Shalom Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, We are going to begin ou r jou rney in 2014 th is mo nth. We thank God for His faithfulness throug h 2013 and are excited to welcome e veryo ne to s tart 2014 jou rney with 21 days of Daniel’s fas ting and praying. There are many uncertainties going o n around the world cu rrently b ut we kn ow in Him we are secu re. We belie ve that God has so much in s tore for us and His plan always bring ho pe and goodness in ou r life. Let’s s tart th is year by d edicating 21 days of ou r life from 6-26 January 2013 to focus o n Jesus. For 21 days we would like to d etoxify ou r selves physically by eating healthy food and spirit ually by focusing ou r selves o n His word, guid ance, and will for ou r life. We would like to let Jesus take the s teering wheel to direct ou r 2014. We belie ve by doing corporate fas ting; miracle, breakthroug h, and a greater movement is waiting for ou r per so nal life, fa mily, work, and ou r city. Tog ether glorious! Regards, IF GF Pray
WHAT IS DANIEL FASTING? Daniel 10:2-3
Daniel fas t is a du ring wh ich you and choose simple what you usually
type of fas t that is do ne in a very specific way, av oid or d ecid e n ot to enjoy the food that you like, foods in s tead. The pu rpose of th is fas t in to NOT do do, so that you can focus o nly o n God and prayer.
The Bible does n ot give d etailed explanatio n a bout the types of food that you cann ot eat, b ut it is said that Daniel av oids the foods enjoyed by the king, and eat o nly veg eta bles and drink o nly water.
PURPOSE OF 21 DAYS OF DANIEL PRAYER AND FASTING The pu rpose of e very prayer and fas ting is to grow closer and intimate with God. To grow s tro ng er in you r spirit ual life and d edicate you r life more earnes tly to the Lord. To obtain kn owledg e, und er s tanding and wisdom, alo ng with new drea ms and visio n s, especially to live the year ahead (Daniel 1: 17) To d edicate they year of 2014 to God and allowing Him to lead e very aspect of ou r lives th is year.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO DURING DANIEL FASTING Du ring a 21-day fas ting and period time, let's give ou r “Tithe” of time to God e very day. Every day God gives us 1,444 minutes, so ou r daily “Tithe” of time spent in prayer is 144 minutes (2 hou r s and 24 minutes). To give th is “Tithe” e very day in prayer may sound very difficult, or e ven impossible, for you. But th ink a bout se veral th ings lis ted below that can help you fulfill th is “Tithe” of prayer time: • Pray when we are o n the way to office, driving, sho pping, or doing house chores. • Use ou r lunch time at office for prayer • Reduce the time we spend o n TV, internet, or cell pho nes e veryday to mediate o n God’s word • When we are lying down and are una ble to sleep, use the time to pray. • Join prayer tower or corporate prayer e vent and interced es for other s. • Try to set asid e some time for d e v otio nal e very day, sa me time, sa me place. • Set asid e some time to pray with you r spouse and fa mily • Set some time to share the good news of salvatio n to peo ple su rround us. Sugg es ted food: • Seeds • Potato • Nuts • Fruits • Veg eta bles • Whole wheat products • Drink: mineral water (min 8 glass/day)
Food to be av oid ed: • Meat and fish anyth ing that co ntain fats, processed food • Rice • Dried fruits, snacks, and cookies (food mad e of flou r) • Egg • Soda drinks and alcoholic drinks (coffee, tea, etc)
01 LIVING WORD
Matthew 17:26 ; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ; Romans 1:16
The Living Word is The Guideline to Glorious Living Today we live in a dyna mic ag e where the d emand for kn owledg e is relentless and al mos t e very ques tio n can be an swered in a click of a b utto n. With such vas t informatio n, what is sadly lacking is the basic kn owledg e so essential to humanity’s overall well being. Today, the world is d esperately troubled because of its funda mental lack of basic und er s tanding and commo n sen se. We are drowning in informatio n, b ut s tarved for kn owledg e. What a paradox: the more informatio n we acquire, the less essential kn owledg e we seem to a bsorb. Th is is where the Bible enter s the pict u re. The Word of God s tands as the solid sou rce of all kn owledg e. The Bible provid es the pro per fra me work throug h wh ich we can acquire the essential guid elines of ou r lives. Without th is crucial foundatio n, we live in a co nfused muddle co n s tantly inundated with mass informatio n and advice. The Bible is ou r rig ht foundatio n. Throug h it, the Eternal God re veals exciting and profound spirit ual kn owledg e to those who belie ve and obey Him.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Ask God for a new und er s tanding of His Word 2. Ask God for wisdom to let the living Word to be engraved in ou r hearts 3. Pray for all lead er s and co ngregatio n s to always have the d esire and willingness to learn God’s word.
