21 DAY R E Y A R P FASTING GUIDE CCOGMINISTRIES ORG Message
N O I T C U D INTRO In Ephesians 5 verse 16 Apostle Paul mentioned this phase Redeeming the time Paul urged the saints to make the most of their time using it wisely and purposefully because the days are evil Redeem translated in Greek means to buy back Buy back your time by not wasting time on unimportant things because evil is everywhere Using that thought buying back your time from unimportant things we applied this phrase to our thoughts To start 2025 we are redeeming our thoughts or buying back thoughts from unimportant things We are rescuing our valuable thoughts from invaluable unimportant and or dysfunctional things Each week of fasting we have set a devotional focus to accomplish this redemption Week 1 the focus will be Releasing Stinking Thinking Letting go of the dysfunction to clear the way for deliverance After week 1 of release week 2 s focus is Replace Rewrite Your Thoughts Week 3 s focus A C T Activating Christ Truth We are putting our thoughts into action It is one thing to think it it is another thing to LIVE it
FASTING S N O I T C U R INST There are many ways to fast and each approach can offer a unique opportunity for spiritual growth and a deeper connection with God Some people choose to fast from certain foods or meals while others may fast from particular activities or habits that distract them from their spiritual focus Common types of fasting include partial fasts where you limit certain foods or eat smaller portions and full fasts where you refrain from eating entirely for a set period Another popular method is the Daniel Fast which focuses on fruits vegetables and water or a media fast where you choose to disconnect from distractions like social media or entertainment At Calvary Church of God we will be fasting from all foods from 6 AM to 5 PM for the next 21 days During this time we will pray and fast as a congregation seeking God s guidance and strength To support this spiritual journey Bishop Steven Hutchinson will be live on Facebook and YouTube at 6 AM Monday through Friday leading us in prayer as we begin each day of fasting As always please be cautious and consult with your doctor if you have any medical conditions or concerns before beginning a fast Your health is important and it s essential to approach fasting in a safe and sustainable way
S U C O F Y WEEKL 01 RELEASING STINKING THINKING 03 31 DENIAL 04 01 CONVICTION 04 02 CONFRONTATION 04 03 ACCEPTANCE 04 04 SURRENDER 02 04 05 END OF WEEK REFLECTION REPLACE REWRITE YOUR THOUGHTS 04 07 REPLACE BITTERNESS WITH FORGIVENESS 04 08 REPLACE SHAME WITH FREEDOM 04 09 REPLACE CONDEMNATION WITH JUSTIFICATION 04 10 REPLACE DOUBT WITH TRUST 04 11 REPLACE INCOMPLETE MINDSETS WITH CHRIST S COMPLETENESS 04 12 END OF WEEK REFLECTION 03 A C T ACTIVATING CHRIST TRUTH 4 14 4 18 ACTIVATING CHRIST TRUTH 4 19 END OF WEEK REFLECTION
01 WEEK 1 PATHWAY TO RELEASING STINKING THINKING DENIAL CONVICTION CONFRONTATION ACCEPTANCE SURRENDER
01 Day 1 DENIAL Jeremiah 6 14 NLT They offer superficial treatment for people s mortal wounds They give assurances of peace when there is no peace Superficial treatments for mortal wounds essentially refer to the basic wound care practices like cleaning dressing and applying antibiotics to a severe injury which while necessary to prevent infection cannot actually save a life due to the severity of the wound In essence they only address the surface aspects of a lifethreatening injury and do not address the underlying damage to vital organs Denial is a type of defense mechanism that involves ignoring the reality of a situation to avoid anxiety When you Ignore reality to avoid anxiety you can t look at what s really happening or the consequences of your actions Denial is the difficulty of accepting something that feels too overwhelming to handle and it is a way to cope with something that seems just too big to deal with and impossible to change
01 Day 2 CONVICTION Ephesians 5 13 Ephesians 5 13 says But everything exposed by the light becomes visible and everything that is illuminated becomes a light Evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them Conviction shines the light on dark intentions thoughts Unlike Denial which denies reality by creating a false reality Conviction prompted by the Holy Spirit brings clarity Denial desires to keep you in the dark while conviction shines the light Conviction shines the light on things you might otherwise ignore justify or make excuses for It helps you see the negative effects your thoughts have on your life or the relationship and then stirs your heart toward change repentance Conviction opens your eyes while it stirs your heart
01 Day 3 CONFRONTATION Psalm 139 23 24 Psalm 139 23 24 Search me O God and know my heart test me and know my anxious thoughts See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me on the path of everlasting life We have a tendency to take ourselves off the hook to argue for the right of what we re thinking even if what we re thinking is wrong And sometimes it s very important to be very aware of what you re thinking and to step back and confront those thoughts that are going to discourage you are going to weaken your faith are going to bring doubt to God and obviously then shape in a wrong way the way that you live When you fail to confront yourself that s a system of hope in yourself I don t want to do anything that would break my hope in myself the way you break that is by putting your hope in God
