FOREWORD. May the Peace of God be with you, prayer warriors!

Transcription

1

2 FOREWORD May the Peace of God be with you, prayer warriors! Entering 2018, I am inviting everyone to start this new year by drawing near to God. Corresponding to our theme this year Greater Devotion, which is based on the book of Haggai, I believe God calls each of us, be it leaders, volunteers, or church members, to build the house of God. When Haggai received God s calling to build His house in Jerusalem, the Israelites had just returned from exile. They faced many challenges. Similar to our life nowadays, we face many challenges in our household, workplace, and community that seize our attention. Lets shift our focus to God by dedicating our time to seek God wholeheartedly in the beginning of Answering God s call to refocus our heart and mind to Him. For the next 21 days, from January 15 February 4, I encourage everyone to take part in this global prayer and fasting event together so that we can support each other. Using this manual book that has been prepared by our prayer team for our daily devotion, I believe that there will be many breakthrough spiritually and physically. Let us build the house of God together in various areas: personal, family, church, marketplace and leadership. And we will see God s glory that is greater than the former in our life! Greater devotion, Rev. Dr. Jimmy Oentoro Founder & Chairman

3 FOREWORD Welcome to the Greater Devotion year of 2018! Starting this new calendar year, let us unite and prepare our hearts to pray through this 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting throughout the globe as one IFGF family. This year's heartbeat for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting will be as what the Word of God in Haggai said:s "Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house, and I will take pleasure in, and be honored says the Lord" (Haggai 1:8) We believe as we pray and fast together in the locah church, the atmosphere of love for the House of God will be built and God s promises are released. Let us build God s Cities and allow His Governance to take over our daily life, family, local church, marketplace and leadership (Psalm 4:4-5). Greater devotion, Rev. Maria Tamba, S.Th Director of IFGF Pray

4 INTRODUCTION What is 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting? Daniel 10:2-3 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. Daniel fast is a type of fast that is done in a very specific way. During this fasting, we avoid eating meat and decide to choose healthy and simple foods instead. The Purpose of 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting 1. To obtain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, along with new dreams and visions, to live the year ahead (Daniel 1:17). 2. To dedicate everything we do in the year 2018 unto Him alone. 3. To discipline our flesh. Prayer Guideline during Fasting 1. During 21 days, pray for at least 1 name that is in need of Christ. Call or text them, set aside time to meet them personally and pray over their needs. 2. Reduce the time we spend on our gadget or watching television. Set aside routing time to have devotional time with God. Worship Him, read 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Guide book and meditate upon His word. 3. During our devotional time, spend time to intercede for family members who are in need of salvation, proclaim blessings upon our family, intercede for our nation and the government official, and proclaim soul harvest upon our local church. 4. Ask God for His wisdom and vision to lead us throughout Attend corporate prayer at your local church and share testimony to strengthen the body of Christ. Foods to be avoided during fasting period include pork, beef, fish, poultry, and any kind of meat.

5 CONTENTS FOREWORD.. INTRODUCTION PERSONAL Day 1: The Latter Glory! Day 2: God as First Priority Day 3: The Focus of Our Life Day 4: Consider Our Ways FAMILY Day 5: Seek God s Kingdom First Day 6: Building God s Temple in Our Family Day 7: The Latter will be Greater Day 8: Time is Precious LOCAL CHURCH Day 9: He Who Restores Is Faithful Day 10: What We see is not What God Sees Day 11: This is Our Church Day 12: Building The House MARKETPLACE Day 13: Dream Chaser Day 14: Small Doesn t Mean Insignificant Day 15: Home Builder Day 16: Greatest Counselor LEADERSHIP Day 17: Loving God s House Day 18: Strengthening The Heart In Togetherness Day 19: Stand Strong In The Middle Of Opposition Day 20: Time Is Now Day 21: Greater Glory

