Luke 6:46-49 (The Voice)

“What good is it to mouth the words, “Lord! Lord!” if you don’t live by My teachings?  What matters is that you COME to Me, HEAR My words, and actually LIVE BY THEM”

PRAYER & FASTING are foundational and catalytic practices in the life of EVERY Christ follower that give us momentum on our discipleship journey as we simply & naturally ‘come to Him, hear His words, and actually live by them’ – the end goal being that we will FOLLOW in the WAYS that Jesus modelled for us in willing OBEDIENCE.

FASTING is all about valuing the gift of the personal closeness we have with Christ with the gift of our time, because TIME IS THE CURRENCY OF LOVE.  That time given to fast, where we DIVEST OURSELVES of all those things that the world would have us believe are priorities, will FORM IN US the lasting FRUIT of INTIMACY.  Kingdom FRUITFULNESS will then overflow FROM US as a natural consequence of our awakened DESIRE TO FOLLOW Christ in faithful & faith-filled OBEDIENCE to please our Father.

We will then live a life that is no longer SHAPED by the world around us, but has been RESHAPED in His PRESENCE, so that we no longer ‘become so well-adjusted to our culture that we fit into it without even thinking. But instead, we fix all our attention on God. Changed from the inside out we readily recognise WHAT HE WANTS from us, and QUICKLY RESPOND to it. Unlike the culture around us, always dragging us down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best OUT OF US and develops well-formed maturity IN US.’ (Adapted from The Message: Romans 12:2)

Today as you COME TO HIM and prioritise the Father’s loving embrace, take time to LISTEN and MEDITATE on His WORDS, hearing His promptings and directing. Allow His GRACE to EMPOWER you on the discipleship journey that Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction” – the always maturing life of a Christ follower that bears lasting fruit.

Psalms 126:4-5 (NIV)

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.

6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

Prayer is the pathway for communicating with God. Prayer is communion and involves both listening and speaking. True relationships develop when communication between two parties is strengthened and deepened. In your friendship with God, communication can often be withdrawn during times of disappointment or uncertainty. However, communicating through dysregulation or pain is crucial.

Psalm 126 offers helpful tools for developing communication in pain. The Bible equates your tears to seeds. Seed that is sown bears a harvest, while seed that remains unsown has potential but does not bear a harvest. The language here is agricultural: you can only reap a harvest when you sow the seed.

There is no harvest if you stuff your emotions in your pocket.

There is no harvest if you dump all your seed.

Rather, there is a harvest when you sow or invest your tears in prayer.

In other words, when you go through difficulty, don’t waste it. Don’t miss the opportunity to sow your tears and fears into the Lord. The Bible teaches that your tears will become joy if you invest them properly.

1. Communicate with God: During times of pain and disappointment, it’s essential to keep the lines of communication with God open. When we bring our tears to God in prayer, we are sowing them into His hands, trusting that He will transform them into a harvest of joy.

2. Pray with Honesty: Be honest with God about your pain. God values genuine communication. When you pour out your heart to Him, you are sowing your tears into fertile ground. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Your honesty in prayer is a seed that God can use to bring healing and joy.

3. Expect a Harvest of Joy: When you sow your tears in prayer, expect God to bring a harvest of joy. This promise gives us hope and assurance that our pain is not in vain. God sees our tears and will turn them into a joyful harvest in His perfect timing.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

One of the most precious elements of a friendship is trust. It is invaluable to have someone dependable in times of need, someone who follows through with promises and is reliable in times of distress.

Proverbs 3:5-6, a familiar verse, carries profound wisdom. Often, during times of pressure, we default to relying on ourselves, thinking it is the safest option. However, the wisdom of Proverbs implores us to lean on the Lord rather than our own judgment during these times. We are invited to trust the Lord because He can do things beyond our understanding, beyond the natural!

Trust wouldn’t really be trust if God mapped out His entire plan for us before we were willing to jump on board with it. Trust requires us to place our confidence in Him even when we can’t see a way to victory.

The Lord promises to make our paths straight when we submit to Him. Submitting to God means including Him in our everyday decision-making and acknowledging His sovereignty in our lives.

We can demonstrate this submission by intentionally following His commandments to love the Lord and to love others (Mark 12:30-31). Our God has given these commandments because He knows that they will lead to our best life, a straight path.

ACTIVATION:

Take a moment to ask the Lord if there are any aspects of your life that you have not submitted to Him, and give Him permission to speak into that area.

John 15:15 (NIV)

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

Have you ever needed a friend who truly understands, a friend you can depend upon no matter the circumstance or the cost, a friend who, with just a glance, can brighten your entire day?

Do you know this friend who is merciful and kind, who does not envy, who is humble and does not demand His own way, the One who thinks no evil of you?

This friend finds no gladness when injustice or harm comes against you. This friend, your friend, rejoices with a song over you and bears all things.

He is waiting for you.

Be still today, stop and take a look! It’s well worth it when you discover He has always been there looking right back at you.

ACTIVATION:

Read John 15:15 aloud: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

Pray the following prayer, either silently or aloud:

"Jesus, thank You for calling me Your friend. Help me to understand the depth of Your love and friendship. Teach me to walk closely with You and to trust You in every aspect of my life. Open my heart to experience Your kindness, mercy, and unwavering support. Amen."

After praying, listen for any words or impressions the Holy Spirit might give you about your friendship with Jesus. Write these down in your journal.

Luke 1:53 AMP

“He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent the rich away empty-handed.”

Given the contextual background of this verse as part of a prophetic word spoken by Mary during her visit to Elizabeth, it becomes a powerful declaration about Jesus' ministry. The prophetic inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit, who impregnated Mary with the life of Jesus. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is evident as both Mary and Elizabeth, carrying the promised John the Baptist, come together.

The verse makes two significant comparisons:

• Between two "different types" - those who hunger and those who are self-sufficient.
• The outcome of each type - the hungry shall be filled, and the rich will go away empty-handed.

The promise is that those who are spiritually hungry will be filled. While physical hunger is a natural occurrence, spiritual hunger requires our active involvement.

Spiritual hunger is generated by partaking in spiritual food. The verse asserts that those who act upon this hunger will be completely satisfied. This process of being filled creates a continuous cycle, as encountering the life of the Spirit fosters a deeper desire and hunger, leading to a closer relationship with Jesus.

In contrast, the rich or self-sufficient will not be filled but will go away empty. This implies being distanced from the One who can supply everything pertaining to life and godliness, highlighting a lack of close dependency.

This prophetic word declares that, even before Jesus' birth, He was destined to satisfy those who approach Him with hungry desires. He knows and fulfills the longing of our souls, but it necessitates our intentional approach to Him rather than relying on self-sufficiency. This declaration is not tentative; it is a statement of His purpose. So, with assurance, we come to our Redeemer Jesus, knowing that this promise predates His birth—to fill us to the extent of our hunger.