LIVING SPIRIT Galatians 5:16 ; Romans 15:13
02
Spirit Living - Relying on Holy Spirit to Guide Us Many belie ver s live their entire lives as Chris tian s and without und er s tanding the significant role of the Holy Spirit. Truth to be told, the Holy Spirit is the mos t essential Being in ou r lives. Apart from the Holy Spirit, you and I cann ot live godly lives. It is His a bility to empower us to follow and obey God. He helps us to interpret Script u re, discern the good from the bad, and ena ble us to have a d eep relatio n sh ip with the Lord. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we cann ot have fruitful lives the way God has intend ed us to have. To walk in the Spirit is to live each moment d epending o n the Holy Spirit. Althoug h we have been renewed in Chris t, we are s till living in flesh. The flesh is ou r tend ency to sin or rebel again s t God’s will. By walking in the Spirit, we can have the power to overcome the flesh and live a victorious life. Holy Spirit can: Guid e us into all truth (John 16:13). Co nvict the world of sin, rig hteousness, and judg ement (John 16:8-11). Guid e ou r s teps and help us discover the Father’s plan s for us (Rom. 8:14). Help us to pray. The Bible says He interced es for us ”with groaning too d eep for words” (Rom.8:26) Give us the cou rag e to tes tify a bout Jesus (Acts 1:7-8).
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Ask Holy Spirit to take the s teering wheel in ou r lives 2. Pray for sen sitivity to be a ble to lis ten and obey Holy Spirit’s directio n in ou r daily life.
03 SOVEREIGN
Romans 11:36 ; Proverb 3:5-6
God is Sovereign God is sovereign. He co ntrols th is univer se so the s tar s, moo n, planets, and galaxies do n ot collid e with each other. He commands the sun and moo n to sh ine e veryday. He has sovereignty over lives, d eath, heaven, and earth. Everyth ing comes from h im, throug h h im, and for h im alo ne. He has co ntrol over kings and ruler s for many g eneratio n s, e ven hard ened Pharaoh’s heart so that His glory can be displayed. Often, we do n ot kn ow what the fut u re holds. We wo nd er what the year to come will look like. We wo nd er if ou r b usinesses will go well, ou r ch ildren will be safe, whether the eco n omic crisis will come to an end, and many more. We have endless ques tio n s a bout ou r fut u re, ho pes and drea ms. God invites us to res t, be secu re, and trus t ou r lives to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of ou r faith because the God that we wor sh ip is a sovereign God. He holds ou r fut u re and ou r path in His hands.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Grate ful for God’s sovereignty over ou r lives. 2. Commitment to make e very e ffort to enter God’s res t daily. 3. Pray for ou r natio n s where God has place us so God’s law and sover eignty rules the natio n s.
PERSONAL ENCOUNTER
Romans 1:16.
04
The Righteous will Live by Faith Charles Blo ndin – A fir s t per so n who crossed Niagara Falls o n a tig ht ro pe. He often put o n a performance, such as cooking an omelete, riding a bicycle, and was e ven blindfold ed crossing the mig hty Niagara Falls. In Septem ber 1860, Blo ndin asked the Prince of Wales who watched His performance if the Prince would be willing to be carried o n Blo ndin’s back; the prince re fused. On Augus t 17, 1859, Blo ndin carried h is manag er, Harry Colcord o n h is back. The Prince of Wales knew and saw what Blo ndin had do ne b ut didn’t belie ve that he would be carried safely across the mig hty falls. Howe ver Blo ndin’s manag er who knew Blo ndin per so nally was willing to be carried because he knew that Blo ndin would safely carry h im across the falls. To be a ble to have faith in someo ne, we need to have a close and per so nal relatio n sh ip with the per so n. Sadrach, Mesach, and Abednego und er s tood God’s character well and belie ved who God was per so nally. They belie ved that the God they served was a mig hty God and a ble to save. When they were a bout to be put in the firing fu rnace, they told King Neb uchadnezzar that the God they served was a ble to save them and would rescue them from the hands of the King. Sadrach, Mesach, and Abednego knew that God was their Savior and Helper. They knew that God would ne ver fail to rescue them. Their per so nal encounter and und er s tanding of God’s d eity produced faith that led into bold actio n be fore King Neb uchadnezzar.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray for new re velatio n of God’s character s. 2. Pray for IF GF lead er s and co ngregatio n s around the world to s tay s tro ng until the end.
