40 Days of Fasting and Prayer

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Alan Stone
5 years ago
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1 40 Days of Fasting and Prayer We, the Leaders of Bridgeway, The Rock, and Capital Christian believe that God has called us as a church to fast from something in our lives (either something sinful standing between us and Him, or something good distracting us from wholehearted devotion to Him) to prepare for Worship Prayer and Healing Night. During this period we are to pray intensely for ourselves, our church, other churches around us, but more importantly our region. Additionally we are seeking how God wants to move at Worship Prayer and Healing Night to glorify His Name. Repentance Both personally, for the lost, and our region. Pray Asking God for things as well as His presence. Listen Thinking about things and letting God guide our hearts and our region. Meditate Being quiet and listening for how he wants to pour out His Holy Spirit in our lives and our land. We have provided both devotional prompts for you to read and use as a prayer starter each day, as well as scripture prompts. You can use them independently or together, depending on how the Lord leads you on each day. Devotional Prompts: 1. Repent for what we have allowed ourselves to become. In light of God s grace, kindness, favor and love as well as His mighty power through us and His Holy Spirit in us, sin should not have the hold on us that it does. Repent for the willingness to partner with sin and embrace it. Turn away from sin and back to God. Proverbs 1:23 2. Pray spend time asking God what He truly wants from us and our lives. How does He want us to spend our time? How does He want us to spend our money? What future does He desire for us? How does He feel about our relationships? How does He want us to change? Psalms 5: Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): What is in your life that is breaking the heart of God the most? What can you do about it? Deuteronomy 7:12 4. Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) His Mercy, Forgiveness and Grace We don t deserve God s kindness and yet He pours out undeserved kindness to us overflowing. He has forgiven His children of sins past, present and future. He has extended grace so that when the Father looks at us, He is pleased and not angered by our sin. He has healed us and forgiven us to such a degree that we are no longer performance- driven, but gratitude- driven. Scripture Prompts: Psalms 81 Colossians 4:2 Matthew 6:33 Isaiah 1:16-20 Proverbs 1:5 Psalms 119:27 Psalms 40 Psalms 84

2 5. Repent from pride. We have too high of a view of ourselves and too low of a view of God. Tell God that we are wrong and that He truly is the One on the throne. We don t want His seat and if we ve taken it, we are sorry. We are sorry for the way that our society has been so arrogant to think that they don t need Him for every good thing comes from Him and we can t live one breath without Him. Pride took Satan s heart away from God and we live in danger of doing the same. 2 Chronicles 32: Pray for the discipline to follow Him. We will not follow the Lord s commands without self- discipline. Merely desiring to finish a marathon won t get us there, we have to train. Training takes discipline. For us to advance in our spiritual growth we need to learn to say no to ourselves and the drives and compulsions of our heart. Pray that God would lend us power in this area. 2 Timothy 4:7 7. Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): Merely say the phrase, speak Lord, your servant is listening and wait. 1 Samuel 3: Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) on God s Power and Might God is the infinite Master of the Universe and is the One in charge of creation and sustaining our world and beyond. Consider deeply how His might means that we need to respect Him rightly. He is not to be trifled with. God is not weak, although He is good. Colossians 1: Repent from bitterness. Our hearts carry so much anger and resentment about past hurts. We live as if the wounds were fresh and created today. We shun forgiveness believing that if we do forgive, it will let them off the hook. Yet, God has forgiven us from the darkest depths of depravity, who are we to demand penance from another human being? Ephesians 4: Pray that God would Be Glorified. God is great and mighty, but He is not being recognized as so in our region. Pray that His works would be declared by His people and that the world would look upon Him in awe. Pray that people wouldn t ignore the answers to prayer and that He would be seen for who He is. 1 Corinthians 10:31 2 Kings 20 Hebrews 12:1-17 Jude Psalms 86 Psalms 68:34-35 Job 40, 41 Hebrews 12:15 Psalms 51 1 Peter 4:10-12 Psalms 19

