This is an 8 week walk with God where we seek a closer relationship with God through Fasting, Prayer, Praise, Worship, Thanksgiving, Meditation, and Seeking God.  As part of my bible study class we will seek God as we Journey and Journal together.

Overview:

Overview

Scripture: Isaiah 58       2Chronicles 7:14     Exodus 20:1-8

God wants us to come to him in spirit and truth.  True fasting is not just our prayers and praise. We can not play like Christians or play church. We need to first learn to treat people right before we go to God. In Isaiah 58 God says he will not honor our prayer or fasting if we are mistreating one another.  Quarreling, gossiping, fusing and fighting with other people are all hindrances to having a better relationship with God. We must humble ourselves and treat people right.

True fasting is to loose the chains of injustice, share your food with the hungry, clothe the naked and take care of your family. True fasting is when we honor God, keep His Word and keep His Sabbath Holy.

As we review the 10 commandments we see that God wants us to honor him, put nothing before him, keep his sabbath holy and love our neighbors as ourselves. We we do this we live the righteous lives God has called us to live. God does not require perfection. He requires a commit though. A commitment to do the best we can and treat people as we would have them treat us.

Finally, 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us specifically that we should humble ourselves (not think too highly of ourselves), pray, seek a closer relationship with God and turn from our wicked ways. Then God will hear our prayers. Then our fasting and prayers will be pleasing to God. He will hear and answer them.

Tue Fasting is commitment to walk with God and to treat our brothers and sisters with Agape love.

PERSONAL COMMITMENT

1. I commit to the fast of my choice everyday for 7 weeks
2. I commit to daily devotional for the entire 7 week fast.
3. I commit to pray throughout the day for a closer relationship with God
4. I commit to pray daily for my special request that is between me and God
5. I commit to journal my daily fasting and prayer activities

Week 1:

Fasting

Scripture: Matthew 6      Esther 4:16      Psalms 35:13-14      Acts 13:2      Jonah 3:4-10

In the bible there are 3 main reasons to fast:

1) To repent and seek God’s forgiveness
2) To seek God’s help
3) To seek a closer, committed, and submissive relationship with God.

A true fast is seeking God’s forgiveness, God’s help, or God’s relationship.
The five tenets of a true fast are:

Tenet #1: Fasting is giving to those in need out of love and not out of show
Tenet #2: Effective prayer is necessary for an effective fast.
Tenet #3: This is between you and God, period!
Tenet #4: Have no other gods before me.
Tenet #5: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.

Week 2:

Seek God

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4:29-31 1 Chronicles 28:8-9 Psalms 63:1-8 Hebrews 3:1-16 & 11:1-6
Amos 5:14-15 Proverbs 2:5-16 Psalms 1

Seek God

God wants a relationship with us. God wants us to seek and search Him out. He wants us to develop an intimate personal relationship with Him. Time after time God taps us on the shoulder asking us to spend some time with Him. He wants us to pray, meditate, have devotion, be thankful, praise and worship Him. As we Seek God make sure we set aside the cares of the world and focus on Him, His Will and His Righteousness.

His Word says “Seek first His Kingdom…”

His Word says “Seek first … His Righteousness…”

The righteousness of God is Agape Love. For God loves us no matter what we have done. His love is unconditional. His promises though are conditional. God will not bless us if we continue to live a lifestyle that is not pleasing to Him. God wants us to put a relationship with Him as our first priority.

Therefore, pray without ceasing. Meditate on His word day and night. In everything you do give thanksgiving to God. As you submit yourself to God, you will develop the strength to resist the devil and He will flee. As we Seek God, His Kingdom,  and His Righteousness then all things will be added. The primary Gift of God is salvation for tomorrow and the Holy Spirit for today. Yield your life, develop a close intimate relationship and live a righteous life before God treating your brothers and sisters with Agape Love and he will give you power. You will receive power to be witnesses to Jesus. That power is the Holy Spirit and it is the Power of God. Power to make it this day. For with this Power we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us.

Seek God while He may be found.

Week 3:

Meditate

Scripture: Psalms 1, Psalms 19, 1 Timothy 4, Psalms 119, Psalms 143, Psalms 145, Joshua 1:6-9, John 15:1-17

Week Four:

Prayer

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, James 5:13-20, Jude 20-21, Matthew 26:36-46, Matthew 5:44, Isaiah 56:7, Matthew 21:13, Mark 9:29, Mark 11:1-24, Acts 1:14, Acts 2:42-44

Pray To God When You Are in Trouble

Pray to God

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. ” (James 5:13a niv)

As a man or woman of faith it is important that we know in our daily lives we do get in trouble. Things happen. Sometimes we are the cause of the trouble, other times things happen that are out of our control. Regardless of the reason or the circumstance, when we are in trouble we should pray. Sadly, I really need not say this because that is when most people pray. Whether they have a relationship with God or not.

