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FOCUS 40 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Focus 40 Devotions for Adults

Calling the Church to

40 days of Prayer and Fasting

Dr. Sam Bruce, Editor

And the Transformation Team Connect/Refresh: Rev. Randy Montgomery, Chair

Rev. Joe Allison, Co-Chair Rev. Barb Ferraro Dr. Steve Birch David Farlow

Dr. James Johnman Dr. Andy Stephenson

Dr. Melissa Pratt Rev. Gary Moore Rebecca Shrout

Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Four Things to Focus on in Fasting.................................................................................................... 5 Unpacking the Focus 40 Devotions ................................................................................................... 6

Ignite ................................................................................................................................................ 7

Day 1 .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Day 2 .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Day 3 ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Day 4 ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Day 5 ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Day 6 ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Day 7 ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Day 8 ............................................................................................................................................ 15

Cultivate .......................................................................................................................................... 16

Day 9 ............................................................................................................................................ 17 Day 10 .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Day 11 .......................................................................................................................................... 19 Day 12 .......................................................................................................................................... 20 Day 13 .......................................................................................................................................... 21 Day 14 .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Day 15 .......................................................................................................................................... 23 Day 16 .......................................................................................................................................... 24

Refresh ............................................................................................................................................ 25 Day 17 .......................................................................................................................................... 26 Day 18 .......................................................................................................................................... 27 Day 19 .......................................................................................................................................... 28 Day 20 .......................................................................................................................................... 29 Day 21 .......................................................................................................................................... 30 Day 22 .......................................................................................................................................... 31 Day 23 .......................................................................................................................................... 32 Day 24 .......................................................................................................................................... 33

Permeate ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Day 25 .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Day 26 .......................................................................................................................................... 36 Day 27 .......................................................................................................................................... 37 Day 28 .......................................................................................................................................... 38 Day 29 .......................................................................................................................................... 39 Day 30 .......................................................................................................................................... 40 Day 31 .......................................................................................................................................... 41 Day 32 .......................................................................................................................................... 42

Free ................................................................................................................................................. 43 Day 33 .......................................................................................................................................... 44 Day 34 .......................................................................................................................................... 45 Day 35 .......................................................................................................................................... 46 Day 36 .......................................................................................................................................... 47 Day 37 .......................................................................................................................................... 48 Day 38 .......................................................................................................................................... 49 Day 39 .......................................................................................................................................... 50 Day 40 .......................................................................................................................................... 51

Copyright © 2010 by Church of God Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. This document may be downloaded, reprinted, or distributed free of charge for ministry and educational purposes provided that the copyright notice on this page appears without modification. The contents of the booklet may not be modified or abridged in any way, and this electronic version of the booklet MAY NOT BE RESOLD in any print or electronic format. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright (c) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Focus 40 Devotions for Adults

Calling the Church to 40 days of Prayer and Fasting

The Church of God is being called to unite in a time of prayer and fasting during the forty days leading up to Easter (March 16–April 24). Imagine the transformative power that could be unleashed if the church united in a time of deliberate prayer and fasting. How many lives could be changed? How many congregations could be healed and empowered for the sharing of the Good News of Christ? Imagine what could happen if we Christians humbled ourselves in submission, sacrifice and prayer? Focus 40 is a call for the church to join together for just such a period of worship and obedience. Growing out of their personal experiences in the Word, prayer and fasting, the Focus 40 Devotionals for Adults have been prepared by Church of God people across the nation.

God’s promise is still true, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…” ( 2 Chron 7:14 NIV).

“We are convinced that through the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting we refresh and connect in our relationship with God and others around us,” said Rev. Randy Montgomery, area administrator for Kentucky and chairman of the Strategic Values Transformation Team Cultivate and Refresh. “As God’s children, we need to pull away from all the voices and noises in our lives and focus and reconnect with our Father.”

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12 NIV).

Imagine if the church came together in the next forty days, in prayer and fasting—praying for God’s awesome outpouring of anointing, blessing, and life-transforming power upon his people. Do you suppose anything memorable could happen? Would God show up in our midst in ways yet not experienced by us? Would any lasting positive change happen in our lives, families, churches, and other relationships? We the Cultivate/Refresh Team believe all of this and more can happen as we come together in this time of prayer and fasting, and we are delighted to offer these Focus 40 Devotionals as helpful resources. We invite you to join us in this life transforming experience and to encourage your family and friends to participate also.

Dr. Sam Bruce, Editor; and the Transformation Team Connect/Refresh: Rev. Randy Montgomery,

Chair; Rev. Joseph D. Allison, Co-Chair; Rev. Barb Ferraro; Dr. Steve Birch; David Farlow; Dr. James Johnman; Dr. Andy Stephenson; Dr. Melissa Pratt; Dr. Sam Bruce; Rev. Gary Moore; Rebecca Shrout

Four Things to Focus on in Fasting As you begin the Focus 40 devotional season, realizing that fasting is something we need to grow into, here are four things we need to remember in the practice of fasting. 1. F—Focus on God What should be our primary reason for fasting? We fast to focus on God, to cultivate intimacy with him. When we truly seek him, we will find him (Jeremiah 29:13). What would prove to be the wrong focus for fasting? When we do it to impress people; this leads to pride. (Matthew 6:16) When we do it, not out of love for God, but as a duty to follow a set of rules; this leads to legalism. (Matthew 9:14–17) 2. A—Ask God Why do we need to ask God? Because he wants us to come to him and ask. He delights when we ask, for it shows humility and God-dependence rather than self-reliance (Hebrews 11:6). It proves that we have faith in him. We come to him believing that he is greater than our needs and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. 3. S—Submit to God What can we expect when we fast? We can expect to hear him better. God will speak to us and will answer in response to our prayers and queries. And what does God expect when we hear him clearly in a fast? Obey what he says. 4. T—Transformation What is transformation’s relation to fasting? It should be the end-result of fasting. Fasting is useless without real life-change. Because fasting brings us into deeper intimacy with God, our love for him should also grow, which should enable us to obey what he commands. As we are changed, we must help others change, by witnessing for Christ. Rev. Randy Montgomery, State Pastor, Kentucky Church of God Ministries; Chair, Transformation

Team Connect/Refresh; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University

Unpacking the Focus 40 Devotions. . . When you read the following Focus 40 Daily Devotions and focus on their message to you, you might want to spend a few minutes unpacking them, writing their meaning to you in your journal. Here are some reflection starters for you to consider:

1. What would the implementation of this devotional thought look like in your life? Are you there yet? What are your dreams regarding this concept?

2. What, if anything, keeps this from being real in your life? What changes—in attitudes, actions, motives, desires, habits—would need to occur for God to accurately reproduce his character in you?

3. What covenants with God would you like to make today regarding the message of this devotional?

4. Write a prayer about what you want God to do in your life, based on this devotional.

Dr. Sam Bruce, Editor (for questions or comments: [email protected])

Ignite

Revitalize the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20) in the life of every individual, church, and agency.

Reach the Lost

New Wineskins for a Fresh Filling Day 1 Jesus said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” —Mark 2:22 NKJV I think if most of us were honest, we would say that we long for a fresh anointing from God. Wouldn’t you really like to see and sense God working in the midst of his people? The power of God comes when the Spirit of God fills his people. How long has it been since you have really seen the power of God moving in your church? How long has it been since you have sensed the power of God working in your own life? Is there a freshness to your own journey with God?

There is a connection between fasting and the freshness of God in your life? If you read the above passage of scripture in Mark 2, you see that Jesus had just finished telling the Pharisees that his disciples would fast once he was gone. The purpose of the fasting was to prepare them for a new, fresh anointing from God. God does not put that kind of wine in old wineskins. In fact, our old wineskin, that is our old, dead spirits, cannot contain the freshness of the Holy Spirit of God.

What does that mean for you and me today? If we want the new wine of the Spirit of God—new miracles, new closeness, new intimacy, and fresh power—then it’s time to call a fast and shed these old skins for new ones.

What might happen if a large number of believers in the Church of God came together at the same time to fast and pray? How might God respond? As we present our bodies as “living sacrifices” before God in this time of prayer and fasting, allow God to open up your life. Shed away some of those old callous layers. Allow him to prepare your new wineskin for a fresh anointing from him and join with Christ followers across the nation to pray this prayer: Lord, help me get rid of the old wineskins in my life—the empty, dried up spiritual disciplines, or lack thereof, that are no more than just going through the motions. Replace them with your fresh, new wineskins filled with the new wine of the Spirit of God in fresh anointing, new miracles, new intimacy, and fresh power from your throne. Amen! Rev. Randy Montgomery, State Pastor, Kentucky Church of God Ministries; Chair, Transformation

Team Connect/Refresh

Building a Fasting Wall Day 2 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. —Nehemiah 1:4 NIV

We were preparing to launch into a message series at Indian Creek titled “I Want My Life Back.” The series was based on the story of Nehemiah, and as you probably know, Nehemiah rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem in fifty-two days. His date with destiny started because he “mourned, fasted, and prayed.” Our prayer team decided we should construct a fasting wall to prepare our congregation for this important series.

What is a fasting wall? Here is what we did. We set out to find fifty-two people who would each take a day to fast. The idea was to begin the fast at six in the evening, which was the beginning of the day for the Jews. Throughout the twenty-four hours, the person on the fasting wall would drink liquids but refrain from solid food until six o’clock the next evening. After the fast, the person would eat their supper meal.

We hoped the person could take off the whole day and spend time in the prayer room, in a quiet place, or out in nature praying for our church. We were kicking off a spiritual growth initiative called “Become.” We were asking people to prayerfully discern what God would have them become in this next chapter in the life of our church.

In many cases, the person couldn’t take the whole day off but they did pray. We didn’t find fifty-two different persons, but there was a noticeable difference in the spiritual temperature at Indian Creek. And some people had such a great experience, they wanted to serve again. One person decided to take one day a week during these fifty-two days to fast.

For many people, this was the first time they fasted a whole day. While it posed a hunger challenge there were multiple reports that this day spent fasting was one of the best days in the spirit and in the Word ever. Several reported that they were surprised that by eating just before six o’clock one evening and just after six the next day, they felt strong throughout the day.

One of the prayer leaders asked me last week if they could arrange a fasting wall for all 365 days of the year. I’m not sure what will happen with that, but I think God sure knew what he was doing when he thought of fasting. Pastor Gary Kendall, Indian Creek Community Church, Olathe, Kansas

Reconciliation Trumped Brokenness Under a Gnarled Old Apple Tree! Day 3 “Be still, and know that I am God” —Psalm 46:10 NIV During a time of intense struggle and heartache, Sandie and I left town for a few days, to go to a quiet spot where we could pray, reflect, and seek God’s perspective on the situation. We left after the morning service to go to a little town on the northern coast of California for time on a lonely beach in prayer, seeking God’s directions.

Early the next morning, our daughters and we were riding through the beautiful coastal mountains of California, viewing some of God’s marvelous handiwork. We stopped at a beautiful roadside park. Before we stopped, we were driving along with the eight-track tape deck playing our favorite music. The heater was blowing, with an irritating squeak in the fan. We were all talking and laughing.

As we pulled into the roadside park and stopped, I turned off the tape player, switched off the heater with its irritating squeak, turned off the engine, and opened the windows. Sandie said, “Listen!” When we got absolutely quiet, we could hear the rustle of a gentle breeze through the treetops, the gurgling of a refreshing stream down the mountainside, and the joyous songs of the birds flying overhead. As we listened, we became aware of a peaceful, quiet, calm sense of worship, thankfulness, confidence, and the presence of God cascading over our spirits, minds, and emotions. Then those words flooded my heart with new assurance: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV). Another translation says, “Relax and let go, and know that I am God.” I knew God had spoken to me and that he would go back with me into the situation where I was struggling. He would supply answers and resources for healing and restoration. He did! I witnessed God’s miracle-working power to solve the problem in ways I could never have dreamed possible.

