Return to flip book view

Copyright 2023 by Harvest Point Fellowship Church Cover Photo Church congregation in prayer posture Pearland TX USA Harvest Point Fellowship Church Editorial Team Tameka Tennison Shalunda Bates Philip Ughanze Acknowledgments Scripture taken from various Bible versions English Standard Version ESV New King James Version NKJV New American Standard Bible NASB New International Version NIV New Living Translation NLT You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute in whole or in part this publication provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or if applicable make it clear that it is an excerpt do not charge a fee of any kind for the copied material including cost for compensation for reproduction cost and clearing attribute Harvest Point Fellowship as the source of the material Please include the following statement on any distributed or web posted copy By Harvest Point Fellowship Church at www harvestpoint org For web posting a link to our website is requested For more information email hello harvestpoint org This is a digital publication www harvestpoint org 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 2 page 3 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

PASTOR KICK OFF Church family Every year during January we spend 21 days in corporate prayer and fasting We are always overwhelmed by how God chooses to meet us in a very unique and special way during this time The Harvest Point 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer Devotional is designed to encourage and strengthen you as you devote this time to walk closer to our Lord This year leaders within our local Church have written the devotionals and prayers for each day We have also attached a Biblical Guide to Fasting and provided a few fasting options While corporate prayer is a normal part of our Sunday gatherings we hope that these 21 days of prayer and fasting will prove to be transformational in the lives of those who are seeking Him Dr Lawrence Scott HP Lead Pastor 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 4 page 5 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

HOW CAN YOU JOIN THE 21 DAY EXPERIENCE Make a personal commitment to fast and pray for the 21 days Fasting means we humbly deny something of the esh to Glorify God enhance our spirit and strengthen our prayer life Prepare for the fast by reading Psalm 51 1 Samuel 15 and Isaiah 58 These verses serve as evidence that God is not interested in devout sacri ces to Him rather in our obedience to do His Will in our lives He wants us to be more like Him and that requires us forgetting our will and seeking His Take Pause for prayer at 7 00 am and 7 00pm An effective way for our church to be uni ed is if we pause for prayer together We will host a prayer call every morning for 21 days for all who would like to participate The call number is 563 999 1272 Get connected to Harvest Point s social media pages myharvestpoint and participate with daily prayers online TABLE OF CONTENTS intro INTRO PRAYING AND FASTING DAY 05 DAY 06 SPIRITUAL MATURITY page 6 FORGIVENESS DAY 10 MENTAL HEALTH DAYS 14 16 FAMILY MEN WOMEN 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 DAY 01 PRAYING WITH PRIORITY AND EXPECTATION DAY 02 CORPORATE REVIVAL DAY 07 SHARING OUR FAITH DAY 11 MARRIAGE DAY 17 EDUCATORS MENTORS COACHES DAY 03 DAY 04 DAY 08 DAY 09 AUTHENTIC FELLOWSHIP JESUS CENTERED WORSHIP A PRAYER POWERED CHURCH DAY 12 DAY 13 TEENS CHILDREN YOUNG ADULTS DAYS 18 20 LAW ENFORCEMENT MILITARY GOVERNMENT POLITICAL LEADERS page 7 PASTORS SPIRITUAL LEADERS DAY 21 PROJECT NEXT 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

Two words come to mind as we engage in this prayer time together priority and expectation Regarding the former it is easy to be consumed with the busyness of the day and bypass the opportunity for intentional poignant prayer particularly at the start of the day Many times as soon as we awaken we often focus on the various tasks that lie ahead of us and sometimes we miss those crucial intimate moments of prayer The question we are asking this morning is Do we make prayer a priority daily Even if we do make it a priority there are times that our minds begin to wander in the middle of the prayer Secondly Do we pray with expectation Even if we have a normal rhythm of prayer what do we expect God to do with it Do we sit in anticipation when we lay out before the Lord Do we leave room for God to respond In Psalm 5 1 3 David writes 1 Give ear to my words O Lord consider my groaning 2 Give attention to the sound of my cry my King and my God for to you do I pray 3 O Lord in the morning you hear my voice in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch can t even formulate words to describe our undesirable state The good news is that God can hear our words and inner thoughts He hears our thoughtful formal prayers and moments when all we have to offer are groans and sighs Whether the prayer takes 10 minutes or 10 seconds God is fully aware and able to discern our prayers With every new day David found renewal He repeated the phrase in the morning to remind us of renewal and priority That every morning provides a new opportunity to go to the Lord in prayer he has positioned his prayer to precede his daily tasks This is the proper posture in good and bad seasons We ought not to come to God with regularity under challenging moments and distress only but also when things are well and prosperous In addition to making prayer a priority the end of verse three tells us that he prayed with expectation and watched for an answer Sometimes we miss God s answer because we are not looking for it We drop prayers off in the morning and then tune God out for the rest of the day Instead we should sit in anticipation of what God will do or how As David considered the injustices He might respond Let us pray around him he first called on the Lord to consider and give attention to his prayer Notice that David said consider my groaning Sometimes the pressure we experience is so heavy that we 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 8 INTRO TO PRAYING AND FASTING BY DOREATHEA CURETON GOMEZ HP 55 SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY I grew up Catholic where every Friday I knew on Monday what was on the next Friday s family menu fish The catholic rule for fasting intended for every person 14 years of age and older was the expectation to abstain from meat any items made with meat on Ash Wednesday Good Friday and every Friday during the Lent season Beyond this Lenten observance most Catholics don t give fasting or abstinence much thought the rest of the year The season of Lent is a Catholic sacramental form of public worship season consisting of forty days of suggested fasting prayer and penitence beginning at Ash Wednesday and concluding at sundown on Holy Thursday The official liturgical color for the season of Lent is violet and the observance of Lent is related to the celebration of Easter Well my parents continued the tradition well after Lent and age wasn t necessarily an eligibility criteria If you wanted something to eat on Friday evening it was going to be fish or you ate a plate of potatoes This tradition was implanted and embedded on my brain and still is until this day just ask my husband what s for dinner on a Friday the religionist ritual and ceremony It s true that physically fasting is good for us because it offers a lot of health benefits if executed correctly Science has identified some of the following health benefits of fasting include detoxification faster healing lower cholesterol levels and prevention other diseases However occurrences mentioned in the bible were based on spiritual beliefs Fasting was commonly associated with a declaration of faith that involved abstaining from food and drink from dawn until dusk Fasting was considered an exercise of humility hope and love essential virtues in preparing them for communication with the Holy Spirit However what I missed in this legalistic practice was the biblical principle and lesson of what the spiritual purpose of fasting was and the importance of it being written throughout the bible the inspired word of God Himself Matthew 4 2 Luke 2 37 Nehemiah 1 4 Exodus 34 28 Most importantly I had totally missed its sacred significance but instead practiced In the bible we find that when men and women fasted with a proper biblical motivation where they sought God s face not just His blessings but with a broken repentant and contrite spirit they heard from God of heaven and was healed He moved on their behalf and even nations were saved Spiritual fasting will also help to cleanse and detoxify not only our 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 Fasting is rooted in the bible and if we are going to be living word believers fasting is one of those disciplines we probably need to adopt Fasting in itself doesn t change God s position or character but it will change us and position us in a place where we can commune with God as he empowers us with more spiritual authority Fasting is an exercise or lesson plan for humility hope and love essential virtues in preparing us to be receptive when there is communication with the Holy Spirit page 7 8 page BLAZE MAGAZINE

PRAYING WITH PRIORITY AND EXPECTATION BY DR LAWRENCE SCOTT HP LEAD PASTOR PRAYER Father before I get busy with tasks this day let me pause to pray Help me today Lord to be wise in my dealings Guide my tongue today Lord before I step into the workplace God in my moments of distress help me to seek you first for direction instead of depending on my own power When things are well with me let me not forsake moments of intimate prayer with you Father Help me Lord to seek your will for my day and not my own Please help me in the morning Father to discern what you have to say about me above what others may falsely say about me Let my focus be on you oh God Thank you Lord for listening to my prayers when I can t formulate sentences Even when I lack formality in my prayers and sometimes my subjects and verbs disagree you can still discern my request Lord help me ensure that the rhythm of prayer is not perfunctory That I am not just praying out of routine with no real expectations Help me keep watch for your answer Lead to pray in a way that expects an all powerful God to move according to His will Let me find satisfaction in how you respond even if your response differs from my desire Lord thank you for receiving my prayer this morning I anticipate your response I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus amen BLAZE MAGAZINE page page 9 8 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 physical but our mental body which is the vehicle through which the spiritual self manifests itself When prayer and fasting are combined and dedicated to God it achieves their designed appropriate effectiveness This is a way of forcing ourselves to focus on God and rely on Him for strength provision and the wisdom we need Fasting and prayer can bring about revival and renewal a change in our own lives in our own families our churches and even our communities God s awesome power can be released through us as we fast through the help of the Holy Spirit The Pharisees fasted twice a week this was a powerless ritual that gained them nothing more than weight loss and the acclaim of their peers Luke 5 33 Many have a tendency to choose to fast with the belief and focusing on benefits to our physical health as opposed to our spiritual health When we fast we are able to remove many of life s distractions and devote more of ourselves to God Especially when we are unable to make certain life decisions fasting gives us the required clarity In this communion state we are no longer bound by the overwhelming desires and demands of the flesh Another important benefit of fasting and prayer is that it can create opportunity for miracles When we fast our body mind and spirit is under God s authority When we pray the spirit of God should become so powerful and invasive that there is little space for outward chaos or distractions It s a moment where all the chaos is transformed into peace and comfort Abstaining from food is the act of humility but when we pray and fast we are completely devoting ourselves to God God then listens to our prayers and this act of humbleness helps us come closer to God and feel his presence It becomes easier to obey God and be more sensitive towards God s voice The benefit of fasting and prayer is that it helps us achieve humility and trains us to hear God s voice more clearly Fasting is abstaining from anything that hinders prayer Fasting in the biblical sense is choosing not to partake of food because our spiritual hunger is so deep By fasting the body learns to obey the soul by praying the soul learns to command the body William Secker page 9 PRAYER HEAVENLY FATHER WE APPROACH YOUR THRONE WITH REVERENCE AND HUMILITY AS WE PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR 21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER WE ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND THE HELP OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT TO INTERCEPT AND OBSTRUCT ANY DISTRACTIONS THAT WOULD PREVENT US FROM HEARING YOUR VOICE WE ARE ASKING FOR A SPIRITUAL AWARENESS THAT EXCEEDS THE ORDINARY AND TRANSCENDS INTO A SUPERNATURAL INTIMATE EXPERIENCE WITH YOU OH GOD GIVE US CLARITY OF OUR PURPOSE AND ASSIGNMENT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO EACH AND EVERY BELIEVER TODAY WHO ACCEPTS YOU AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR WE ARE PLACING OUR COMPLETE TRUST AND DEPENDENCY IN AND ON YOU HEAVENLY FATHER LET THESE 21 DAYS TRANSFORM US LORD INTO WORTHY VESSELS AND AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST LET OUR FASTING AND PRAYER TIME BRING ABOUT A REVIVAL OF OUR MIND BODY SOUL AND SPIRIT WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DRAW CLOSER TO KNOW YOU IN A MORE INTIMATE AND PERSONAL WAY LORD GIVE US THE DESIRE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS EXAMPLE PROVIDED IN YOUR WORD AS OFTEN AS WE DO THIS IN GENUINENESS AND AUTHENTICITY MAY YOU FILL OUR SPIRIT WITH YOUR NOURISHMENT OUR HEARTS WITH YOUR LOVE AND OUR SOULS WITH YOUR PEACE MAY THIS 21 DAY REVIVAL HELP US TO LIVE OUT OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE IN AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP VULNERABILITY AND TRUST IN YOU IN JESUS NAME 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