3 11. Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): What beautiful things about God have we neglected? What attributes are we minimizing that He wants us to highlight about Him to ourselves, in our churches to the world? Psalms 57: Meditate (dwell on, in prayer)god s Love. God is so intensely loving. Sometimes we allow our difficult or confusing circumstances to redesign our view of God. Yet, despite how things look God is in control and His love is being poured out on us. In His love He is strong and tough, yet gentle and kind. Spend time reflecting on how He has loved you and the people around you. Philippians 1: Repent from idolatry both in our lives and the lives around us. We have allowed stuff to fill our lives and press God out. We have put our desires before God s. We have selfishly promoted what we want before the grand plans of the Almighty. Philippians 1: Pray seek a Fresh Anointing. So many of us are still relating to God the same old way that we have for so many years. We forget that He is wildly creative and continuously breathing new life. Spend time asking God what we need to catch up with that He is doing. Ask God what we need to do to let Him out of the box we ve placed him in. How can we come alive and join in on His current adventure? John 10: Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): Where is God working right now that we need to partner with so that His ministry is maximized? Luke 4: Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) Amos 5:14-15 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Meditate on the idea of God s judgment coming upon our region and what that would look like for others, for you? Are you, and the people around you, seeking the Lord, good, and justice in all you do? How can you help bring about God s graciousness instead of His judgement? Philippians 4:4-9 Psalms 57 Psalms 139 1Kings 8:22-23 Colossians 3:1-5 Daniel 5:1-30 John 14 Jeremiah 22: 3-6 Luke 4:16-30 Deuteronomy 10: Matthew 5

4 17. Repent from the Love of Money. We use money to do what God is supposed to do (security, escapism, peace & comfort, provides a future, etc.) and we have allowed our money to replace God. When money is involved our hearts go askew. Ask God to forgive us for letting it dominate our mindset, dictate our moods and determine our actions. Return money to it s rightful place so God can take His place in the provision of our needs. Hebrews 13: Pray for Freedom. So many people in our region are loaded down with worries, fears, anxieties, depression. Satan has made all of our struggles far worse than they need to be. Pray that God would set all of us free. Pray that those that don t know Him yet would be free to seek Him. Pray that the blinders would be removed, that they would be free to lift up their eyes and see His face. Galatians 5:1 19. Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?) How ought we to lead America as the Body of Christ? Where do we start? How can we show them that money, fame and power are not the answers they need to fill the void inside them? What can we do to lead our nation back to the Lord? Psalms 113:4 20. Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) on the Joy of the Lord. Sometimes we let the problems of this world get us down too much. Although the world is difficult, challenging and dark at times, God is glorious and He is doing so many amazing things to bring about His glory. He has done for us great things so that our joy may be full. Allow His joy to flood into you and dwell on His blessings. Psalms 20: Repent from busyness. Our busyness has left us shockingly immature, resistant to growth and unable to discern His voice. Running through life isn t living our design. Jesus calls to us to spend quality time with Him every day and we bolt out of the house and slam the door in His face. We run and run and run but accomplish little to nothing for the Lord. We say we don t have time and partly it s true. We have loaded our calendars to the point that if God calls we tell Him it s not possible, yet He s the only reason for living. Matthew 6: Corinthians 3 Jeremiah 18: 5-11 Psalms 105 Zephaniah 3:17 Jeremiah 15:16 Psalms 35: Isaiah

5 22. Pray for preparation for His Calling God has so many things that He wants to call us to, but we just aren t ready to do it. When he calls we should be ready to say, Here I am, I ll go, but He is forced to say, I appreciate that, but you simply haven t prepared. Maybe next time. Pray that He would bring us in the loop on what we need to do to prepare. Ephesians 4:1 23. Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): What does God have for us in the coming days as a church, as Christians, as a region? Proverbs 1:5 24. Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) Micah 2:12-13 I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men. He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the LORD at their head. What picture comes up in your mind? Are you in the army that the Lord wants to use for His purposes at this time? Where is God in this picture? Where is He in your life? 25. Repent from Apathy and Laziness. We have been lulled to sleep by our flesh and by the enemy. We don t care about God s heart or plans like we should. We don t long to be in His presence. We don t study His Word or pray as we should. We believe in our hearts that it doesn t matter enough to bother and we would rather waste our time on something else. Deuteronomy 11: Pray for Discernment Pray that God would give us the wisdom and discernment to hear His voice. Ask that He would clearly demonstrate what He desires and what He finds unsuitable for His children. Plead with Him that He would rewire our minds and ears and eyes to see as He sees and hear as He hears. Proverbs 17: Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): What should the Church be doing more of that it s not? Think big C Church meaning the collective churches together. How could we honor God more? 1 Peter 3:8 1 Peter 1:1-25 Ephesians 4: Kings 6:8-23 Deuteronomy 11 2 Kings 5: Peter 3