05 PLANTED Psalm 1: 1-37
Being Planted to The Source of All Things A tree planted near the river produces many bene fits to its su rround ing. Some of the bene fits are to pre vent erosio n, flooding, bearing fruits in its seaso n, and producing ox yg en for the enviro nment. A tree planted in the d esert is far from the sou rce of living water. When it rain s, a tree planted in the d esert will a bsorb as much water as possible. A tree planted in the d esert such as cact us also has sharp spines to pre vent animals sucking water from the tree. When we live close to Jesus, the sou rce of living water, ou r life can be a blessing to the su rroundings where we are planted. Howe ver, when we live far from the sou rce of the living water, we become focused o n ou r own needs. Jesus is the sou rce of e veryth ing. By living close to Him, we can bear much fruit and apart from Him we can do n oth ing. Let us draw near to the sou rce of life, Jesus Himself.
TS: PRAYER POINTS:
1. Commit ou r daily lives to be 2. Pray for the fruit of the Spirit 3. Pray for ou r lead er s to always
pl anted in His word. planted to bear in ou r lives. be plant planted in Jesus’ love.
LETTING GO Romans 12:17-21
06
The Power of Forgiveness On June 8, 1972, a bom b d es troyed the villag e at Trang Bang, South Vietna m where Kim Puc and her fa mily lived. Kim Puc was 9 year s old when it happened. She suffered major b u rn o n her body and los t e veryth ing. She had to spend 14 mo nths in the hospital and und erwent 17 o peratio n s. Ang er and bitterness resid ed with in Kim Puc’s heart and mind because she knew her life would n ot be n ormal. She wo nd ered whether any man would e ver marry her because her skin had been d es troyed. Many times she co n sid ered to end her life or wished she had died du ring the time of the bom bing so she wouldn’t suffer the pain and the b u rd en of life. In 1982, Kim Puc received Jesus as her per so nal Savior and learnt to for give. She realized that Jesus for giveness has set her free and Jesus’ love has clean sed her heart. In 1997, Kim Puc es ta blished Kim Puc’s foundatio n in the United States to provid e assis tance to war victim ch ildren. Throug h Jesus love, her life was t u rned around from ang er to a life of h is tory maker. Sometimes ou r lives are held hos tag e by ang er over ou r sit uatio n, by re veng e towards other s, or ang er towards ou r selves. Howe ver, the good news is that there is freedom in for giveness. If Jesus can t u rn around Kim Puc’s life, He also can set us free from bitterness and use ou r lives to be a blessing for other s. Let’s s tart new and allow Jesus to set us free!
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to ena ble us to for give peo ple who have hu rt us and to heal ou r heart, mind and soul. 2. Pray for the Holy Spirit to ena ble us to for give ou r selves. 3. Pray for the peo ple who have hu rt us.
