Day 8 - Love Because.... 1 Timothy 1:5

1 Timothy 1:5 (Amplified)

5 But the goal of our instruction is love [which springs] from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

You’ve made it to Day 8! By this time, you are in a rhythm and have likely starting to build personal confidence in fasting and prayer as you seek God. The Apostle Paul gives instructions to Timothy about the purpose of instruction. The purpose is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. As you continue to pray and fast asking God to revive you and your family and your church, also pray that He would cause you to be overflowing with love. The reason we follow Jesus, the reason we worship in community, the reason we obey his Word, is not to have some moral high ground over the world, but to be overflowing in love.

And, that sounds a lot like the Great Commandment - Love God with all of your heart, your soul, and your strength, and love you neighbor as yourself.

Lord, baptize us with your love!

Day 6 - Strategic Prayer

Psalm 144:1 -

Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—

This Psalm is called the Warrior’s Psalm. King David opens the psalm acknowledging that the Lord is his Rock, and that the Lord teaches our hands to war, and our fingers to battle. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3, “endure hardness as a good soldier.” Believer, you are a warrior. Your warrior weapons are not carnal weapons, but might through God, to pull down strongholds! As a warrior believer, at times we need the strategy to be successful at life. We don’t fight arbitrarily, rather we fight with purpose for victory - we fight with strategy.

Today, if you are reading this, maybe your need for strategy is in your finances - you need a strategy to overcome. Perhaps it is in your marriage, and you need to love your spouse in a way they receive it - you need a strategy. Or, what about your children? You need a strategy to raise them to love God, love people and be contributing members of society. What about your church? We need a strategy to make disciples, to overcome differences, to honor and glorify God.

I encourage you to pray, Lord teach my hands to war, my fingers to battle. Give me strategy to be victorious over every wicked plan of the devil, and bring your glory here.

Be encouraged - ask God to give you strategy - He will!

Day 5 - John 15:4-5 - Abide in Christ

John 15:4-5

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Fasting teaches us dependence on God. Jesus said here in John 15 a few really important things. First, Jesus wants your life to be fruitful. And fruitfulness begins with abiding in Him. When I learn to depend on God, trust in God, and abide in God, a fruitful life will follow. To abide means to remain or to stay. We must learn to remain, or to stay in Christ. He is the source of life. Jesus challenges us, saying, “without me, you can do nothing.” It’s like he is saying, let’s go ahead and settle this - nothing is going to be successful without the involvement of God in your life. Why? Because He is the source of life. All goodness in our life is because of God - and without Him we can do nothing.

Are there places in your life where you are not abiding in him? Write them down.

Pray and surrender those areas of your life to God - much fruit will come!

Day 4 - Hebrews 6:11-12 - Keep on Keepin' on!

Hebrews 6:11-12

11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

There is nothing more fulfilling, as a parent, than to watch your children succeed. It hurts when they mess up, but when they win at life, it is so fulfilling. The writer of Hebrews here encourages us to be diligent, and stay with the pursuit of God’s promises till the end. He reminds us not become sluggish, or lazy, but to be intentional about pursuing God’s promises through faith and patience. Essentially he encourages us to keep on keeping on. Stick with it! Don’t give up! The promises of God are worth it.

1. Have you become sluggish in an area of your life where God has promised victory? Write it down. This area could be your relationships, your finances, etc.

2. Your Heavenly Father wants the best for you, and he is cheering you on. When you win, He is overjoyed, when you mess up, it hurts Him. Yet, he remains in your corner encouraging you - read Zephaniah 3:17 - your God “joys over you with singing.” Take a moment right now and turn to God in prayer - His promises are for you!

3. Now apply it. In those areas where you have been sluggish, write down one thing you can do today to pursue victory in that area of life, and do it. This may be as simple as telling your spouse you love them or hugging your children. But, pursue it! Pursue God’s promises, and don’t give up. Heaven will be worth it all!

Day 3 - John 3:30 - He must Increase

John 3:30 - “He must increase, I must decrease.”

By this time in your fast, you are likely feeling caffeine and sugar withdrawal. You are feeling you body adjust to not having processed foods. It is all normal, and you will feel energized soon! Notice John the Baptist’s comment here to his disciples: “He must increase, I must decrease.” Often we may approach this idea as if we had done something wrong, but John hadn’t done anything “wrong” at this point in his life. Today, echo John’s sentiment - whether you are struggling with sin, or you are doing pretty good. We can all make room for Jesus. And, for Jesus to have his place in our life, our prayer must be, “I must decrease, He must increase?”

What area in your life do you need to decrease so that Jesus is increased, today? Write it down.

Pray that Jesus would reign in those areas of your life! Let Him increase. Trust his way, his plan, and his thoughts for you!

Day 2 - Psalm 5:8 - Lead Me Lord

Psalm 5:8

Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.

Do you make quick decisions?

When we. go out as a family to eat dinner, I want my family to decide where to eat, so I can drive us there. I don’t really worry about what the meal is as much as worrying about where we are going. Sometimes, my haste to get a quick decision from my family turns out to be not the best tasting meal. I imagine some of you have similar characteristics. In our verse today, the David is asking God to lead him in His righteousness, because of the enemies. David prays specifically for God’s way to be made easily understandable for him.

Are there places in your life where you have made decisions too quickly that you’ve regretted? Maybe it is in finances, relationships, or temptations. Write them down.

God is a just and forgiving God, and He wants to forgive us and give us abundant life. Repent of those things you wrote down, and allow Jesus to wash you and be refreshed by the Holy Spirit.

Now, ask God to lead you in His righteousness - pray that every decision you make would be made in His righteousness. Maybe your situation seems confusing, without a clear way through. Pray that God would make His way straight before your eyes. This means that God will make it understandable to you!

God loves you so much - and in Christ, we are the righteousness of God. Trust Him today!

Lead me Lord!

Day 1 - Psalm 139:23-24 - A Daring Prayer

Psalm 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

It is really easy to pray and ask God for help when you need it, for healing when you are sick, for something when you want it. But, the more daring prayer is to pray as the David did here in Psalm 139. Search me God, try me God, see what is inside of me, and lead me. This is daring because is requires us to be honest with God and ourselves. It demands our motives be exposed and submitted to King Jesus. It requires trust, that God’s way of life is everlasting, and my way is so temporal.

Application:

1. Pray for God to search your heart. What things come to mind when you pray this? Write it down.

2. Pray for God to try you. You probably are passing trough some trial right now. What stresses, worries and anxieties have been revealed trough this test? Write them down.

3. Pray for God to examine your motives in every relationship you have - and to expose anything (wicked way) that is unlike Him. Write it down.

4. Worship God, and trust that his way is better, his thoughts are sweeter, and his plans are greater - Jesus’ way is the way everlasting.