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21 Days of Prayer and Fasting 20

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WHY ARE are we doing this?This is your time to become what you often look at in your leaders, as some may call themveteran or seasoned Christians. Another way to put it is that this is your time to cook. This is notjust a time to not eat and pray; this is your chance to make Christ real in your life.You will become a walking testimony of the Gospel and who Jesus is. In Exodus, Moses talks toGod and asks God to go with them into the wilderness so everyone knows that the living God iswith the Israelites. 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go withus? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of theearth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I ampleased with you and I know you by name.”Exodus 33:15-17In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promises“...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”As believers, we have the privilege to be marked special, set apart, and different, and we have apurpose others do not have. By spending time in Prayer and Fasting, they will see you But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession,that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelouslight.1 Peter 2:9Can I tell you... God wants to do the impossible (Luke 1:37), He wants to heal the sick (Matthew10:7-8), He loves the runaway (Luke 15), and He cares for the broken (John 8:1-11). We believein a big God who can do immeasurably more than we can ask for or think of. This guide bringsyou deeper into a relationship with Christ and seeks what God wants to do in your life. In thisguide you will find a deeper description and methods of fasting. You will find yourself, and God willbecome more evident in you. Others will see the lasting change as you can make this into aspiritual habit for a lifetime. In this time, you will become closer to God before you arecommissioned.

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WHAT ISPrayer and fasting?We know this is the first time some of you have heard about the Christian discipline of fasting.We want this to be a positive, life-changing experience. We have therefore proposed anapproach to how you can develop this discipline. Whatever road you choose, know that thereis something spiritual God does when someone chooses to ignore what their body (flesh)wants and instead listens to what the Holy Spirit wants. So, here’s the question: what do youdo from here? NO EATING *Unless you have a dietary health condition, ask Pastor Kekai foran alternative.We will have a set day (Friday) to fast each week of our 21 days. What do we do during afast?When we fast, we lean on God to provide for our needs. Some may fast for an importantdecision, but we are fasting for God to reveal who He is in us so that we can share ourtestimony with others. In this time, ask God first to reveal himself to you. Ask for arelationship with Jesus. This will be our focus at Fast. In our devotion, we will look at theweek leading up to and after Jesus' death and resurrection. Why is this important because allthat we believe happened on the cross, the resurrection, and the ascension? You need toknow what God did for you before you can know what God can do for you.You can choose to fast in three ways:Beginner, fast a meal on Friday, but remember to spend about 30 minutes in prayer andworship during this time; you will have song suggestions each day all week to add to aplaylist to worship with. Intermediate: fast all meals on Friday and spend 30 minutes in prayer and worship.Expert: Skip a meal each day of the week and fast for an hour to pray and worship.You can also use your fasting time to watch and read the devotionals of each day during thistime.

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DAY 1Triumphal entryDevotion:Matthew 21:2-92 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tiedthere, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything toyou, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you,gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkeyand the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowdspread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread themon the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,“Hosanna to the Son of David!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”What is Jesus in your life? Jesus is King; He is the King of kings. And He deserves all ofour praise! The people welcoming in Jesus and praising him laid their coats on the ground.This is important to recognize because it symbolizes homage that you only find when aKing enters a city. You can find this in 2 Kings 9:13. Jesus is King, and today, praiseJesus, make your prayers and cries to Him great! Sing Hosanna Hosanna in the highestloud and bold! In what acts can you do today that pay homage to Jesus? In other words,how can you honor him and sing a loud song of praise, welcoming Jesus into any/everyarea of your life?Worship song of the dayHosanna - Hillsong Worship

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DAY 2Jesus clears the templeMatthew 21:12-17 MSG12-14 Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop,buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dovemerchants. He quoted this text:My house was designated a house of prayer;You have made it a hangout for thieves.Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and hehealed them.15-16 When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard allthe children running and shouting through the Temple, “Hosanna to David’s Son!” theywere up in arms and took him to task. “Do you hear what these children are saying?”Jesus said, “Yes, I hear them. And haven’t you read in God’s Word, ‘From the mouths ofchildren and babies I’ll furnish a place of praise’?”17 Fed up, Jesus spun around and left the city for Bethany, where he spent the night.Devotion:In Jesus’ time, a building called the temple was where you went to pray. It was the templeof God. When you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Bible tells us we become a templeof the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). Is there anything you may need to drive out of yourbodily temple? Is there sin(s) that is taking up space? You are a temple of God; therefore,we should strive to be clean and Holy. Take inventory and ask the Holy Spirit, “What do Ineed your help driving out of my temple?” As you read, this Holy Spirit may already revealto you what that is. Therefore, be obedient and allow the Holy Spirit to help you. Worship song of the dayNew Wine - Hillsong Worship

