your spirit alive.
Today, as we launch our 40 Days in the Word Campaign, my prayer is not merely that you’ll read more Scripture, but that you’ll develop a lifelong appetite for God’s Word.
1.God’s Word Is Spiritual Nourishment.
Jeremiah 15:16
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16 Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
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God’s Word feeds us in four ways:
a. It gives strength.
a. It gives strength.
Psalms 119:28
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28 My soul melts with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word.
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b. It brings wisdom.
Psalms 119:130
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130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; it informs the simple.
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c. It produces faith.
Romans 10:17
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17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
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d. It transforms our thinking.
Romans 12:2
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2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
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Biblical Example:
When Israel wandered through the wilderness, God provided manna every single morning. They couldn’t store yesterday’s manna. They needed fresh bread every day. Likewise, yesterday’s devotional won’t sustain today’s battle. We need fresh encounters with God’s Word daily.
When Israel wandered through the wilderness, God provided manna every single morning. They couldn’t store yesterday’s manna. They needed fresh bread every day. Likewise, yesterday’s devotional won’t sustain today’s battle. We need fresh encounters with God’s Word daily.
2.Hunger Determines Intake.
Psalms 119:103 NKJV
Psalms 119:103 NKJV
Psalms 119:103
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103 How sweet are Your words to my taste— sweeter than honey in my mouth!
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Jesus said:
Matthew 5:6
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6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
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”Notice…God doesn’t fill the casual. He fills the hungry.
Biblical Example: Mary and Martha
Biblical Example: Mary and Martha
Luke 10:38-42
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38 As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
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Martha was busy. Mary was hungry. Jesus never criticized Martha’s service. He simply said Mary had chosen the better thing. Why? Because hunger for God’s presence comes before activity for God.
Questions to ask ourselves:
Am I hungry for entertainment?
Hungry for success?
Hungry for comfort?
Or am I hungry for God’s Word?
Questions to ask ourselves:
Am I hungry for entertainment?
Hungry for success?
Hungry for comfort?
Or am I hungry for God’s Word?
3. Distractions Dull Our Appetite for Truth.
Hebrews 5:12-14
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12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!
13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.
14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.
14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
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Luke 8:14
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14 The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.
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Biblical Example:
In Genesis 25, Esau traded something eternal for something immediate. One meal cost him his birthright. Many Christians trade eternal nourishment for temporary entertainment every day.
In Genesis 25, Esau traded something eternal for something immediate. One meal cost him his birthright. Many Christians trade eternal nourishment for temporary entertainment every day.
Why This 40-Day Campaign Matters
We’re not simply asking you to read your Bible. We’re helping you build a lifelong habit. Research often says habits begin through consistent repetition. For the next forty days, you’re creating a new spiritual rhythm. Forty is a biblical number representing preparation and transformation.
Israel—40 years
Moses—40 days on Sinai
Elijah—40 days to Horeb
Jesus—40 days in the wilderness
God often does deep work during seasons marked by forty.
We’re not simply asking you to read your Bible. We’re helping you build a lifelong habit. Research often says habits begin through consistent repetition. For the next forty days, you’re creating a new spiritual rhythm. Forty is a biblical number representing preparation and transformation.
Israel—40 years
Moses—40 days on Sinai
Elijah—40 days to Horeb
Jesus—40 days in the wilderness
God often does deep work during seasons marked by forty.
Three Decisions Today:
1. Decide God’s Word will become my daily priority.
1. Decide God’s Word will become my daily priority.
Joshua 1:8
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8 This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.
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2. Decide to remove distractions.
Psalms 101:3
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3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
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3. Decide to obey what you read.
James 1:22 NKJV
James 1:22 NKJV
James 1:22
BSB
22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
BSB
Weekly Challenge:
1. Read Psalm 119.Read 10 verses each day until you’ve completed the chapter.
2. Fast from one distraction.
Choose one:
*Social media
*Television
*News
*YouTube
*Gaming
*Sports talk radio
Replace that time with Scripture.
3. Pray every day. “Lord, give me a hunger for Your Word. Help me desire Your voice more than the voices of this world. Make Your Word sweeter than honey and more necessary than daily bread. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Invitation to the 40 Days in the Word Campaign:
Church, today we’re standing at the beginning of a journey. Over the next 40 days, we’re going to discover the power of God’s Word together. We’ll learn it, discuss it, meditate on it, memorize it, and most importantly, live it. Don’t do this alone. Host a group or join a group. Commit to the daily readings. Complete the weekly challenges. Encourage one another. If you’ll give God these next 40 days, I believe He will produce fruit that lasts far beyond these 40 days. Let’s become people who don’t just carry the Bible; we crave it, consume it, and are transformed by it.
“Lord, give us a hunger for Your Word!” Amen!
1. Read Psalm 119.Read 10 verses each day until you’ve completed the chapter.
2. Fast from one distraction.
Choose one:
*Social media
*Television
*News
*YouTube
*Gaming
*Sports talk radio
Replace that time with Scripture.
3. Pray every day. “Lord, give me a hunger for Your Word. Help me desire Your voice more than the voices of this world. Make Your Word sweeter than honey and more necessary than daily bread. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Invitation to the 40 Days in the Word Campaign:
Church, today we’re standing at the beginning of a journey. Over the next 40 days, we’re going to discover the power of God’s Word together. We’ll learn it, discuss it, meditate on it, memorize it, and most importantly, live it. Don’t do this alone. Host a group or join a group. Commit to the daily readings. Complete the weekly challenges. Encourage one another. If you’ll give God these next 40 days, I believe He will produce fruit that lasts far beyond these 40 days. Let’s become people who don’t just carry the Bible; we crave it, consume it, and are transformed by it.
“Lord, give us a hunger for Your Word!” Amen!
