NEW ENERGY & STRENGTH | 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2020 | Day 21

Those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

It is impossible to do anything without energy or strength.

Isaiah writes about God’s limitless energy and strength, saying; “the everlasting God the creator of the ends of the earth never grows tired or weary. He gives power to the weak and to those who lack might He increases their strength.” Isaiah goes on to compare God’s limitless energy with our limited energy. Even the strongest of youths grow tired and weary, and young men will inevitably stumble and fall.

God is the source of all energy and strength. His energy and strength are limitless and never ending.

He is the energizer of all who are tired and weary, lacking energy and strength.

In the account of the creation, we read that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. The Hebrew word for “hover” is “rachap” which is only used three times in the bible and means, “to move, flutter or shake.’

We know that energy is transmitted in waves, so what we see in this passage is, God setting into motion and energizing the universe in waves of Divine energy.

Energy, all of which comes from God, is the creative and driving force in our universe. Nothing is created without energy. Nothing is set into motion without energy. Nothing is achieved without energy.

Energy brings things into being, sets things in motion and makes things happen. Energy invigorates us and gives us strength.

We all need new energy and strength!

In Psalm 84 we read: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage…They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.’ Psalm 84:5-7 NKJV

When we know that God is the source of our energy and strength, when our hearts are set on pilgrimage (following God), God promises that we will be energized and go from strength to strength.

When we wait on God, spending time in His presence, we will renew our energy and strength, we will mount up on wings as eagles, we will run and not be weary we will walk and not faint.

May this year and new decade be one in which we know an abundance of new energy and strength in every way!

NEW PATTERNS | 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting | Day 20

Have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them.  Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

Exodus:25:8-9 NIV

There is nothing that God does or builds that is random. Everything that He does and creates is according to a plan and a pattern.

Scientists have discovered that there are patterns in the universe that show up in everything from stars to human cells.

One of the greatest examples of this is the patterns found within the human DNA. Within the strands of our DNA there are encoded patterns, which not only determine our unique identity, but are keys to understanding how the human body works.

In 1990 genetic scientists started mapping the patterns of DNA and they found that in these patterns, encoded in the human DNA, were keys to finding cures for disease.

From what they learned in these patterns, they were able to create medicine and vaccines based on these DNA patterns.

The patterns were the key to the cure.

Finding the patterns within creation has been the key to breakthroughs in every area of science and mathematics.

In the same way finding the patterns within God’s word, and applying them to our lives is the key to breakthrough in every area of our lives.

We can clearly see in the Bible that whenever God’s people followed these patterns they flourished. They flourished because, within those patterns are found life giving principles.

God said to Moses, “build the tabernacle exactly like the pattern I gave you and you will experience My presence in your midst”

So when we build according to God’s pattern, we experience His presence, power and provision in every area of our lives.

God gave the Israelites instructions on how they should plant and harvest their fruit trees, giving the entire crop of the fourth year to the Lord. He said, “if you follow this pattern your harvest will increase.” Leviticus 19:25

If we follow God’s pattern we will experience supernatural fruitfulness.

God’s word is filled with patterns that bring order and blessing to those who find them and make them the pattern of their lives.

The level to which we live by God’s pattern, instead of personal preference, comfort or convenience will be the level to which we know God’s order and blessing in our lives.

Let’s be diligent to build in faith, exactly according to God’s pattern, and let’s see what God will do!

NEW POWER | 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting | Day 19

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1:8

Jesus’ last command to His disciples, prior to His ascension into Heaven, was to make Jesus known to the whole world and to make disciples wherever they went.

Jesus gave them a mission, but He also gave them a promise. They would receive the power necessary to fulfil that mission.

The mission that Jesus gave His disciples was not only for them, but for every believer.

The power that Jesus promised the disciples was not just for them, but for every believer.

It was this power, the power of the Holy Spirit that would transform the disciples from being lacking to being filled with power, from hiding from those who opposed them, to openly declaring Jesus to their world.

Jesus made it clear that the purpose of the infilling of the Holy Spirit was to make Jesus known, and that the Holy Spirit would be the source of their power.

And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33

That same power is available to us today, not only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit initially, but as we are continually filled with the Spirit of God every day.

Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, “be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)

In the original Greek translation, the present imperative tense is used, meaning, not simply to be filled once but to continually “be being filled” with the Holy Spirit. This means that we can be refilled, replenished, recharged and re-empowered daily. We can ask God to fill us with His Spirit every day, so that we can fulfil the purpose that He created us for, and be confident that He will do so again and again.

Let’s never forget the source of our power and keep being filled with the Holy Spirit daily, remembering that the “why” of our power is to make Jesus known.

 Jesus last command to His disciples was His first priority, let’s make it ours!

NEW STANDARD | 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2020 | Day 18

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Luke 23:34 NKJV

When Jesus gave His new commandment to thedisciples at the last supper, to love one another as He had loved them, He set a new standard. The disciples had no idea about the events that were about to unfold the very next morning, in the greatest demonstration of that love, as Jesus was nailed to the cross. 

As He hung on the cross Jesus cried out, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Jesus forgave His enemies, when they did not deserve to be forgiven and in doing so, set a new standard of forgiveness. 

Not one of us deserves to be forgiven by God, yet God forgives us. Instead of judgement, we receive grace. We receive what we don’t deserve (forgiveness), and we don’t receive what we do deserve (judgement).