6 DAY 1: THE LATTER GLORY! The latter glory will be greater than the former. God is taking us (His people) to go to the next level as the house of God. With His calling comes the power to break through our conditions and limitations in order to achieve His purpose. As human beings, we sometimes have a lot of excuses. In the book of Haggai, God was calling His people to rebuild the temple after they had returned from exile. However, His people stalled and said that the time had not yet come to build the temple (Haggai 1:2). The people built houses for themselves while God s house was left in ruins. God raised His prophet, Haggai to speak and remind them of their calling. God never does anything without involving His people. He wants us to work together with Him and partake in what He is doing. 1. The prophet said, Consider your ways! Don t just do whatever you want (Haggai 1:5) Don t ignore God s calling, instead walk in obedience. 2. Obedience comes with blessings, particularly God s presence. In Haggai 1:13, God says, I'm with you! He will never leave us alone to do His work; and He will provide, protect and cover us until the work is done. His presence and blessings will always sustain us. 3. Be available for God. Zerubbabel was available when God asked him to build His temple. It is a privilege for us to build His house. Open your heart, be available, and pray for God s momentum as we build His house together. You can say whatever you would like, but nothing will happen if you are not available for God. In order for the latter glory to take place at His house, let s consider our ways, walk in obedience to His voice, and be available! Father in Heaven, thank You for opening my eyes to know more of You and of Your will. You really love Your house so much. Thank You for the opportunity to build Your house (Your people and Your church). I want to consider my ways to walk in obedience according to Your voice and be available for You. Allow me to live in Your presence and blessings so I can contribute in building Your house (people and church). May the love for Your house burn in me once again.

7 DAY 2: GOD AS FIRST PRIORITY God s purpose for bringing the Israelites back from captivity to Jerusalem was to build the house of God. However, the work of rebuilding was paused due to oppression and opposition. Due to the opposition, the Israelites priority was no longer building the house of God but building their own houses. Technology, goals for a successful career, lifestyle, or even ministry often distract us from prioritizing God first and foremost. Busyness, fear, worry, and worldly pressure often hinder us from fulfilling God s calling in our life. The Word of God instructs us to: 1. Consider your ways (Haggai 1:5). Due to oppression and circumstances, the Israelites did not pay attention to their ways. They were busy building their own houses after returning from Babylonian captivity and resettling in Jerusalem. Have we considered our ways? Are we aligning our personal goals, dreams, and vision with God s purpose for our lives? Have circumstances and our surroundings changed our priority from doing what truly matters in God s eyes? 2. Prioritize God in all seasons of life. Even in the midst of oppression, God still instructed the Israelites to prioritize His purpose upon their lives. Their labor was done in vain because they were no longer pursuing God instead were too busy pursuing their own personal agendas (Haggai 1:6). Entering 2018, let us take time and ask Him, What exactly have You called us to do? Let us prioritize His will, ways, and kingdom and He shall add everything else (Matthew 6:33). Lord Jesus, search me and reveal to me things that distract me from prioritizing You. I m ready to seek first Your kingdom and righteousness in every aspect of my life.

8 DAY 3: THE FOCUS OF OUR LIFE In the story of the woman with the issue of blood, Jairus, and his family saw and met Jesus (Mark 5). With that many people whom Jesus saw, we can be sure that there were many other individuals who had problems and needed Jesus help as well. The woman with bleeding and Jairus focused their eyes, minds, hearts, and physical bodies to encounter Jesus. She went against the oppression from the crowd, custom, fear, and insult just to touch Jesus cloak. Jairus, the head of synagogue, personally took time to seek Jesus, leaving his sick daughter behind. The crowd saw the same Jesus, but their response was do not bother the teacher anymore (Mark 5:35). When our whole being, mind, body, and soul are truly focused on God, He in return will stop what He is doing and focus on us as well. When we focus on God: 1. Faith arises. The woman with bleeding believed that one touch is enough and when Jesus was with Jairus, He was reassuring Him not to be afraid. 2. Different response. We will be able to take risks to respond and act upon our faith. 3. God will stop, respond, pay attention and bring deliverance to our specific problem. One touch and one word talitha, cumi (Mark 5:41) is enough for us to receive our victory. Many things such as social media, gadgets, and busyness take our focus away from God. Sometimes we only see Jesus like the crowd did and forgot to put our whole focus on Him. Do not let difficult circumstances, oppression, or the burden of life distract your focus on God. One touch and one word from God is more than enough for us to overcome any situation. Pray for Hebrew 12:1-2 to happen in our lives, and that the Holy Spirit enables us to focus our eyes, mind, body, and soul to Jesus and enable us to finish our race faithfully.