CLEANSING AND CLOSENESS BY SYLVIA WOODS HP PRAYER MINISTRY Jack Sharp SCRIPTURE JAMES 4 8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded PRAYER Dear Heavenly Father Thank You for not leaving us in the mess we make for ourselves Thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit and Your words of truth that purifies us Forgive us for allowing our hearts to be led astray by the cares of this life the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh the pride of life Set eternity in our hearts again so that we long for the things that honor You Restore us to right fellowship with You and give us the strength to deny ourselves take up our cross and follow hard after Your perfect plan In Jesus name Amen 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 10 James the half brother of Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ is writing to the scattered Jewish believers around AD 40 45 His words of encouragement and practical advice for Christian living are still applicable for us today He was concerned about the state of believers who seemed to have forgotten who they were as representatives of Christ They were busy pursuing worldly ambitions and in the process maligning and mistreating others In earlier verses he reminds them that trying to be friends with the world and striving after the things of this world makes us an enemy of God Jesus said in Matthew 6 24 No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other As children of God we have all become part of one big family Our family is founded on faith in Jesus and held together by the Holy Spirit s guidance The work of the Holy Spirit is to give us strength to say no to the things of this world When we get so wrapped up into living my best life at the expense of others this mentality causes a break in fellowship with God and one another The Holy Spirit becomes grieved and His activity in our lives is diminished James is calling on fellow believers to repent of all the ways they put their own desires before God s will Pray to be cleansed from selfish ambition and cling to a single hearted desire to please God above everything else This is the way to restore broken fellowship with page 11 God and man The wisest man who ever lived King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 16 7 When a man s ways please the LORD he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

PRAYER BY JUSTIN MCCLEAN HP MPACT STUDENT MINISTRY SCRIPTURE PSALM 51 10 12 Create in me a clean heart O God And renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence And take not thy holy spirit from me Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation And uphold me with thy free spirit Sin has a keen way of making us feel unloved and unwanted The moment of despair and the feeling of hopelessness is all too familiar when we sin and act opposite of our position in Christ The sense of joy is lost because we have allowed our flesh to guide us instead of the holy spirit Psalm 51 comes on the heels of a sinful mistake that cost David dearly The goodness and joy for David and us is that it doesn t destroy our salvation in Christ Jesus David writes this Psalm after Nathan holds him accountable for his sin with Bathsheba David is not only remorseful but finds joy in knowing God renews the firm power of the holy spirit in us King David wanted the 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 12 source of his holy living to be renewed on the inside We should all want a refreshed and renewed spirit even in moments where we disobey God It is only by the spirit that we can grow and mature We don t have to worry about being thrown away or losing the gift of the indwelling of his spirit Why Well that answer is simple our salvation through Jesus is not conditional which is why our joy can be restored Its restored because salvation found in Jesus is final and that God has us even through our mistakes he is working and refining us as his children Be encouraged because God is not only renewed but he is also a sustainer which is why our joy should be off the charts NATASHA FERNAN RESTORING THE JOY OF SALVATION Father God Thank you for being an awesome God that forgives faithfully Thank you for never throwing us away even when we stray and make sinful decisions We pray that we don t forget the magnitude of salvation and the great joy found in a renewing God that sustains Lord when we fall short and do things outside of your will please renew our spirit and let your sacrifice on Calvary bring us joy page 13 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 5 6 A SATISFYING HUNGER Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied BY JONI CLARK HP MARRIAGE MINISTRY Aaron Burden PRAYER Dear God Please forgive us for our desires to be self righteous and confident in our own righteousness Lord forgive us for being judgmental and failing to extend the same grace to others that You extend to us Please help us to be reflective of our own inadequacies aside from You Help us to be sensitive to others in their spiritual journey and increase our appetite for Your righteousness Thank you for the gift of salvation and for imputing Your righteousness into us Amen 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 You are probably familiar with the term self righteous A person generally uses this term to refer to someone else who may perceive themselves as holier than others like the Pharisees It has a negative connotation and most people don t like for others to think of them in a negative light However we are all guilty of thinking this way at times How else would we justify our choices if we didn t think that they were the best choices to make in a situation page 14 Still have you ever truly pondered how your thoughts and ways pale next to God s righteousness This thought alone makes me want to fall to my knees in worship We could never compete with God s righteousness Righteousness is the state or condition of perfectly conforming to God s perfect law and holy character You may ask What is the point God already knows that we are not righteous First the self evaluation is for us to understand that we are not comparable to God in righteousness Next we must recognize that only God is inherently righteous In this recognition we long to be in the right relationship with God and for His righteous character This doesn t mean that we want to BE God himself It means that we desire to please God and be near God We all fall short of the glory of God but through faith alone God will impute His righteousness to sinners What a gift Finally we must seek His righteousness and not our own The Snickers candy bar has a slogan that says Snickers satisfies Perhaps if you are hungry a Snickers would offer momentary satisfaction but also possibly an upset stomach Does a candy bar truly satisfy your hunger No but it is a great distraction I would argue that candy doesn t truly satisfy page15 your hunger if you ve ever eaten a delicious meal God s righteousness is that delicious meal It is filling and unlike a Snicker s it won t leave you with a tummy ache The problem is that we often become distracted by what looks fulfilling our own egos good works or idol gods Just as we ourselves cannot compete with God s righteousness neither can those things The bible tells us if we truly seek God s righteousness that our hunger will be satisfied for that right relationship with God 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

DESIRING GENUINE FAITH BY PASTOR LLOYD KIRK HP CARE MINISTRY PRAYER Dawn McDonald SCRIPTURE 2 CORINTHIANS 13 5 Examine yourself to see whether you are in faith Test yourselves Or do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you Unless indeed you failed to meet the test 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 16 Dear God our Father we are so grateful that you are greater than the God we read about or the stories we have heard about But you are the God we can and have experienced daily lives You have been our provider protector and sustainer through every season you have been faithful You are the author and finisher of the stories in our lives Through the abundance of you mercy we have not perished the sufficiency of your grace and unfailing love we have not fainted We look to you and call on you you show up in amazing ways Through every trail temptation set back and disappointment and failure your steadfast love have kept us your compassion has comforted us and your peace has established us Through the genuineness of our faith we have overcome and every test has been a testimony and every trial has drawn us closer to you Thanks for giving us what we need to have the kind of faith that pleases you In Jesus Name Amen God s plan for the challenges we all face is called faith Without it we cannot please him This faith is rooted in the person of his son Jesus Christ offering the free gift of salvation A positive response to this knowledge alone can save us and establish an eternal relationship with Him However it is not enough to experience the multitude of blessings in store for Children He offers more Therefore our daily walk with him has to extend beyond mere knowledge about Him but to our personal experiences with Him Desiring genuine faith positions us to respond to life s difficulties with confidence and assurance that reveals the sovereignty and character of God manifested far beyond our ability to comprehend What is God doing in your life this season to cause you to see the quality of your faith Are you convinced that Christ in you is greater stronger and wiser than anything you will ever encounter in this life Are you trusting Him to make the impossible possible If so you have the faith to meet every test 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 17

UNITY OF SPIRIT BOND OF PEACE BY BYRON BRAY II HP DEACON MINISTRY SCRIPTURE EPHESIANS 4 1 3 The other day I got the chance to catch up with a genuine brother of mine We regularly sit down and break bread over a meal I had a lot going on in life so I needed to sit at the feet of wisdom and let someone pour into me I figured it would help settle myself Our time together quickly resembled times before Laughter hard conversations reflection and introspection a litmus test and him giving homework even though I m the teacher During our conversation I could tell he was being sensitive to not overstep and to speak carefully seasoning his words with salt Col 4 6 I told him Hey man just say it We ve been walking together far too long I trust you can deliver and still be tactful And that s what he did He presented short questions that required long answers He showed tolerance for my Well explanations I therefore a prisoner for the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace PRAYER Dear God I pray for positioning We often talk about this regarding careers but I pray to position myself to receive the people you put in my life Thank you for the ones who already presently pour into my life and others Help me to refrain from defensiveness from those truths needed to heal my wounds I pray for those who feel as if they don t have that person s I also pray for the willingness to be that person for someone else Yet he cut me Then gave me a band aid Cut me again Then gave me some Neosporin Cut me again Then applied an antibiotic By the time our conversation ended so too had my unsettled spirit This reminds me of Ephesians 4 1 3 in which Paul writes about walking in unity Bring your atten Sunguk Kim 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 18 tion to the first word in the passage Therefore represents a transition from doctrine in the conclusion of Ch 3 to principle From concept to positioning Paul goes on to detail how to walk in unison Exhibit humility Gentleness Patience Tolerance Bonded together by love v 2 I encourage you to position Position yourself to sit with someone who loves you enough to cut you because they also brought the first aid kit Your litmus test You ll know who this person is when it s someone who can tell you about yourself without you feeling the need to defend yourself Yes this brother cut me But you know the beautiful thing about getting cut To get cut you first must be in close proximity to someone To do the cutting you first must be entrusted into that sacred space Positioning places you where cutting may happen One might wonder what is the purpose of the cut When is allowing cutting a good thing When can one afford to be cut Well we often think about cutting in the context of wounding but before we can heal we first must reveal the hurt page 19 underneath Allowing oneself to be cut is the point You are allowing yourself to be exposed to show those wounds to permit your friend to use their scalpel of wisdom in cutting open those festering places Prov 27 6 Give that hurt a chance to be cleaned and begin healing Choose friends whose character proves trustworthiness in the Spirit People who have demonstrated Ephesians 4 2 Those whose hands bring love and truth in the same way Christ s did on the Cross Recall that earlier I said my brother and I regularly engage for a meal Notice I never defined regularly I didn t quantify it with a numerical value of times The substance is not in the quantity it s about the quality To be honest with you we meet sporadically Last time we met before this one I couldn t tell you I don t remember You know what I do remember though Both times I went in singularly poor in spirit and left richly bonded in peace v 3 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