07 METAMORPHOSES Romans 12:2
Changing Our Characters to be Christ Like ike ell icate orang eAs I sat in the warm sun sh ine o ne day, I watched a d elicate asn black mo narch b utterfly flit from flower to flower. It hasn’t always been that way. A b utterfly’s jou rney is an arduous s truggle of a tiny egg into a caterpillar inch ing its way to life. It took a great ener gy and a much need ed timing for that o nce odd looking caterpillar to t u rn into a dash ing b utterfly—for chang es to finally happen. Ah Chang es; the dread ed word! Chang es are ne ver anticipated n or welcomed especially when the subject to chang e is us. We are a creat u re of ha bit and we are comforta bly fa miliar with ou r pas t actio n s and pas t self. Th is is true of all ha bits, good or bad. Mos t certainly, the chang price of chan es is too h ig h and we are too lazy to do the hard The truth is, chang es are the required co n s tant in ou r work. Ephesian s 4:22-24 shows that major chang es mus t occu r lives. E when we are co nverted to serve God. Old practices and at attit ud es mus t be replaced by new o nes. Kn owing what c ha es to make is n ot en oug h. We also need to kn ow how chang to make them. God’s Word is the bes t sou rce of guidance we need. Throug h th is process, we allow God to mould us intoo a perfec perfect imag e of Him. As I sat enjoy the b utterfly’s dance, I re flected o n the parallel between their lives and mine. Without the process of hard work, incuba tio n and per se verance, n o b utterfly will d e velo elo p beautiful wings to lower and bring pleasu re fly. Now they can flit freely from flower to flower to those who see them. The jou rney has n ot been easy b ut it is certai certainly a nly spectacular ahead.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Ask God to mould us to have a teacha ble heart 2. Ask God wh ich areas of ou r life that He wants us to chang e and how to chang e 3. Ask God to give us cou rag e to chang e so we can be a living exa mple of Him and tes tify to ou r friends.
MOVING ON Philippians 3:13-14.
Forgetting
08
The Past, Embracing The Future
The pas t cann ot be repeated and chang ed The present is a gift from God The fut u re is a blank canvas for God to write His s tory of ou r lives. Ou r God is the Mas ter of creatio n. He created the earth from n oth ing into someth ing by His Word. He can t u rn Peter, an angry per so n to be a Gospel preacher. He can t u rn Saul, a prosecutor into an apos tle of Jesus Chris t. He can t u rn Zaccheus, a tax collector into a g enerous giver, He can t u rn His disciples, fishermen into fisher s of man, and He can t u rn David’s life, a timid young boy into the King of Israel. Jesus has red eemed ou r sinful lives to be ado pted as His so n s and daug hter s. No matter what has happened in the pas t, God has a plan to prosper us and n ot to harm us, plan s to give us ho pe and fut u re (Jeremiah 29:11). Life of ho pe, pu rpose, and fut u re is in God’s plan and hands. There fore, let’s for g et a bout what has happened in 2013 and em brace what God has in s tore for us in 2014.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Give thanks for whate ver happened in the pas t because He works e veryth ing for good for those who love Him. 2. A commitment to follow Jesus e veryday and let God to take co ntrol of ou r fut u re in 2014.
09 GRACE
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 ; Romans 3:20-24
God’s Grace is New Every Morning Paul has es ta blished that the grace of God in Jesus Chris t is n ot based o n ou r works. Rather, it is based o n the finished work of Chris t. We receive His grace throug h faith in Him. Th is is why Paul is a ble to say that grace a bounds to the Chris tian e ven when we sin. The Lord uses His law to teach us of sin and ou r need for His grace. The grace of God is n ot o nly a ble to for give sin and clean se it away, b ut it can also set up a new reign of godliness in the for given lives. Sin o nce ruled ou r lives, bringing spirit ual d eadness. It is as thoug h great waves of sin roll over lives, inundating them in bo ndag es and ho pelessness. Ne vertheless, there is always ho pe in the grace of God. No matter how h ig h the waves of sin have flood ed in, the waves of God’s grace can roll in h ig her, if we hum bly seek Him. Sin can overflow lives until there seems to be n o ho pe. Yet, the Scrip t u res boldly d eclares that the grace of God is greater than the mos t terrible, aggravated sin of man. Yes, e ven when sin is a bounding, grace e vent ually a bounds much more.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Ask for for giveness for e very wro ngdoings th is morning 2. Thank Him for His grace that’s new e very morning 3. Pray for new belie ver s at IF GF to be a ble to receive and experience God’s a b undant grace.