9 DAY 4: CONSIDER OUR WAYS After becoming released from Babylonian captivity and returning to Jerusalem, the Israelites had forgotten their God, and instead chose to focus on their own interests. God called them back to build His house. However, due to oppression, they chose to give up on God s call for their lives and did not make Him their foundation. Indeed, their work was in vain and God called for a drought upon the land (Haggai 1:6-11). We are God s temple and His spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16). He desires us to consider our ways. How can we consider our ways? 1. Place Jesus as the foundation of your life. Unless God is involved and is the foundation of everything we do, we will labor in vain and not leave a legacy. (Psalm 127:1-2) 2. Know God s call and purpose for our life. We are created not as mistakes, but with a purpose planned long before our existence (Psalm 139). Seek His personal calling and purpose for our life and do not lose sight of it regardless of what season we are in. 3. Understand our season in life. For a tree to bear fruit, to be ready for harvest and have strong roots, it has to grow through many seasons. The tree has to survive the heat of summer, the rain in spring, the falling leaves in autumn, and the cold of winter. In life, we also need to go through every season as part of our life s journey. No matter what season we are in, never give up and keep on pursuing His call and purpose for our life. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and reveal His specific call in our lives through this 21 days Praying and Fasting. Ask him to give us insight regarding the season we are in and let His love be our strength to journey and endure in every life season.

10 DAY 5: SEEK GOD S KINGDOM FIRST I m actually interested to take part in the Christmas committee but unfortunately I will be very busy during that period. I would love to give toward this cause but regretfully I do not have money for it in my bank account; the fund is pretty much reserved for my family. We hear the above reasons often times from people who have a good heart for the Lord but are overwhelmed by the issues of life. Indeed the principles of the world teach us that we need to be on top of everything and to always be prepared. While it is true that setting priorities are important, let us not set our focus on the wrong things. The Word of God teaches us that as His children, we are to prioritize and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Family is an important aspect of any person s life and, in fact, our family should be our first ministry. We can t say we want to serve God outside while neglecting our family. Family is a platform for us to be launched by God into a ministry that has a more expansive impact. However, the challenge these days is that a lot of times people disproportionately set their priorities by only building their personal and family kingdoms while neglecting the kingdom of God. This could include many aspects, such as time, resources, money, effort, and attention. Haggai chapter one reminds us that our efforts could mean nothing because all blessings and good success come from the Lord. Today let us make a decision to build the house of God. As we build His house, He will build our house. As we care for His house, we ll find that He already cares for ours. Today let us boldly declare that as for us and our house we will serve the Lord. Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that I should put Your Kingdom first above mine. Today I believe that as I set my focus right, I will taste and experience Your goodness in a new way. Help me and put the desire in me God, to set my priorities right so I can live my life serving You while enjoying all of Your goodness in my life. In the name of Jesus, amen.

11 DAY 6: BUILDING GOD S TEMPLE IN OUR FAMILY You don t choose your family. They are God s gift to you, as you are to them. (Desmond Tutu) The command of building the temple of God is not limited to a physical building where Jesus followers come and worship Him together. We are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), and so is everyone who follows Jesus, including our family. When we build the temple of God including our family members, He will be pleased and honored (Haggai 1:8). A family who worships Jesus together and prays to Him serves the same function as building the temple of God. God has desires for us to take care of our family as an act of faith towards Him (1Timothy 5:8). As parents, we have been entrusted by God to tend to and raise our kid(s) according to His teachings. As a child, our family is the first group of people who take care of us and attend to our needs before we can even do anything. Through the love we received in our family, we learn to accept and love each other unconditionally. There are many ways to express the love that we have to our family, such as gifting, spending time together, celebrating milestones in life, serving one another, etc. As Jesus followers, we are also able to cherish our family members spiritually. While facing challenges in life, we can encourage one another according to the promises of God, pray for one another or worship God as a family. Have we followed God s command to build our family as His temple? Have we pleased and honored God in the midst of our family - His temples? Let us take ownership of His command and start building the temple, the people we love dearly, in the spirit! Dear Lord, thank You for giving me the people whom I can call family, where I learn to love and be loved unconditionally. In obedience, I want to participate in Your plan to build Your temple in my family. Teach us to cherish one another in our walk together with You. Give us Your compassion, strength, sensitivity and wisdom to build one another. May You take pleasure and be honored as we build Your temple in our family. In Jesus name, amen!