CHRIST LIKE DEVOTION TOWARDS OTHERS BY JESSICA WILLIAMS HP MUSIC GROUP SCRIPTURE ACTS 2 42 47 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers And fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles And all that believed were together and had all things common 45and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favour with all the people And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved Scene You Hungry No money No family to call Alone and cold A stranger walks by You Excuse me I m so sorry to bother you but I am very hungry Will you please please help me Stranger Bother me sighs It s my duty to help you Uh looks into an empty wallet I don t have any money but check this out removes gold chain from neck pauses briefly eyes it longingly I received this as a gift but if I sell it we should have plenty of money for food Would you happen to need a place to stay You stare incredulously at the stranger unsure of whether to give thanks for their kindness or run away quickly because this just has to be a setup Good news it s not a setup This unbelievable genuine act of kindness illustrated here is a reenactment of actual events that took place during the days soon after Jesus death People from all over the world had gathered in Jerusalem during Pentecost when suddenly a sound like a rushing wind filled the area and the Holy Spirit came down in the form of 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 20 a tongued flame resting on the disciples The reaction of the spirit filled disciples was such that some in the crowd thought them to be drunk However those that were inhabited by the Spirit now possessed the gift of language and every nation in attendance understood in their native tongue Astonished each individual listened as Peter gave his sermon and preached that Jesus is both Lord and Christ Acts 2 36 He then tells them to repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2 38 The people were so moved by what they had just heard and experienced that they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching Acts 2 46 sold and gave away all of their possessions broke bread with other believers in their homes and worshiped together This was the beginning of the church It s hard to imagine giving up every possession to help others especially when we live in a world in which hustling is applauded and securing the bag is as Harvest Point Fellowship Church golden as do unto others But even if we don t do something as bold as severing self from all earthly possessions we can take the time to get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ to engage with them beyond the physical walls of church to make a phone call or shoot a text to open our homes and congregate with one another We pride ourself for being a sending and giving church but how does that look in your personal life Are you a sending and giving Christian Is Christ reflected in the way you communicate with others Try this the next time you re stopped at a red light and see someone asking for money don t just roll up the window or pretend to look for something in the car to avoid eye contact consider the real needs of that person without judging Think back to Acts 2 42 47 and reflect on what may have been the response of those early Christians Try loving your neighbor as you would love yourself an act so important that it s mentioned multiple times in the scripture Luke 10 27 says He answered Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself And John 13 34 A new commandment I give you that you love one another just as I have loved you you are also to love one another page21 PRAYER Father our Merciful Creator thank You for loving me Thank you for loving me so much that you died on the cross to save my soul I ask You O Savior to create in me a clean heart Renew my spirit Father Please heal my broken heart so that I can once again be sensitive to the needs of others Fill the holes of loneliness so that I can look beyond my own situation and offer comfort to someone in need Strip envy from me Father so that I can push beyond self pity and know without a shadow of doubt that I have something beautiful to offer to Your Kingdom Help me to love myself so that I can love others I desire to be a sending and a giving Christian Shine brightly within me so that Your Will is done on earth as it is in heaven In the name of the Most High I give thanks and praise Let it be so 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE ROMANS 12 1 2 PLEASING GOD IN WORSHIP I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service 2And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God BY GABBY HYNDS HP WORSHIP ARTS MINISTRY Jesus centered worship goes beyond the praise and worship portion of a Sunday service It s often stated that worship is a lifestyle but in an era where worship is minimized to the b selection or the slow songs at church we often lose sight of what a lifestyle of worship means Believers should first consider and rejoice that God was gracious enough to define the terms of our relationship with Him We are not left wondering if what we are doing is in fact pleasing to Him because we have been given instructions in God s holy scriptures on how to approach him We first see this in the book of Leviticus which outlined how God s chosen people were to worship God Topics such as offerings dietary habits childbirth cleanliness disease and sexual relations are all covered in Leviticus When we dive deeper in the book we see that at the heart of worship was and still is sacrifice Every year on the day of Atonement the High Priest would sacrifice an unblemished lamb to atone for the sins of Israel There were also several other times in which the people would offer a sacrifice such as grain offerings to the Lord So how does one live a life that is a living sacrifice today To start we can rest on the finished work of Jesus Christ who was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins Paul writes that we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God If you didn t know it before now let me say it out loud here SIN COST and can only be paid in blood This is why believers can rejoice because we know that Jesus paid the cost with his life and overcame death through his resurrection For that reason we are not required to shed our own blood to pay for sin but we are to crucify our flesh and submit ourselves as a living sacrifice We could never pay for our sins that would have resulted in eternal separation from God so the least we can do is be eternally indebted to the one who did This is the only reasonable conclusion that one can make We are not living as sacrifices to save ourselves but because in fact we were saved We were saved We are kept We are holy Nat PRAYER Tom Barrett 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 urally the flesh will rebel against this spiritual crucifixion This is why Paul later states that we are not to fashion ourselves to the patterns of the world One cannot be set apart holy and joined with the world in its thinking at the same time Therefore Paul advises that we are to renew our minds daily We can practically renew our minds by studying God s holy scriptures prayer and applying a biblical worldview to every aspect of our life so that we will be able to test and approve what God s perfect will is page 22 Father thank you for sending your son to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins There aren t enough words to show our gratitude and gratefulness Lord help us to worship you with our life so that Jesus is reflected in our walk and talk Cleanse us of those things that are not like you Change our minds and hearts and guide us dear Lord so that we can testify of your goodness and mercy to those in need of your saving grace In Jesus name Amen page 23 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE HEBREWS 13 15 16 Lord may we desire to spend time with you consistently May we long for your Spirit daily and look forward to obeying you with joy May we open our eyes with the vision of Christ Jesus so we can find ample opportunities to continually offer up sacrificial praise Thank you for your love guidance and Holy Spirit that governs us and sanctifies us for your work In the name of Jesus Amen A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE we should be praising God we should be sharing our praise of God with others True sacrificial praise to God gives thanks to His name and glorifies it It does not cause grievance of the Holy Spirit PRAYER Prayer Lord may we desire to spend time with you consistently May we long for your Spirit daily and look forward to obeying you with joy May we open our eyes with the vision of Christ Jesus so we can find ample opportunities to continually offer up sacrificial praise Thank you for your love guidance and Holy Spirit that governs us and sanctifies us for your work In the name of Jesus Amen BY ROBERT WILLIAMS HP YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRY Most people think that praise starts when the music starts at your local church Or when the band tunes up a nice bump for a praise break On the contrary praise starts at home Praise starts in your heart your mind and your soul Before you get to whatever destination you are going to the real praise starts when you don t have the encouragement of a band or even the preacher to prompt you to praise In this passage true sacrificial praise is preceded by obedience to God True praise is carried out with obedience to Christ at the center of it It is the love of God in us that draws us to be obedient Before we get to verses 15 16 the chapter starts with the writer reminding us to let the love of the brethren continue In addition it tells us to not neglect to show hospitality to others because we have entertained angels without knowing Verse 15 tells us to continually offer up praise that is the fruit of the lips that give thanks to His name You can t give fruitful praise of the lips when you have been eating the poison of disobedience and hate Verse 16 reminds us to do good and share While Edwin Andrade 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 24 page 25 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

BY GLORIA MARSHALL HP MARRIAGE MINISTRY How do you make decisions SCRIPTURE COL 1 9 10 And so from the day we heard we have not ceased to pray for you asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God New research has found that adults make a whopping 35 000 decisions each day In fact we make so many decisions each day that most of the time we aren t even consciously aware that we are deciding The alarm clock sounds we press snooze and turn over for ten more minutes of sleep But how do you make those other decisions those informed decisions about finances personal relationships children Where do you go for counsel Is there someone you re trying to please Or impress What if the choice is not between good and bad but between good and best How can you know what is right What is true Leadership coach John Maxwell has said Life is a matter of choices 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 26 and every choice you make makes you In other words our lives are shaped by the choices and decisions we make And God wants us to make choices and decisions that please Him In our focus verse today Paul prays that we might be filled with the knowledge of God s will so that we might walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing Him The word walk here refers to the way we live our daily lives So did you get that Paul is praying that we will know God s will so that we can do God s will But how can we do that Glad you asked Just as babies grow physically stronger by eating physical food we grow spiritually stronger by eating spiritual food And please keep in mind that we all eat more than one meal each day So start with PRAYER Our Father we love you Thank you for loving us Thank you for giving us your Word and inviting us into an intimate relationship with you Ignite in us a passion and an urgency to get to know you better Teach us to recognize your voice Then give us the courage and strength to walk in your will and not our own We give you all the honor and all the glory In Jesus Name Amen Thomas Sch tze IN ALL THINGS PLEASE GOD reading your Bible Meet God in prayer each day Seek His counsel and direction Ignore all the noise and listen intently for His still small voice Know that when you draw near to Him He will draw near to you Then we can be confident that our choices and decisions each day will lead to a life that is pleasing to God page 27 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE 1 PETER 1 14 16 As obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance but as he who called you is holy you also be holy in all your conduct since it is written You shall be holy for I am holy MATURITY OBEDIENCE BY JOSEPH WILLIS HP MEDIA MINISTRY Being fully transparent when I read this passage I felt intimidated even dejected because I associated holiness with perfection PRAYER Our Father who art in heaven we come first asking for forgiveness Please forgive the immature things I do the immature things I say and the immature things that I think Lord we would be lost without you We need your strength every moment of the day We recognize that we are a broken people trying to live out our purpose in you We may not always see your hand moving in our lives but remind us that you are always there Give us the Strength we need to give you the glory and when we are tempted to abandon our holy conduct please make you way of escape clear In Jesus name AMEN How could I an imperfect person living in an imperfect world produce perfection Holy living That math just didn t add up but I was missing a very important variable in my equation JESUS and the work he did on the cross in Him all is possible Sure in my own strength and knowledge I can not live nor ever be holy but in Christ I can do all things Peter dis cusses the salvific plan in the verses preceding this passage Peter emphasizes the fullness of our Salvation and what this Salvation should produce This free gift of salvation should will produce a Hope The hope of this salvation should will produce a Joy The joy of this salvation should will produce a Witness And this witness is based on our conduct not just in our words We were chosen to be Holy we were chosen to be set apart for the use of our God To be Holy as our Father is Holy simply brings us back to God s original plan for us image bearer We ought to bear the image of a Holy Father In this broken flesh and broken world the expectation is not to be sinless but God does expect that as we grow we will sin less Kiwihug 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 28 page 29 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

A HEART S POSTURE OF OBEDIENCE TOWARDS FORGIVENESS BY CHIMERE DAVIS HP KIDS MINISTRY It s safe to say that at some point we have all felt hurt or wronged by someone s actions or words And it is our human nature to experience the emotions that result from those offenses The question is where do you go from there Do you allow the offense to fester and become bitter and angry Do you immediately forgive that person or even yourself When we re in pain sometimes it s hard to see past the offense The truth is forgiveness is not easy and can sometimes feel impossible Ultimately forgiveness is a choice and as Christians it is necessary To truly forgive someone or even yourself it cannot be done apart from God Forgiveness is a process not a one time event so give yourself some grace whelming when a situation arises Col 3 12 13 says Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy kindness gentleness and patience Make allowances for each other s faults and forgive anyone who offends you Remember the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others What I get from this is above all else we should forgive because God forgave us Not only did he forgive us he sacrificed his only son to save us Because of his sacrifice and our acceptance of Jesus Christ we are born again and have the strength courage and power by way of the Holy Spirt to forgive others and ourselves When you re put in a position to have to forgive someone or yourself many times it is a test to see the condition of your heart It can be used as an opportunity to stretch your faith allow you to grow closer to God or even expose some things that are deep within that God wants to refine You could even be experiencing this moment to be a blessing to someone else and its not even about you If we are intentional to keep our hearts and minds in a posture of forgiveness it wont feel as over 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 30 Melanie Stander SCRIPTURE COLOSSIANS 3 13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so also do ye PRAYER Dear Heavenly Father we thank you for all that you have done and will do in and through our lives Thank you for your grace and mercy Lord we ask that you examine our hearts and reveal to us any areas of unforgiveness that are unresolved so that we do not allow it to be a hindrance in our Christian walk Lord we ask for forgiveness if we have offended anyone knowingly or unknowingly and that you heal our hearts so that we may continue to operate in love kindness gentleness and patience Lord we thank you we love you and in Jesus name we pray AMEN page 31 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE I JOHN 1 8 9 THE CONFESSION OF SINS AND A LIFESTYLE OF REPENTANCE If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us 9If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness As a teacher I serve one of the youngest populations in their educational career and have the privilege to partner with their parents to be a positive influence in their developing moral compass While most lessons are centered around state required objectives many are focused on developing responsible citizens After a student made a wrong choice I invited them to speak with me to discuss their actions When initiating the conversation I reminded them that though I was going to ask a series of questions I was not seeking information I let them know that I already knew the answer but this was an invitation to be honest with me and with themselves so that we can have a fresh start as I ve witnessed that unchecked wrong choices have them anxious throughout the day I told them that even though they may be afraid they needed to be brave by being truthful With fear and trust in their eyes they mustered up the courage to be honest and in response I simply thanked them for their honesty and asked them to rejoin the class The sigh of relief and the gripping bear hug they gave was a sweet reminder that when we BY SHANNON SCOTT HP WOMENS MINISTRY confess our sin to God we are not giving him new information Our confession is not the presentation of the unknown But rather our confession is an admittance to the need to stay in fellowship with our father When we confess our sin we live with confidence not shame I John 8 9 says if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us 9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness Like the student let us be reminded that confession fosters connection Our God is faithful to forgive and to wash us anew PRAYER Thank you that we can come to you just as we are and you are faithful and just to forgive us Thank you that you help us live a repentant lifestyle that is pleasing to you Please give us the humility to come to you with a contrite spirit and broken heart and when we have sinned against you let us be confident that you will cleanse us from all unrighteousness In Jesus name Amen Josh Eckstein 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 32 page 33 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

