TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from Pastor Paul Steps to Prepare 7 Days of Journaling and Prayer Assignments Resources: o Instructions for using Spotify/Instagram o Prayer for Personal Revival o Tips for Fasting o Prayer for Lost Friends
Dear Faithbridge Family, 18 th Century pastor, Robert Robinson, wrote the now famous hymn, Come Thou Fount which begins with these words: Come thou fount of every blessing; tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing; call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount, I m fixed upon it; mount of thy redeeming love. Certainly, we can relate to the need to have our hearts tuned to sing of God s grace. We know and love the Lord, but then life gets busy and bad attitudes creep in or, worse yet, sinful ones and we look up and realize God seems like He is a million miles away. Do you remember when God seemed so close and your heart was on fire when you worshipped and read His word? If so, then this week of prayer is designed to help you draw near to God and renew your relationship with Him. I am eager to see our church family strengthened as we each return to our first love. (Revelation 2:4) Pastor Robinson s chorus in that hymn says, Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here s my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above. Let s commit the week of April 7-14 as a time to offer our hearts to the Lord and ask Him to draw near to us. Blessings, Pastor Paul
STEPS TO PREPARE STEP ONE STEP TWO STEP THREE STEP FOUR Take time to read through the Tips for Fasting Guide in the Resource Section and decide what sort of fast you will be doing. If you intend to include personal worship in your daily time of prayer then read through the guide for using the faithbridgechurchjax channel on Spotify and get it set up. Make a date with God each of the seven days of this prayer journey. Decide what time and where you will meet with the Lord. Ideally, you will want to start your day with a more extended time then if fasting use what would normally be your meal times to pray. Finally, familiarize yourself with the layout of the prayer journal and consider whether there are any specific needs or decisions you want to pray over during this week of prayer.
DAY ONE Return to the Lord READ: Joel 2:1-17 and James 4:1-9 WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR: WHAT GOD SHOWED ME: WHAT I NEED FROM GOD:
DAY TWO Love the Lord READ: 1 John 1:5-10 and Revelation 2:1-7 WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR: WHAT GOD SHOWED ME: WHAT I NEED FROM GOD:
DAY THREE Thank and Praise the Lord READ: Psalm 100 and 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR: WHAT GOD SHOWED ME: WHAT I NEED FROM GOD:
DAY FOUR Seek the Lord READ: Psalm 105:1-6 and Isaiah 44:1-5 WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR: WHAT GOD SHOWED ME: WHAT I NEED FROM GOD:
DAY FIVE Serve the Lord READ: Isaiah 58 and Psalm 67:1-4 WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR: WHAT GOD SHOWED ME: WHAT I NEED FROM GOD:
DAY SIX Love the Lord s People READ: Matthew 22:34-40 and Romans 12:3-13 WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR: WHAT GOD SHOWED ME: WHAT I NEED FROM GOD:
DAY SEVEN Pursue More of the Lord READ: Exodus 33:7-11 and Psalm 42 WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR: WHAT GOD SHOWED ME: WHAT I NEED FROM GOD:
GUIDE TO SPOTIFY/INSTAGRAM STEP ONE STEP TWO STEP THREE Log on to Spotify at www.spotify.com or Instagram at www.instragram.com. Choose to follow faithbridgechurchjax. Each day during the week a song from our upcoming Sunday worship set will be posted. Take time to listen and meditate on the words during your quiet time.