12 DAY 7: THE LATTER WIL BE GREATER Do not say, Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise to ask such questions (Ecclesiastes 7:10). Anyone who has a family would most likely agree that family life is not always a smooth sailing journey. Some seasons are easier than others, but we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). It could be a simple thing like having too many chores or a change in the family holiday plan. It could be a more major thing that impacts the way our family operates. No matter what the issue is, often times in the confusion or distraction of life, we hear people say, Oh how I miss the good old days. If only I could turn back time! The root to this is that somewhere along the way we believe the lie of the devil that the old is better than the present and the future. The book of Ecclesiastes 7 teaches us that it is not wise for us to focus on our past. In fact Haggai chapter two says that the glory of the present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, and that in the present house He will grant peace. This is applicable to the house of God or church, and it is also applicable to our own homes as long as Jesus is at the center. With Christ in our vessel, we can rest assured that we will move from one degree of glory to another and the greater glory is in our future, not in our past. Today, let s decide to make Jesus the center of our life and family; because with Him, our latter glory will certainly be greater than our past. Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your goodness in my family. Help me to always hold on to Your Words and may You be the center of my life and house. I choose to believe that You have my life and family in Your hands and our future is secured. In the name of Jesus, amen.

13 DAY 8: TIME IS PRECIOUS "So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely." (Ephesians 5:15). We are living in a world where there are many things that demand our attention and time, such as work, social media and video games. If we are not careful to use our time wisely, it will pass by in the blink of an eye. Sometimes people say, I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day so I could do more things." But the reality is that there are only 24 hours in a day, so we have to use it wisely. On many occasions, families dine together, but everyone is so distracted and pre-occupied by other things (e.g., phone or work). As result, they are not spending quality time to actually connect and have a conversation with each other. We need to spend quality time in order to connect and build relationships that are strong and able to withstand the storms of life. Haggai chapter one teaches us to prioritize correctly so we will not do everything in vain. As a family, we should prioritize God and use our time wisely and serve Him together. As what was written in Joshua 24:15, "...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". In the same way we shall declare this for our family. Lord, teach us to use our time wisely and prioritize things that matter first. Help us to not get distracted by the things of this world. Amen.

14 DAY 9: HE WHO RESTORES IS FAITHFUL The Lord always moves with His people. Even when we, His anointed people and the children of the most of high God, decide to take matters into our own hands, neglecting our relationship with our Lord, He is always there for us. He is eager to strengthen and build His church and people. Regardless of what we are going through in our personal life, family, career, health or finance; it will never change the truth that God is faithful. He remembers the covenant relationship that He has made with His people. Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). As we respond with obedience, He will give us the desire to build His church. He will gather and unite His people to do His will. He will give us new strength to face our circumstances. Be courageous my friends, His Spirit is within us. Do not fear what the world can throw at us. We are made more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. The church is more than a building with 4 walls; the church is His people making up the body of Christ with Jesus as the head. As He has promised, He will break all the bondages of slavery that we have because of our idols. He will restore all brokenness. He will fill this place with overflowing milk and honey in His abundance according to His riches. The time of restoration has come and it is now! Let's enter into a new dimension of life with Him! ord Jesus, thank You that You are always there for us, that You never leave us nor forsake us. Teach us to respond in obedience, acknowledging Your will in our lives, that we may be joyful and fruitful. Help us to humble ourselves to receive the abundant grace You have lavished upon us. Fill us with Holy Spirit that we may have courage to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ in the midst of our circumstances. We receive the promises that You have spoken into our life. Bless our hands that we are able to take part in this journey building Your kingdom together with You. Thank You for this privilege. In the name of Jesus, amen!