A LIFESTYLE OF SHARING GOD S LOVE Rod Long BY JAMIE DAVIS HP MEDIA MINISTRY SCRIPTURE PSALMS 107 1 2 O give thanks unto the LORD for he is good For his mercy endureth for ever Let the redeemed of the LORD say so Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy God is good all the time And all the time God is good I m sure we ve all either heard or stated this phrase a time or two but how often do we truly stop to think about the goodness of God and what that should mean for us Psalms 107 1 2 ESV states Oh give thanks to the LORD for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever Let the redeemed of the LORD say so whom he has redeemed from trouble This scripture reminds us that because of how good God is we should respond in two ways by thanksgiving and testimony Has God brought you 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 34 out of something Has he been there for you when no one else has Have you experienced loss and grief Remembering God s eternal love for us and that he is good ALL the time even in the mist of our troubles helps us to maintain a lifestyle of not only faith but love That is a lot to be thankful for And that s a type of love you don t keep to yourself So be encouraged each day to share the love of God and all that he s delivered you from It will bless someone else and it will bless you too PRAYER Heavenly Father we come to you today with a heart of thanksgiving and praise You re so good and we can t say thank you enough for all that you ve done for us You continue to keep us wrapped in your love and we want to extend that same love to everyone we meet Help us to live a lifestyle of sharing the love that you show us every second of the day Give us courage to share our experiences and testimonies of redemption We know that you bless us to be a blessing to others so please help us to have that mindset daily To show Godly love to ungodly people as well as our sisters and brothers in Christ We love and thank you It is in Jesus name we pray Amen page 35 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE 2 CORINTHIANS 5 20 AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ s stead be ye reconciled to God BY PASTOR KORY FONTENOT HP MISSIONS MINSTRY Marek Piwnicki PRAYER Thank You Father for Your gracious kindness loving mercy and long suffering toward me and all humanity Thank You for reconciling the world back to Yourself through Your only begotten Son Help me to be a worthy witness of the truth of Your Word and boldly declare the message of reconciliation to all with whom I come in contact Grant me patience to listen to the needs of Your people Grant me the wisdom to respond to those needs and situations in ways that bring glory to You Grant me a spirit of humility that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit but bold enough to spring into action when prompted Lord allow me to be an ambassador that is alert and fully prepared to represent You and proclaim the Gospel Message In Jesus name Amen 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 36 What an honor to be called ambassadors for Christ Think about an ambassador An ambassador listens an ambassador uses knowledge and an ambassador recognizes he has no personal authority apart from the Christ We are representatives of Jesus Himself Jesus who is at the right hand of God in heaven has sent you and me to represent Him wherever we are in this world You re an ambassador for Christ that God might make His appeal through you An ambassador does not represent his own interests but the interests of the ruler he represents The big question then is what are the primary interests of our King What are His desires values and priorities As you reflect on these words ask yourself how can I honor his desires values and priorities as I approach today page 37 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

WE MUST BE A PRAYERFUL PEOPLE BY ROBINA SPRUILL HP PRAYER MINISTRY Prayer is something I was taught to do by my parents I can remember my parents siblings and I gathering morning and evening in the living room kneeling for prayer before our Heavenly Father Prayer has been a part of my life from home to church even to my job on Capitol Hill in Washington D C where we formed ongoing prayer groups and that remain active even to this very day I taught my children who have taught their children to always pray for one another and those in authority in effect to pray for everyone and about everything The idea to be a prayerful people is evidenced here in our text The Apostle Paul urged his mentee Timothy as a leader to pray for all people In fact let s read his instruction directly as captured in Scripture Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for kings and all who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence For this is good and 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth 1 Tim 2 1 4 NKJV Paul calling Timothy a true son of the Faith let him know that he should lead in regular prayer and specifically pray for civil authorities The basis for this is that God wants to see all men saved for those in authority to become followers of Jesus then the hope is that believers will live in peace In our world today Prayer leaders can follow this advice and lead the church with prayer and with an attitude of cooperation and love Then we will see the Gospel spread and God s will be done on earth PRAYER Father God I come before you thanking you for this day Lord You tell us to rejoice in You always pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances I come humbly asking for forgiveness of my sins and thank You Today I pray for relationships to be restored among our family friends in our churches ministries and leadership Give us clarity when we make our requests to you I pray for the sick and shut in those who are without a home that they may be given a place to lay their heads those with little or no food that they may receive an abundant amount of groceries I pray that our prayer life increases SCRIPTURE 1 TIMOTHY 2 1 4 I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men 2 for kings and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour 4who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth and that we boldly ask in faith believing great things will happen for us I pray for those in leadership positions especially our government and civil authorities that you will bless them save and guide them I pray for Pastor Scott the Harvest Point family and the new church praying for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon this body of Christ Most importantly I pray for salvation for those who seek and call upon You for they will be saved No weapon formed against us shall prosper and our living shall not be in vain We are Your children Most High God and heirs according to the promise Lord your Word says in Matthew 7 7 to Ask and it shall be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be opened to you Lord we thank you for these things I pray Lord your will be done in Jesus name Amen page 38 page 39 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

UNLEASH THE POWER OF PRAYER BY PHIL UGHANZE HP MEDIA MINISTRY It amazes me whenever I think that as a follower of Jesus Christ we ve been gifted this supernatural privilege to speak openly and intimately with God What s even more fascinating is that the Lord finds great pleasure in us when we do so As God s children He expects us to approach Him daily in confidence in order that we may experience His mercy and help in our time of need Hebrews 4 16 Yet prayer is so much more than just asking God to help resolve our personal problems In James five we are told that our prayers have the power to accomplish much This is a divine promise from God When we pray according to His will we can be confident in His miraculous intervention to heal us provide for our needs and deliver us from evil Then why are so many professing Christians not living out the promises of prayer Could I suggest that one of the reasons is our extreme reliance on self We rely too heavily on our own strength and understanding when faced with the issues of life The bible records many instances when Jesus would get up very early in the morning to find a quiet place where He could spend quality time with His Father Jesus understood where the source of His power came from He prioritized His daily devotion in order to stay connected to God It was out of this intimacy with the Father that Jesus was empowered to heal and help those around Him If we are to be true followers of Jesus then we too should devote time in relationship with God This is how we will realize the promised power of prayer Brethren there is great news In that God has given us His Holy Spirit to assist us in our time of prayer Galatians 4 6 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 40 tells us that because we are His children He has given us the Spirit of His Son into our hearts And when we pray to God in His Spirit and in truth God responds to our call with His miraculous power As born again believers God wants us to fully know there is real power in prayer and that it is available to everyone who is in Christ Jesus Eph 1 19 SCRIPTURE JAMES 5 16 18 Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much 17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months 18And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit Marek Piwnicki PRAYER Dear Father in Heaven You are worthy to be praised forever For You are a good and faithful God Who has proven His love for us through the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ Thank You for Your generous gift of the Holy Spirit and the richness of Your glory that gives us strength and power through your Spirit Your Word has revealed to us that there is real power in prayer but unfortunately this is not the reality in the lives of many of us believers Lord I pray that You will help us to prioritize our relationship with You Cause us to recognize and avoid every person or thing that robs You of Your devotion Help us to earnestly seek You in true worship and study of your word In order that our prayers manifest power according to Your will Illuminate our hearts Father so that we always remember to depend on You as we witness to the world of Your amazing plan of salvation I lift up every reader who may not have an authentic relationship with You Please honor their mustard seed sized search of faith that they will encounter the powerful saving love of Your Son In Jesus name Amen page 41 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE 1 PETER 5 8 9 POWER PROTECTION AGAINST SPIRITUAL ATTACK Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour 9whom resist stedfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world BY CURTIS WILSON HP DEACONS MINISTRY Have you ever desired to be hired in a position or obtain a role in an organization that you felt was meant for you You are excited and passionately anticipating hearing word that you were chosen to take on this new task or challenge Finally you are the one chosen You are so thankful and humbled at the same time to be a part of something bigger than you You are part of a vision or leading a vision that will have an important and impactful contribution to an industry environment or community in which you reside While still on your cloud nine experience about your new opportunity someone comes to you and says hey let me share with you all of the critical details you are going to possibly experience while in your new role You begin to hear of all the challenges difficult issues that need to be resolved the hidden mistakes that may or may not be known publicly and finally warnings about the personalities you will encounter that may not and will not have your best intentions in mind for your success I have had several of those moments and I imagine you have as well Your overwhelming excitement about growth lives impacted fulfillment etc turns into a tempered realization that this 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 PRAYER Khashayar Kouchpeydeh might be hard perhaps difficult and at times unbearable In the book of 1 Peter we find that those who have chosen to participate in the Body of Christ as a new church is being established are being reminded that while you are pursuing this path that was started by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and is meant for the restoration and reconciling of the world back to God there is an enemy the devil that does not wish that to happen Those in leadership were encouraged to be aware that you will encounter resistance and persecution for choosing to follow this new gospel message and to not believe that you are experiencing these things alone We all come upon these periods of difficulty Remember these moments and times are not permanent In 1 Peter 5 10 the bible says And after you have suffered a little while the God of all grace who has called you to his glory in Christ will himself restore page 42 confirm strengthen and establish you So brothers and sisters be aware that there are enemies that may mean harm to you but also be reminded that our God has called you and me to be part of his triumph that is assured So pursue all those endeavors that God has whispered to you in your spirit and know He God is eager to fulfill them through you Dear God our father in Heaven Humble our hearts to be open and led by your holy spirit We are so busy striving competing and achieving in our daily lives that we forget while we encounter obstacles setbacks triumphs and accomplishments when we are about your business and devoted to your will and way that there are spirits principalities and persons who do not want good to come to us and our endeavors We are reminded in your word that our common adversary seeks us out with the intent to kill steal and destroy what you have called into being for our lives So Lord I am asking as we grow as a church congregation and community that you keep your hand on us all especially our leaders pastors elders deacons ministers and ministry leads while we go about our assignments and tasks in our daily life ministry Instill in us a deep sense of devotion to prayer so that we can stand once we have heard from you with more discernment awareness and determination to press on with your love and passion in our pursuits Thank you for your equipping and preparation we have received through the gospel message witness of the saints and our study of your word In your son and our savior Jesus name Amen page 43 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