We had a relaxing beachside week. I spent many hours walking the beach, praying and asking God to protect me from bitterness toward the man who was attacking me and to bring healing, restoration, and reconciliation to him. He did! Fast-forward a couple of years. It was an awesome day. At a picnic, I was standing alone under a gnarled old apple tree, being quiet before God, eating my lunch, when that man stepped under the apple tree beside me and said, with tears in his eyes, “Pastor, I am so sorry for how I’ve acted toward you. Will you forgive me?” Of course, I did! Friendship was restored. Trust was renewed. Hearts were healed. That was the day when reconciliation trumped brokenness under a gnarled old apple tree! And God showed up as… himself! Now, that’s the power and result of intercessory prayer. I just love gnarled old apple trees.

! Lord, thanks for the gnarled old apple tree! Thanks for the power of intercessory prayer that restores friendship, renews trust, heals hearts, and trumps brokenness. Thanks for being you, The Lord Who Is There1, always! Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,

Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University; Member, Transformation Team Connect/Refresh

1Ezekiel 48:35 NIV

Fasting: Leverage or Lifestyle? Day 4 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. —Acts 13:1–3 NIV Why were these leaders of the church in Antioch fasting? We’re told the results of their fast, but we’re never told the reason. I believe we’re not told because they are not fasting about anything; they are fasting because it is part of what they do—it is a part of the rhythm of their life.

I had always assumed that fasting was a means to an end. People fasted because they needed an answer to a question or a solution to a problem. I would guess that most of our prayer and fasting is done to attempt to bring God’s resources to bear on the issues and circumstances we deem important. They are tools of leverage.

These men were just fasting. No agenda. Christian tradition tells us we fast for two reasons: (1) to remind us of our dependence on

God for provision and (2) to set aside a our focus on our own needs to pay attention to God—to place ourselves at God’s disposal.

As these men were worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to them. If they hadn’t been listening. we might not have the legacy of Paul’s missionary efforts. If they had not placed themselves at God’s disposal, we might be missing half of our New Testament. If they had been fasting to leverage God to cosign their next great idea instead of exercising a lifestyle of fasting to listen to what God has to say, church history may have turned out much differently.

Is fasting a part the rhythm of your life? If not, you may be missing out on some amazing things that God wants to tell you and show you.

Father, forgive us for making even our spiritual exercises and disciplines all about us. Help us to learn to wait, listen, and hear. Help us to come into your presence to seek your face and not just the work of your hands. Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

Keep on Praying. Never Give Up! Day 5 “Pray without ceasing.” —1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV Most of us are familiar with that three-word verse from the apostle Paul. Depending on our interpretation, it has opened up tremendous possibilities or has been the cause of frustration. How do you pray without ceasing? Is it even possible? I understand that verse to be saying, Keep on praying; never give up!

I would like to reflect on prayer as a verb—an activity, or spiritual discipline. All of us have our unique experiences in praying, and most of us yearn for a better prayer life.

Some of our frustrations result from a lack of time or the absence of a disciplined practice. Perhaps unfulfilled expectations or a smattering of guilt followed our best efforts. Then, too, we’ve heard glowing testimonies from others who had found an enriching, empowering, enjoyable prayer life.

Might it help to realize that your personal prayer life is between you and God and, therefore, not like anyone else’s? The time of day, the length of time, the bodily posture, the words used or not used, whether you are spiritual or not—none of these matter. What is important is that you and God have a heart-to-heart visit. Prayer is communion with God. That may be what Paul meant when he wrote many times about being in Christ.

Prayer is one of the practices (holy habits) that cultivate our spiritual formation, precisely because it is an exercise of being in Christ. According to one writer, prayer is basic to “the process of being shaped by the Spirit into the likeness of Christ, filled with love for God and the world.”2

In other places, I have recommended an attitude toward prayer that seeks less of having our needs met or answers provided and more of the presence of the holy Trinity in the entirety of our lives.3 Often called contemplative prayer, usually consisting of Bible reading, silence, meditation, and waiting, this type of prayer seeks to receive and cultivate the presence of God. The focus is inward—soul and life examination, receptivity, and quieting the mind, body, and spirit. On the other hand, intercessory prayer is more outwardly focused. I believe that the former is needed to undergird the labor of the latter and to prepare for, energize, and guide our work of ministry and faithful witness in the world. Sometimes we blend the two together. The bottom line for praying is, I believe, “just do it!”

O God, teach us to pray as the Disciples asked, and remind us that it is mainly through practice that we learn. Enable us by your grace to live prayerful lives, to keep on praying and never give up! Amen. Dr. Dwight Grubbs, Retired Pastor and Instructor at Mid-America Christian University and

Anderson University School of Theology.

2 Conversations: A Forum for Authentic Transformation, Fall/Winter 2009. http://www.conversationsjournal.com. 3 Dwight L. Grubbs, Beginnings: Spiritual Formation for Leaders (Lima, OH: Fairway Press, 1994). Available only from author.

Fasting for Passion Day 6 “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” —Psalm 42:1 NLT When my husband, Dave, and I were engaged to be married, I had to return to pack up my apartment in Pueblo, Colorado, and work out a month-long notice with my company before transferring to another office in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. I was never so homesick in my life than I was during those four weeks of separation from my soul mate and future husband. My supper was the furthest thought from my mind every evening as I would hurry to make sure I was home at the pre-arranged time of our extended nightly long-distance phone conversation. I never gave more than a passing thought to the rapidly growing phone bill. All other obligations and priorities took second place to those sweet hours of being together the best we could manage considering we were separated by more than fourteen hundred miles and two time zones. The most important thing to me during that time was the sound of his voice every night on the other end of the line, those precious moments shared with him even though we were far apart, and the loving reassurance that after being temporarily apart, we would be together as husband and wife for the rest of our lives.

In the beginning of our relationship with God, we often have the same kind of passion that we do in the beginning of a human relationship. We are willing to overcome any obstacle, climb any mountain, and cross any sea in order to spend time in the presence of the Lord. But as our relationship with God matures, we might begin to take our time with him for granted, just as we often do with our human companion. In Revelation 2:4–5, Jesus scolds the church at Ephesus: “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first” (NLT).

One of the often overlooked tools we can use as Christians to renew our passion is fasting. Spiritual needs and desires are often difficult for us to express because we are physical beings who exist in a physical world. When we intentionally skip a meal in order to devote ourselves to prayer, study, and meditation on the things of God, the rumblings of hunger we feel in our bodies become a way to physically express the spiritual hunger of our souls. We are saying, “Lord, right now, I want to spend this time with you more than I want to satisfy my stomach.” The discipline of fasting and prayer can be a profound way to rekindle our passion for our relationship with God by helping us to give a concrete, physical voice to our abstract spiritual hungers and desires.

Father, help me show a passion for you today that is greater than my passion for anything fleeting that life has to offer me. Rekindle my desire to spend time with you as my first priority. Mary Nichols, Commissioned Minister, Teays Valley Church of God, Scott Depot, West Virginia

Attach Yourself to Your Prayers Day 7 “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” —Matthew 9:38 NKJV After my dad, Dr. Walter (Bud) Bruce, former president of Wesley College, (where I was also president for twelve years) went to be with the Lord, Sandie and I stopped by to have an evening prayer time with my mom. We were carrying on a family tradition Mom and Dad started at the beginning of their marriage. Of course, our thoughts were on Dad and the rich legacy of love and the true Christ follower role model he had left us. I remembered that, shortly after graduating from high school, while he was not yet a Christian, he made a covenant with God one day as he lay in a culvert while a tornado passed over him. He prayed, “Lord, if you’ll spare my life, I’ll go to church Sunday and become a Christian.” He did so the next Sunday. Against that backdrop, I read Matthew 9:35–38, which closes with, “Pray the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out laborers into his harvest.” Mom told us a story that happened a few days after his culvert prayer. He heard his pastor preach on this verse, and a few days later, he was reading this passage in the Bible in his own devotional time. This became a daily practice for him, for all who knew him, knew him as a devoted man of prayer and the Word, and he began praying earnestly, in response to the minister’s message, “Lord, send forth workers into the harvest!” As he continued interceding before the Lord, God spoke clearly to his inner spirit, saying, “Bud, I want you to be a worker in my harvest. I want you to be a minister of the gospel.” And Bud said, “Yes, Lord!”

God often does things like that, like calling an extremely bashful, exceedingly timid, painfully shy young man from the backwoods of Louisiana into the ministry. He went to God’s Bible School in Cincinnati, where he met Mom. Who would have thought God destined him to serve as college president, pastor, general conference president, and director of missions? To influence the lives of hundreds of people to serve as pastors, evangelists, and missionaries? To leave a legacy that would shape the church and people for many years to come? After retirement, at age seventy-one, he pastored a country church until his death at age eighty-two. Only God could have thought such things, for only God could enable such a ministry to happen.

That vision for ministry, born in an intimate relationship with God, continues beyond his lifetime today through hundreds of Christian ministers, trained at Wesley College, who are faithfully working in God’s harvest fields. Bud’s legacy continues through three children and their spouses, his grandchildren and great grandchildren, who serve (or will, as they grow up) in God’s harvest in various vocational or lay ministries.

When Jesus said, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest,” the word pray, in this context, does not mean to just kneel down and pray, but to attach yourself to the request you are making to God. It’s like saying, “Lord, send people out into the harvest. And if you want to send me, I am available. Bud Bruce attached himself to his prayers, and God multiplied his ministry in ways that are rare among men. The words of a song I wrote echo this commitment: “Lord, I’ll go where you want me to go. Lord, I’ll do what you want me to do. Lord, I’ll say what you want me to say. Lord, I’ll be what you want me to be.” Lord, I want to be there with you—going where you lead me, accomplishing what you commission me to do, saying what you empower me to communicate, becoming all you created me to be. Lord, keep me attached to my prayer: send out laborers into your harvest, and use me as one of them. I’m available. Use me as you wish. Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,

Mississippi; Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Member, Transformation Team Connect/Refresh

Rising to the Surface Day 8 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. —Matthew 4:1–2 NIV I think it is important that we not miss the point that Jesus started out by fasting. Before he began teaching or healing, he fasted. It was a time of focus, preparation, and sorting.

My family prefers raw milk. None of this pasteurized/homogenized stuff out of a carton for us. We like it right out of the cow.

One of the characteristics of raw milk is that if it is allowed to rest still and undisturbed, it separates and the cream rises to the top.

When milk has separated, you have a couple of choices. You can shake the bottle and the cream will disappear into the rest of the milk, or you can draw the cream off and transform it into useful things, such as butter and whipped cream.

When people fast for a long time, their hearts begin to rest and settle, and the things that are hidden in their hearts tend to rise to the surface. We may find that the anger or resentment we thought we had dealt with long ago is still a nagging presence. Or we may find that a passion or calling that we had never noticed is crying for our attention.

That long period of time may come in the form of a prolonged fast like Jesus’, or it may come in the form of a prolonged habit of shorter fasts over a period of weeks, months, or years. In either case, the result is the same: the true nature of our hearts rises to the surface. It may come through temptation, prayer, study, or conversation, but it will come.