PREPARATION FOR SPIRITUAL REVIVAL The following are questions that Pastor Ronnie Floyd proposes people use to prayerfully examine their heart s condition and then deal honestly with the Lord where they fall short. This exercise can be demoralizing if you do not have a firm grasp on what the scriptures say about your forgiveness. For each answer that reveals sin in your life, claim the promises of 1 John 1:9 which says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Here is a process of dealing with sin you have identified: Agree with God that it is sin don t excuse it in any way. Say to the Lord, God you are right. What I did or thought or did was wrong and I am so sorry. Decide to turn away from it and determine to do your best not to return to this sin. Ask God if there is anything you need to do about it. If something was stolen you may need to return it, someone wronged then apologies extended, etc. Remember what Jesus said, Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thess. 5:18 Do we worry about anything? Have we forgotten to thank God for all the things, the bad as well as the good? Do we neglect to give Him thanks for our breath, our health, and for life itself? Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Ephesians 3:20 Do we shy away from attempting to do things in the name of our heavenly Father because we fear we are not talented enough? Do feelings of inferiority keep us from our desire to serve God? When we do accomplish something of merit, do we choose to give ourselves, rather than God, the glory?
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 Have we been hesitant to thank God for the miracles He has performed in our lives? Have we believed it s good enough to live our Christianity in a causal manner and that it s all that important to share the good news of our deliverance with others? Are we sharing the gospel? Are we involved in advancing the message of Christ in our region, in America, and across the world? I say to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. Rom. 12:3 Are we overly proud of our accomplishments, our talents, our families? Do we have difficulty putting the concerns of others first? Do we have a rebellious spirit at the thought that God may want to change us and rearrange our thinking? Do we brag or boast to others about what we have? Do we swell up with pride when we receive compliments? Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Eph. 4:31 Do we complain, find fault, argue? Do we nurse and delight in a critical spirit? Do we carry a grudge against believers of another group, denomination, or theological persuasion because they don t see the truth as we see it? Do we speak unkindly about people when they are not present? Do we find that we re often angry with ourselves? With others? With God? Are we in harmony in all of our relationships? Am I willing to let it go and start over again? Am I right with everyone? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? I Cor. 6:19 Are we careless with our bodies? Do we defile our bodies with unholy sexual acts? Do we overeat? Do we take care of our bodies? Do we desire to be fit physically?
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. Eph. 4:29 Do we use language that fails to edify others, tell off-color jokes or stories that demean another person s race, habits, or culture? Do we condone these comments when guests are in our home or when our colleagues share them with us at work? De we curse? Do not.give place to the devil. Eph. 4:26-27 Do we close our eyes to the possibility that we may be a landing strip for Satan when we open our minds to him through ungodly practices, psychic predictions, occult literature, and violent, sex-driven, sexually perverted movies and DVDs? Do we seek counsel for daily living from horoscopes in the paper, on television, or on the Web rather than from God, our true and ultimate source for living? Do we let Satan use us to set up barriers that inhibit the cause of Christ in our churches and in our homes through criticism and gossip? Not slothful in business. Romans 12:11 Are we chronically late in paying our debts, sometimes choosing not to pay them at all? Do we charge more on our credit cards than we can honestly afford to pay? Do we neglect to keep honest income tax records? Do we engage in shady business deals? Do we inflate our financial worth? Do we get in business partnership with unbelievers? Beloved abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. 1 Peter 2:11 Are we guilty of a lustful eye toward the opposite sex? Do we fill our minds with sexually oriented Internet sites, television programs, lewd movies, unsavory books and magazines? Their covers? Centerfolds? Especially when we sense no one is watching? Do we indulge in lustful activities that God s Word condemns, such as fornication, adultery, or perversion? Do we have relationships improperly on the Internet? Do we enter chat rooms we do not need to be in? Are we engaged in pornography in any way? Are we practicing gambling or betting or playing the lottery in any way?
Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:13 Have we failed to forgive those who may have said or done something to hurt us? Have we written off certain people as not worthy of our friendship? Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:28 Do we know in our hearts that we are often not what people see? Are we possibly hiding behind being active in our churches as a cover for our activities away from the body of Christ? Are we mimicking the Christian faith for social status, acceptance in our church or our community? Are we real? Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy---meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8 Do we enjoy listening to conversation that hurts others? Do we pass it on? Do we believe rumors or partial truths, especially about an enemy or competitor? Do we choose to spend little or no time each day allowing God to speak to us through His Word?