15 DAY 10: WHAT WE SEE IS NOT WHAT GOD SEES And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of host. (Haggai 2:7). In the book of Haggai, God instructed the people of Judah to build the temple of the Lord. This temple represents the local church that we are currently a part of. Often times, we are like the people God describes in Haggai 2:3. We see our church as nothing and compare the current state to some forms of former glory we had experienced. We begin to compare our local church with another church, or we start to shift blame based on what we lack. Here in the book of Haggai, God calls us to be strong and to work in and for our local church. As we work, not out of obligation, but out of love and desire to please God, God promised that His Spirit will remain among us and give us boldness. Know that at the end of it all, the Lord is the One who will bring everything to completion. He will shake nations and fill His church with His Glory. We are in partnership with the Lord of lords when we build His church. So today, let us remind ourselves to not complain about our church or compare it to other churches. Let us be in partnership together with Jesus in building our local church. Let us be a channel of blessings that God uses to fill His temple, our church, with glory. Dear Lord Jesus, You never make any mistake. I thank You for placing me in the local church I am currently in. Thank You for giving me the opportunity to be in partnership with You in building Your church. Help me in the calling and ministry You have entrusted me with, so that I can be a channel by which You bring greater glory to this church. In Jesus name, amen.

16 DAY 11: THIS IS OUR CHURCH In the last days the mountain of the Lord s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:2-3). One of God s ways to make us more mature is through friendships, communities and serving other people; all of those are found in the church of God. Therefore, it is important for us to pray for our church, because the church will stand firm and become God s tool to carry out His plan in the world. Why do we need to pray for God s church? 1. It is a place we call home. Where people COME to Jesus just as they are. Where people are saved by grace, live by faith for the greater purposes of GOD. A home where hearts are made whole. Where people find hope, build dreams, and live righteously through Jesus. 2. Where people GROW to be like Jesus as a family. Where the local church is the healthy ground. Where lifelong friendships are forged. Where prayers are answered and visions are shared. Where there is trust and acceptance among all. Where character is built as we sharpen one another. 3. Where all generations SERVE BUILD God's house together with all that we are and all that we have. Where the Gospel is preached and God s Word is honored. Where His presence is powerful and the worship is heartfelt. 4. Where people are empowered to LEAD and bring impact to their family, in their community, in the marketplace, cities and nations. To become the salt and light of the world. Through a healthy church, every person can come, grow, serve and lead to bring impact to their surroundings. Pray for God s church wherever we are placed to become a healthy church. Pray for the pastor, the leaders and all the volunteers who serve in your church that they are ready to serve and make disciples of every people to come, grow, serve, and lead. Pray also that the discipleship journey process (come, grow, serve, lead) become a lifestyle in every God s church.

17 DAY 12: BUILDING THE HOUSE Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin? (Haggai 1:3-4). I still remember vividly the first time when I was entrusted to pastor IFGF Surabaya. At that time we had faith to build God s house but were limited in many ways, especially in fundings. After making various efforts, finally God spoke to us, the leaders, from Solomon s story in 2 Chronicles 8 who built the temple of the Lord then built his own house. It was then that we started to learn to sacrifice, not to think of ourselves, and postpone the building of our private house to build God s house. The journey we faced together to reach the dream of building God s house was not an easy one. And it was then that we experienced God s miracles and provision in our lives. There are many things we learned when we start to think of God s house over the interest of our own private house. 1. When we build God s house, God will build our lives. Often times we spend much to build our own house and provide for our own needs while the house of the Lord is in ruin. 2. When we think of God s kingdom and build His house, God will give His miraculous provision. 3. Building God s house is not just talking about physical things, but it also includes praying for the people so that we can see the repentance of every person, lives to be changed, relationships to be restored and many leaders to be raised up. From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. From this day on I will bless you. (Hagai 2:18-19) Pay attention to the condition of our church today, which part is in ruin? Not just speaking of physical building situation, but also the spiritual growth and health of our church. Bring that into prayer, how we can involve in building our church.