LOVED
Romans 5: 6-7
10
Loved by the King “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared e verybody, I th ink that is a much greater poverty than the per so n -Mother Teresa-.
for, for gotten by greater hung er, a much who has n oth ing to eat.�
The world is in a s tate of hung er love. The world group society in have to offer. Generatio n s are requirement to be accepted in a peo ple feel that they have to accepted by their peer s. Ba bies a bortio n be fore they were born.
and th ir s t for unco nditio nal boxes according to what we forced to fulfill a certain specific group or society. Many perform to be loved or are e ven rejected throug h
Howe ver, Jesus has offered a form of love that cann ot be found in any other b ut Him. The book of Roman s says, Jesus died for us wh ile we were s till sinner s and n oth ing can separate us from the love of God. No matter what we have do ne in the pas t or how dark ou r sit uatio n mig ht be rig ht n ow, Jesus loves us the sa me and His love will ne ver chang e; for better or for wor se, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, His love ne ver ends. We can be secu re in His love because neither d eath n or life, neither ang els n or d emo n s, neither the present n or the fut u re, n or any power s, neither heig ht n or d epth, n or anyth ing else in all creatio n, will be a ble to separate us from the love of God that is in Chris t Jesus, Ou r Lord (Roman s 8:38-39).
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Give thanks for His unending love for us. 2. Pray for ou r friends and fa milies to experience the love of Jesus Chris t in their life. 3. Commit ou r life to be exten sio n s of His love to peo ple su rround us as a sign of ou r thanksgiving to Jesus.
11 GRATEFUL ATTITUDE Romans 4:20-21
Count Your Blessings Over the weekend, I saw a mom and her so n at a res tau rant. He was prob a bly 5, maybe 6. They sat at a ta ble next to mine. As they were a bout to s tart their lunch; the mom politely asked her so n to say grace. With the reques t of a little ch ild I silently observed the simple prayer of "Dear God. I thank you for th is and that" I thank you for Ma ma who gives me food. I thank you that th is dinner will make us full. I thank you that Daddy will g et home soo n and join us. As I lis tened attentively to h im, there’s an u r g e to teach the young boy how to phrase perfect thanksgiving prayer s and in s till correctly the meaning of thanksgiving – that we give thanks for th ings already do ne and blessings already received. After all, th is is o ne fairly basic and important educatio n for little kids. But as my mind tried to compose a perfect lesso n, I was los t in the trajectory of my own thoug hts. My mind wand ered and finally ques tio ned my own und er s tanding of giving thanks. Really, is that all there is to be thankful for—for th ings do ne and blessings received? How do we give thanks when we are waiting, when we feel passed over and mos t ho peless? When we are s till sick or the o ne we ho pe to love has n ot yet walked throug h the door or when the o nly th ing we e ver d esire has n ot been given? And then there, in h is uttermos t inn ocent prayer I hear the th ing that my own prayer s often lack: I thank You for the good in my life that hasn't happened yet b ut You are a ble to make come true. "You kn ow, when you pray..." the mom said "...when you pray, I like how you thank God for you r ho pes.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Give thanks for prayer s that are n ot yet an swered 2. Pray for God to teach us to have more faith, ho pe and a mo ng all love and compassio n towards His peo ple.
FAITHFUL
John 2 ; Joshua 6 ; Luke 16:10 ; Matthew 14:13-21
12
Be Faithful in Little Things Jesus performed many miracles du ring His 3 year s s tay o n earth. His miracles had always been performed throug h ordinary peo ple and throug h ordinary e vents. At a wedding in C ana, Jesus t u rned water into wine. Water can be found anywhere, has n o flav or, and it’s a daily necessity that peo ple drink daily. The wall of Jericho fell because Joshua command ed the Israelites obey God’s command of circling the wall. God gave them victory throug h simple th ings of walking around the wall and shouting over it o n the las t day. Throug h the disciple’s hands, 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread could feed the multit ud e jus t by passing them to the crowds. Big problems of running out of wine in a party, co nquering a tig htly shut city of Jericho, and a hug e food crisis are solved miraculously. Are you expecting miracles and breakthroug h du ring th is Daniel’s fas ting? Be faithful in little th ings! Little and ordinary e vents can be mad e a b undant and extraordinary in Jesus’ hands.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray for a faithful heart to walk with Jesus until the end 2. Pray for per so nal and other s’ needs for miracles and breakthroug h.