TIPS FOR FASTING The following is an excerpt from Bill Bright s 7 Basic Steps to Fasting and Prayer. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 How to Begin A Fast How you begin and conduct your fast will largely determine your success. By following these seven basic steps to fasting, you will make your time with the Lord more meaningful and spiritually rewarding. STEP 1: Set Your Objective Why are you fasting? Through fasting and prayer we humble ourselves before God so the Holy Spirit will stir our souls, awaken our churches, and heal our land according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Make this a priority in your fasting. STEP 2: Make Your Commitment Pray about the kind of fast you should undertake. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14, 15). For Him it was a matter of when believers would fast, not if they would do it. STEP 3: Prepare Yourself Spiritually The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart: Ask God to help you make a comprehensive list of your sins. Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God's forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3, 4). Make restitution as the Holy Spirit leads you. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit according to His command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14, 15. Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master; refuse to obey your worldly nature (Romans 12:1, 2). Meditate on the attributes of God, His love, sovereignty, power, wisdom, faithfulness, grace, compassion, and others (Psalm 48:9,10; 103:1-8, 11-13). Begin your time of fasting and prayer with an expectant heart (Hebrews 11:6). Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16, 17). STEP 4: Prepare Yourself Physically Fasting requires reasonable precautions. Consult your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Some persons should never fast without professional supervision. Physical preparation makes the drastic change in your eating routine a little easier so that you can turn your full attention to the Lord in prayer. Do not rush into your fast. Prepare your body. Eat smaller meals before starting a fast. Avoid high-fat and sugary foods. Eat raw fruit and vegetables for two days before starting a fast. (If, for medical reasons, you are unable to abstain from food, then choose to give up something for those three days: i.e., TV, Facebook, video games; anything that will interfere with your ability to commune with God.)
While You Fast Your time of fasting and prayer has come. You are abstaining from all solid foods and have begun to seek the Lord. Here are some helpful suggestions to consider: Avoid drugs, even natural herbal drugs and homeopathic remedies. Medication should be withdrawn only with your physician's supervision. Limit your activity. Exercise only moderately. Walk one to three miles each day if convenient and comfortable. Rest as much as your schedule will permit. Prepare yourself for temporary mental discomforts, such as impatience, crankiness, and anxiety. Expect some physical discomforts, especially on the second day. You may have fleeting hunger pains, dizziness, or the "blahs." Withdrawal from caffeine and sugar may cause headaches. Physical annoyances may also include weakness, tiredness, or sleeplessness. The first two or three days are usually the hardest. As you continue to fast, you will likely experience a sense of wellbeing both physically and spiritually. However, should you feel hunger pains, increase your liquid intake. STEP 5: Put Yourself on a Schedule For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be. Below is an example of how to approach this. Morning Begin your day in praise and worship. Read and meditate on God's Word, preferably on your knees. Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13. Invite God to use you. Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country, and beyond. Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.
Noon Return to prayer and God's Word. Take a short prayer walk. Spend time in intercessory prayer for your community's and nation's leaders, for the world's unreached millions, for your family or special needs. Evening Get alone for an unhurried time of "seeking His face." If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer. Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus. When possible, begin and end each day on your knees with your spouse for a brief time of praise and thanksgiving to God. Longer periods of time with our Lord in prayer and study of His Word are often better spent alone. A dietary routine is vital as well. Dr. Julio C. Ruibal - a nutritionist, pastor, and specialist in fasting and prayer - suggests a daily schedule and list of juices you may find useful and satisfying. Modify this schedule and the drinks you take to suit your circumstances and tastes. 5 a.m. - 8 a.m. Fruit juices, preferably freshly squeezed or blended and diluted in 50 percent distilled water if the fruit is acid. Apple, pear, grapefruit, papaya, watermelon, or other fruit juices are generally preferred. If you cannot do your own juicing, buy juices without sugar or additives. 10:30 a.m. - noon Fresh vegetable juice made from lettuce, celery, and carrots in three equal parts. 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. Herb tea with a drop of honey. Avoid black tea or any tea with caffeine. 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Broth made from boiling potatoes, celery, and carrots with no salt. After boiling about half an hour, pour the water into a container and drink it.
Tips on Juice Fasting Drinking fruit juice will decrease your hunger pains and give you some natural sugar energy. The taste and lift will motivate and strengthen you to continue. The best juices are made from fresh watermelon, lemons, grapes, apples, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery, or leafy green vegetables. In cold weather, you may enjoy a warm vegetable broth. Mix acidic juices (orange and tomato) with water for your stomach's sake. Avoid caffeinated drinks. And avoid chewing gum or mints, even if your breath is bad. They stimulate digestive action in your stomach. Breaking Your Fast When your designated time for fasting is finished, you will begin to eat again. But how you break your fast is extremely important for your physical and spiritual well-being. STEP 6: End Your Fast Gradually Begin eating gradually. If you end your fast gradually, the beneficial physical and spiritual effects will result in continued good health. A Final Word STEP 7: Expect Results If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord, repent, pray, and seek God's face; if you consistently meditate on His Word, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence (John 14:21). The Lord will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. Your confidence and faith in God will be strengthened. You will feel mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed. You will see answers to your prayers. A single fast, however, is not a spiritual cure-all. Just as we need fresh infillings of the Holy Spirit daily, we also need new times of fasting before God. A 24-hour fast each week has been greatly rewarding to many Christians.
It takes time to build your spiritual fasting muscles. If you fail to make it through your first fast, do not be discouraged. As soon as possible, undertake another fast until you do succeed. God will honor you for your faithfulness. You are encouraged you to join in fasting and prayer again and again until we each truly experience revival in our homes, our churches, our beloved nation, and throughout the world. Appendix Below are some Scriptures regarding Fasting found in the Bible. This is not an all-inclusive list. Please take the time to review them. OLD TESTAMENT Exodus 34:28 Ezra 10:6 Deuteronomy 9:9 Nehemiah 1:4 Deuteronomy 9:25-29 Esther 4:15-16 Deuteronomy 10:10 Psalms 35:13 Deuteronomy 9:18 Psalms 69:10 2 Samuel 1:12 Isaiah 58:6 2 Samuel 3:35 Daniel 6:18-19 2 Samuel 12:16-17 Daniel 9:1-3 1 Kings 19:7-9a Daniel 10:3 1 Kings 221:27-29 Joel 2:15 Ezra 8:21-23 Jonah 3:6-9 NEW TESTAMENT Matthew 4:1-11 Luke 2:37 Matthew 6:16 Acts 9:9 Matthew 9:14-15 Acts 13:1-5 Mark 9:29 Acts 14:2
HOW TO PRAY FOR LOST FRIENDS 1. That Satan is bound from blinding them to the truth. When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart... -Matthew 13:19 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. -2 Corinthians 4:4 How can anyone enter a strong man s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. -Matthew 12:29 2. That they seek to know God. God did this so men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. -Acts 17:27 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. -Deuteronomy 4:29 3. That they believe the Scriptures. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God... -1 Thessalonians 2:13 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. -1 Corinthians 1:18
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principle of this world rather than on Christ. -Colossians 2:8 4. That God draws them to Himself. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him... -John 6:44 5. That the Holy Spirit works in them to turn from sin and follow Christ as Lord. When (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment...he will guide you into all truth... -John 16:8-13...(God) commands all people everywhere to repent. -Acts 17:30-31 Repent, then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. -Acts 3:19...and he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. -2 Corinthians 5:15 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ... -Philippians 3:7-8
6. That God sends someone to lead them to Christ. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. -Matthew 9:37-38 7. That they believe in and confess Christ as Savior and Lord. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. -John 1:12 I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. -John 5:24...if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9-10 8. That they take root and grow in Christ. So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you are taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. -Colossians 2:6-7