AN ENDURING STRENGTH ENCOURAGEMENT BY CHRIS LEWIS HP WORSHIP MINISTRY To gain the most benefit from today s reading I want to encourage everyone to read Galatians Chapter 5 before beginning the lesson In the passage Paul is giving us instructions on living and walking in the spirit It aids us in determining if we are living and walking in the spirit of GOD or after the spirit of flesh In the verses we have for this study 9 and 10 it says let us not be weary in well doing or in plain words do not get tired of doing right for in due season you shall reap and let s make sure we do good with all men but especially those who are of the faith I want to encourage the leaders to continue to walk after the spirit and exemplify all those fruits of the spirit because you re going to reap what you have sown Sow love and you will get love sow joy and you will reap joy sow peace and you will reap peace and if you need the rest of the list visit Galatians 5 22 23 Let s make sure we are sowing after the spirit because if we are sowing in the flesh we will reap that of corruption Just keep your hand to the plow and allow GOD to finish the good works he has started in you Bruno Vander Kraan SCRIPTURE GALATIANS 6 9 10 PRAYER And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not 10As we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men especially unto them who are of the household of faith 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 44 Most Merciful God I want to Say Thank You for Your Grace and Mercy Help us be aware at all times that we will Reap what we have Sown Helps us to continually Sow in your Spirit so we can Reap the Fruits of Your Spirit LORD we Love and Thank You for All You have done and what you continually do in our Lives In Your Son s Name Amen page 45 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE PSALM 94 18 19 HEALING FOR THE MIND COMFORT FOR THE HEART A PROPER RESPONSE TO ANXIOUS THOUGHTS Who will rise up for me against the evildoers Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity Unless the LORD had been my help My soul had almost dwelt in silence When I said My foot slippeth Thy mercy O LORD held me up In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul DR TEANDRA GORDON HP COUNSELING MINISTRY PRAYER Father we love you we honor you and we thank you for the good news of your word We thank you that in every situation and in every circumstance we can choose not to worry but choose to have hope in you Thank you for your word that says that you have good plans for us plans to prosper us and to give us an expected end Thank you for your word that says that ALL things can work together for our good In whatever situation we are in we ask you to help us to trust you Help our unbelief Keep us with your steadfast love and do not allow us to fall We cast the cares of our heart upon you and we pray that your care and steadfast love would bring cheer to our soul We choose to not be anxious depressed or hopeless we choose to trust in you We love you We trust you We thank you that your love sustains us and brings cheer to our soul In Jesus name we pray Amen Our emotions can shift without our conscious control There s so much that happens in the world and so many potential negative things that can affect our lives and the lives of those that we love How do we maintain joy peace and trust when there is so much to worry about We are not in control of how the world works or of the outcomes that exist around us but we can stay in control of our mental health We have a God who is faithful consistent loving and promises that all things work together for our good Psalm 94 17 says When I thought My foot slips I was about to fall your steadfast love O Lord held me up Regardless of what we experience in this life or how difficult things may seem we are unconditionally and steadfastly loved by God and His love will sustain us if we invite Him to Psalm 94 18 goes on to say When the cares of my heart are many your consolations cheer my soul There are many things that we can worry about but instead let s put our trust in God in the good news of His word We can choose not to worry and choose to trust When thoughts of worry sadness or hopelessness come replace those thoughts by saying the word of God out of your mouth Choose to meditate or think on the word of God Make it a habit of reading or listening to the word of God on a daily basis Changing your mood starts with changing your thoughts and we have immeasurable power when we choose to think and speak the word of God Muhammad Tayyib 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 46 page 47 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

Uriel Mont REST ON DEMAND BY CHRIS MAYES HP MEDIA TEAM The miracle of a cruise as a vacation is that it allows you to take a break from the pressures hardships and realities of life It s literally Rest OnDemand It s not that the pressures the hardships nor the trial are not present It s that somehow we mentally take all the day to day aspects of life and put them to the side and REST We cease from working and focus our time on recovering and regaining our strength We take extended moments to reflect in the quietness of all that has been provided to us Matthew highlights the wonderful benefit of being connected or in Christ is that we have Rest OnDemand We are urged by Christ to come to him Come with every pressure every hardship every health related challenge and receive rest The question is how How do I rest when life at this moment is very overwhelming In those moments Christ urges us to come to him and take engage with Him He commands us to learn from Him Then He shares that He is gentle and lowly in heart Gentle suggests giving up control over the issues of life and accepting that God is working on our behalf We stop striving 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 48 to wrestle with life and begin relaxing in God We allow God to control circumstances and we stop and enjoy all that God has provided for us Simply we let go and let God we begin trusting God in every aspect of life In concert Christ joins gentleness with humility lowly in heart We relinquish our desires and put God s desire before ours We begin to focus inwardly and take notice of how gracious loving forgiving accepting and what a wonderful provider our great God is And while we are learning this from God we begin to feel His strength strengthening us I would say that s when we begin to feel rejuvenated Isn t that what happens while on the cruise We give up control over the pressure the hardships and allow the planned activities of the vacation to take control and then we Rest OnDemand We tell others how refreshing how relaxing our time away really was and now we can handle anything life may send our way Why Because we are rested Christ promises when we come to Him take from Him and learn from Him He will give us Rest PRAYER SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 11 28 30 Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls For my yoke is easy and my burden is light Father thank you for caring for us so much that you want us to rest Thank you that we have an open door to cast all our cares upon That we can pause at any moment and reflect on your graciousness That we can experience your forgiveness and know we are truly and completely forgiven We know You are in complete control even when we feel like You are not Help us by encouraging us to rest in the midst of our storm and remind us to be still and know that you are still God In Christ we pray Amen page 49 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

HEALING RESTORATION IN MARRIAGE BY JAMES HOLSTON HP MARRIAGE MINISTRY Heiner Marriage is one of the most important relationships we can be in and oft times is a great place of peace and happiness in our lives When our marriage is thriving it is easy to tackle other things It almost feels as if we can run through walls and jump over mountains when our marriage is doing well On the flip side though there are times when our marriage goes through significant trials Can we see God in it then Can we still believe that it will work out When trust is broken when expectations are not met when hope seems so far away when we don t agree on parenting and blending the families what then The truth is that hope is always one prayer away but I get it it can be hard to see through the pain and heartbreak to tap into that hope Be encouraged that God can restore any marriage no matter how broken it seems Psalm 147 3 reminds us that God heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds Man this scripture can spark hope in us that our Father in heaven is 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 48 intentional about healing us in our broken places Our marriages can thrive they can heal they can be reconciled and sustained God has not changed his mind about you and he is rooting for your marriage to win Remember God is love and 1 Corinthians 13 7 says Love bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all things In love there is hope In love we can win in marriage In love we can overcome in marriage In love God is there waiting to restore everything to you that he promised Just as the motto for our HP Marriage Ministry says we are In It to Win It PRAYER Father we thank you for this opportunity to come to you in faith We honor you for being so good to us and loving us despite our faults Thank you for being faithful towards us Today we submit marriages to you God We know you have blessed the institution of marriage and want it to glorify you and bless us Help us to believe in hope concerning our marriages Those marriages that are going through trials right now we ask you to show up for them right now God Light a fire of faith in them to be reminded that you are able to restore their marriage You are able to heal their hearts God Your word says that All things work together for the good of those who love you and are called according to your purpose so work it together God like only you can We celebrate the victory in marriages today God We rejoice in the testimony of faith we can share when marriages thrive God Help us to always trust in you and not in what we see when things get rough We pray that husbands and wives would come together in prayer in faith and in love right now We speak against division we speak against doubt we speak against fear Thank you for healing restoring and strengthening marriages in the name of Jesus Thank you for our marriages being examples to others of what a Godly marriage should look like All these things we believe by faith in Jesus name Amen SCRIPTURE PSALM 147 3 1 CORINTHIANS 13 7 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds Love bears all things believes all things hopes all things endures all things page 49 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

LIVING A JESUS CENTERED MARRIAGE BY DR COMFORT UGHANZE HP MARRIAGE MINISTRY SCRIPTURE EPHESIANS 4 2 3 with all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace There are many instances in the Bible where God describes the covenant or promises that He made with the nation of Israel as a whole as well as with individuals God is literally the author of covenant relationships He makes a promise and keeps that promise to us despite our behaviors and decisions God s love for us continues even when we don t deserve it Romans 5 8 Marriage involves a covenant promise to act in love even when frustrations and circumstances cloud the feelings of love Of course this seems easy for God to do He is a perfect God who cannot lie So what about us We are obviously imperfect beings who enter imperfect marriages with occa 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 50 sional conflicts and frustrations So if we are God s chosen people how does He expect us to succeed in the covenant of marriage A relationship with Jesus is the answer He is the ultimate example of relationship goals Through His example and sacrifice Jesus has given us an inheritance of love grace peace and joy When we pursue Jesus we receive these fruits of the spirit for ourselves and plenty extra to extend to those around us That is why we need to constantly seek after the Lord and delight in Him Psalm 37 4 Every day we need to not just seek Him but seek to be like Him 1 John 2 6 Our relationship with Jesus allows for us to more easily love despite our spouse s imperfections and the inevitable conflicts Those who are single desiring marriage as well as those who are married need to have an individual relationship with Jesus But marriage is also an opportunity for a man and woman to be unified in their pursuit of Jesus Christ In doing so Tobe Mokolo PRAYER Lord God we thank you so much for sending your son Jesus as an example of love and ultimate sacrifice Today we pray for married couples in their pursuit of a fruitful and harmonious marriage Please help those who are married and those who seek to be married to know that a relationship with you is the foundation of a healthy marriage Please allow couples to hear your call and follow your example of love humility and patience with each other Please allow the pursuit of You to help strengthen marriages Lord also please help any struggling married couples in our body to seek out Bible based counsel when needed Thank you for the institute of marriage and the joy that You designed it to bring Please help married couples to be centered on You and be a light to the world In Jesus s name page 51 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

REVIVAL OF A GENERATION BY JASON HAMILTON BROWN HP BRIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL MINSTRY SCRIPTURE TIMOTHY 4 12 Let no man despise thy youth but be thou an example of the believers in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity Everyday I open up social media applications to see what s happening in this world and I witness the supposed deterioration of society It can seem like every generation is getting worse than the last but it s actually the same decline that those in the Bible dealt with in their times When writing to his disciple Paul discussed how Timothy s relatively comparative youth in both age and in Christ could pose a challenge in dealing with the false teachings in Ephesus Paul did not focus on the negative but instead decided to encourage Timothy to be an example for believers and non believers alike Today is no different in that we need to uplift our youth through the love of Jesus Christ To the next generation of God s children let no one look down on you because of your physical age or your years with Christ as your savior As children of God you too are created in the image of the Lord and the Holy Spirit resides in you Challenge yourselves as Paul challenged Timothy to be the example for your generation in your speech in your conduct in your love in your faith and in your purity I guarantee if you do that others will follow and we will truly see the revival of a generation PRAYER Dear God in Heaven I come to you today as one of your children thanking you for blessing us with this day Lord I ask that you continue to watch over all of the youth with not only protection but with guidance and strength to have them walk in the example that you gave to us in your son Jesus Christ Let them remember that no matter what opposition they may face God the Father will always be with them that Jesus the Son died for them and that the Holy Spirit resides in them In the mighty name of Jesus we pray Amen Dorianny Castro Cedano 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 52 page 53 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE CORINTIAHNS 6 9 11 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God Do not be deceived Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men a 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God And that is what some of you were But you were washed you were sanctified you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND INFLUENCES a position to not inherit the kingdom of God But we were washed sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus and by the spirit of our God Now that we have the spirit of God within us we can walk in His power and be conformed to his image The evil desires and actions are what some of us were Remember that you have been made new in Christ and your relationship with Christ has the power to influence others BY VALENCEIA K NUCKLES HP MPACT STUDENT MINISTRY PRAYER Lord we thank you and praise you because you are a Holy God and you cleanse us from our sins You give us strength to live our daily lives by the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us May you continue to manifest your victorious power in our midst We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus Amen Paul is one of the greatest teachers of the Christian faith In the scripture reference above Paul addresses a difficult matter that was a concern in Corinth and even now What are the biblical standards for Christian Behavior and is it practical for a Christian to do whatever immoral actions and still be saved Because of Grace Paul responded with an understanding no As Christians we sometimes think that God does not require us to live righteously Paul made it clear that the kind of people listed in vs 9 10 will not inherit the kingdom of God Inheritance has to do with kingdom rewards and blessings to be received or lost by believers Our spiritual inheritance is based on our relationship with Christ Gal 3 26 29 This spiritual birthright can not be inherited by sinners You can not sow flesh and reap everlasting life Our lifestyle reflects our relationship with Christ and it is proof that we are committed to the principles taught by Christ Paul goes on to remind us that we were once in August de Richelieu 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 54 page 55 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