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DAY 3Withered Fig TreeDevotion:Mark 11:12-14 NIV 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in thedistance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, hefound nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to thetree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. Matthew 21:18-22 NIV18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Thenhe said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20 When thedisciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you dowhat was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourselfinto the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for inprayer.” When Jesus saw that this fig tree full of leaves had no fruit, he immediately cursed it,causing it to wither. He does this to show that Israel, at the time, had become a spirituallybarren nation. They focused more on religion rather than having an authentic relationshipwith God. On the other hand, the disciples wondered how the fig tree withered so fast.Jesus replies in Matthew 21:21-22, “Truly I tell you if you have faith and do not doubt, notonly can you do what was done to the fig tree but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go,throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whateveryou ask for in prayer.” Jesus is emphasizing just how important our faith and trust is inHim. The world will try to teach us that we are our own boss and that we make our owndecisions based on how we feel. But this displeases God since we are His creation, andHe has a plan for every one of us. Instead of following the world, follow Jesus. Askyourself, ‘Is my faith planted on God’s firm foundation?’ Think about many ways tostrengthen your faith so you don’t become another withered fig tree. God knows yourheart, so it’s time to be a fruitful fig tree.Worship song of the dayAnother One - Elevation Worship

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DAY 4Greatest CommandmentDevotionMatthew 22:36-40 AMP36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, andwith all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seekthe best or higher good for others].’ 40 The whole Law and the [writing of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”If the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, " then weneed to put God first before everything. Exodus 20:3 says that we should not have anyother gods besides God. We can easily make other things in our life more important thanGod, usually not intentionally. We can become distracted when focusing on school, sports,family, job, etc., before God. These verses tell us that the most important command is tolove God with everything and put him first. The second part of these verses tells us to “loveyour neighbor as yourself.” We need to focus on how we treat others. Always ask yourselfif you would want someone treating you like you do others. God showed us the mostunselfish love by sending us His son. He commands us to love others because God knowsour nature is to be more selfish. When you put God first, it becomes easier to love others.It doesn’t take as much work when we have our priorities straight. We need to strive to bemore Christlike.Worship song of the dayLove Like I Mean It - Newsboys

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DAY 5Anointing at BethanyDevotionMark 14:3-113 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a womancame with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke thejar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantlyto one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than ayear’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6 “Leaveher alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. Butyou will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my bodybeforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preachedthroughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus tothem. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So hewatched for an opportunity to hand him over.Are you more concerned with what others are saying or their perspective of you, that youhold back your worship for Jesus? Just like the woman with the alabaster jar break bewilling to pour out your life to Jesus. Jesus is the one who saved you, who restored you,who redeemed you. Jesus paid the price so that you can be one with the Father, and livein communion with Him. Don’t hold back because you’re too afraid of what those aroundyou will think or say. How will you serve Jesus sacrificially today? Think about your time,what has all your attention? Does Jesus only get the leftovers, if so, make a solid decisiontoday to change that and give Him your all.Worship song of the dayWorthy of My Song – Phil Wickham & Chandler Moore

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DAY 6Washing of FeetDevotionJohn 13:3-133 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from Godand was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped atowel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, whosaid to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now whatI am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peterreplied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those whohave had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, thoughnot every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said notevery one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes andreturned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You callme ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord andTeacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you anexample that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greaterthan his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you knowthese things, you will be blessed if you do them.In verse 14 Jesus gives us a clear commandment. He says,” Now that I your Lord andteacher have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet.” He washed thefeet of those who were going to betray and deny him. And when we choose to sin, we aredoing the same thing, but God amazing grace cleanses us when we confess our sins tohim. That is how much he loves us.In verse seven he tells us you do not realize now what Iam doing but later you will understand. Have there been moments in your life where youdidn’t realize what God was doing but later understood that what God was doing was foryour good? Are there still areas that you are still believing God to come through and areyou praying about? Worship song of the dayWait on you – Maverick City Music

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