Jesus set a new standard for us to live by. He says that we should forgive others just as we have been forgiven, and that if we do not, then God will not forgive us! 

When Peter asked Jesus, “how many times shall I forgive my brother, up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “not seven times but seventy times seven!” 

Peter most likely thought he was being generous by saying seven times, but Jesus was setting a new standard of forgiveness as seen by His response. Did 70x7 = 490 times? Psalm 90:10 says; “the span of our lives is 70 years.” There are 7 days in the week, so this was a figurative response in which Jesus was saying we should forgive those who wrong us every day of our lives.

Jesus went on to teach the parable of the unforgiving servant, who received forgiveness for a huge, unpayable debt and refused to forgive a minor debt that was owed to him. In this parable Jesus highlights the magnitude of forgiveness that we have received, compared to the forgiveness we extend to those who have hurt us.                                            

CS Lewis said: “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive!”

It has been rightly said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the person who hurt us to die!

Let’s never forget that forgiveness lies at the very core of our faith. Jesus set a new standard, that will free us from the trap of offence, resentment and bitterness if we forgive others as God forgives us.

William Blake said: “the glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.”

By God’s grace may we not be conquered by unforgiveness but become more than conquerorswith the new standard of forgiveness that Jesus set for us.

NEW COMMANDMENT | 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2020 | Day 17

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:34-35 NKJV

 When Jesus was asked what was the greatest of all the commandments, He answered:

 “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment. Andthe second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39 NKJV

This is the first and great commandment, to love God with all our being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

At the last supper Jesus gave His last commandment to the disciples, before His death and resurrection. He said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

It is significant that it was John who recorded this in his gospel. John was known as the one who Jesus loved. He is also known as the Apostle of love, because love is the central theme in all his writings, and John more than any other of the disciples had a revelation of God’s love and the love we should have for each other.

It was John who wrote, “for God so loved the worldthat he sent His Son.” It was John who also said, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8

To love God and to love each other was not a new concept, yet Jesus calls this a new commandment. What was new about this commandment, and why was this going to be the characteristic that distinguished followers of Jesus from everyone else?

The key is found in the words, “as I have loved you.” This was not simply a command that the disciples should love one another, but that they should love one another as Jesus had loved them. 

This was no ordinary love. This was the love that Jesus demonstrated in laying down his life for us. It was the love that He demonstrated as He served others, and it was the same love that nailed Jesus to the cross.

Jesus goes on to say, this is the kind of love that will attract the attention of our world. Everyone who sees this love will know that we are followers of Jesus, because of this demonstration of sacrificial love.

John describes this kind of love in this way:

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16

May our prayer and our reality be that we would love like this!

NEW PROMISES | 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2020 | Day 16

He has been made the Mediator of a better covenant established on better promises. Hebrews 8:6 VOICE

When God initiated the New Covenant, it was a better covenant established on new and better promises.

The writer of the book of Hebrews says:

“If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it…… When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear”

These new promises are better, because they were not based on the obedience or disobedience of God’s people, but on the obedience of Christ. They were established through God’s grace rather than through our observance of the Law. They are better because they are promises not just for the nation of Israel, but for every person from every nation, who would believe in and accept Christ as their Savior.

They are better promises because the foundation of every promise is Christ.

Paul writes:

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT

All of these promises are found and appropriated in Christ.

When our “Amen” is added to God’s “Yes,” these new and better promises become ours! Not because we have earned them, or because we deserve them but because we believe that what Christ did, He did for us personally, and we receive His promises by faith.

Let’s never forget that we have a better covenant with better promises, and may our “Amen” be added to God’s resounding “Yes,” so that we can receive all the new and better promises that are found in Christ.

NEW TESTAMENT | 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting | Day 15

For where there is a will and [d]testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established, 17 for a will and testament takes effect [only] at death, since it is never in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

Hebrews 9:16 Amplified

 A last will and Testament is a legal document in which an individual records their last wishes as to how their property, possessions and affairs should be handled after their death.

The word Testament comes from the Latin word “Testamentum” meaning Covenant with God and from the word “Testari” meaning, to be a witness, call to witness or make a will.

 The New Covenant, which replaces the Old Covenant, is called the New Testament because it is God’s legal document in which He declares His final will for all of His children and the inheritance He leaves for us in Christ.

Jesus came to fulfill God’s will, and to leave our Heavenly Father’s will and inheritance to all who have faith to receive it.

The writer of Hebrews highlights that God’s last will and testament came into place only when Christ died. A will-maker must die in order for the beneficiaries to receive their inheritance.

A will must be written and read for the beneficiaries to know what their inheritance is and to claim it. The New Testament is God’s written will, and in order for us to know God’s will we must read it, believe it and claim it as our own.

Paul writes about the importance of knowing what our inheritance is and that every believer has access to the inheritance that is ours in Christ.

“If you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance” Galatians 4:7 Message

“Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God” Ephesians 1:11 NLT

 He goes on to say that his prayer is that we might all know the glorious riches of the inheritance that is ours in Christ.

If we were to become an heir and receive an inheritance but did not know what the inheritance was or how to claim it, we would never benefit from what was left to us.

God’s will is written in His word, Jesus died so that His will would come into effect and the Holy Spirit is the executor and guarantee of His will.

Let’s be diligent to know and claim the inheritance and riches that our ours in Christ, so that we can fulfill God’s will for our lives, with all of the resources God has made available to each one of us.