When that occurs, we have a couple of options. We can fill the stillness with noise—shake our hearts up so the issues disappear back into the milk of our everyday lives. The other option is to stay quiet and allow the Spirit to draw off whatever rises to the surface of our hearts (he brought them up in the first place).

When Jesus fasted, he went through temptation and his true nature as the sinless Lamb of God rose to the surface. What rises to the surface of our hearts may not be so noble. But if we allow the Spirit to draw it off and transform it, he can make it something useful in our lives.

Father, help us learn to allow stillness and quiet into our lives. Transform whatever rises to the surface into something useful and honoring to you.

Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

Cultivate Nurture the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1–7) of every individual, church and agency.

Equip for Ministry

God’s Gift: Our Very Own GPS Day 9 “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible… everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” —Colossians 1:16 MSG I think one of the greatest inventions I have ever used is a GPS—global positioning system. Being directionally challenged is part of who I am; finding my way from point A to point B can be a challenge. There is just something about that automated voice telling me which way to turn that makes me feel more secure in my travels. Until the voice says, “Satellite signal lost.” Oh no! The automated voice is lost and so am I.

One time my husband and I were looking for a particular hospital in Cleveland in order to visit my sister-in-law. The GPS said very plainly, “Turn left now.” The only problem was, there was a solid culvert all along the left side and no way that anyone could turn left. We could see the hospital, but the GPS just couldn’t get us there, “Recalculating, recalculating.” And then, “Satellite signal lost.”

Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever lost your signal? What is your usual response when feeling lost, whether on the highway or in the circumstances of your life? Where do you turn for direction?

This lostness that we all feel from time to time reminds me of how much we need to have God’s crystal clear signal in our lives—his internal guidance system that he has placed within each of us. And the good news is that he never loses his signal. And at the very worst, we are the ones that need to recalculate our direction.

Psalm 130:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” At birth, he gave us our very own GPS and who can tell us who we are and what our purpose is better than our creator—we were born by his purpose and for his purpose.

Not only has he given us our own GPS system, but he has lavished on us all the resources we need to fulfill his purpose for our lives. He has SHAPED us for ministry, and that ministry is determined by how he made us. I love the acrostic Pastor Rick Warren uses to describe all the resources God has given us:

Spiritual Gifts Heart or Passion Abilities Personality Experiences A large part of his purpose for us is to use these resources to serve others. Read the

following scriptures: Ephesians 2:10; 1 Timothy 1:9; Galatians 1:15. Then ask God to show you what he made you to do, where he wants you to serve, and how he wants you to serve in the body of Christ and in the world.

Closing Thought: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Pastor Barb Ferraro, New Beginnings Church, Meadville, Pennsylvania, Member, Transformation

Team Connect/Refresh

Feeding the Starter Day 10 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. —Luke 5:16 NIV I guess you could say that my family is spoiled, but we’ve grown accustomed to homemade bread. Several times a week, I bake sourdough bread. We enjoy having bread we can actually taste. We don’t have to keep yeast around, because healthy sourdough starter will cause dough to rise just as well as yeast can—and the end product is much tastier and easier for your body to digest. Having healthy starter around also makes it possible to conveniently enjoy homemade sourdough pancakes, waffles, rolls, and more instead of settling for facsimiles of those things brought home in a package from a store.

In order for this to be possible the starter has to be fed regularly, and that requires a little discipline. Every morning as part of my morning routine, I have to feed the starter. All it takes is a little flour, a little water, and a little stir. Sometimes when I’m pressed for time I wonder if it is worth it. But the benefits far outweigh the trouble.

In today’s scripture, Luke implies that Jesus had a consistent routine of prayer. For most of us, prayer is something we do when we need help or instruction or intervention. Our habit of taking prayer requests in our services demonstrates that we see prayer as a response to life.

It appears that Jesus’ understanding of prayer was just the opposite. Prayer was the starter. For Jesus, prayer wasn’t a response to the events of his life; it was out of his habit of prayer that the events of his life flowed. No matter what his day brought, he was ready. He didn’t have to scramble around mumbling snippets of prayer under his breath to figure out what God wanted him to do. His prayer foundation was laid; he just had to listen for the voice he recognized and to look for the work of the hands that were so familiar.

I think most of our lives would be very different if we adopted Jesus’ perspective on prayer. If prayer were the initiating activity of our lives, we would spend more time paying attention to what God was doing, and far less time worrying about the unexpected.

It may take a little work to establish a healthy, well-fed prayer starter, but the benefits far outweigh the trouble. Father, help us to learn to make prayer the starter for our lives, and not just a response to it. Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

Fasting as an Expression of Love Day 11 “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” —Song of Songs 6:3 KJV With two active kids, three dogs, and a tortoise at our house, it’s not always easy for my husband and I to find time to share romantic moments together. Each of us has a demanding career as well, so date night often gets bumped off the calendar by meetings, work deadlines, school projects, and other demands of our busy schedule. For all the concerts we’ve never heard, the movies we’ve never seen, and the intimate dinners we’ve never gotten to share in the twelve years of our marriage, we still have a healthy relationship because we’ve managed to find creative ways to express our love for each other that wouldn’t be obvious to the casual observer. For example, pot roast with carrots and potatoes is my husband’s favorite meal, so anytime I want to clearly communicate my love for him, all I have to do is put a pot roast in the crock pot. To him, being greeted at the front door after a long day at work by the savory aroma of roast beef is better than the thought of a fine dinner at a five-star restaurant, and he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that the meal was prepared with love just for him. Slow dancing in the kitchen when our song comes on the radio, laughing at funny things our kids have said, or when I wear a certain perfume or a piece of special jewelry that he purchased for me—all of these things communicate wordlessly that I’ve been thinking of him during the day and say a silent “I love you” that only he can hear. These ordinary, everyday romantic moments make up the majority of the romantic space in our marriage and serve as the intimate foundation that supports our family through times of hardship and pain.

For me, fasting has served a similar purpose in my relationship with God. When Jesus addresses the topics of prayer, giving, and fasting in Matthew 6:5–16, he cautions that these acts are acts of personal devotion. While there are occasions where we engage corporately in all three, our relationship with God thrives when it is built on the foundation of a strong personal, private devotional life. When I am fasting, whether it is for a few hours, a day, or longer, it’s as if I get to spend my whole day in my “secret place” alone with God. I find that as I am fasting, I turn increasingly to God in prayer and meditation on his Word, and my whole day becomes filled with stolen romantic moments with him. As I go about my daily business, my fasting is like the special perfume or the aroma of pot roast, secretly telegraphing the message “I love you, God!” heavenward like a sweet-smelling incense.

Lord, may my actions this day communicate my love for you and show that my relationship with you is a priority in my life. Forgive me when I fall short of this goal and help me to work on having a strong, intimate relationship with you as my deepest desire.

Mary Nichols, Commissioned Minister, Teays Valley Church of God, Scott Depot, West Virginia

Prayer for Joy in the Sighing Times Day 12 When I finished writing my song Come to the Waters, Sandie and I were visiting in the mountain home of our friends Buz and Billie Boberg. After Billie, who had faced some difficult physical and emotional challenges, heard us sing the song for the first time, she said, “Sam, I’m so glad you wrote the part about sighing because sometimes, when you face the hard times, the only thing you can do is sigh!” She was referring to the third verse: “Bring all your sorrows, heartbreaks and hurts. Bring all your sicknesses, sighs, and sins. Taste of my waters, and I’ll cleanse you today. Bring them all to my waters, I’ll refresh you within! I’ll refresh you, I’ll renew you, I will cleanse you right now.” The verses of Psalm 5 below form an awesome prayer for joy in the sighing times. My journal entry that follows is an affirmation of that prayer to the God who, in the midst of our sighing, crying, hurting, requesting, does give joy! He’s proven himself faithful time and time again.

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation…Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make straight your way before me…But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield (Psalm 5:1–3, 8, 11–12 NIV, emphasis added).

My sighing—

when the cares and problems of life weigh me down, God hears!

My crying—

when words don’t come easily, when my heart aches constantly, when my mind is muddled and confused, God listens!

My requests—

the things I know I need, the things God knows I need, the things that feed my soul, God provides!

Therefore,

I can come before my God expectantly, I can experience his mercy, I can follow his leadership, God gives joy!

Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


The Power of Fasting Day 13 Most Christians and non-Christians rarely discuss or understood fasting. I remember, as a new Christian, when we were asked by our pastor or one of the spiritual leaders in the congregation to fast from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM So often we would watch our watches, or the clock on the wall, waiting for 6:00 PM to arrive. On a few occasions, a meal was prepared in advance and the alarm clock set sharply for 6:00 PM so we could begin eating immediately. As I look back on those days of my early Christian experiences, it appears we were more concerned about eating than fasting.

Later, as I read the Bible, and other books about fasting, I discovered that fasting is a vital teaching in both the Old and New Testaments. Furthermore, I learned that fasting, coupled with prayer and a humble spirit, is a powerful weapon in the life of a Christian.

The Hebrew word for fasting means “to cover the mouth,” and the Greek word for fasting means “to abstain from food.” In each instance, the meaning is the same. We cover our mouths to prevent food from entering our bodies. Fasting is a time of dedicating both body and soul to God by removing fleshly distractions from our lives. Fasting allows the spiritual resources of heaven to occupy our thoughts and affections. We are removed, for a while, to a new dimension of spiritual reality; our walk by faith, and not be sight, takes on a new meaning as we make a connection with God in new and exciting ways.

Therefore, fasting is any self-imposed appetite-denying discipline. Consequently, fasting takes on a negative aspect for the flesh; in contrast, it becomes a positive force in the Spirit. There are, for example, a number of illustrations in the Bible that confirm the benefits of fasting. Here are just a few of them:

1. Deliverance from the Adversary—Esther 4:1–3 (NIV). When Mordecai learned all that had been

done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he only went as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth and ashes was allowed to enter. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

2. Jesus in the Wilderness—Matthew 4:1–2 (NIV). Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting, for forty days and for nights, he was hungry.

3. For Divine Revelation and Confirmation—Acts 13:1–2 (NIV). In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers…While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Since those early days as a new Christian and my first exposure to fasting, I have learned the true meaning of fasting for spiritual growth and divine enlightenment. A fitting conclusion regarding the importance of fasting may be summarized as follows: (1) As Christians we can and ought to fast on behalf of our nation and those who provide leadership at the local, state, and national levels. (2) Fasting will help us to overcome temptation as we face our social, physical, moral, and spiritual wilderness. (3) May we fast and pray for men and women who will petition God for his guidance and direction of Holy Spirit as we seek to do his will. Dr. Alvin Lewis, Retired, Former Pastor, Central Community Church of God, Jackson, Mississippi

Healing Our Painful Pasts Day 14 “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” —Jeremiah 31:34 NIV Do you have a secret? Is there something about you that you hope no one ever discovers? I have found that all of us have secrets and that failing to address them can be very unhealthy spiritually. As a young pastor, I would talk about horrible problems like rape, incest, suicide and sexual addiction as belonging to people out there. We brought the poor lost folks into our fellowship to bring them to Christ.

How foolish of me! I have learned that whatever the group—an alcoholic recovery group, a church crowd, a mid-week Bible study populated mostly with white-haired folks—there will be people present who are struggling with painful secrets. I remember a young mother coming into my office a number of years ago. She was talented and beautiful, with a wonderful smile, but this day she was not smiling. This day, through bitter tears, she recounted years of sexual abuse and a broken life that had resulted from her painful past. No one knew, but the secret was destroying her life.