01 Day 4 ACCEPTANCE Proverbs 28 13 Proverbs 28 13 A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful But if he confesses and forsakes them he gets another chance Taking ownership or accepting your mistakes means making an effort to repair the damage caused and to restore relationships
01 DAY 5 SURRENDER James 4 7 10 James 4 7 10 Submit yourselves therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you Draw near to God and he will draw near to you Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded Be wretched and mourn and weep Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you Surrendering to God is a profound journey that transforms you Full surrender to Him is what He requires that is why He is called Lord and Master but it is often conveniently glossed over in our churches today We feel more comfortable with terms like servant disciple or follower rather than anything resembling submission We want Jesus as a friend with a GetOut of Hell Free Card who politely laughs and turns His head at our sin We have to surrender to Jesus who is LORD Surrender to give something that is yours to someone else because you have been forced to do so or because it is necessary to do so to stop fighting and admit defeat
01 DAY 6 N O I T C E L REF 01 02 03 Denial Conviction Confrontation Reflect on the areas of your life where you might be avoiding the truth or the reality of a situation How is denial preventing you from addressing the deeper issues in your life Consider the ways the Holy Spirit has illuminated your heart this week How has conviction helped you recognize areas where you need to change or repent Reflect on the thoughts or beliefs you ve been holding onto that are hindering your growth Have you confronted these thoughts and allowed God s truth to shape your actions 04 05 Acceptance Surrender Think about the mistakes you ve made and how you ve responded to them Are you willing to take ownership seek restoration and accept the grace God offers for a fresh start Reflect on your level of surrender to God Are there areas where you ve been holding back and how can you fully submit to God s will in your life
02 The Path to Freedom Replace Rewrite Your Thoughts REPLACE BITTERNESS WITH FORGIVENESS SHAME WITH FREEDOM WITH JUSTIFICATION N O I CONDEMNAT DOUBT INCOMPLETENESS WITH TRUST WITH CHRIST S COMPLETENESS
02 REPLACE DAY 8 BITTERNESS WITH FORGIVENESS Ephesians 4 32 Be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you Forgiveness It s an act we all know too well but one that can be incredibly difficult We all face situations where we ve been hurt wronged or betrayed the weight of that pain can leave us feeling angry resentful and bitter Taking root in our hearts makes it hard to move on heal or even think about forgiveness In Ephesians 4 32 Paul commands us to be kind and compassionate forgiving one another just as God forgave us When we forgive we choose to release the anger and pain not because the offense didn t matter but because we choose God s way over our own Forgiveness isn t for the person who hurt us it s for our own hearts so we don t become slaves to the bitterness that seeks to destroy us Bitterness left unchecked has a way of clouding our understanding It distorts our vision of God and who He s called us to be It creates barriers between us and others and most importantly it separates us from the life and love God wants to offer us This is why forgiveness is essential it releases us from the shackles of resentment and allows us to move forward in freedom None of us deserve the forgiveness that God has extended to us through Jesus Christ Yet because of His great love for us God forgave us completely and fully covering our sins with the blood of His Son As we ve been forgiven we are called to forgive
02 REPLACE DAY 9 SHAME WITH FREEDOM John 8 36 So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed As Christians when we fall short it s easy to become consumed by shame We often get stuck in our heads replaying our failures and believing the lie that we are defined by our mistakes But John 8 36 offers us a life changing truth If the Son sets you free you will be free indeed In John 8 we start this chapter with a story of an adulterous woman caught in sin and brought before Jesus While her accusers wanted to condemn her Jesus extended grace This beautiful moment shows us the heart of God and how he offers us forgiveness not condemnation But the story doesn t stop there Jesus goes on to say Everyone who sins is a slave to sin but if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed Through Jesus we re not only forgiven we re set free Free from the power of sin Free from shame and free to live in the fullness of His love and grace Shame no longer has power over us because of what Christ has done So today let go of the shame that holds you back Embrace the freedom that comes with forgiveness Because you are not defined by your past but by the grace of Christ You are free