13 PERSEVERANCE
Romans 12:12 ; Isaiah 40:31 ; Psalm 37:7-9
Patience, Perseverance and Prayer Of all the th ings, per se vering prayer is o ne of the hard es t yet the greates t ha bits we mus t d e velo p. Without a d e finite timeline and sometimes goal, th is makes per se vering prayer the greates t practical difficulties in the exercise of belie ving prayer. It is often easies t for ou r flesh to cease in praying when ou r prayer s remain unan swered. It is o nly by faith that th is ho pelessness is overcome. Once faith has taken its s tand in God’s promises, we shall ne ver be discou rag ed by d elays. God has His own reaso n s and His perfect timing to an swer ou r reques t. It is kn own from the Script u re that the per se vering prayer has a supernat u ral power. Real faith and ho pe will ne ver disappoint. As a farmer sows h is ten s of thousands seeds, he too mus t take h is ten s of thousands s teps. Each s tep is a preparatio n to the final harves t. Thus a repeated per se vering prayer is a preparatio n to a big and final harves t. No single prayer is e ver going to was te. It is treasu red up so in due time, those who per se vere will sav or the harves t. Per se vering prayer goes again s t human logical thoug hts and the possi bility of circums tances. But jus t Abraha m goes throug h so many year s “belie ved in ho pe” (Roman s 4:18), he finally “throug h faith and patience” inherited the promises (Hebrews 6:1 2)
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray for the spirit of prayer to dwell in e very o ne of us 2. Pray for Africa Missio n Trip to have a safe and fruitful jou rney. 4. Pray for God’s word to bring repentance, healing, and res toratio n for e very individual who hear s the Word 5. Pray for e very crusad e to bring multit ud es to Chris t.
PERFECT TIMING Daniel 3
14
Believe in His Perfect Timing Saddrach, Messach, and Abednego were thrown into the blazing fu rnace because they re fused to wor sh ip the imag e of gold mad e by King Neb u chadnezzar. Howe ver, they belie ved and proclaim that the God that they serve was a ble to save them from the fire. Ou r God is a faithful God. His help did n ot come too soo n or too late. Even thoug h they had to go into the blazing fu rnace, God was in there to save them so they were unbound and unharmed. Maybe we are waiting for God’s help in the mids t of ou r problems. Often times, waiting can be a lo ng and painful process, b ut the God that we wor sh ip is the Creator of time and univer se. He set the univer se to move and t u rn with precisio n so that planets and s tar s do n ot collid e with each other. Whate ver circums tances we are in, keep belie ving that He is the God who is a ble to save and works in perfect timing.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray for the fruit of the Spirit of patience to grow in ou r lives. 2. Pray for ou r chu rch so the theme of tog ether glorious can bring impact for the world.
15 GOD’S
Psalms 37:4-5
DESIRE
Finding out What He Wants, Instead of What We Want It is God’s d esire to be the greates t passio n in ou r lives. He lo ngs for us to s trive closer to His heart. And all the wh ile, God’s outs tretched arm is reach ing to draw us near. Howe ver, we tend to misinterpret the true messag e beh ind Psal m 37:4 “Delig ht you r self in the Lord, and He will give you the d esires of you r heart”. We assume that we can g et whate ver we want as we draw closer to God. I was o ne of them. In the early year s of my relatio n sh ip with Chris t, I assumed that it is God’s d esire to give me whate ver my heart is set o n; good or bad. And I’m n ot alo ne. It’s n ot uncommo n for someo ne to tell me a bout a prayer reques t and then add, “God promised to give me the d esires of my heart.” In th is co ntext, the script u re act ually re veals the Lord’s principle for pu rifying ou r d esires to align with His. To d elig ht in the Lord mean s to take pleasu re in discovering more a bout Him and following His will. As we commit ou r ways to God, we have to let ou r thoug hts, goals and lifes tyle be shaped by His will and the th ings He loves. Th is allows the Holy Spirit to align ou r heart’s d esires with His. In other words, we ackn owledg e His rig ht to d etermine whether ou r lo nging fits His plan. God wants to give us ou r heart’s d esires in His time and when it fits His plan. Forcing God to grant ou r wish and taking matter s into ou r own hands do n ot “help Him out.” As we learn to enjoy Him for who He is, ou r self-focused wants are replaced by His perfect will and pu rpose for us.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Ask God to teach us to und er s tand His will and d esires 2. Pray for ou r ch ildren to grow with fear and wisdom of the Lord
YES AND AMEN! 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Romans 3:3
16