If you are a Christ follower you probably are aware that God forgives completely when we ask. “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). It is not God who struggles with forgiveness. We struggle to release our painful pasts into his forgiving Spirit. Several years ago, I started teaching a little visualization prayer. I ask people to imagine their heart to be a big room. It is a place where you live and work. In the middle of the room is a trap door. Can you see it? Inside the trap door are the secrets, the hurts, the painful memories in our lives. Maybe they are so painful you have chosen to not recall them. I then ask people to do two things. If there are secret, not yet confessed sins in their lives, they need to confess them at that moment to God. Next, they need to lift the trap door. It is dark down there, but Jesus is light. Invite him to go into the darkness. Ask him to touch those wounds and hurts that keep you confused and frustrated and angry. Ask him to remove the guilt and pain and replace them with his amazing peace.

I ask that you pray this prayer every day until his peace overcomes the pain and darkness that robs you of his joy: Lord, help me open the trap doors in my life. As the Light of the world, please walk with me into the darkness. Touch and heal the wounds that keep me confused and frustrated and angry. Then remove the guilt and pain and replace it with your amazing peace. Amen. Rev. Steve Birch, Pastor, White Chapel Church of God, South Daytona, Florida; Member,

Transformation Team Connect/Refresh

Seeking the Known about the Unknown Day 15 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. —Psalm 139:23 NIV Our motivation for entering a fast can often mislead us. We are often tempted to enter a fast so that we can resolve some difficulty or obtain what we do not possess. Our true motivation for fasting should be one that leads us to greater intimacy with God. One definition of true intimacy is to know, to be known, so that we can be caringly involved. When we are motivated to fast for the purpose of knowing God, to be known by God so that we can be caringly involved with God, our fasting will be productive.

Several years ago, I was led by the Holy Spirit to fast for twenty-one days. As this leading came to me, I had no other reason to fast except to be obedient to the Lord. I have come to believe that when the Holy Spirit leads you to fast, he is preparing you for what is ahead. You will not know at the onset of the fast what it is that he is preparing you to face, go through, or accomplish. You may find in retrospect that the fasting period is an actual time of planting spiritual seed for a time of harvest that comes well beyond the fast. As I began to fast in obedience to the Holy Spirit, the journey began to unfold. I had been fasting for four days when I received a call to be a replacement speaker at a convention. The scheduled speaker had fallen ill and they needed a speaker to fill his assignment. The request came two weeks before the assignment. I asked for a day to pray and check my calendar before answering. I felt the release from the Lord to accept the assignment. My time of fasting would carry into the beginning days of the meeting. I stayed faithful to the full twenty-one-day fast from meals, taking only liquids. I felt energized as we entered the meeting, and it was quickly evident that the Spirit of God was upon this meeting.

We experienced a tremendous move of God on the fourth night of the meeting. I began to deliver my message when there was a great disturbance in the auditorium. The disturbance was quieted only to occur again about ten minutes later. Then, as we regained the attention of the audience, my microphone went dead. A second microphone was handed to me and it went dead. Finally, we again restored sound. As I continued my message, a man came walking across the front of the auditorium and fell weeping on the altar. I paused, and in my spirit I asked God, “What is taking place?” The immediate impression to my mind from God was, “I don’t need your sermon.” I believe because of the fasting and intimacy with God, I quickly responded to him. I shared with the audience what I felt the Lord had shared with me and said, “God has already spoken to you, just be obedient. The altars are open for you to respond to the Lord.” Immediately, the altars were flooded with people responding.

During the next hour and fifteen minutes, wave after wave of people were coming to God. There were miracle healings and deliverances that took place in front of our eyes. There were three men all above the age of sixty who came to receive Christ as their personal Savior that evening. Other signs and wonders too numerous to mention occurred. From that day to now, I have been firmly convinced God only needs individuals who are willing to set themselves aside to be a conduit of the Holy Spirit. I know of no other way to so effectively become a surrendered conduit for the Holy Spirit than by fasting.

Lord, may I so desire to know you and be known by you that I will lay aside every weight that would beset me. May my desire for knowing you intensify to the level that I could lay aside anything in order to spend time in your presence. Father, I want to be caringly involved in what you are doing. Lord, I seek you so that you may reveal the unknown to me. Amen.

Pastor Claude Robold, New Covenant Church, Middletown, Ohio

Running Down and Up the Hills Day 16 I, the Lord, will take you by the hand… and you will free captives from prison… —Isaiah 42:7 (paraphrased) One of my most memorable experiences came as a senior seminary student at Anderson University, working at Park Place Nursery School with three-year-olds. Those little children were so innocent and eager to learn. One little girl latched onto my heart. I don’t remember her name, but I remember her well. She was extremely quiet, painfully shy, a loner, somber most of the time. She wouldn’t play or work with other children or adults. Throughout the semester I attempted to reach to her, to pull her out of her cocoon. I prayed for her, wondering what kind of home she had, whether she were an abused child. I wanted intensely to help her play with the other children.

On my last day in nursery school, it was time for the children to go outside to play a favorite game: holding hands with each other, or a teacher, and running down and up the grassy hill on the playground. The picture is etched indelibly in my mind. Standing by the door, watching children run outside, I felt a little hand take hold of mine, and I heard her speak softly those unforgettable words, as her big brown eyes captivated my heart, “Mr. Bruce, would you run down the hill with me?” It was the first time she opened up to let anyone inside her fragile shell!

I ecstatically responded, “Honey, I sure will!” Off we went, hand in hand, running down and up the grassy hill together. Soon she let go of my hand and joined the children, running, laughing, playing, having a wonderful time.

As I watched through misty eyes, I breathed a prayer of thanks to God for letting me have a part in freeing a beautiful little creation of his from her cocoon, setting her free to soar. I never saw her again, but I do hope she is still soaring in the strength of the Lord.

That’s why Jesus came, to run down and up the hills of life with us, setting us free to soar as on eagles’ wings through the good news of Jesus Christ in all his healing, reconciling power. He came to set us free, to heal and restore us spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and relationally. And he came to empower us to set others free spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and relationally. This demonstrates the awesome power of persevering intercessory prayer. Never give up!

Thank you, God, for the power of intercessory prayer to heal, restore, and set people free to soar and run down and up the hills of life with inexpressible joy, uncontainable happiness, and unending freedom. Give me the vision and love to see others who need to be set free to run down and up the hills. In the name of him who is able! Amen!

Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


Refresh Renew our efforts toward relational connectivity and identity (John 17:21–22) for every individual, church, and agency of the Church of God.

Celebrate Unity

O God, Come to My Aid Day 17 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” — Jeremiah 24:7 NIV Life is a spiritual journey, and prayer seems to be a part of it, even before we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I still remember when the tragedy of 9/11 happened; the whole world was drawn to pray, even those who previously would have nothing to do with God were openly praying. It was written about in newspapers, talked about on TV. Everyone was very openly holding public prayer vigils and prayer meetings without any criticism. I was sure that this was going to be the beginning of a God awakening for our country. But for many it was short-lived and forgotten.

As God draws people to prayer, his Word tells us that he wants to give us a heart to understand who he really is and that he is our God and we are his people. This kind of prayer is the light of God that shines upon us, telling us which way to go in order to obtain peace, solidity, and freedom. It is the way of the cross. Jesus died so that we could have this peace and freedom in our lives. It is a free gift from God to us.

As we continue to pray, we will begin to see some of the wholesome seeds that lie within our consciousness, and God will water them. These are the seeds of compassion, love, understanding, forgiveness, and joy. If while praying we can recognize these seeds within us, he will draw us to himself and we will be changed forever by his saving grace. The greatest relief we can obtain is available when our heart touches his in total, unconditional surrender. The moment we surrender our entire being to God, all of our fears vanish. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and then we feel truly alive, capable of understanding the suffering of others, and motivated by the desire to help. When you touch deep understanding and love, you are healed. Prayer transforms our vision of the world, and makes us see it, all men, and all the history of mankind in the light of God. Truly it is a prayer of the heart.

My question then is this: Is it necessary to use many words in order to experience this kind of prayer? It is not. The Desert Father St. Macarius said, “Only stretch out your arms and say, ‘Lord, have pity on me as you desire and as you well know how.’ And if the enemy presses you hard, say, ‘Lord, come to my aid.’” Early Christian monks urge us to use short, simple prayer drawn from the Psalms. The most frequently used one is “O God, come to my aid.”

Do you need God to come to your aid today? Then just reach out to him with all your heart and say, “O God, come to my aid.” He will answer you and fill you with his Holy Spirit. In the words of St. Macarius, “There is no other perfect meditation than the saving and blessed name of our Lord Jesus Christ dwelling without interruption in you.” Thank him today for his amazing power in your life through prayer.

Pastor Barb Ferraro, New Beginnings Church of God, Meadville, Pennsylvania; Member,


Longing for God4 Day 18 “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” —Psalm 42:1 NLT When I was converted to Christ, I was a real wino, dino, and dingbat. In other words, I was heavily influenced by the world and was very much a part of it. Through a dramatic conversion, I learned the necessity of a daily relationship with Christ. I needed him at every turn. I would turn to him for every little thing. I remember how I couldn’t wait for my visit with the Lord. I would talk to him early in the morning before I even got out of bed and wouldn’t stop talking to him until my head once again hit the pillow that night. We talked about everything: what I should do that day, what I should say, and how I should invest my time. I included him in everything. It reminded me a lot of when I was young and spent a great deal of time on the phone with my girlfriend. We would spend hours on the phone. Sometimes we would call just to hear each other say hello. Nothing really had to be said, but just knowing that she was at the other end of the phone seemed to make the day fulfilled and better. There were times that we talked on the phone way into the night until we fell asleep. As silly as those times sound, they were quite meaningful times in my life. Unfortunately, as we get older and wiser in the Lord—or at least we think we are—we feel that we can rely more and more on our own understanding. I would hope that we would, once again, humble ourselves and pray and seek his face and turn from our wicked ways so that he could hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal out land.

As we look to our daily prayer life, I want to challenge each one of us to get to that point where we long to be with the Lord, where we can’t wait to call upon him and to spend as much time as possible with him in conversation sharing every detail of our lives—from the least important to the most difficult areas of our lives.

We need to have an attitude through which prayer becomes a priority for our family, our life, and ourselves. We need to make it a priority, not an option. We need to choose to pray. If we truly believe that spending time with God in prayer is actually carrying on a conversation with the Creator of the universe, then why would we overlook, avoid, forget, or even fall asleep in the middle of our prayers? We need to realize that this is an incredible privilege that God has given each believer to call on him and have him answer. Neglecting prayer is a personal loss and one that I now refuse to ever lose out on again. You see, once we realize that prayer is the source of power for our life, just as electricity is to an appliance, we will never want to be disconnected again, because we have come to realize that God increases our usefulness as we stay plugged into him through prayer.

Father, help me to long to spend time in conversation for you. Rekindle my desire to spend time with you as my first priority. Richard Mansfield, Evanglist; Senior Pastor, New Beginnings Church of God, Albuquerque, New

Mexico; Director of Finance, Concilio Hispano de la Iglesia de Dios

4 Excerpted from Richard Mansfield, “Experiencing God’s Presence Through Prayer,” in Experiencing God’s Presence Through Worship, Prayer, and Service, by Leslie Parker Barnes, Donald L. Collins, and Richard Mansfield, 21–38 (Anderson, IN: Warner Press, 2002). Use by permission.

