Day 7 - God's Plan for You

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

God has a plan for you that is a "GOOD WORK"!  God didn't mess up when He created you the way that you are.  God isn't surprised when you mess up.  God create in you a spiritual life that is the breathe of God, therefore you have God in you!  Trust in God's good work that is in you and that God has a plan for that from today until the day you meet Jesus face to face.  

Our job is to be confident in God and His ability to complete the work in us that He has started.  Not to be confident in ourselves and to be conceited, but to be confident of God in us.  God is trustworthy!  God works miracles!  God is awesome!  I am certain that if I make all my decisions I will mess up my life completely.  I am confident that if God continues to work in me that He will create something beautiful out of my life.  I fast and pray in order to remind myself how completely dependent I am on God to do the work in me!  

Day 6 - Ropes of Kindness & Love

Hosea 11:1-4 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,  and I called my son out of Egypt.
² But the more I called to him,  the farther he moved from me,
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols.
³ I myself taught Israel how to walk,  leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn't know or even care  that it was I who took care of him.
⁴ I led Israel along  with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,  and I myself stooped to feed him.

I find great comfort in the patience and compassion of God with His people Israel.  He loved them and was so patient with them.  God says He sent them rope of kindness and love.  What an image of a people who have put themselves in a pit because of their own rebellion and their own selfishness.  Totally trapped and confined in a pit of their own making.  God could have easily left them in the pit, but instead God lowers a rope to rescue them.  

I know I have put myself in many pits of my own making and my own selfishness.  I have found myself in places I never wanted to be, in messes of my own making.  I have often found the rope of kindness from the Lord and He is able to raise me up from my pit.  I have also found myself in the pit of other peoples decisions.  Living through difficult days because of the choices of other people.  Those pits may seem even deeper than the ones we dig for ourselves.  But even then, Jesus sends his rope of rescue and pulls us out of the pit and sets us on solid ground.  

God, through Jesus, has stooped down to lighten our load and to feed us when we are hungry.  Are you in a pit of loneliness, depression, toxic anger, bitterness, jealousy, unforgiveness, rebellion, selfish habits, etc.?  Reach for the rope!

Day 5 - Air I Breathe

Job 33:4 For the Spirit of God has made me,
    and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

I can remember those days in church where we were so bored we use to see who could hold their breath the longest.  Of course the key was to not make too much noise when you finally gave up and took that breath; or we would draw attention to ourselves and get in big time trouble.  You would think college students would be more mature than that... sad reality is I probably participated in that as a grade school kid and a college student.  Church didn't always seem to be as relevant as breathing.   Many times I didn't realize that the God I was there to worship was really my very breathe and without Him I would cease to exist.  

Worship takes on a whole new meaning when I finally realized that God is literally my breath of life and without Him I am completely lost.  When I finally quit trying to figure out everything with my own logic and planning; I finally started trusting God to be God in my life.  Worship finally became something I couldn't wait to be a part of!  I can't wait for Sunday to come and for the Body of Christ to join together and give God praise!  So I don't wait, I worship God today through prayer, singing and God's Word in my life!   I need God everyday!  I can only go so long without the breathe of life, before I get weak and long for air. 

Day 4 - Thirsty

John 7:37-38 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!  Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

Growing up in Idaho I took for granted the cold and refreshing water that came right out of the tap.  At that elevation the water was always cool even in the hottest of summer days.  Then I moved to Phoenix and the water from the tap was never cold in the summer time.  It would be a little cool when you first turned the water on because the pipes under the air conditioned house kept the water cool for a moment.  In the heat of the Phoenix desert you found yourself often very thirsty.  

Then I think of Jesus audience that day who probably had to work very hard for water to drink and who really knew what it was like to be thirsty.  How they must have longed for a source of water that would give them clean and fresh water.  But Jesus was using their physical thirst to let them know God longed to fulfill their spiritual thirst. That those who believe in Jesus may drink!  The spiritual supply of living water is not limited or restrained by God, only by us.  We may drink in all the spiritual living water that we can ever consume.  

God is not out of spiritual food or drink for those who believe!  We must put ourselves in a place to receive and drink/eat the bread and water of Jesus! 

Day 3 - Glory To God

Psalms 72:19  Praise his glorious name forever!
    Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!

As we spend time seeking God as our number one priority; we have the privilege of His presence and we experience God's glory!  God is Holy!  God is so far beyond our comprehension that we simply have to be in awe of who God is! As I realize who God is I must give Him glory and praise.  

Imagine if you were rescued from a fire filled building by a brave and courageous firefighter who risked his/her life to rescue you.  And after that amazing event you would want to make sure that person who rescued you was thanked and praised for their brave actions.  You wouldn't just say, "well I guess that is their job, isn't it?"  No!  We would be so grateful and would want to tell everyone how this person saved our lives!  Brag on their bravery and courage.  

As we fast and pray and seek God and we have moments that we realize we are experiencing God's Holy presence in our lives; we must give God the glory for all He has done for us!  

Phil Whickham Lyrcis - At Your Name 
At Your Name, the mountains shake and crumble 
At Your Name, the oceans roar and tumble 
At Your Name, angels will bow 
The earth will rejoice, Your people cry out
Lord of all the earth, we shout Your Name, Shout Your Name 
Filling up the skies with endless praise, endless praise
Yahweh, Yahweh,we love to shout Your Name, Oh Lord

Day 2 - Priority One

Exodus 20:3 You must not have any other god but me.
God has always wanted to have a place of number one priority in His creations lives.  This is not because God is petty or controlling.  It is because God knows what is best for us and longs help us.  When my kids were young they wanted things that where not good for them.  As parents, Julie and I had to tell them "NO" at times to keep them on the right path.  Often times kids don't appreciate their parents direction.  Often times we don't appreciate the guidance God gives us in our lives.   God asks us to place Him at a place of priority in our lives because He loves us and wants the best for us.  What is it in your life that keeps coming before God?  Relationships? Family? Habits? 
Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
God also knows our hearts and He knows if God is our number one priority that He will have our heart.  If we can learn to treasure God and His presence over all other things, our hearts will belong completely to God.  We can always know what we really treasure by the way we spend our time and money!  If we say we treasure God and we don't spend any time of money on our relationship with God, we are only giving God our words and not our heart. 
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Day 1 - Confession

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The best place to start a journey of fasting and prayer is to confess our sins to God and to seek His forgiveness and grace.  

I was watching an interview with David Letterman the other day and David said something like: I thought I was a pretty decent guy, but I came to this place where I realized my actions where not consistent with the decent guy I thought I was.  We all pretty much believe we are a pretty decent and good people.  However, our actions don't always match up with our concept of being a good person.  

I often go back to this scripture as a comfort and reminder that I need to be a person who often comes to that reality that my actions don't match my heart to be the follower of Jesus.   I want to be who God wants me to be, so I must confess my sins and my faults and seek God's forgiveness.  

David was reminded of his sin and wrote these words (Psalms 51:3-7) 

For I know my transgressions,  and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict  and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth,  sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;  you taught me wisdom in that secret place.   Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

What do you need to confess to God today to start the journey of blessing?