PROTECTION BY KALEB HOLSTON HP MPACT STUDENT MINISTRY Ben White SCRIPTURE 2 THESS 3 3 PSALM 5 11 But the Lord is faithful who shall stablish you and keep you from evil But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice Let them ever shout for joy because thou defendest them let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee PRAYER Dear Lord thank you for being our protector Thank you for protecting us from all hurt harm and danger Give us the strength to keep going when our fears get the best of us and help us to stand strong I ask that we will feel safe because of you Your word says that you are faithful and will strengthen and protect us and I know that you will keep your word and continue to protect us I also thank you for the teens and children I ask that they can bring whatever they re afraid of to you Whether it is bullying peer pressure gun violence or anything else help them to understand that you will protect them and keep them In Jesus name Amen 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 56 Everyone s afraid of something I have quite a few fears I m afraid I won t fit in I m nervous about life after high school because I don t have a solid plan and I graduate in a couple of years Anytime I m away from one of my parents I worry that they might not make it home I also have this fear that I ll be put in a situation where I should be dead but I m not dead Like being buried alive or cremated while I m still living or having my organs harvested but I haven t yet kicked the bucket I usually pray when these fears go through my mind but I don t often think of a scripture to accompany those prayers 2 Thessalonians 3 3 is a good one I m going to start using though It says But the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen and protect you against the evil one I m not going to lie but I hadn t heard of this scripture until I was asked to do this devotional but it s a really good one to combat fear If I m worried about my parents not making it home or me dying in an unusual way God promises to be our protector If I m worried about not fitting in God will give me the strength to be my authentic self whether I fit in or not I m truly grateful that God does all of this for me and I don t do this nearly often enough but when I think of how God protects me and gives me the strength to get through my fears I have to thank and praise him for it God can also protect you in whatever you re dealing with If it s bullying God can give you the strength to ask for help and stand up for yourself page 57 If it s the influence of drugs God can give you the strength to stand firm and say no When God does protect you thank him for it This is exactly the attitude described in Psalm 5 11 I don t know what you re afraid of but remember God promises to protect and strengthen us and he is faithful to do so Also take time to reflect on how God s protected you and praise him for it it s the least we can do 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

AN AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS BY TIARA GORDON HP MPACT STUDENT MINISTRY Gift Habeshaw I have learned that when I experience any type of challenge I can ask God for his help I have to trust that He will be there for me every time and He always has a way of working things out I have learned that when I pray every night before I go to sleep and listen to a sermon in the morning it helps me to feel close to God I think it s important that we all find things to help us stay connected John 17 3 says And this is the way to have eternal life to know you the only true God and Jesus Christ the one you sent to earth I hope that even as children and teens we will all find ways to stay connected to God and know that we are exactly where we need to be and we can trust God to take us where we need to go 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 58 PRAYER SCRIPTURE JOHN 17 3 And this is the way to have eternal life to know you the only true God and Jesus Christ the one you sent to earth God I pray that we don t allow anything or anyone to replace you in our lives I pray that we don t put our joy or our future in the hands of others but we learn to trust you with it Help us all to have an authentic relationship with you Show us who you are and give us the wisdom to find ways to stay connected to you I pray that even as children and teens that we live out your will for our lives and have a true relationship with you Help us to become all that you created us to be We love you and we give you our lives In Jesus Name Amen page 59 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE DEUTERONOMY 6 6 7 PASSING ON THE CHRISTIAN FAITH These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts Impress them on your children Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road when you lie down and when you get up BY SHARELLE REED HP BUSINESS MINISTRY In Deuteronomy 6 Moses provided instructions to the children of Israel as they prepared to go into the promise land Deuteronomy 6 6 is the what of the passage He cautioned them as instructed by God to obey and keep the word of God in their hearts for the generations to come God wants to be enthroned by hearts given completely to Him Think of a recipe that has been in your family for many generations To know that the recipe was created in love and passed down might encourage you to cherish it knowing that you will one day pass it along to your children You may use that recipe often or even come up with easier ways to prepare meals Likewise we must diligently digest the word of God cherish it and pass down the recipes of faith to our children Romans 10 17 states so faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ When I read this passage I think beyond my children God has commanded us to also pass on the Christian Faith to others as well The word impress is an act of making an impression or mark Deuteronomy 6 7 is the how of the passage God s word instructs us to impress the commandments on our children and talk about them when we sit at home walk lie down and when we get up Our father loves us so much that he gave us the steps through the word on how to navigate this faith journey PRAYER Lord thank you for simply loving us enough to provide direction on how we should honor you Father please forgive us for moments when we have not shared your word with others Father help us to love you with our whole heart May you continue to instruct remind and warn us just as you did with the children of Israel Joice Kelly 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 60 page 61 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE EZRA 8 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava that we might afflict ourselves before our God to seek of him a right way for us and for our little ones and for all our substance A HEDGE OF PROTECTION BY PASTOR JAMES E LEWIS HP CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRY I can remember leaving work one Friday night after my 3 to 11 shift headed to Shreveport La 300 miles away for a special job assignment the next morning at 8am While driving to Shreveport on a dark lonely unfamiliar stretch of highway I experienced a blowout It s after midnight I m all alone I m on a dark road not one car light or street light in sight I m in the middle of nowhere I m too far out to call road side assistance I m a little scared smile and my left rear tire decides to go flat You get the picture don t you The only thing I could think to do at that moment was to shout Oh Lord have mercy Then immediately out of nowhere a highway patrolman pulls up shines his headlights on the rear of my vehicle he gets out of his patrol car and he helped me change the flatten tire We exchanged a few words I thanked him for his assistance and the patrolman departed in the night saying Be careful and have a safe trip I quickly remembered Psalm 23 4 and thanked God for His divine protection and provisions Psalm 23 4 Even though I walk through 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for You are with me Ezra 8 21 23 gives a great example of Ezra the priest and the children of Israel trusting God and Him alone for a hedge of protection as they traveled the dangerous roads from Babylon back to Jerusalem The trip took Ezra and the exiled families exactly four months to make the long journey of nearly a thousand miles back to Jerusalem and praying would get God s attention Ezra 8 23 Fasting and praying not only gets God s attention it moves Him to watch over His Word to perform it Jer 1 12 Ezra also knew that God s word would not return to Him void useless without result without accomplishing what He desires and without succeeding in the matter for which He sent it Isa 55 11AMP Ezra 8 31 FASTING is an expression of self humility before God declaring our need s to Him God promises that when we obey him we are rewarded Psalm 37 4 says Delight yourself in the Lord live righteously and He will give you the desires of your heart PRAYER is an important expression of our trust and belief in God that He is a keeper His word and a weapon for the saints to use to fight against the evil one Romans 8 28NLT says And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose So no matter what road in life you find yourself traveling on remember that God is with you watching over you wherever you go Gen 28 15 Prayer Heavenly Father You are my Lord and my King Great is Your name for You are worthy to be praised Thank You for sending Your Son into this world to die on the cross just for me For without Him there would be no gift of salvation and no freedom from death or sin For that I am grateful Teach me to trust and depend on You my God to protect me from the fiery darts of the evil one Teach me to pray Your word back to You for it s Your word that gets your attention Teach me to be full of Your love each day You are a shield and buckler around me for I know You are with me You watch over me You protect and deliver me from trouble Thank you Lord for being an omnipresent God because wherever I am in life I know You are always with me I pray this prayer in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit Amen Ezra 8 21 There by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children with all our possessions Before the long journey Ezra assembled the people 15 000 on a river front campsite and proclaimed a fast because he knew that only God and could provide a hedge of protection around them as they traveled through some very dangerous territory Psalm 91 Ezra knew that God hears the prayers of the righteous Gen 18 32 33 He knew that God fulfills the desires of those who put their trust in Him Psalm 145 19 and he knew that their fasting page 62 Karl Hornfeldt page 63 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE ROMANS 7 21 25 PEACE OF CHRIST IN THE INNER MAN I find then a law that when I would do good evil is present with me For I delight in the law of God after the inward man but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin BY SCOTTIE CLARK HP MEN S MIISTRY Kamaji Ogino VPRAYER Father I thank you for this time as we pray for the peace of Christ in the inner man There are so many distractions in this world that cause us to stumble and struggle daily with sin which can bring on a feeling of no peace and a struggle within I am thankful today knowing that while we were yet sinners you sent your Son to die on the cross for our sins which sets us free from this bondage and gives us Peace Lord I pray that those who do not know Your Peace will come to know You and love You We thank you and love you It s in Jesus s name we pray Amen 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 64 I find then the principle that evil is present in me the one who wants to do good For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man but I see a different law in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members Wretched man that I am Who will set me free from the body of this death Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord So then on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God but on the other with my flesh the law of sin When one hears of the words peace and man it feels like two things that should be so perfect together but somehow it just never seems to work Even when we look at the beginning back in Genesis Adam is at odds with his wife in Chapter 3 Yes Chapter 3 And there are 50 chapters in Genesis If you think that s bad Adam s son Cain kills his other son Abel in Chapter 4 As you can see the marriage between man and peace doesn t last long So I guess you may be thinking what is the reason for this division between man and peace The answer is simple its sin Paul in Romans 7 22 23 says it best when he says For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man but I see a different law in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner page 65 of the law of sin which is in my members That scripture can be either the most confusing thing you have ever read or the most relatable thing you have ever read as a believer See Paul was a student of the law and he recognized that the law was not created to be followed but to show us how far we fall short of God s holiness Understanding that will give you the sense of humility to pronounce like Paul does in verse 24 Wretched man that I am The beauty of this war is that there is peace and it s found in Christ Paul lays this out for us in Romans 8 1 2 when he says Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death Now that is peace 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

IMAGE BEARERS OF CHRIST LOVE BY EVELINE KIRK HP WOMEN S MINISTRY SCRIPTURE GENESIS 1 26 27 2PETER 1 5 8 And God said Let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth So God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him male and female created he them And beside this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge 6and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness 7and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity 8For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ We ask the question Who Am I This is fundamentally answered by what does it mean to be created in the image of Christ we are to be Image Bearers As image bearers we are to closely resemble or be a representation of Christ As image bearers we should be embracing the life and teachings of Jesus Christ displaying God s glory But there s a problem let s go back to the garden where Adam sinned The image was marred distorted and disfigured sin wrought havoc on the image of Christ in humankind but sin was unable to eliminate the image Sin came to destroy the image of Christ because of sin our lives are an obscured reflection and representation of Christ Sin has distorted and weakened 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 66 PRAYER our desire and ability to live totally in accordance with God s Word There is good news being in Christ we regain what was lost at the fall in the garden By the Spirit working in us remaking us into the image of God through transforming us into the image of Christ We find wholeness and completeness when our identity is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ The question Who Am I fundamentally is who Am I in Christ Heavenly Father thank you for giving your son Jesus Christ for our salvation and redemption Through His divine power and love He has granted to us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness through the working of your Spirit bringing us into the true knowledge of God Lord we thank you through Christ we have been granted precious and magnificent promises that we may become partakers of your divine nature Father we thank you for giving us the ability to apply through faith all the attributes of Christian virtue to our daily life We can walk in moral excellence applying knowledge using self control and yes Lord learning how to persevere during difficult times Father help us to be concerned about our brothers showing kindness and love to your creation For these qualities of Yours render us neither useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen page 67 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

