Welcome to Awaken the Hunger Awaken the Hunger is a 21-day journey of fasting and prayer. It is designed to help you deliberately pursue God both as an individual and as part of the Crossroads Church family as we start 2019, and seek His guidance, direction, and power. Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God, (Matt. 4:4). Be a Part of the Journey Every journey has a starting point, and key events along the way and Awaken the Hunger is no different. Opportunities to join in are abundant, and we encourage you to make room for God as you start the new year by engaging in as many of these as you can. You and the people around you will be different because of it! Daily Time With God Start the day by aligning your heart with God s heart. Each morning is a fresh start, and getting close to God is the key. Even if you have never prayed before, know that God is ready to hear from you, and work in new ways in your life. Each day, there is a Bible passage that focuses on a prayer recorded in the Bible. As you read, open yourself up to what God wants. Try to find a regular time and place each day to do these. Get a version of the Bible you can understand. We have copies of the NIV (New International Version) at the church. If you don t have one, feel free to take one next weekend at worship. You can also read online at youversion.com or download the Bible app. Before you begin to read, pray: Lord, show me what you want me to understand.
Then take time to process what you ve read. At Crossroads, we teach the SOAP method because it helps focus on not just what to know, but what to do about it. In the journal, you will find room to write your observations (and an example SOAP): S O A P Scripture choose 1 verse from what you ve read and write it down Observation a brief (1- or 2-sentence) summary of what you ve read Application one thing you can do today based on what you ve read Prayer ask God for help in doing that Talk to God Tuesdays Each Tuesday at noon during Awaken the Hunger - 1/8, 1/15, and 1/22 - all of Crossroads will come together for an hour of focused prayer. Each campus will be hosting a gathering, and we will all be linked together via Facebook Live. We will praying as one church together, and whether you join us in-person or on-line, know that your prayer will be a key part of us seeking God together. Night of Prayer The final week of Awaken the Hunger, we will gather at each campus for a Night of Prayer. Thursday, January 24 from 7-8pm at each campus. Fasting The goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. The next page contains suggestions for how you can fast.
About Fasting The goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distractions for a spiritual purpose; it hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out. It also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Types of Fasts Your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options, and most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. Complete Fast In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option. Selective Fast This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food. Partial Fast This fast is sometimes called the Jewish Fast and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown. Soul Fast This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance. For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast. For more information about fasting, check out this in-depth resource from Dr. Bill Bright: https://21days.churchofthehighlands. com/resources/guide-to-fasting-and-prayer Source: https://21days.churchofthehighlands.com/fasting
SOAP Sample S: One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of His disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. Luke 11:1 O: At various times in scripture we see Jesus going away to pray and hear from His father. Here we read of Jesus praying and at least one disciple seems to notice him. He turns to him and asks, Lord, teach us to pray. The disciples are curious, for some reason, about how Jesus is praying. Maybe they saw the connection between Jesus miracles and his devotion to the Father. Maybe something about that moment brought to mind during their recent mission having been sent by Christ. Whatever the reason was, they wanted training and instruction in how to pray as they saw Jesus doing. A: One thing about Jesus I sometimes miss is his example. Jesus was/is/will forever be God. And while on this Earth, he set an example: he prayed to the father. He looked to his source and he prayed. There is a reason for this. Jesus tells the disciples some of those reasons later on in this text. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds. Jesus knows that being connected to the source of all things is the only way to live a fruitful life in/for the kingdom of God. The disciples were intrigued by this, they wanted to know more and so they asked, and their God answered. I must look to the example of Christ and in this example see his devotion to prayer. I should follow the model of the disciples; see that God himself prayed and realize how much I should be praying. P: Father, I look to the example of Jesus and see his devotion to you through work, life, and prayer. God, I thank you for coming to this Earth to set a perfect example for me. I pray that your kingdom will break through in this world and that I, through loving and obeying you, may be a part of your perfect plan. Amen.
day 1 january 6 Why Prayer and Fasting Matthew 6:5-18
day 2 january 7 David s Prayer of Thanksgiving 2 Samuel 7:18-29
day 3 january 8 Solomon s Prayer of Thanksgiving 1 Kings 8:22-30 Talk to God Tuesday 12-1pm at Campuses and Facebook Live
day 4 january 9 Eyes to See 2 Kings 6:15-17
day 5 january 10 Hezekiah s Prayer for Deliverance 2 Kings 19:14-19
day 6 january 11 Nehemiah s Prayer Nehemiah 1:1-11
day 7 january 12 The Lord Accepts My Prayer Psalm 6:1-10
day 8 january 13 Hear My Prayer Psalm 17:1-15
day 9 january 14 You Answer Prayer Psalm 65:1-13
day 10 january 15 You Will Seek and Find Me Jeremiah 29:10-14 Talk to God Tuesday 12-1pm at Campuses and Facebook Live
day 11 january 16 God Delivers Daniel Daniel 6:10-23
day 12 january 17 Pray for All Matthew 5:43-48
day 13 january 18 Not My Will, But Yours Matthew 26:36-44
day 14 january 19 Moving Mountains Mark 11:22-25
day 15 january 20 Get Alone with God Luke 5:12-16
day 16 january 21 Jesus Prays for All Believers John 17:20-26
day 17 january 22 Devoted to Prayer Acts 2:42-47 Talk to God Tuesday 12-1pm at Campuses and Facebook Live
day 18 january 23 Set Apart Acts 13:1-3
day 19 january 24 Be Faithful in Prayer Romans 12:9-21 Night of Prayer 7-8pm at Campuses
day 20 january 25 Thanksgiving and Prayer Philippians 1:1-11
day 21 january 26 The Prayer of Faith James 5:13-20