18 DAY 13: DREAM CHASER Chasing your dream job or building your own business is an exhilarating journey that many people do and should experience in their lifetime. However, the pursuit could take away most of our time and energy. And slowly, our focus shifts; from cell group meeting to dinner with client, from family dinner time to answering s. But it doesn t have to be this way. God said that if we focus our mind and attention to doing His work, glorifying His name, He ll bless us by giving us what we need (Matthew 6:33). Israelites who came back from Babylon to Jerusalem have neglected to rebuild the temple of God for 15 years, building their own houses with all the woods that they have gathered instead. God sees this as Israelites being disobedient, purposely withholds His blessing upon them and sent Haggai to warn them about their predicament (Haggai 2:16-17). And right after they have set their priority right, God s blessing immediately starts to come down upon the Israelites again (Haggai 2:18-19). Chasing your dream job or being an entrepreneur is not an ungodly act. In fact, it requires motivation, patience, and sacrifice; things that God loves (Galatians 5:22). We need to keep our motive and our priorities right in front of God. Do we only want to enrich ourselves? Or do we want to be a blessing to others through everything that we do? We also need to take a step back and see what went wrong in our life when adversity comes. It could be that God is just trying to get our attention! (Romans 8:28, Revelation 3:19) To let God s blessings come into our life and the people around us through our daily job, it requires us to keep our motivation and focus on God. For our God is Jehovah Jireh. Our God Jehovah Jireh, thank You for giving me the opportunity and power to chase after my dream and to be the channel of your blessing to my family and the people around us. I want to reconsider my daily steps so that it may only be according to Your ways, so that I can be Your reflection and through me many people will be reminded of You.

19 DAY 14: SMALL DOESN T MEAN INSIGNIFICANT Israel s older generation wept at the temple s newly built foundation. They saw the progress of the new temple, and realizing that it was not comparable with the glory of the former temple. They became very sad and discouraged (Ezra 3:12-13). However, God stepped in and said, Be Strong and keep on working! (Haggai 2:4).Here God affirmed once again that He is with them, that they were doing a great job, and that He will continue to be with them (Haggai 1:13). By doing this, God made it clear that He doesn t need their wealth or building skills (Haggai 2:8). All He asks for is their loyalty and love, and that s all that matters. The Bible tells us to never despise humble beginnings (Zechariah 4:10, Job 8:7). So even if what we are doing right now in our work or business seems modest or insignificant, or if it falls short of our expectations, we should not be discouraged. We should continue to focus on doing God s work, since His spirit remains with us (Haggai 2:5). Never despise humble beginning if you are doing God s work. Haggai only had four months of ministry, but he powerfully impacted the Israelites future. What s important is not how much you make or what kind of influence you have. It is far more crucial that you rely on God s Spirit. Cling to Him always! God only asks for our love and loyalty in doing His work. He will bless us as we are faithful and trust in him. We do our natural part and He does the supernatural part. At times we feel that what we are doing is insignificant, but God promised that if we follow him He will bless us and walk with us. Jehovah Shammah! Our Lord God, our Jehovah Shammah. Thank You for blessing us in our daily work. May our work be Your platform to shine and may blessings come upon many people through the work that we do. Allow me to always seek Your face and don t take Your Spirit away from me. For all I need is You, and You alone.