6 28. Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? What does this mean for you? How are you doing justice? In what way are you loving kindness? What s the level of your humility as you walk with God? Micah 6:8 29. Repent from Gossip and Slander. Our tongues are vicious. We talk nasty behind people s backs making judgments that are unfair. We assume that we know all the facts and that we alone know the truth. We care little for accuracy and more for the fame of spreading the news. We do not protect one another, but we pile on questions about people s character. Ephesians 4: Pray for a Heart for Others. We live the majority of our lives focused inward and yet the church is called to be salt and light to others. Pray that God would give us His heart. When Jesus saw the multitude of people He described them as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus shed tears over the hurting and so should we, even those who seek our harm. Colossians 5: Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): What makes God smile? What blesses His heart? The Bible says that we can bless God, how do we do that? Psalms 16:7 32. Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) Romans 2:29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. What s the difference between a Jew outwardly and inwardly? What is the difference between a Christian inwardly and outwardly? What s revealed in your life? 33. Repent from how we have defiled our bodies. God designed a beautiful body for us that can interact with Him, reason, think outside itself, enjoy God- honoring sexuality, interact with our world s adventure and the like. Yet, we have beaten it, chained it in addiction and bondage, distorted it with our gluttony, and fed it to the point of becoming a monster that controls us rather than vice versa. We are polluted and our temples are bleak. Romans 12:1 Psalms 34 Ephesians 4:17-31 Romans 12 Psalms 103 Psalms 104:1 Luke 11:39 2 Kings 4:8-37 Proverbs 6:1-19

7 34. Pray for Intimacy with Him. He desires intimacy with us so strongly and yet we push Him away. We were created to know our God and be known by Him in a personal relationship. He wants us to be near Him. He wants us close enough to hear His heartbeat. Jeremiah 33:3 35. Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): What is happening around the world that breaks the heart of God that He may want us to address personally or be a part of the solution to? Proverbs 6: Meditate (dwell on, in prayer) on Rest in Christ For so many of us we don t understand how to rest in God s arms. We are so caught up in trying to make Him love us that we don t relax. Take some time to understand how Jesus said to the religious fanatics of His day, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: Repent for what our region has become. We have rejected God as a people, told Him that we can do it all alone and that we neither need Him nor want Him. We have allowed the gods of this land to steal our hearts away and we live under the influence of the enemy. Luke 20: Pray for spiritual warfare. Take today to assault the kingdom of darkness. Pray that God would dispatch His mighty angels to our region and carry out His will here on earth as He does in heaven. Pray that He would push back the work that the enemy is doing in our region and to frustrate and embarrass him in his attempts. Pray that God would break the chains that the enemy has placed on all of us and we d walk truly free. Ephesians 6: Listen (Pray about it to God and then wait and listen your mind?): How do we see the Power of the Holy Spirit in our church that the early church saw in the first century? Acts 2: Meditate (dwell on, in prayer)what does God desire from us, His people, in this region that He might bring about revival in our land? Lamentations 5:21 John 17 Acts 7 Isaiah 32:18 2 Corinthians 12:9 1 Corinthians 10 Psalms 23 Acts 4: Psalms 111

21 DAYS OF PRAYER IS FOR YOU!

21 DAYS OF PRAYER IS FOR YOU! 21 DAYS OF IS FOR YOU! If you sense God has more for your life, 21 Days of Prayer is a great place to start believing Him for all that He has for you. As you practice seeking Him first, He will move on