Delight Yourself in the Lord: Prayer for Success! Day 19 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. —Psalm 37:4 NIV When I first read this passage, my eyes immediately jumped to the part about he will give you the desires of your heart. Isn’t that what we all want, the desires of our hearts? So I said, “OK, Lord, where’s the key to that treasure chest, the key to success? Let’s get it open!” Then I read again the first half of that verse, Delight yourself in the Lord, followed by the little connecting words and he will. That’s one of those If… then statements: If you do this… then I’ll do that. God’s fulfillment of the second part is dependent on our fulfilling the first part: If you delight yourself in the Lord, then he will give you the desires of your heart.

“So, Lord,” I said, “how do I do that, delight myself in you so you can give me the desires of my heart? He said, “Read the rest of the instructions!” Here they are: Trust in the Lord and do good…Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him…Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:4–7) Then it connected! I began to understand: the Creator God wants to live in a close, personal, intimate relationship with me. That’s delighting myself in him: committing my way to the Lord, saying, “Lord, your will be done in my life, your plans be fulfilled in my life.”

Delight means to be pliable, as gold in the hands of the Refiner, who purifies and shapes it into a vessel he can trust to fill with the desires of his heart. When we commit our way to him, we allow the desires of his heart to become the desires of our hearts. Then he can trust us to give us the desires of our hearts. We can always trust the desires of his heart to be what is best and fulfilling for us, because he wants us to succeed. He expresses this clearly in Jeremiah 29:11, I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (NIV).

Lord, empower me to delight myself in you, to be pliable and pure in your hands. Shape me into the vessel you can trust to fill with the desires of your heart. Help me make them the desires of my heart. Then give me the desires of my heart because I am in line with your purpose and plan for me. And grant me success and fulfillment in every part my life. Use me, Lord, as you wish, to empower others to delight themselves in you. Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


Is Prayer and Fasting Relevant Today? Day 20 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. —Acts 14:23 NLT Paul and Barnabas handpicked leaders in each church. After praying—their prayers intensified by fasting—they presented these new leaders to the Master, to whom they had entrusted their lives. For Paul, prayer and fasting was a joint venture of faith. Prayer and fasting were critical to the development of the early church and its effective mission.

What about today? Are prayer and fasting still relevant? I came across a statement not long ago concerning prayer and fasting that really challenged my life. Let me share it with you. “You will be the poorer spiritually and your prayer life will never be what God wants it to be until you practice the privilege of fasting.” This is a strong statement; is there truth in it?

One of my favorite writers concerning the many facets of prayer is Wesley L. Duewel. In his book Touch the World through Prayer, he scans history and shares an assortment of statements by a few noted thinkers and scholars.

Fourth century Bishop of Salamis, Epiphanius wrote: “Who does not know that the fast of the fourth and sixth days of the week are observed by the Christians throughout the world?” Francis of Assisi danced, preached, sang, testified, and fasted through the streets of Italy until thousands of the youth were saved. Martin Luther was criticized for too much fasting. John Calvin fasted until Geneva was converted and there was not a house without at least one praying person. The reason Queen Mary feared the prayers of John Knox “more than all the armies of Scotland” was because of his constant prayer and fasting.

John Wesley fasted twice weekly. He said he would as soon curse and swear as not fast, for “the man that never fasts is no more in the way to heaven than the man who never prays.” Jonathan Edwards fasted so much he was often weak in the pulpit, but he was instrumental in moving New England for God. Charles G. Finney, the revivalist of the 1800s, fasted each week. In fact, whenever he felt the power of the Spirit fading from his meetings, he would fast and pray for three days and nights. He reported that after such times, the Spirit’s power invariably returned.

These movers and shakers of the world for God were convinced that fasting is God’s chosen way to deepen and strengthen prayer.

Are prayer and fasting relevant today? To answer this question, one need only to survey the landscape of the church and look for kingdom results: lost people coming to Christ, communities experiencing radical transformation, churches coming alive and thriving, people experiencing deliverance and restoration.

I urge you to set aside some time to pray—one to three days. And incorporate fasting into your prayer plan. I would also encourage pastors and other church leaders to consider calling a fast for a specific time and for a specific purpose.

Lord, empower us to accept your challenge to prayer and fasting and show us what you want to do in response to your passionate praying people. Amen. Pastor Mitch Burch, Towne Boulevard Church of God; Middletown, Ohio

Effective Praying Day 21 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. —Romans 8:26 NIV Have you ever wondered whether your prayers ascended higher than the ceiling? Have you ever wondered, if God knows all, why do I need to pray about things he already knows? Have you ever wondered whether your prayers for those you love make any difference? Have you ever wondered why it is so difficult to have a consistent and biblical prayer life? Have you ever wondered why in the world you should pray at all?

These questions, and similar ones, have been asked by humanity since time began. Each one of us goes through seasons in our spiritual journey that seem to raise the questions afresh with each change in our life experience. The desire, I believe, of all disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ is to have an effective prayer life. If an effective prayer life is a goal, what does it look like? What are the components? How do I know if I have it?

Prayer reveals my relationship with my Lord and Savior. We all know persons on different levels—some are mere acquaintances, some are community neighbors, some are colleagues at work, some are family, and some are close personal friends. I see praying to and with Jesus in somewhat the same light. In Romans 8:26, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in prayer to God the Father. In order to intercede, a fairly close relationship would seem to be required. Each one of us will determine what level of relationship we desire to have with God, which will in turn, I believe, determine our prayer life. Martha and I have been married for forty-four years. We have had thousands of conversations. Yet in order to deepen the relationship, there is a desire and need to continue to have effective and beneficial conversations. Within a marriage, conversations deepen the level of intimacy so the mates understand each other’s thoughts and feelings.

Prayer to and with the Trinity is part of the ongoing work of building a relationship. The image we carry in our hearts and minds of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit will determine, to a great degree, the quality of the relationship. Our image needs to be based in Scripture so that our relationship can fulfill the design given by our creator.

Effective praying, then, is measured not so much by results as by relationship. As I commune with my Lord and Savior, sharing my deepest thoughts, hurts, and aspirations, the results of life will take care of themselves. Jesus walked the earth building relationships with those he touched. Those relationships produced results of one type or another. Effective praying is building a strong and biblical relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Lord, as I share my deepest thoughts, hurts, and aspirations with you in prayer, will you take care of the results, helping me in my weakness? As I build a strong, intimate, biblical relationship with you, make me effective in touching others with your healing grace and peace. Amen. Dr. Ronald V. Duncan, General Director, Church of God Ministries

Should I Fast? Day 22 “When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” —Matthew 6:17–18 NIV Several years ago my youngest son was serving on staff at a church. Each January the lead pastor of this church had his staff do a twenty-one-day fast. Brent shared some of his experiences and I decided to give it a try the next year. I must confess I think my motivation was more competition than spiritual hunger. Our motivation for fasting is critical. If we only want to shed a few pounds, the fast is a diet, not a spiritual renewal. If it is not important to you, it will not impact the heart of God. I am not sure that first fast meant much to me or to God.

The next year I was in a very troubling time in my ministry and I needed to hear from God. My decision to fast was out of a hunger to know God and his direction for my life. Normally when I am hungry, I think of food: 5 Guys, Olive Garden, and Chili’s come to mind. This time I chose to focus on my desire for God when the hunger came. It was a totally different experience. Did I get physically hungry? I felt a lot of hunger the first three days, but the intensity of that sensation waned after the initial shock to my body. The toughest part of fasting to me was the fact that most of our social activities revolve around food. I am a people person, yet I found myself avoiding some of those situations with people saying, “You have to taste this pie!” The time apart from the crowd helped me focus on God and his will for my life.

I found the greatest blessing from fasting to be the quieting of my soul. I watched less television, since every ten minutes they advertised pizza. I read more, prayed more, and gained some clarity and perspective. That is not a bad trade for a few meals. Throughout the Bible we find examples of people fasting. Jesus said that when he left this earth, his disciples would fast. Should you fast? That depends on your motivation. If you desire more of God, a deeper walk, a clearer path, then I believe God will honor your efforts with his amazing presence.

Father, I am fasting because I want more of you. I know there is nothing I can do to impress you, but I want this fasting time to be a time of coming to quiet my soul and listening to your voice. Help me to come to clarity concerning your purpose and desire for my life. I am available and I am listening.

Rev. Steve Birch, Pastor, White Chapel Church of God, South Daytona, Florida; Member,


My Covenant Responsibility for You Day 23 “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you” —1 Samuel 12:23–24 NIV In these verses, I see four responsibilities that we have to one another regarding intercessory prayer, and our ministry to one another which grows out of such prayer. Pray for You Samuel said, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23a). It is a privilege for me to go the throne of God in intercessory prayer on your behalf. I want God’s best for you. Therefore, I must ask, in faith, believing that God wants to give you his best. God never fails; every time I go to him on your behalf, he always sends me away with some blessing for myself while meeting your needs as well. Teach You Samuel said, “And I will teach you the way that is good and right” (1 Samuel 12:23b). The Word is my source for teaching you God’s truths. God has given us everything we need for living life the way he wants us to live, the way that is good and right. More than teaching you abstract ideas and vague concepts, the best way I can teach you is by the example of my life of faith and dependence on God. As I let him lead me, I become equipped to lead you. Admonish You As one who loves you, and who is interested in your growth and maturity in the Lord, I am called by God to challenge you to live a life of reverence and respect, an attitude of worship, glorifying God in all you do. Samuel said, “Be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully” (1 Samuel 12:24a). I should encourage you to be faithful to him, for in your faithfulness lies God’s opportunity to give you his greatest blessings. His promises to his chosen, faithful ones are unending. Remind You During those times when you feel discouraged or inadequate, I am called to remind you of how God has blessed you in the past. Samuel said, “Consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24b). Such reminders will enable you to realize that, just as he has blessed you in the past, he has all the resources needed to bless you in the present and future. These words of instruction and encouragement show how we can minister to one another through intercessory prayer. When you are in extended difficulties, I may need to fast and pray on your behalf. Lord, thank you for the privilege of bringing other persons before your throne. Enable me to be an effective intercessory prayer warrior, placing before your throne of mercy the people you want to touch through me. Amen. Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


Fasting from TV Day 24 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit…so they will produce even more. —John 15:2 NLT When God gave me the idea of planting a church in Olathe, Kansas, in 1985, it came with what I thought was a very unusual request. I believed God was asking me to fast from TV for a year. I was familiar with fasting from food, and I was not opposed to some form of that. I have participated in a variety of different kinds of food fasts, and the benefits were clear to me. I have to be honest; a fast from TV was not something I wanted. I love sports; I am zealous about keeping up with the news; I even enjoy watching the weather forecast! But at the same time I felt like I had a good handle on not being obsessed with TV. So the request didn’t make a ton of sense to me. In my mind it wasn’t a big time stealer, so why?

God doesn’t have to answer to us. We have to answer to him and my answer was yes. The first few weeks, I went through withdrawal. It was hard to turn away from TV and hard not to turn it on in my home. I think there was more of an addiction than I had realized. But as time moved forward, I came to understand that the purpose in my fasting was not so much what I was leaving behind as what I was moving toward. I think what God wanted for me was the ability to focus. You could call it pruning in a spiritual sense. I needed to hear clearly and often from him in planting a new church. I needed a new skill set, and I needed to use my time in a different way. I needed generous time to be alone with God. Time for prayer, time in his Word, time to journal, and time to pray were high priority. At the very same time, my family needed me. My wife needed alone time. I had three children under the age of five. They needed me. They could feel the strain of a new schedule, new city, new church, and new friends, only they didn’t have words for it. Fasting from TV made room in my life that I didn’t know I had.