20 DAY 15: HOME BUILDER This is what the Lord of Heaven s Armies says: Look at what s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. (Haggai 1:7-8). In the Book of Haggai, we learn that one of the ways we honor God is by building His house. Some people see their job or company separately from God s House. But the Bible teaches us that everything we build must start (be sent) from His House, by the Lord of Heaven s Armies, with a purpose of bringing back useful materials from the marketplace that will be used to build His House. God wants to send us into the marketplace as the Lord of Heaven s Armies (or the Lord of Hosts, or Jehovah Sabaoth). As the LORD of hosts, God is the all-powerful ruler over the entire universe. As the God of all power and authority, He wants to intervene in the marketplace to provide great victory for us. He says, Now go, which means He is sending us now (not tomorrow, not in the future, but NOW), into the marketplace, like an army general. And He says, Bring down timber, which means takeover the materials and technology, and bring them back into the house of God. Every victory, every profit, every resource that we gain in the marketplace is for the purpose of building God s House (the body of Christ). God promises greater victory and greater favor this year in the marketplace, but He is calling us to be sent from Home (His Church) in order to bring these victories back so they can be used to build His home. Let s be His homebuilder! Dear Lord Jehovah Sabaoth, thank You for Your calling and for sending us into the marketplace. Thank You for Your promises of great victories and favor. I commit my work and businesses to You, who has all authority in Heaven and Earth. I declare Your victories and commit all the victories to Your glory and for the building up of Your House. In Jesus name, amen.

21 DAY 16: GREATEST COUNSELOR Greater Devotion involves greater involvement of God in every area of our lives, including in the job or business that we do. Not only are we serving God in whatever work we are doing, but we are continuously seeking His counsel in our job and business. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. (1 John 2:27) It s difficult to work, or to start and grow a business in isolation. Advice and counsel are critical in maintaining our focus and direction. Every successful professional finds someone who has been through the experience before and seeks his or her guidance for the situation. Howard Schultz (the CEO of Starbucks) was in a major downturn with Starbucks. One day he ran into Michael Dell (founder of Dell Computer) on a vacation. For three hours Dell gave Schultz advice, which helped Schultz to turn around Starbucks condition. God is the Greatest Counselor and He wants to be our Counselor, even for our work and business. Somebody said, If it matters to you, then it matters to God. This statement is true in that God wants to be involved in everything we do and lead us to victory. The question is have we involved Him and how do we involve Him? From 1 John 2:27, the first step of involving God is being aware that His anointing abides in us. Being aware does not only mean we imagine He is there, but it means we are continuously connected with His presence and we seek His wisdom in our daily journey, concerning all things. By doing this we will steadfastly abide in Him and in His great counsel. He promised to give us wisdom liberally whenever we ask for it (James 1:5). Thank You Lord for Your anointing and presence. We seek Your counsel in every area of our lives and even in our job and business. Allow Your Holy Spirit and Word to lead us today in our work, so that we may continuously abide and trust in You and Your Wisdom. In Jesus name, amen.

22 DAY 17: LOVING GOD S HOUSE Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin? (Haggai 1:4). In Haggai 1:4, The Lord rebuked the Israelites for their uncaring attitude and actions towards the house of the Lord. They chose to build their own houses, businesses, and work rather than build the house of the Lord. The unloving attitude towards God s house was written in verse two, This people says, The time has not come, the time that the Lord s house should be built. They did not realize that they never had enough: they sowed much but reaped a little; they worked for wages that were put into a bag with holes. They were never satisfied: they ate but didn t have enough; and they clothed themselves but no one was warm. Why did that happen to God s chosen people? Because of their attitude, which didn t show respect and love for God s house. Therefore, whatever they brought home was blown away and they could not enjoy the work of their hands. The Israelites experience reminds us that we need to learn to love God s house: 1. Start to plant the love of God s house and build the family altar by asking all the members of the family to attend church together every week. 2. Respect our spiritual leaders who have been working hard in leading and counseling us in our walk with God. 3. Represent God in our work place. Be an example in the marketplace so people around us can believe in Him. Pray for the love of God s house to fill us. He will bless you and supply your needs. Pray for the people in your household to be impacted by your love for God s house so they too can love God s house. Pray for the spiritual leaders who watch over us.