02 REPLACE DAY 10 CONDEMNATION WITH JUSTIFICATION Romans 5 1 Therefore since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ The more we uncover our thoughts while learning more about God and discovering His goodness it can feel impossible to believe that we could ever be justified before Him How could we be shown right reasonable or just when our nature is flawed How could someone like us who deserves condemnation be declared innocent and righteous The Holy Spirit is how In Romans Paul reminds us that it s the ministry of the Holy Spirit to dwell within us empower us guide us and give us life Justification isn t a result of our own merit It s not because of anything we ve done to earn it but because we allow the Holy Spirit to live in us we are counted as righteous before God So let this truth replace the thoughts that once consumed you and make room in your life for the Holy Spirit to work within you And as you do you will see that He not only fights for you but also continually reminds you of your new identity justified redeemed and loved And now that we ve been justified nothing can separate us from this unshakable love
02 REPLACE DAY 11 DOUBT WITH TRUST Proverbs 3 5 6 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 After a week of uncovering stinking thinking it s natural that doubt might start to creep in feelings of uncertainty or fear But today we want to replace that doubt with trust The Bible tells us in James 1 5 8 that a person who doubts is like the waves of the sea tossed back and forth by the wind We don t want to be like that unstable and constantly uncertain We want to be anchored in the truth of God s promises A verse many of us know well is Proverbs 3 5 6 Though often quoted its message remains powerful The way to get rid of doubt is to trust God completely When the Bible says trust in the Lord with all your heart it means trusting with the deepest part of you The word heart is translated from the Greek word Kardia which refers to the very core of your being which is your thoughts emotions and will To trust God with all your heart means surrendering everything to Him fully depending on Him and leaving no room for doubt to control your thoughts So with all of your heart and in all of your ways release the doubt and replace it with trust in Him Let Him be the anchor that keeps you steady
02 REPLACE DAY 12 S S E N E T E L P M O C N I WITH CHRIST COMPLETENESS Colossians 2 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ who is the head over every ruler and authority As we continue our fast we re intentionally setting aside time to examine the negative and distracting thoughts that often crowd our minds These thoughts tell us we re not good enough that we re incomplete or that we re lacking in some way But God s Word is clear In Christ we are complete Paul s letter to the Colossians was written when the church faced intense pressure from external philosophies and teachings The Colossians were hearing messages suggesting they needed something other than Christ to be truly fulfilled or achieve spiritual maturity But Paul understanding these pressures reminded the Colossians of one foundational truth they were already complete in Christ and because of their union with Him they lacked nothing So just as the Colossians faced pressure from false teachings and cultural influences we too are surrounded by voices that tell us we need more to be complete Whether it s societal standards or our own insecurities there s always something telling us that we re not enough or that we need to achieve more to be truly fulfilled But the truth is that we are complete in Christ There is no additional wisdom no secret knowledge or no ritual that we need to be whole Through our union with Christ we are fully loved fully equipped and COMPLETE
02 DAY 13 N O I T C E L F E R 08 09 10 Forgiveness Freedom Justification This week reflect on how forgiveness can free your heart from the chains of bitterness and how embracing God s grace allows you to walk in the true freedom He offers This week reflect on the freedom you have in Christ Freedom from shame from the weight of past mistakes and from the power of sin Embrace the truth that in Jesus you are not defined by your failures but by His love and grace This week reflect on the incredible truth that through the Holy Spirit you are justified redeemed and made righteous before God Let go of thoughts of condemnation and make room for the Spirit to work in you reminding you daily of your new identity in Christ 11 Trust This week reflect on where doubt has taken root in your heart and replace it with trust in God s unwavering promises Surrender your thoughts emotions and will to Him and allow His truth to anchor you keeping you steady in the midst of uncertainty 12 Christ s Completeness This week reflect on the truth that in Christ you are complete No external pressures insecurities or false teachings can add to the fullness of who you are in Him Embrace the freedom and peace that comes from knowing you lack nothing because you are fully loved and fully equipped in Christ
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