As much as I may not have wanted to believe it was true, I needed less noise in my life, and God knew it. And wouldn’t you know it, the only time the Kansas City Royals have ever gone to the World Series was during that time. We even had a watch party after church one Sunday that I couldn’t watch! But to cut to the end of the story, God was so on target that when the end of the year came, I extended it by another six months voluntarily.

I look back on that time of fasting with a tender sense that God invited me into a uniquely intimate place with him and through it prepared me to bear kingdom fruit. If God calls you to fast, whatever it is, say yes.

Lord, I want to know you better and love you more. I know that you know best. I listen and follow when you speak. Give me your strength so my actions match what I say I believe.

Pastor Gary Kendall, Indian Creek Community Church, Olathe, Kansas

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Lessons I’ve Learned through Prayer Day 25 The lifeline of the Christian life is prayer. Just as the Hebrews writer states, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6 NIV), so it is with prayer. Without a prayer life, it is impossible to maintain a close relationship with God.

Over the years, I have learned how prayer opens the door to clear visions and exceptional victory in our lives. Some of the most terrifying temptations and treacherous trouble I have faced as a Christian were conquered by the power of prayer. Here are some of the lessons I have learned about prayer in the nearly six decades I have placed my trust in God. 1. Prayer is an invitation to talk to God. It is the vehicle through which we communicate with the God of the universe. During my prayer time, I not only petition God to meet my needs, but I also call upon him to address the needs of untold others. Prayer is more than mere conversation; it is a time of revelation, a time when we discover a portion of the character of God and an exposure about the essence of who we are. The prophet Isaiah gives us a probing understanding of what happens when we are in communion with the Lord. Notice the revelations Isaiah describes in chapter 6 as he is in the presence of God.

Verse 1: He saw the Lord. Verse 5: He saw himself (a sinful man; a man of unclean lips). Verse 5: He saw the people who also had unclean lips.

2. Prayer requires effort and energy. Prayer is not for the lazy and indifferent. Prayer is work, but it soon becomes a labor of love and devotion as one remains faithful to the task. E. M. Bounds makes a bold statement regarding the word of prayer, pointing out:

To no other energy is the promise of God committed as to that of prayer. Upon no other force are the purposes of God so dependent as this one of prayer. The Word of God dilates on the results and necessity of prayer. The work of God stays or advances as prayer puts forth its strength. Prophets and apostles have urged the utility, force and necessity of prayer. (The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds)

3. Prayer delivers power. The late Dr. Marcus H. Morgan, pastor of Emerald Church of God, would often recite the following lines: “Little prayer means little power; much prayer means much power; and no prayer means no power.” I have discovered this quote to be true in own life when I have neglected my prayer life. Just as prayer equals power, the lack of a consistent prayer life equals powerlessness. One of the main lessons I have learned is to not pursue any matter of life without first taking time to saturate that matter in prayer. In Luke 11:9–10: Jesus instructs us to Ask… Seek… and . . .Knock. These are all action verbs and they invite us to participate with God in prayer if we expect to open the door of power and faith. Lord, lead me into the prayer that delivers power into my life, relationships, and ministries. Enable my prayers to be more than mere conversations, but rather times of revelation, times to discover who you are and how you want to shape me so you can use me effectively. Amen. Dr. Alvin Lewis, Retired; Former Pastor, Central Community Church of God, Jackson, Mississippi

Fasting for Spiritual Health and Growth Day 26 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. —Psalm 139:23–24 NLT About every six months or so, my doctor sends me for some blood tests as part of my regularly scheduled check-up. I have a family history of heart disease and diabetes, so it’s important to keep a close watch on my test results over time in order to catch any potential problem early before it becomes a more serious issue. The special thing about these particular tests is that I have to skip breakfast because they require me to fast for at least twelve hours prior to the tests in order to get accurate results. I can’t even have my morning coffee, because if I have had anything to eat or drink, the levels will be determined by what I have just consumed. If a nonfasting level is high, that might not mean anything at all. But if a fasting level is abnormally high, that means something is almost definitely wrong. More tests are ordered, my diet and exercise regimen may be altered, and perhaps medications are prescribed or adjusted to correct the problem.

In his book A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer, John Piper says, “Fasting is a way of revealing to ourselves and confessing to our God what is in our hearts.”5 Our physical appetites are much easier to understand and satisfy than our spiritual ones, and we have the potential to become less sensitive to our spiritual appetites when our every physical need is always met. Fasting is a means of finding out, as Piper says, whether “there are alive within us spiritual appetites that could satisfy us at a much deeper level than food, and are designed for the honor of God.”6

When I first started trying fasting as an approach to God, I was convinced that my display of will-power would show him how sincere I was about what I wanted and he would then relent to my desires. Wow, did I misunderstand! As I walked by faith in the discipline of prayer and fasting—just like my doctor used fasting as a tool to determine a baseline of my physical health—God began to show me areas in my spiritual life where I was actually hindering his perfect will for me through unconfessed sin, selfish desires, and unforgiveness. Through fasting, God showed me the many strongholds that I didn’t even realize still existed in my heart, and he has systematically broken down those hard places. God has patiently worked his prescription in my life through prayer and fasting to bring me closer and closer into the center of his perfect will. By intentionally humbling my heart before the Lord through the experience of fasting, I have become a stronger and healthier Christian than I ever would have been if I had never fasted.

God, I submit to your loving examination of my heart. Forgive me for all of the areas in which I’ve fallen short, and help me to earnestly seek your will for me today. Mary Nichols, Commissioned Minister, Teays Valley Church of God, Scott Depot, West Virginia

5 John Piper, A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1997), 58. 6 Ibid, 91. Piper, J. (1997). A Hunger For God. Wheaton, IL, United States of America: Crossway Books.

The Importance of the Time-Out Day 27 Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed… —Luke 5:16 NIV Jesus knew the importance of the time-out, when we break away from the normal (or abnormal!) busyness of life to regroup, refresh, and refocus. I saw this illustrated in a football game.

In the final seconds of the game, the Dallas Cowboys were behind by four points, several yards from the goal line, fourth down, and one timeout remaining. They needed a touchdown to win the game. Quarterback Roger Staubach called time-out and ran to the sideline to confer with Coach Tom Landry. After the time-out, Staubach gave the count, the offensive line pushed the defenders back, the receivers ran past the goal line, and Roger fired a pass to a receiver who caught it and won the game.

The victory isn’t so important now, but the principle is: the time-out is vital in those tense moments toward the end and throughout the game. Whether you are ahead or behind, it is important periodically to take a time-out, stop the action, consult with the coach. Listen to his counsel; be refreshed with a drink of water or Gatorade; regroup your thoughts and energy; review the game plan.

This is truer in life than in a ballgame. We need to take time out to be with God, listen to his Word, pray, and encourage one another. Our busyness, desperately driven by responsibilities, worries, and demands, makes this time-out more important. Those moments with God, who is wiser than we are, give us needed guidance, delightful reassurance that he is with us. In that setting we are renewed with a refreshing drink from his powerful, life-transforming Word. Then it is time to get off the sidelines, back in circulation, and do the work God has calls us to do.

Prayer unleashes the power of the Word to transform our lives, regroup our thoughts, reveal God’s game plan, replenish our energies, and move ahead in confidence and victory as we follow his guidance.

Lord, thank you for unifying my life around your Word and prayer, for the supreme privilege of living in intimate relationship with you. In the midst of busyness, cluttered schedules, hectic lifestyles, noise, clutter, and chaos, empower me to create the silent space to shape an intimate relationship with you through your Word and prayer. Enable me to take the appropriate time-outs, which are vital in my relationship with you. Remind me of the necessity of listening to your directions, being refreshed in your presence, and receiving a renewed vision of who you want me to be and what you want me to do. Then take me back into my world as a transformed person whom you can use to touch the lives of others with your love and transforming power. Through the Prince of Peace I pray. Amen. Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


Fasting to Disappear Day 28 “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” —Isaiah 58:3, 6–8 NIV The people of Isaiah’s time had a misconception about fasting. In fact, they had it backwards. They fasted to get answers from God. They fasted to implore God to meet their needs. They fasted to show God what was important to them. They fasted to get God’s attention.

Oops, wait a minute. That’s exactly why I fast. Uh, oh. Through Isaiah, God gives a very different perspective on fasting. According to God, fasting

isn’t about me getting answers to my questions; it’s about learning what the important questions are. Fasting isn’t about petitioning God to meet my needs; it’s about me seeing the needs of others. Fasting isn’t about God understanding what is important to me; it’s about me seeing what is important to God. Fasting isn’t about God showing up—he is ever present. It’s about me showing up.

I wonder what would happen if I started fasting because it was good for the kingdom? What if I began fasting to make myself available to God? What if I began fasting so more of my time and resources were available for God’s use—so that the money I saved by not eating for a day fed someone who was hungry or helped finance some missions project? What if I fasted as a gift to others instead of as a means to my own ends? What if I fasted so I disappeared and the hands and feet of Jesus rose to the surface?

According to Isaiah, I would begin to see and hear from God. But it wouldn’t be because some cosmic equation balanced out—I did X for God, so he’ll do X for me. I’ll begin to see God because I’ll begin to be a part of what he is doing and his handprints and footprints will be visible all around me.

All I have to do is disappear. And according to Isaiah, fasting is a gift God’s given me to help me disappear.

Lord, help us to learn to disappear so you can be seen more clearly. Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

A Prayer to Fulfill Every Good Purpose of Mine Day 29 We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. —2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 NIV One morning while walking on my wooded prayer trail, I was quoting 2 Thessalonians. As these verses captivated my attention, I asked, “Lord, where is the key to this treasure chest: that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith? That’s what I’ve been longing for, you, fulfilling my dreams: every good purpose of mine and every act prompted by my faith. How can I step into that level of life?”

And I heard, “Quote the next part again: We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him.” I was startled, and said out loud, “Wait, Lord! I’ve always been taught that you receive all the glory, we don’t receive any glory. But right there Paul prayed that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in me, and I would be glorified in him.” I prayed, “Lord, how does that work?” I heard, “When you live in a way that the name of our Lord Jesus is glorified in you, he makes your life glorious to other people. That’s what attracts people to Jesus—when they see him working in your life, they want to know him, too!” It was clear, When God’s name is glorified in me, he makes my life glorious. His dreams become my dreams. That’s how he can fulfill every good purpose of mine and every act prompted by my faith. My next prayer became my song:

Lord, bring me closer; closer than I’ve ever come before to You.

Lord, plunge me deeper; deeper than I’ve ever been before in You. Lord, take me higher; higher than I’ve ever soared before with You. Lord, send me farther; farther than I’ve ever gone before for You.

Lord, glorify Your name in me; And my name in You.7 After praying through the words several times, they began to crystallize into a song, and I went to the piano and wrote the music. My Creator God, I invite you to live in close, personal, intimate relationship with me. I pray that you would count me worthy of your calling, show me the awesome plans you have for me. By your power, fulfill every good purpose of mine and every act prompted by my faith. Set me free to fulfill my God-given potential. Lord, please empower me in my spirit, mind, emotions, body, and all of my relationships. Lord, bring me closer than I’ve ever come before to you. Plunge me deeper than I’ve ever been before in you. Take me higher than I’ve ever soared before with you. Send me farther than I’ve ever gone before for you. Lord, glorify your name in me, and my name in you. I commit my ways to you, and I trust you to give me hope and a glorious future as I walk with you. Thank you, Lord. I love you! Amen. Dr. Sam Bruce; President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl, MS;

Online Instructor, Mid-America Christian University, Member, Transformation Team Connect/Refresh

7 Words & Music © Sam Bruce: 601-845-8693, [email protected].

Not too Close Day 30 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” —Exodus 20:18–19 NIV

To be honest, I can’t really criticize the Israelites too harshly here. Moses had just delivered the Ten Commandments to them—God had expressed his authority over them and their lives. The expression of his presence was too much for them; they wanted a filter. The prospect of being face to face with God was intimidating.