23 DAY 18: STRENGTHENING THE HEART IN TOGETHERNESS But now be strong, Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD, and work. For I am with you, declares the LORD Almighty. 5 This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear. (Haggai 2:4-5). Often times, it is hard to ask experienced people to work with others because they know what they re doing and they tend to be persistent in their own opinions while disregarding the thoughts of others. In Haggai 2:5, God told Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel and governor of Judah, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak and the high priest at the time, to strengthen themselves with all the people of Judah. Because of their strong hearts, they were able to finish the work of building the temple despite having to endure many challenges and obstacles. This teaches us that a strong leader should be able to move the people whom he is leading strongly and steadfastly to reach the end goal. Ken Blanchard said, None of us is as smart as all of us. This statement from Blanchard ensures us that a strong leader needs a strong leadership team too. In order to complete and execute a plan successfully, one will need strong teamwork between the leader and the team members. Let us learn from a bulldozer, which looks solid and sturdy. A leader is like a strong willed bulldozer with huge energy to get rid of all the obstacles that are in the way of the project and he or she gives opportunities for other team members to work in strength and finish the project. Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success. (Stephen Covey) Pray for the unity of the Apostolic Team, Executive Council, Regional Council, senior pastors and pastoral team in your local church. Pray for the unity of the body of Christ. Pray for the unity of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). Pray for the local government in your region.

24 DAY 19: STAND STRONG IN THE MIDDLE OF OPPOSITION Be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:4) When we are discouraged in serving God, His Word for us is to stand strong. Three times the Lord repeats, Be strong! ( Take courage! ) And He tells them to work. Keep going! Persevere! There are two aspects to this kind of perseverance that will enable us to stand strong in the middle of opposition: keep the right attitude and keep on working. The Israelites in the book of Haggai had the wrong attitude. They were weak because they had taken their focus off of the Lord and onto the slow, disappointing progress of the temple. Maybe they were thinking, This will never get done. We re just wasting our time! Have we ever noticed how much our attitude affects our ability to stand strong? If we are motivated, we can stay up all night working on projects. But if we are discouraged, we procrastinate and never get around to finish it. God says, Be strong! We are not to be strong in our own strength, but in God s strength. Let us have the attitude that hangs in there in spite of obstacles that we are facing. The real question is not how we see things, but how God sees things. If we have not factored God into the equation, we don t see things in the right perspective. The attitude provides the motivation, but motivation without work will not get the temple built. Much of the Lord s work requires far more perspiration than inspiration! Just because we are gifted in whatever we do for the Lord does not mean it will flow effortlessly. In order to persevere we must not only be strong; we also must work. Pray that we may be strong in spite of opposition or challenges that we face in our lives (family, finance, ministry, business, etc.)

25 DAY 20: THE TIME IS NOW We may face uncertainty if we say that we will do it tomorrow. We even pay a price when we procrastinate on spiritual matters. Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: This people says, The time has not come, the time that the Lord s house should be built. (Haggai 1:2). Haggai reprimanded the people for procrastinating the work of building the temple (Haggai 1:2-6). They had built their own houses, but were indifferent about God s house. They were exhorted to begin rebuilding immediately (1:7-8). Haggai said the reason God had not blessed them was because they had forgotten Him (1:9-11). God rewards those who put Him first and seek to do His will. Building God s house can start with us as the temple of God, building our spiritual life through daily devotion, reading and meditating on His Word. In addition, we need to start serving in His house and for His kingdom through your ministry in our local church and in our community. Starting this 2018 let us not procrastinate building spiritual aspects of our lives. Start your daily devotion now. Give yourself to volunteer in your local church now. Build and serve others. Don't just say one day I will do it, that day may never come. This is the wake up call. Let s build God s house now. Lord, help me to discipline myself to be consistent in my daily devotion. Help me not to procrastinate in serving others and build Your House.

26 DAY 21: GREATER GLORY The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts,' and in this place I will give peace,' declares the Lord of hosts." (Haggai 2:9) The glory of God is when Jesus dwells in the hearts of His people through faith by His Holy Spirit. Paul sums it up so beautifully in his prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up in all the fullness of God. Brother and Sister, this should astound and amaze us, that Jesus Christ in His glory dwells in us both individually and corporately as a Church. We are praying for a visitation of the latter glory. What is the latter glory? The latter glory is Jesus Himself dwelling in our midst, living in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. We might say this is His present glory on us. This is the glory of the New Covenant. Closing Prayer: We pray for a 'habitation' of His glory to dwell in us. We pray that we become vessels of His glory. I close with Ephesians 3: This so beautifully sums up the latter glory, Let this be our declarations as a Church. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to His power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen