Day: Day 16
Date: January 24, 2023
Title: KINGDOM LIVING: Pray More
I am believing God for lasting change for me, and for all of us. There is always momentum at the beginning of a new year, because inside of us we really are hoping for the reset button that is needed to bring us back to functionality at a higher level. We are experiencing hope again after so many disappointments through the experiences of the last few years.
Normally, we get fired up through these Fasting Guides. I believe the Holy Spirit is writing to us to awaken us to present truth, and to enable us to engage with God as our First Love.
Then, we have Fire Week, and it seems to solidify us as a unit as we come together corporately.
And then, in a matter of weeks, sometimes months, the hope begins to dissipate. Perhaps as things don’t happen as fast as we thought they should, or perhaps because of a personal crisis in some manner, we let go of the hope God has given us.
Or maybe it’s satan telling you to recognize your frailties once again, so then you will feel like you have already failed, so why press on?
I realize this is a cycle that has happened in the past. But I am here to announce that the past is the past! These cycles need to not only be broken but smashed into pieces that can never be put back together again!
What will make the difference?
The difference will be applying all the things the Holy Spirit wrote for us to study out, that the first Church laid out as foundational truths for us to walk on. (In addition, we have progressive, fresh revelation from Holy Spirit.)
Look at what is listed last in Acts 2:42, but it is certainly not secondary.
Acts 2:42 NASU
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Prayer is our way of talking to and communing with God.
There are many different ways we approach God in prayer, but at its core, prayer is our ongoing conversation with God.
- We can pray in adoration, praising God’s goodness.
- We can pray in thanksgiving, expressing our gratitude for the ways that God has provided for us.
- We pray in confession, naming before God our shortcomings and asking to be forgiven for the things we have done wrong.
- We pray in lament when we cry out to God in frustration, sadness, or pain.
- We pray in supplication when we come to God with our requests and yearnings, asking for things we need or desire.
- We pray in silence when we sit quietly, waiting for God to respond in some way, simply being in God’s presence.
- We pray in earnest when we are crying out for more of Him for the benefit of others.
Prayer is not primarily about getting what we want. Prayer is about being transformed by a relationship with God and becoming who God wants us to be. Ultimately, prayer is not about a search for things, but it is for communion with God.
In the New Testament, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray by giving them the Lord’s Prayer. He also showed the importance of prayer by the way that He actively incorporated prayer into His life.
Jesus prayed with and for people. Jesus retreated for private prayer. Jesus prayed at tables, prayed for those who were sick, prayed for the future of God’s people, and even prayed for God to remove the burden of the cross from Him.
Jesus prayed consistently, in all kinds of ways, and He always focused on glorifying God.
And in Acts modeled for us is the New Testament Church, showing us how to continue to be the
Body of Christ, His Bride, His Ekklesia. There is a need to continually devote ourselves to prayer.
I am sure they prayed as Jesus did, for them to be made one, because they did it as one.
Why am I saying all of this? Because prayer cannot be a side thing that we do once in a while.
Charles Spurgeon identified three reasons for a church to have a regular prayer meeting: 1) it unifies and encourages God’s people; 2) it generates devotion to God; and 3) it brings God’s promised blessing (Matthew 18:19–20). In a sermon preached August 30, 1868, Spurgeon spoke of the value of prayer meetings in general: “The prayer-meeting is an institution which ought to be very precious to us, and to be cherished by us as a Church, for to it we owe everything. . . . It is in the spirit of prayer that our strength lies; and if we lose this, the hair will be cut off from Samson’s head, and God’s Holy Church will become weak as water and though we, as Samson did, go and try to shake ourselves as at other times, we shall hear the cry, ‘The Philistines are upon you,’ and our eyes will be put out, and our glory will depart, unless we continue mightily and earnestly in prayer.”
Paul told us:
1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV
Pray without ceasing.
This means to pray consistently.
We need to commune with God consistently, without stopping. We need to be always aware of how much we need Him in the center of our life, always giving Him priority over our thoughts and our deeds.
I believe we are on this journey together to treat Him as the KING He is. Not just while we are in church, but also throughout our day, we need to just talk to Him about EVERYTHING, while never forgetting His holiness, His kindness, and His love.
I know that if we are centered on Him, He will provide divine opportunities for us to be the answer to the cry of many other people’s needs.
We are going to experience God’s love not only through our awareness of Him in our lives, but others will experience His love through us. We are going to live our lives so sold out to the knowledge of Him, that we enjoy His compassion for others.
This will not be another thing we add to the list of what we have to do for God. NO! This is not about works. This is about joining ourselves so intimately to God that we are aware nothing can separate us from His love.
Then, His love will shine out from our eyes, and from the way we are ridiculously generous with all He has entrusted to our care.
His love will be our primary passion because HE IS LOVE.
I want you to think about what will happen if LOVE was every Christian’s primary desire. How would it change atmospheres, and cause cities, nations, and individuals to run straight into His presence when He is saturating us to move through us?
This is what I know HE wants. This is what I know we can accomplish.
We will have to depend on each other to be willing to tell us if we get off course.
We will constantly have to examine and re-examine what our priorities are.
When the God of all creation moves through us, we will be so fulfilled, so full of joy, and so thankful that He is and always will be forever present. He is never drawing away from us, but He is drawing near.
Let us embrace Him with all we are.
Let us communicate constantly. He is wisdom, He knows every day what we need and His provision is going before us. He knows who needs to have an appointment with us to show them the amazing love we have come to know and are willing to share freely.
Salvations are coming and we are the privileged people that have plenty of testimonies of His goodness and His greatness we can share.
Expect signs and wonders to follow. This is the season!
ACTIVATION:
I invite you to come pray:
- At the Church on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at Noon.
- On the phone Tuesday night at 5:30pm.
- On the phone Friday morning at 10:00am.
- During special calls for prayer times as announced.
- And come to Church to finish fasting corporately on January 25th, 26th and 27th
PRAYER:
Join me now in praying.
Our Father,
There is no one like You. You have made all things and You deserve all reverence and all praise. I am intimately acknowledging You on purpose, every day.
Help us, Lord, to be consistently conscious of Your love, of Your will, and of Your needed actions to draw others to You.
We cry out for the lost, that You would orchestrate divine moments that we will not miss. Instead, we will move with confidence because we have Your heart.
Jesus, we are forever grateful for Your sacrifice to reconnect us to Father. Thank You for Your outrageous love poured out. We are desperate to surrender to the Father’s will like You modeled for us. We want to bless You back, Jesus, by being outrageously courageous and obedient.
Holy Spirit, we are learning to depend on You. You are revealing the Father and the Son to us in previously unrealized ways. We are so grateful You are in us, our Teacher, our Guide, and our help to proper intercession. We thank You for giving us gifts to operate in. We are forever grateful for the fruit You have made available to us as we stay consistently righteous.
We are here to say, “We want to partner with You to fulfill the mission You have sent us on.”
We are going to be dedicated to pray:
- With faith
- With declarations from your Word
- With delegated authority, taking our place, on purpose
- With compassion to reach others where they need it most
- With victory
May we all be changed into the conquerors needed for this time frame in history, and may Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven to the glory of Your name.
Amen.
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