When I look at myself, I have to wonder if I am any different. Going to church is easy. Listening to a message that speaks generally to what God wants for me and from me is a fairly safe filter. Occasionally, a message will get dangerously close to where I live, but most of the time I can keep them at an arm’s length. But talking directly to God is a much different prospect.

Having a direct conversation with God, allowing him close enough to peer into my life, to comment directly on my thoughts, priorities, prejudices, and choices, is a frightening prospect. So often I limit my God exposure to the filter of a Sunday morning sermon.

I can justify it in my mind. After all, I am going to church and that is what Christians do, right? They go to church and live by the rules. That thinking makes me no different than the Israelites.

The identity as God’s children was fine for the Israelites. They were even okay with the Ten Commandments, as long as God kept his distance. I can be that way too.

It is one thing for God to say to everyone, “Thou shalt not covet.” It is quite another for him to look directly into my own life and ask, “Why are you so jealous of your neighbor’s new car?” or “Why do you resent your co-worker’s promotion?” “Why do you try to imply to others that that great idea was yours?” That is when God gets too close and prayer gets too dangerous.

Is your prayer life really limited because you are too busy or too distracted? Or do you avoid prayer because you’re afraid to let God too close?

Father, give us the courage to speak to you face to face, to let you examine the deepest part of us, and to challenge our most private thoughts. Rev. Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

Hangin’-Out-around-the-Campfire Moments with God! Day 31 Come near to God and he will come near to you… —James 4:8 NIV What comes to your mind if I mention a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire moment? I remember fondly the evening my young grandson Allen and I were sitting on log stools by our wood pile splitting pine lighter kindling to start a fire. It was one of those tender, awesome times as we laughed together and talked about a lot of grandpa–grandson kind of stuff! Allen said, “Now Grandpa, this is what I like, just hangin’ out with you, splitting firewood, or anything else we do together!” Later that evening, as the coals were dying down, after his mother had read his devotional book and prayed with him, Allen asked me to come to his room, “Grandpa, let’s read another devotional and pray.” I thought, “It doesn’t get any better than this!” That’s a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire moment —with a grandkid, a daughter, my wife, friends, and especially with my Lord Jesus. It’s a place where love and intimacy are kindled between us and those who are special to us—a place to come near to God and he will come near to you.

One of the most beautiful pictures of a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire-with-God moment is in 2 Samuel 23:13–17. King David and his bodyguard camped out in a cave, hiding from Philistine soldiers besieging Bethlehem. David lamented, “I wish I had a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!” Instantly, in a dramatic demonstration of loyalty to their king, three of David’s finest soldiers headed for the well at Bethlehem. They fought their way through the Philistine garrison and brought a container of water to David. As they handed him the water—for which they had risked their lives—David was deeply moved by their loyalty, courage, commitment, and strength. He said, “I can’t drink this water,” and he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. A simple wish turned into an awesome time of worship.

David’s words were not a command or a request, but a wish. Because of his men’s devotion to him, his wish became their desire, and they fulfilled it, because they loved and respected him. Spending quality time together, they could regroup and prepare to defeat the enemy that threatened to attack their city. That was a hangin’-out-around-the-campfire-with-God moment. We need to create more of those moments with our Lord, when we just hang out with him, listening to his heart’s desires, sharing things that are important to him and us. The spiritual disciplines of studying the Word, prayer, and fasting are wonderful opportunities for sharing hangin’-out-around-the-campfire-with-God moments—places to come near to God and he will come near to you.

Lord, this is what I desire, more of those Hangin’ Out around the Campfire with You Moments – times of coming near to you, and you coming near to me –where love and intimacy are kindled between us. Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be, and energize me, Lord, to accomplish all you call me to do. Amen. Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


Timing Is Everything Day 32 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” —Luke 5:33–35 NIV This past fall, I had one of the rare experiences of life: my favorite team, the San Francisco Giants, won the World Series. They haven’t won it since before I was born, so it may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me

The morning after the series ended, I logged onto a forum that follows the Giants. We no longer live in California and I wanted to bask in that moment with others who shared my euphoria.

To my shock and irritation, the first post documented how many of the Giants players were in the final year of their contract. The writer agonized over how many might sign big contracts with other clubs, how expensive it might be to keep them, and what moves the Giants should make to stay on top.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Not today!” I was willing to concede that planning for the future is important, and such topics were common fodder for that forum, but the timing stunk. That was a day for celebration and for enjoying the accomplishment of our team. Worrying about next season could wait a day or two.

The Pharisees came to Jesus implying that his disciples were not as devout as John’s disciples. After all, John’s disciples fasted and Jesus’ disciples didn’t. Jesus argued that both groups were responding to their situations appropriately.

There are those who see our Christian walk as something to be taken seriously, and meditation and fasting should be the defining characteristics of our lives. There are others who see our salvation as something to rejoice in, and our lives should be marked by joy and celebration. Which approach is right?

Our physical lives are too complex to limit ourselves to one kind of response. Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we weep, sometimes we crawl and sometimes we soar. Why would we expect that our spiritual lives would be any less rich?

Our walk with the Lord is just that—a walk, a lifelong walk. The journey we travel will wind though mountains and valleys, meadows and deserts. Jesus was teaching that there will be times to fast and times to feast, times to celebrate together and times to meditate alone, times to dance over a World Series title and times to worry about who will play shortstop.

Father, help us to see our faith as a walk not a technique. Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

Free Commit to stewardship principles (Matthew 6:33) leading to a flexible ministry future and the management of debt (debt free as the goal) for every individual, church and agency.

Disciple Believers

Lessons from the Garden Day 33 He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will, not Mine” —Matthew 26:39 In the olive press called Gethsemane, with the full weight of his mission bearing down on him and the cross now clearly in view, Jesus takes his disciples to the garden. He stations some at the entrance and takes Peter, James, and John with him to an area suitable for prayer. Jesus is at the end of his earthly road. He has left Bethany for the last time; he will not return there. This is it—Gethsemane, his betrayal and subsequent arrest, the scourging, the Via Dolorosa, and Mt. Moriah. The Lion of Judah is vividly now manifested as the Lamb who will be slain.

As Jesus prays and becomes the object lesson for the namesake of this garden, one realizes a couple of truths. First, Gethsemane precedes Calvary. This is not merely a geographical truth but an ideological and spiritual one as well. Think about it. Jesus is pouring out his heart to his Father, and what is his cry? “If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet, I want Your will, not Mine.” What a passionate prayer and testimony! Should this not also be the cry of your heart and mine? Before Jesus would carry his cross, he surrendered to the will of his Father. Surrender comes first; cross-bearing follows. And so it is and will be with us: we can’t take up our own cross until we have surrendered our will to the Father’s own. Today’s church might think cross-bearing is some trite thing we toss around as part of our Christian-ese vernacular. We don’t understand that before Calvary, there is an olive press of surrender. Is the church stuck between Palm Sunday and Easter? Gethsemane is the corrective for Eden, and the errors of the self-will can be cleansed and commissioned by God’s grace in full surrender.

Second, Gethsemane is a place that calls for action. This is the place, the prayer closet, which calls us to make a decision. The contemporary church stands in an opportune window of time at this very moment. There is much work to do. Will the body of Christ rise up and seize the opportunity? It is indeed intriguing and fascinating that at the genesis of the New Testament church, when the Master calls his own followers to watch and pray, they fall asleep. Now, perhaps at the sunset of time, the church continues to sleep. The bride just can’t seem to keep her eyes open. Within the body of Christ, are we content to play at our worship and worship our play? Is the American church too comfortable? Gethsemane calls us to action. We can choose to sleep; that is an option. Yet, Jesus tells us: “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!” (Matthew 26:41).

Father, by your Spirit, awaken us from our corporate slumber. Quicken us that we might see the joy of full surrender. Grant that your people will long to bring glory to your name through a fully surrendered, obedient life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dr. Marshall Stokes, Pastor, Olde Towne Church, Ridgeland, Mississippi

Prayer for Freedom: Who Sets Your Boundaries? Day 34 “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” —Jeremiah 29:11 NIV I walked into a funeral home office, where I saw a large salt water aquarium with colorful exotic fish. My eyes landed on what looked like a six-inch shark. It was. The funeral director explained that it was a white shark. He said sharks adapt to their environment. This one would grow no longer than six inches in the aquarium. In the ocean, it could grow up to twenty-five feet long.

I thought, as I watched it swimming continuously from end to end with a restless passion, “How sad! That shark’s environment determined its maximum size. Five pieces of glass glued together limited the fulfillment of the shark’s potential! Born to be a magnificent creature fathoming the depths of oceans, yet confined to a four-foot aquarium.”

I pictured people who allow their boundaries to be determined by environment, circumstances, negative-thinking, power-hungry people, controlling people, low self-image, memories of failure always playing on the screen of your mind, laziness, and a myriad of dream-destroying, potential-robbing attitudes.

That little shark doesn’t have a choice. The only way he could fulfill his potential is if someone reaches in and takes him out of the aquarium and releases him in the ocean. God can reach into your imprisonment, lift you out, and place you in the ocean of his love, power, and resources. He promised: I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jer 29:11 NIV). Don’t let circumstances, other people, fear of failure, poor self-esteem, the way you look, or anything else set the boundaries for your life and ministry. God says, Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you…and will bring you back from captivity (Jer 29:12–14). That prayer will release you to fulfill your God-given potential and set you free to be the winner he created you to become through his power and creativity!

Jesus says, “Get up, pick up your brokenness, failure, hopelessness and give them to me. Walk into my healing, wholeness, joy, and incredible love like you’ve never dreamed possible.” Pick up every dream for your life, every heart’s desire, every longing in your spirit, everything you want to do, and place them in the Master’s hands, and pray:

Lord, please set me free from the boundaries that people, circumstances, and I have placed on me. Show me the awesome plans you have for me. By your power, fulfill every good purpose of mine and every act prompted by my faith.8Set me free to fulfill my God-given potential. Heal and restore me in my spirit, mind, emotions, body, and relationships. Thank you! Amen! Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


8 2Thessalonians 1:11 (NIV)

Living Freely and Lightly Day 35 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” —Matthew 11:28–30 MSG As wife, mother, grandmother, Sunday school teacher, and attorney, I often find myself pulled in many directions of service. Sometimes, I become weary, worn out and burned out. Jesus certainly knew all about being tired, burdened, sad, and overwhelmed with the needs of his family, his close friends, and the multitudes of sick and hurting people who clamored for his attention. However, Jesus knew when it was time to withdraw, to go away to be alone with his Father, God. The disciples watched Jesus do this “withdrawing to pray” many times, but they did not understand why or the benefit of doing this for themselves. Later, the disciples would simply ask Jesus to “teach them to pray” not “teach them how to pray or the words to say”.

So, prayer is the door to a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father. Most of the time we wait until we are tired, worn out, or burned out before we withdraw to pray. Jesus knew that tired, worn out, or burned out Kingdom workers are not effective workers, and more often than not, they do more harm than good. In Matthew 11:17, Jesus gave the answer to how we can remain effective in our relationships, in our service and in our worship.