BREAKING CHAINS OF LIMITATIONS BY DR LEONETTE LEWIS HP CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINSTRY PRAYER Idy Tanndy SCRIPTURE LUKE 4 18 JOHN 10 10 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted to preach deliverance to the captives And recovering of sight to the blind To set at liberty them that are bruised The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ You are King the One who rules His Kingdom and people Holy holy holy LORD God Almighty Great is Your name and great are You to be praised Thank You for Your love and life As I go into this New Year my focus is on loving You which includes being a more excellent servant for the Kingdom Father Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven You have sent Your Son into the world to save us and make known to us who You are In knowing You I discover me and who I am in You Father open my eyes that I may see my ears that I may hear and my heart that I may be receptive to the truths that will come to me Speak by Your Spirit and deliver me from the fears that limit my freedom in moving forward in You Teach me how to love You wholly and to love Your people Strengthen my inner man so I can stand firmly with you despite any circumstance I choose You and the freedom that comes with being Your child This year I decided to serve You with all that is within me I am grateful unto You all wise and holy God Majesty dominion and power all belong page 68 In the book of Ruth we read of the test trials and sufferings two women undergo while on their journey of life No doubt because of life s settings and challenges they faced mental physical and spiritual limitations and effects However irrespective of their challenges and limitations they persevere break down and go through because of their belief in Yahweh and determination to attain better in life While on the journey they experience focused faith and at times wavering faith lack of and homelessness but they do not allow the circumstances to stop them Today we have a cloud of witnesses who have gone before us but only One who has defeated the enemy brought to naught the limitations and set the captives free His name is Jesus He is the One who came to lose all who believe in Him of the shackles that have us bound limiting our freedoms and stunting our faith and growth in Him and life Luke 4 18 reminds us of what Jesus came to do and accomplished Jesus in the synagogue says to the listeners The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind To set free those who are oppressed to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD And here in John 10 10 Jesus speaks to His purpose for coming to the world I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly We are His reasons for coming Our lives are important to Him Saints allow the Word of God to lose you of what is holding you back Receive it Believe it for what it proclaims page 69 for all areas of your life Live in it and be free As our minds are renewed to think like Christ we view life from God s perspective We know that God is always at work in us and for us He designs and allows tests trials and sufferings to strengthen build equip and prepare us for the blessing of greatness for Kingdom purposes and the place s we are moving in to possess He is always working for our good Let us not believe the obstacles we face are to stop or limit our freedom in Him On the contrary they are to help us Press onward Freedom is through our belief in Him and it belongs to US 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

STRENGTH PEACE AND WISDOM FOR MOMS SINGLE MOMS AND GRANDMOTHER S BY JUSTIN BENNETT HP MEN S MINISTRY 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 70 off far from what I was taught and it was the light that led me back home from the darkness My grandmother passed just recently and as I spent time with her during her last days I let her know that my love for God and His word originated from what her and my mom taught me Her body was frail and weak but her spirit was full of strength joy and devotion to God Though her memory was fading when I mentioned God in this particular occasion she attempted to sit up and demonstrated so perfectly what David penned in Psalm 5 11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice let them sing joyful praises forever She rejoiced from the confinement of her bed and taught me again on that day in every occasion or circumstance to praise His name SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 11 28 30 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice let them sing joyful praises forever Spread your protection over them that all who love your name may be filled with joy Father We thank you for your loving kindness and your mercies that are unfailing Today we lift up to You the women whom your chosen to be mothers by way of birth adoption or a spiritually led to rear children young and old Thank you for their obedience to the duties of parenting We know that this is no easy task and the challenges they face daily varies Father we ask that you continue to clothed them with your peace and wisdom and the Holy Spirit be their guide daily When the enemy attempts to fill them with feelings of insignificance or lack value we pray that their significance and value be rooted in your word Let them take their cues from your holy word and not the everchanging views of this culture and any other worldly influence that attempts to knock them off course When they are tempted to give up give them a vision of hope for the duties you ve blessed them with and bring alongside them other women who have accepted this graceful calling with an eager heart We pray that their fellowship with other like minded women be joyful and free from strife or envy As the old Puritan prayer states we pray that until they finish their course with joy may they pursue it with diligence in every part display the resources of the Christian and adorn the doctrine of God in all things In Jesus name Amen Anna Shvets Never could it be possible for any man to estimate what he owes to a godly mother I don t possess the powers of speech to declare my appraisal of the choice blessing which the Lord granted to me in making me the son of a mother who prayed for me and prayed with me paraphrased I share this quote by Charles Spurgeon with my mother on Mother s Day and other random occasions every year Though personal to Spurgeon it reflects on a mother s worth along with her devotion to God Godly mothers whether single married spiritual or in the wonderful stage of grandparenting realize very quickly the need for God in their roles of rearing children Mothers are often the first teachers of trust and reliance on God and obedience to His word Reflecting on my life growing up I ve had very positive male figures but it was the women with whom I saw devotion and dependence upon God in their various duties within the home and out Their demonstration of faith devotion and obedience was foundational or better yet etched in my brain It often screamed out to me when I wandered PRAYER page 71 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

TEACHING TRUTH TO THE NEXT GENERATION BY ELAN FONTENOT HP WOMENS MINISTRY SCRIPTURE JUDGES 2 10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers and there arose another generation after them which knew not the LORD nor yet the works which he had done for Israel PRAYER Father thank you for blessing us with the tools to be a blessing to others Help our children to navigate through these unprecedented times with the same power and conviction that guided generations before us Shine your light on them so that others may see your light through them We didn t stumble upon your word by accident It was passed on to us through parents friends mentors educators pastors and many other avenues Help us to be intentional about passing along the gospel to the generations coming after us Grant us the wisdom and discernment to be witnesses even to others through the social media platforms our kids access Set them apart We ask these things in Jesus Throughout history different cultures and society have relied on the oral tradition of storytelling It s been a valuable tool for passing information culture norms and customs from generation to generation While valuable the danger comes when the older generations fail to communicate these traditions values and norms to the younger generations In the bible we read stories about how the children of Israel experienced God and saw his faithfulness They experienced God providing food daily parting the red sea slaying their enemies they saw the walls of Jericho fall and much more The generation after them reaped the benefits of their fathers and lived a life of luxury without the sacrifices and adversities their fathers endured They heard the stories but never experienced the power of God the way the past generation did This brings us to Judges 2 10 which reads 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers and another generation rose up after them who did not know the Lord nor even the work which He had done for Israel After all that God did for the children of Israel and their children and their children s children they failed to pass down the good news and stories of God s goodness Many might read these verses in the Bible and think wow that could never be us Well we are living in a society where lack of respect lack of motivation and overall concern for the future are more commonly accepted If we continue down this path what will be left for the generations to come Excellent educators are walking out in large numbers and mentors for our younger generations are scarce The respect we had for our parents and grandparents is rare It s time to carry the torch and remind this generation of the miracles we ve experienced Continue to tell the stories of his goodness and all he has done for us Don t hide the struggle and provision Tell your students tell your mentees the ones who look up to you who the true source is As you approach today be intentional It is our responsibility to pass the word of God on to the next generation Ask yourself What can I do to make sure the next generation knows the Lord and never forgets Artem Maltsev 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 72 page 73 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

RESPONDING TO VICTORY BY JASON BROWN HP MPACT STUDENT MINISTRY SCRIPTURE 1 CORINTHIANS Therefore my beloved brothers be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain Paul in the 15th chapter of his first letter to the believers in Corinth addressed the major issue of life after death chiefly the matter of resurrection It is clear considering the manner of his argument that this was a major area of concern Paul mentioned the potential tension that rests as a key tenant to the faith that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ In verse twelve He asked If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead I wonder who said such a thing The implications of a still dead Jesus is astronomical If Christ is not raised then 1 then they will not be raised 2 their preaching is empty and useless 3 they have been misrepresenting God 4 their faith is futile 5 they were still in their sins and 6 there was no hope for those who have already died In short everything said and done in our time of fellowship discipleship evangelism and even worship has been an enormous waste of time all built on bad information passed on through generations Even moreso there is no hope for the afterlife Thank the Lord that Paul s argument did not land on such implications He concluded this chapter with hope and the astonishing truth of a victorious mystery that is the believer experiencing victory with the Lord Jesus over the last enemy death Have you ever felt like you have been wasting your time For those of us who have been called to build into the lives of others mentors coaches educators and the like we have longed determined that what we do is thankless As 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 74 a career educator former coach and mentor myself along with others have come to a few conclusions 1 No one can pay us enough for what we do 2 We may never see the fruits of our labor This manner of thinking weighs heavy on the shoulders and consciousness We have had so many defeats that experiencing victory is like identifying a car two miles down the road Yet we know that victory is indeed coming Though chapter 15 is chiefly about resurrection there is encouragement an appropriate response to victory for us all as we work and wait on this side Paul concluding this chapter began his final word with Therefore we should investigate what it s there for In response to the grand and glorious change that would occur at the sound of the trumpet and in the twinkling of an eye in response to death suffering a final loss and losing its sting in response to the victory given through the Lord Jesus Christ THEREFORE Paul provided some instructions to his Corinthian brothers and sisters that would be an appropriate response be moved Stand firm on the truth of the resurrection PRAYER Father God We believe the truth of scripture We believe that you were crucified died and was resurrected We believe that one day we too will experience a glorious resurrection on that great day We ask that You would remind us to stand firm on You when our work in You is troublesome Remind us Father that trouble don t last always Remind us that you will not waste our pain We thank you and praise for the victories we have already experienced and we look forward to Guilherme Stecanella eternally celebrating the final victory with you in eternity Until then we will work and worship giving You all glory and praise In Jesus Name Amen page 75 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