His Promises are Yes and Amen Have you e ver felt tired of waiting for a promise to happen? I certainly have. Having been single for a wh ile, it is certainly a diffi cult ques t to find that o ne per so n to call my companio n for life. At o ne moment, you r heart skips a beat when a potential someo ne walks into you r life. And the next moment, you have to let you r ho pe sink as soo n as red flags are seen e verywhere. I can certainly relate to a friend who’s been married for far too lo ng b ut are s till ch ildless. They have to go throug h a co n s tant painful jou rney in and out of the doctor’s office, trying out different medicatio n, o nly to see the pregnancy tes t indicates a negative, yet again. It is a battle of remaining ho pe ful in a seemingly ho peless sit uatio n. As the waiting co ntinues, I cann ot help b ut analy ze my sit uatio n. The scrutiny of my sit uatio n often progresses into scrutinizing me. Perhaps I did n ot pray hard en oug h, or fas t lo ng en oug h. Perhaps I did n ot do good en oug h, was n ot pleasing en oug h. And perhaps God’s promises may have been e v oked due to my disobedience and laziness in keeping my end of the d eal. But the word of God clearly s tates in Roman s 3:3: “For what if some did n ot belie ve? Will their unbelie f make the faithfulness of God without e ffect? Certainly n ot! Ind eed, let God be true b ut e very man a liar.” God has remained true to Himself and He will make His promises come true, yes and a men!! Thank God for having a God such as ou r God. Today, s tart belie ving whate ver He has promised will happen regardless. It is n ot because of ou r own rig hteousness b ut because of His grace that a bounds.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Give thanks for His mercy and grace that allows His plan s to come throug h in ou r lives 2. Ask God to teach us to learn more a bout His character s and to have a d eeper relatio n sh ip and und er s tanding of Him
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INHERITANCE Luke 15:11-32 ; Romans 8:17
Embrace The Eternal Kingdom Inheritance The s tory of prodigal so n s tarts of as o ne of the so n s d emand ed h is portio n of the fa mily es tate as an early inheritance. Once received, the so n promptly sets off o n a jou rney to a dis tant land and begin s to was te h is fort une o n wild living. When the mo ney run s out and a se vere fa mine h its the country, the so n finds h imself in a dire circums tance. Desperate, he takes in job as a pig feed er. Upo n reach ing the lowes t point of h is life, the young man comes to h is sen ses. He remem ber s h is father and the lavish life he used to have. In humility, he d ecid es to ret u rn home and asks for for giveness and mercy. The father, who had been waiting patiently, receives h is so n back with o pen arms of compassio n. He is overjoyed by the ret u rn of h is los t so n and he immediately shower s the so n with the bes t of h is cloth and jewelry, and prepares a giant feas t in celebratio n. God em braces us with His loving compassio n when we ret u rn from ou r waywardness. Jus t when we thoug ht we have spent all ou r inheritance, God su rprises us with more of His wealth. He willingly gives us His portio n of the wealth so we can live a rich and pu rpose-filled life again. “Put o n the bes t robe, ring and sandals� (Luke 15:22). Each individual item co ntain s priceless value in wh ich God lovingly gives to those who are His and bear the title of so n or daug hter. We are heir s of God and a joint heir with Chris t Jesus who has been appointed heir of all th ings (Roman s 8:17, Hebrews 1:2). Isaiah said in 61:10: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salva tio n, as a brid egroom d ecks h imself with orna ments and as a brid e adorn s her self with her jewels."
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Thank God for His unending love and compassio n 2. Thank Him for letting us be His Ch ildren, worthy of His inheritance 3. Ask God to teach us to und er s tand the inheritance that we have been freely given
FREEDOM
Psalm 119:45 ; Romans 3:23-24
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Jesus Died on the Cross to Give Us the Freedom to Live Today’s world is far from the old days b ut the essence of slav ery is s till engraved in ou r mind. We are mod ern slaves—slaves to sin and slaves to negativity. We live in the shadow of the pas t and fear of the fut u re. Day in and day out, we walk with th is invisible heavy chain tied to ou r feet. The truth is; we have been set free! Jesus ca me to the earth, died o n the cross to pay for ou r lives. Ou r freedom has been paid in full price and there is n o more co nd emnatio n in Jesus Chris t. Day by day He gives us a clean slate to s tart over. There is n o greater d esire of His than for us to s tart living ou r life to the fulles t; the way God has intend ed it to be. What’s better than kn owing you are ind eed a free man? So s tart living like you are o ne!