I know growing up my parents were divorced when I was 11 years old and we lived with my mother. One day I asked my father for a few bucks (why I needed it I can not remember) and he told me I only called or came around when I needed something. He was right. But, I took that the wrong way. I stopped calling or coming around. This is how we sometimes treat our heavenly father. We only call on him or talk to him when we need something.

Like my earthly father God wants us to have a relationship with him. He wants more than to just help us when we are in trouble. I believe my father would not withhold any good thing from me. In that same sense how much more would a holy righteous father give to his beloved children. God is encouraging us to seek him and call on him when we are in trouble. It is when we are at our lowest that we realize that God Is and that He cares for us. God wants to renew us, to build us up and reunite us with him. It often is our stubborn, self centered, know it all, unrepentant and unsubmissive natures that prevents us from having the personal intimate relationship that God desires.

Who else can help us out of any trouble. I know there were limits of what my earthly father could do. My earthly father was not rich, nor was he a doctor, a lawyer, nor did he own his own company. My father was not the Mayor, the Governor, the President or even a police chief. My father was not the judge or the jury. There were so many things that my father could not do. But for God, nothing is impossible.  My heavenly father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He makes the sunrise and the sunset. My Father keeps the ocean in its place and he has the whole world in his hands. God can mend broken hearts, He is the master Doctor and Lawyer. He can do all things. This is the father that says come to me when you are in trouble. Quite often people would see us in need and they want to help. They will say if there is anything you need let me know. We know that these well intentioned friends can not solve our problems. There is only one source to handle any need you have. He said call on me when you have trouble.

Aren’t you glad Jesus Christ said “Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

So God calls all who are in trouble to pray and call his name. He will give you rest and peace amidst the storm. Do not ignore his call to you. Do not let another opportunity go buy to grow closer to God.

Week Five:

Thanksgiving

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus”

(1Thessalonians 5:18)

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17, Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, 1Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalms 118:24 and 100.

The Key to Prayer, Praise and Worship

Acknowledge God.

When we are true to ourselves we understand that we did not create ourselves, we do not sustain ourselves, and we are not in control of ourselves. There is a greater force in this world. A creating, sustaining, maintaining force put everything in order and keeps it that way. The force we know is God. When we think about God and acknowledge him for ourselves we want to get to know about him and maybe get to know him.

Seek God.

Then we seek not just to know the existence of God, but we seek to know him personally. We seek to have a personal relationship with God. And as our relationship grows we begin to submit ourselves to him. We submit or will and our ways to be led by God and his will and ways become our will and ways. The more we seek him the more we get to know him. The more we know him the more we are in awe of his great and wonderful power.

Meditate on God.

As our relationship grows and we begin to think of what he has done, is doing and will do; even for us. As we meditate on his works and his word. As we meditate on his promises and his faithfulness and we go to a deeper level a deeper relationship emerges and we want to talk to him.

Pray to God.

We talk to God. We tell him about our problems. We talk to God. We yield our lives to him. We talk to God. We begin to trust him. We talk to God. We begin to know him as a personal redeemer. We talk to God. He saves us. We talk to God. Knowing all he has done. We talk to God. Knowing all he is doing. We talk to God. Knowing what he will do. And in our mind we reconcile that it is he who created us. In our mind we acknowledge it is God that gives us this air we breathe.

We Thank God.

With an attitude of gratitude we talk to God thanking him for all that he does for. We thank God for this day. We thank God your yesterday. We thank God for life, health and strength. We thank God for loving us. We thank God for forgiving us. We thank God for his mercy and his grace. As we think things over and figure things out we realize that it was God. And we thank Him.

We Praise God.

When we talk to God and we move from figuring it out that it was he who deserves the honor. Our soul (our feelings) moves in and takes over. Here we move into praise. To praise him is to honor him. To praise him is to glorify him to praise God is to give God what he is due from our soul. Not just from our mouths. Not just from our head. This praise comes from a feeling that won’t allow the rocks to cry out for us. Yes we know God in our minds and we know him even through our flesh. But praise comes from the soul. As we continue to grow deeper, even in the moment prayer goes to praise through thanksgiving. Praise goes to worship through thanksgiving.

Worship God.

Form our mind and our flesh we thank God because we know and acknowledge him. From our soul and feelings we thank God because we feel him. From our heart we worship God because our spirit is one with him. Our spirit moves into the presence with the Holy Spirit. In His presence we thank Him through worship. Beyond our mind, our flesh and our feelings is the spirit. Our spirit is in the spirit. We are in God. God is in us. This place is reached through thanksgiving. This place is called Worship.

The Key.

Thanksgiving with a yielded heart moves us from prayer to praise and into worship. For God is. He does not change. He is waiting on us to move into a relationship with him based on our prayer, praise and worship fueled by thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the key to peace and to the promises of God. Give thanks to God. Praise him for the things he has done. Let the spirit of thanksgiving move and transform you as you worship him. Worship the Lord.

Week Six:

Praise

Scripture: Deuteronomy 12:1-12, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Psalms 22, 68:1-4, 150, Luke 19:37-40 and Ephesians 1:3-14

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