THEIR SAFETY MENTAL HEALTH THEIR FAMILIES BY TYRONE DAVIS HP KIDS MINISTRY PRAYER Courtney Wentz SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 5 9 Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 76 Father God in the name of Jesus we thank you for this time to come to you We thank you for being such a loving caring and merciful Father and giving us the One True Sacrifice in your Son Jesus Christ We thank you for the men and women of service we thank you for the first responders we thank you for our military and law enforcement Father we ask that you continue to cover and keep all who labor in service for the good of others We know that there can be a physical mental emotional and spiritual toll on continuing to give oneself to others so Father we ask that you bless the hand hearts and minds of all who labor in service for it is not in vain Father we ask that you protect all your children from any mental Service is an integral part of our Christian calling Service is a consistent action that Jesus performed throughout his life Service is a unique part of our Christian walk and those encounters can be both private and public Imagine you are walking with Jesus and you see Him give of Himself with every interaction You also see the impact that each interaction has on each person an the effect it has on Jesus Being of service or being a consistent aid will absolutely impact others but could also possibly take a toll on you your plans and your families The bible shows us through Jesus efforts that even when He was trying to make it to His destination in Jerusalem he was stopped multiple times along the way to aid and help others He is a SERVICEMAN who understood His Duty and Calling As service men and women we thank and honor you for your continued efforts Your duty and calling does not go unnoticed Your efforts continue to be impactful God knows the toll and sacrifices you make to carry out your service and He also knows the internal and mental tolls that you experience Continue to be of service and you can be assured through God s Word from Matthew 5 9 Blessed are the Peacemakers For they shall be called the sons of God page 77 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE PSALM 82 3 4 Defend the weak and the fatherless uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed Rescue the weak and the needy deliver them from the hand of the wicked PRAYER Dear Holy Father Thank you for being the all wise all knowing judge of all Forgive us for the ways we have fallen short of your will Cleanse us from sin refresh our anointing and renew our focus on your will Thank you for guiding us and reminding us where our attention should be Help us to consider people in need and be stirred to serve defend and bolster those who are weak poor or alone Thank you Lord for seeking us out in our weakest moments and making us whole As we walk by faith we ask this and all things in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Amen PEACE JUSTICE AND SACRIFICE In Psalm 82 the Lord stands before the great assembly those who can render judgment We are reminded that the Lord is the final judge He reminds us of the measure He uses to judge with As He presides over those with the position and authority to render judgment He reprimands them for evaluating unjustly allowing the sinful and the wicked to have their way He watches as those set to judge are partial to wrongdoers How is that we ask The Lord declares that the criteria being used to evaluate and judge is faulty In this life is the measure by which we BY DR CHARLENE FLASH HODGE HP WORSHIP TEAM evaluate others on track or is it faulty Are we distracted and influenced by wealth renown strength and beauty Are these the things that we think add value and merit in our eyes Do we go so far as to ignore and even denigrate that which the Lord our God would have us pay most attention to According to this psalm we likely do as do the congregation of the mighty When we find ourselves in positions of power and authority in spaces in which we render judgment God s charge for us is to defend those who are weak impover ished and fatherless He calls us to acknowledge accept and engage those who are afflicted and weak and in need Instead of being partial to those who have their needs fulfilled our attention should be turned towards to people in need We are called to rescue the helpless from the hand of the wicked As we reflect on God s plan for our lives and for our community let us pray that all who render justice whether leader judge police officer soldier or citizen be stirred to defend the weak protect the poor and serve the needy David Bumgardner 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 78 page 79 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE PSALM 147 3 1 CORINTHIANS 13 7 He healeth the broken in heart And bindeth up their wounds GOD S KINGDOM PURPOSE FOR OUR COUNTRY BY REGINALD MAYES HP 55 SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things David Bumgardner PRAYER Father in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ we give thanks for the United States and its government You have called us to be subject to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from you and those that exist have been instituted by You We lift up before You the men and women who are in position of authority We pray for guidance direction discernment protection for the president vice president representatives senators judges first responders as well as the governors and mayors of this nation We pray that the Spirit of God will rest upon them We trust You to impart skillful and godly wisdom for our leaders We pray that they will seek first the kingdom of God in all their actions and lean not on their own understanding We pray that they will embrace Your sovereignty in all matters We pray that You deliver them from evil in themselves and others We pray that You will surround our leaders with those who bring them godly counsel We pray that You will mold them into people of integrity with compassionate hearts Give them hearts that are concerned with all people regardless of race social status or wealth from the wound to the tomb We pray that You will remove those with hard hearts full of evil and replace them with people who are after Your heart You said that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord We receive your blessing on this nation You are our Refuge and Stronghold in times of trouble We know that the heart of the king is in Your hands and that You turn it whichever way You desire We place our leaders in Your hands You have called upon to pray for all those in authority so we may live a quiet and peaceful life We lift them up in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord Amen 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 80 Do we believe that God is sovereign Sovereign means having supreme rank power or authority If we say we believe this are we living our life as if this is true The Bible reveals that not only is God sovereign but He is all knowing all powerful everywhere present and He loves us He loves us with the kind of love that prompted Him to send Jesus Christ to die for our sins while we were still sinners separated form God He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus our Lord Jesus says My Sheep hear my voice and they follow me What voices are we listening to Jesus says He is our peace Jesus says to be anxious for nothing Jesus says I will never leave you or forsake you Compare this to the voices of the news social media politicians or pundits Our text Psalm 33 10 11 speaks of the sovereignty of God in the political arena But let s back up to verses 1 3 These verses are a call to praise followed by causes for praise 4 22 His Word which is faithful and true is a cause for praise His love of righteousness and justice is a cause for praise His creation of the world and power over nature is a cause for praise He is in control over the nations is a cause for praise God s purpose for our political leaders and government is that He be glorified Despite the chaos we see all around us we have to remember that God is sovereign and He loves us We must listen to His voice and focus on Him page 81 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

PRESIDENT VP STATE LOCAL OFFICIALS BY GEVENIA BRADFORD HP PRAYER MINISTRY PRAYER Oh Lord our God the only one true and living God thank you for another day I can rejoice because you allow me to rejoice Your grace and mercies brought me through and I am living this moment because of you Lord thank you for being such a loving and forgiving God Even when I am disobedient your love covers me Lord there is so much happening in the world but nothing that you are unaware of for you are omnipresent I believe in the power of prayer Your word states that man should always pray and not become discouraged I am standing your your word Father I lift up our government and political leaders to you in spirit and in truth Lord give them a vision that is rooted in righteousness Scripture tell us that the laws of God are demonstrated in His righteousness which regulates the God human relationship as the foundation of the relationship between humans and their neighbors Father I pray that they have strength to stand out for what they believe in as servant leaders demonstrating concern for the people I pray that they would understand the intricacies of the people with greater expediency than that of politics Lord I pray that they do not allow the deceitfulness of wealth and worldly cares choke out their faith in you Thank you for leaders who have not given up Thank you for those leaders that are still fighting still praying and still believing in you I am praying for those who are on the battlefield for righteousness Help them to hold out In tough times Father would you reassure them that you are their protector Reassure them that you will defeat their enemies if they would just put their faith and trust in you Father would you please bless them with all the attributes of good leaders The world is in turmoil but there is nothing you cannot handle Lord just like you did for Solomon would you do it for our leaders Would you give them a strong sense of justice and be examples for others to follow with integrity honesty and compassion in all they do Help the to understand that righteousness is a God centered attribute no man can attain it through his own efforts apart from God I triumphantly confess that I trust you with all my heart mind and soul You have been my refuge and our strength and very present help in trouble Father I pray that your children will make use of the time they have remaining Lord teach us patience while waiting on you In the meantime Oh Lord give us positive thoughts for negativity drains us of our strength Father we trust you to take care of all of the things that we cannot Keep us mindful that no matter what we accomplish in life it is because of you I pray that you direct our path in every step we take We need your mercy and your grace to keep us safe Lord YOU promised not to forsake Lord we need you May the gracious care of the Lord our God be over us and prosper the work of our hands for us In the name of Jesus I pray AMEN 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 82 I am reminded of a praise and worship hymn that was song long ago entitled I need thee every hour The song reminds me that we can call on the Lord and he will be a very present help in time of need There is nothing new under the sun or son King Solomon understood that he needed the Lord to be successful He was king on the throng of his father David He asked the God for wisdom to govern the nation of Israel He asked God to help him to distinguish between right and wrong He recognized that he needed the Lord God gave Solomon wisdom and great insight He was wise beyond his years His wisdom and faith in God was instrumental in him building an empire He needed the Lord for scripture states that Except the Lord build the house They labour in vain that built it In Psalm 72 King Solomon pray to the Lord and expresses a desire that other Kings reigns be characterized by justice and righteousness and supreme virtues of kingship Solomon understood that with righteousness in the realm God would bless His people with abundance because of the support and protection given to them by the ruling kings Solomon sought the Lord and followed the spiritual example of his father David The leaders were also to worship God not with civil but religious worship for such worship is due to Christ Christ being God equal to the Father and so being equally honored the Creator of all things the Redeemer of his people Head and Lord of the church and whom the angels adored Every part of worship was to be given to Him Internal worship which lies in the exercise of faith hope love fear and external worship which consist of prayer to Him preaching of his name and the administration of ordinances and worship Our nation just like Israel is unstable due to the ruling authority If the leaders would ask God for wisdom and be guided by the Holy Spirit the world would change The wisdom needed is there for the asking However they must first recognize God is unchanging and in control of everything He is the same yesterday today and forever It is insufficient for leaders to rely on their own ingenuity and power rather than ask God to give the wisdom to be effective Just as Solomon prayed for kings so should we pray for leaders to suppress the wickedness that pervades the world We need to pray for leaders that will defend the defenseless We need to pray for leaders that will promote unity and close the divide based on race and economic status We need to pray for leaders who will lay aside their greed and pride and bow down before the Lord and serve Him with gladness We need to pray for leaders to recognize that they need the Lord s guidance and covering Those leaders will not only have visions for us but their visions will be rooted in Christ Jesus Then and only then will God bless this nation with internal peace and prosperity SCRIPTURE PSALM 72 11 Yea all kings shall fall down before him All nations shall serve him page 83 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

SCRIPTURE MATT 6 9 10 GOD S WILL BE DONE After this manner therefore pray ye Our Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy name 10Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven In life we make plans for our family plans for our finances plans for our career and quite honestly we make plans every morning to help us navigate and push us to our desired goal But you know like I do that plans often don t play out how we anticipate them to There are detours delays and barriers that keep us from getting to our intended goal or destination in the time that we planned to complete it Sometimes we can adjust our expectations with these challenges other times not so much Today we re praying for Project Next the building project and the next step in the growth and development of Harvest Point Even when we re doing GOD s work there can be delays and even disappointments along the way because things aren t working out how we thought they would or in the timing that we wanted them to COVID funding delays cost of materials price increase permit approvals building plans changed and on and on and on Delay delay delay DELAY In these moments it would be easy to get discouraged that things are not working out as planned or according to my plan will But let me encourage you that no matter what your plan your desires or your goals are if they are aligned with what GOD s Will is it will be done It may not progress like you thought it would or it may not be done in your timeframe but GOD s Will must be done on earth as it is in heaven Let us focus today on submitting our will to GOD s perfect Will BY TERRENCE HOUSTON HP DEACONS MINISTRY PRAYER Heavenly Father thank you for your perfect will We come to you today submitting all our plans our goals our dreams and our will to you Thank you GOD that we can always rely on you to complete anything that YOU started Help us to have the patience and flexibility to allow YOU to work on our behalf We lift up Project Next to you and pray for your continued favor and provision as we move forward We also pray that you will prepare our hearts and minds for the work that you have planned for us as our church continues to grow and impact the communities around us Our desire is to honor you with all that we are and all that we have GOD We love You we praise You and we are committed to submitting our will our plans and our goals to you Help us to trust you completely In Jesus name Amen Harvest Point Fellowship 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 84 page 85 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

21 DAYS OF PRAYER FASTING BY DR LAWRENCE SCOTT HP LEAD PASTOR Harvest Point Fellowship As we close out the 21 days of praying and fasting I pray that you ve experienced a deep connection with the Lord personally and corporately We believe the scripture when it says the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much James 5 16 Our time together was not simply a religious exercise instead a chance to draw near the throne of grace on one accord seeking our great high priest For those who may have determined that your prayer life had become lethargic we pray that you found new energy and will have a better rhythm of prayer in the future We hope your prayer time will continue to be a daily priority past these 21 days We pray that you will sit in a posture of expectation knowing that we serve a sovereign God We hope you will find satisfaction not simply in His response to your prayer but in the fact that God has availed Himself to lend His ear to your petition We pray that you were bold in your requests to the Lord and that you maintain that it s God s will or bust For those 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 whose prayer life was already full we pray that you found great encouragement gathering with the saints some of whom you may never know by name lifting a unified voice to our gracious and loving Father We pray that God moved uniquely in your life and filled you with great joy and hope in Jesus Lastly suppose you participated in this time of prayer out of curiosity and don t have an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ we pray that you will accept Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord We encourage you to put your faith and trust in Jesus believing by faith that He died on the cross for your sins and accepting His offer of forgiveness Family this would be an excellent place to pause and celebrate God for all He has done during our 21 days together and anticipate all He has in store Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen 2 Corinthians 13 14 page 86 page 87 21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23

21 DAY FASTING AND PRAYER GUIDE 23 page 90