One, get away from the crowds, alone with Jesus, and your life will be recovered through rest. Two, walk and work with Jesus, not for Jesus, watching how he works. Three, learn to move, to flow, with the unforced rhythms of grace. When we recognize we are pushing too hard to make something happen, talking too much to convince people of our plans, and running ahead instead of waiting on the Lord, we are trying to force grace. That never works. God’s grace is unforced. There is a rhythm and a reason for the pauses as much as for the advances. Four, spending time in prayer, depending totally upon God for all our needs, equals living freely and lightly, without a lot of baggage weighing us down. Five, pray for joy, both in yourself and others—especially servants of the Lord. “If you lose your joy in your religion, you will be a poor worker: you cannot bear strong testimony, you cannot bear stern trial, you cannot lead a powerful life. In proportion as you maintain your joy, you will be strong in the Lord, and for the Lord.”9

Jesus, I long to be still, to feel your presence, to live within the unforced rhythms of grace. I am tired of being tired, frustrated with being worn out because I have taken on too much, sick of religion that has become a production. I long for time to sit and talk and listen at your feet. Help me free myself from obligations or participation in events which I do not even enjoy. Teach me to live freely, without worrying. Enable me to lay aside any emotional baggage that wears me out so I can focus on you and be what you want me to be. Mary Bruce Fuller, Attorney, Florence, Mississippi

9 Charles H. Spurgeon, “Joy, Joy for Ever,” sermon, in Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 36 (London: Passmore and Alabaster, [1890]), 299.

Get in the Game Day 36 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” —1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NIV Losing your joy is not an acceptable position in which to live; however, years ago in my ministry journey, I found myself in such a place. I remember during a desperate moment saying to God: “If I cannot have the joy I had when I first entered ministry, I do not want to go any further.” It was during this unfavorable time in my life that I gave time for seeking spiritual renewal. I traveled to a conference on the other side of the globe. It was at this event I discovered how to once again drink from the fountain of joy.

One morning during the conference, our leader instructed us in the importance of prayer. It was during that teaching session that God revealed to me that he wanted me to get in the game. That was a familiar phase, which perked my interest.

I was taken back in time to when I was an active teenager deeply involved in high school sports. I was a freshman and had been allowed to suit up with the varsity football team. I was standing on the sidelines rooting for my team mates when I heard the coach yell my last name followed by the phrase Get in the game. My heart raced with excitement as well as some fear as I entered my first high school varsity game.

We all want to be in the game when it comes to ministry. We who have been doing ministry for some time can fall into the trap of thinking that being in the game of ministry is about what we do. Yet as I sat in this conference many miles from my ministry assignment I was hearing God say, Get in the game. As I contemplated the instruction from God, the question in my mind was, You mean I’m not in the game? The immediate responding thought was, When it comes to prayer you are not in the game.

It was on that day that I committed to God to get into the game. The essence of ministry is prayer. It is where vision is birthed, direction understood, correction made, and empowerment given. As you review the saints of the New Testament church, notice that they were men and women who were in the game. For them, prayer was not just another incident in life; it was the way of life. Therefore, Paul would say, Pray without ceasing. John the revelator used the phrase, I was in the spirit and I saw or heard or he showed me.

When I am in consistent communion in the spirit with God, I find there is joy in the Lord. It is a daily time of refreshment and renewal. It is an exciting place to be, in the game. Prayer is where the game of life and ministry are won or lost. Therefore, I urge you to get in the game! Lord, I do not want to sit on the side lines. I want to be a contributor to the work of the Kingdom. Lord, as I spend time in your presence, help me to see clearly your game plan and my part in helping to fulfill the plan. Amen Pastor Claude Robold, Pastor, New Covenant Church, Middletown, Ohio

Priority of Prayer in the Hectic Day 37 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” —Mark 1:35 NIV This morning in the life of Jesus came after what must have been an extremely hectic day. He had been teaching in the synagogue with such authority that the people were “amazed” (see Mark 1:22, 27). When his teaching was interrupted by a man with an “evil spirit,” Jesus again amazed the people by commanding the evil spirit to leave the man and restored him to wholeness. Leaving the synagogue, Jesus visited the home of Simon and Andrew, where he cured Simon’s mother-in-law of a high fever. After sunset, all the people in the surrounding area who were physically, emotionally and spiritually sick were brought to him, and with the whole town gathered at the door (v 33 NIV), he healed many and drove the demons out of many people.

How could Jesus keep up this rigorous schedule? The next morning, after that full, hectic, demanding, emotion-packed day, “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV). It doesn’t make sense. Jesus knows that this day will be at least as full and hectic as the day before. He knows many demands will be made upon him. He knows the crowds of people will be pressing in on him with such force that he will no longer be able to enter a town openly (v 45). He knows wherever he goes, people will be calling his name, reaching out to touch him, begging for his help. He knows the Scribes and Pharisees will be there criticizing, questioning his teaching, doubting his motives, stirring up trouble, trying to confuse and distract him, and attempting to humiliate him. He knows even his own disciples will often misunderstand him and attempt to get him to do things their way instead of his. (Do you ever have a day like this?)

Therefore, in the face of such a demanding schedule and so many clamoring people, how can Jesus eke out a time for solitude and prayer? Because he knew there was no way he could accomplish all of the things he had to get done unless he made time to pray!

It is true: most of us live with such hectic, demanding schedules that we feel we can never accomplish all we need to do. Learn a lesson from our Lord. Like him, we stand in need of prayer, moment by moment. Even if it means rising earlier, time spent in prayer will enable us to accomplish his plans throughout the day with surprising skill, energy, and efficiency.

In the midst of a heavy, hectic, hurried, demanding schedule, Jesus made time to pray. It was his source of power from God for men. If Jesus placed such a premium on the value and power of prayer—Jesus, who is God’s only unique Son, who is God himself—how can I, a mere follower, do any less? What is my source of power for living victoriously by faith? My fabulous talents, amazing gifts, great abilities? No, my source of power for victorious living and for touching other persons is my relationship with my God through prayer. Lord, please give me the intentionality and discipline to follow you in making prayer a consistent priority in my life and ministries. Like you, in the middle of the hectic, help me make time for solitude and prayer that will connect you and your unlimited resources with the hurting, broken people who need your unconditional love and amazing grace. Amen. Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


Praying with My Head Up Day 38 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. —Ephesians 3:17–19 NIV (2010) I was reading through this passage the other day when it struck me how drastically Paul’s prayers differ from mine. I tend to have my head down when I pray, while Paul prayed with his head up. I don’t mean in the physical sense—you know, head bowed and eyes closed—I mean in the life-perspective sense.

I keep my eyes and head down and pray for the mundane, everyday things of life. I pray for things like finances and health and problems with bosses and co-workers and the like. Those things are important at one level, but they are head-down-plodding-through-life kinds of things. They are the kinds of things you focus on when you get wrapped up in your own existence and your horizon is defined by your own resources and reach. In the grand scope of life, they are the little things.

When I read what Paul prayed for the Ephesians—And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God—I realize that Paul prayed for the big things. He prayed with his head raised and his eyes looking up. He did not pray according to his limitations; he prayed according to God’s vastness.

I pray, “Lord, help me pay this bill.” Paul prayed, “Lord, let them catch a glimpse of you.” I have my head down, looking for a check in the mailbox. Paul had his eyes raised, looking for God to show up.

Lord, help me learn how to pray with my head up, to pray for presence rather than presents. Pastor Bruce Steffensen, Interim Pastor, Holiday Park Church of God, Portland, Oregon

The Power of Prayer Day 39 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. —James 5:16 NLT

We believe prayer unleashes God’s power. Over the years, I have seen amazing things happen when people pray. I could tell you stories from my own life and family of answered prayers—incredible works of God’s power in physical healings, physical protection, God’s provision in incredible ways that show how big God really is. Recently, my brother and sister-in-law were praying for a little girl who was dead for a few minutes and who came back to life. God is incredible. I could tell you of times when I have seen God do incredible things in ministry settings, of life changes that only God could do. Something happens when we pray. E. M Bounds said it best: “All I know is when I pray coincidences happen and when I don’t pray coincidences don’t happen”.

On the other hand, if we are honest, sometimes we pray and nothing happens. We pray for God to heal or to help in a particular situation, and it seems like God is so far away. A few years back, I prayed and prayed for a godly young mother with young kids to be healed from cancer, yet she died. This really shook me, and honestly, I still have trouble understanding. Some people who don’t experience a miracle from God stop praying, feeling that God doesn’t listen. It is a great deception of the enemy to have us believe that if God is sovereign, then whatever is going to happen is going to happen, so don’t bother praying. That reasoning is usually the result of frustration. I have been there. But prayer often times is more about what God does to our hearts when we pray than about God’s answering our requests the way we think they ought to be answered. It is about God shaping us, not us shaping God.

A while back, I really wanted to dive down deep into what God said about prayer. I spent some time in the library trying to find all the scriptures that mention prayer. What does the Bible really say? I found numerous scriptures on prayer and found that prayer is a major part of our relationship with God. It is more about our dependence, listening, investment, yieldedness, and openness to God than about what God can give us. God often protects us from our own prayers. Had God answered some prayers according to my plans, I would have settled for less than God’s best for me.

Remember that prayer is a journey with God that often has twists and turns that we don’t understand, but God sees the whole journey. Often, we can see only a few feet in front of us. Be encouraged on your journey, God sees the whole picture.

Lord, thank you for the power of prayer that guides us in all the twists and turns of our journey through life. Thank you for answering our prayers in ways you know are best for us, and not always as we think they should be. Thank you for shaping us according to your awesome plans for us and for the wonderful results they bring. Amen. Dr. Andy Stephenson, Leader of Youth and Family Ministries, Church of God Ministries

My Ultimate Prayer: Xerox Me, Lord, Your Life Repeated in Mine! Day 40 Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you before I’m taken from you? Ask anything.” Elisha said, “Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just like you.” —2 Kings 2:9 MSG When I first read Elisha’s request in The Message, Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just like you, it shaped the ultimate prayer for my life-purpose: “Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do.” If God will accomplish that in my life, I will feel that I have fulfilled his awesome plan for me.

In a study I did in Ephesians, I found thirty-nine variations of “In Christ,” “Through Christ,” and so forth. In reviewing all of those occurrences, I discovered the ABCs of being in Christ. There is at least one “In Christ” concept for each letter of the alphabet. The letter X represents the fact that in Christ God Xeroxes us. Paul said, Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:24 NIV). Put your face down on a copy machine and push the copy button. What prints out? A likeness of your face. As Christ followers, we were created to be like God, Xeroxed—an image of his likeness: his true righteousness and holiness reproduced in us. When people see us, who we are and how we act, they should see the likeness of Christ in us. It’s like God Xeroxes us.

This is what I have been praying on my wooded prayer trail, “Xerox Me, Lord. Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy person just like you. Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become the all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do.” That’s being Xeroxed by God, being the likeness of Christ, a reflection of his image in us to other people.

After Lee Strobel became a Christ follower, his five-year-old daughter Alison said, “Mommy, I want God to do for me what he’s done for Daddy.”10 That’s Christ’s life repeated in a person’s life—God Xeroxed Strobel, and even his five year old daughter recognized the transformation.

This is my ultimate life-prayer: Xerox me, Lord. May your life be repeated in my life, the image of Christ reflected to others! Empower me, Lord, by your Son, to become all you created me to be. Energize me, Lord, by your Spirit, to accomplish all you call me to do. Amen. Dr. Sam Bruce, President, Sam & Sandie Bruce Ministries; Pastor, Hope Point Church, Pearl,


10 Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 269.

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