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Give thanks for the salvatio n that has been given freely and the pu rpose filled life we have ahead of us. 2. Ask God to o pen ou r spirit ual eyes and ear s to discern His d esire in ou r life.
19 HIS TREASURE Romans 8:28
The Potter’s Hand Many peo ple adore beautiful pearls. It takes a lo ng, painful process for a pearl to g et its sh iny, round, and flawless form. Fir s t, parasites enter the oys ter. The parasites act ually irritate the oys ter. As a d e fen se mechanism, the oys ter produces nacre to protect itself from parasites that intrud e its body. Th is nacre takes many year s to become a beautiful pearl. The pearl is processed and formed in a h idd en place in sid e the oys ter. After the pearl is formed in sid e, it has to be taken out throug h painful cutting process. The sa me applies to ou r lives with God. In the potter’s hands, anyth ing can be t u rned into a mas terpiece. Someth ing that is seen as an intrud er, un seen by human eyes, unappreciated by the worldly value, can be t u rned into a beautiful pearl in the hands of God. Allow God to process and shape ou r character s and lives so we can be a sh ining pearl that re flects God’s beauty. Joseph belie ved that God was in co ntrol of h is life n o matter how difficult h is life jou rney was. He belie ved that e ven thoug h h is own brother s sold h im as a slave, God s till used it for good. When the time ca me for h im to reco ncile with h is brother s, Joseph was a ble to say “And n ow, do n ot be dis tressed and do n ot be angry with you r selves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” (Gen 4 5:5).
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Thank God for His grace and plan in ou r lives. coo 2. Pray for ou r friends or fa mily to have a per so nal encounter with the Creator of their lives. 3. Pray for Indo nesia and the upcoming electio n 2014.
LIVING TESTIMONY Romans 10:14-15.
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Blessed are Those who Share The Good News. On Novem ber 1, 193 4, Billy Graha m gave h is life to Jesus Chris t at a re vival in Charlotte, N.C. After receiving Chris t, Billy Graha m spent mos t of h is life preach ing the gospel of salvatio n to many countries around the world. Like the life of Billy Graha m, mos t of us ca me to kn ow Chris t because someo ne has tes tified a bout Jesus Chris t to us. God has displayed th is exa mple throug h His o nly So n that He sent to earth, Jesus Chris t. Jesus Chris t walked o n earth to share a bout God’s love and salvatio n throug h the cross so that we who have been saved can carry out God’s Great commissio n. How can they belie ve in the One of whom they have n ot heard? Let us be the exten sio n of God’s v oice and share the gospel of salvatio n to ou r su rroundings. As it is written, “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray for the salvatio n of ou r fa mily, friends and co worker s 2. Pray for the cou rag e and boldness to share the Gospel of salvatio n to other s.
21 CONQUERORS
Psalm 18:31-36 ; Habakkuk 3:19
More than a Conqueror Hinds are a type of female d eer that live o n mountain s area. Its feet are s tro ng, a ble to jump h ig h and are kn own as o ne of a su re-footed mountain animal. The fro nt feet of h ind’s feet will s tep fir s t to see if the rock o n the mountain is safe to be s tepped o n. The back feet will follow precisely where the fro nt feet have s tepped o n. Th is a bility ena bles the h inds to travel h ig h up to the mountain, overcoming many roug h terraces alo ng the way. Throug h the love of Jesus Chris t, God has armed us with s trength and ena bles us to jou rney up the mountain. To clim b and reach the to p of the mountain, we will need God’s guidance and overcome many obs tacles. As we jou rney in life, we will need to overcome many problems in ou r daily lives. Howe ver, we have been called to be more than a co nqueror throug h Him who loved us. His love will s trengthen us and ena ble us to go from glory to glory. God has equipped us to jou rney to ou r own h ig h places. On the to p of the mountain, bigg er and h ig her th ings are in s tore for us.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray for wisdom to follow God’s guidance as we jou rney throug h life according to His plan. 2. Giving thanks for bigg er and greater th ings that are in s tore for us.