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DEVOTIONAL GUIDE21 DAYSOF& FASTINGPRAYER 21 DAYS OF A FAMILY THAT PRAYS I 5S 6A:I 7HA

Biblical Guide to FastingWhy are we fasting?The Bible does not command Christians to fast, nor does God require it of them. How-ever, fasting is presented in Scripture as something good, profitable, and beneficial. The book of Acts mentions believers fasting before making important decisions (Acts 13:2; 14:23). Additionally, fasting is often linked with prayer (Luke 2:37; 5:33).The goal of fasting is to draw closer to God. Spiritual fasting includes setting aside activities and/or reducing your food intake and replacing these activities with prayer and preoccupation with spiritual concerns. Fasting also enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God and prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body and your options and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads.Why are we fasting for 21 days?The 21-day model is inspired by Daniel's partial fasting as described in the Book of Daniel, particularly in chapters 10 and 1. The Bible says, "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for per-mission not to defile himself this way” (Daniel 1:8). In Daniel 10:2-13, it is noted that Daniel mourned for 21 days without eating meat or other delicacies. After this period of fasting, he experienced a breakthrough and received answers to his prayers. This fast was a time of mourning for Daniel and served as a way for him to seek under-Dear Church Family,Each January, we dedicate 21 days to corporate prayer and fasting. We are consistently amazed by the unique and special ways in which God meets us during this time. The One Church @ Harvest Point 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer Devotional is designed to encour-age and strengthen you as you take this opportunity to grow closer to our Lord. This year, families from our local church have con-tributed the devotionals and prayers for each day. We have also included a Biblical Guide to Fasting along with several fasting options. While corporate prayer is a regular part of our Sunday gatherings, we hope that these 21 days of prayer and fasting will be transformative for all who seek Him.

standing and humble himself before God. Similarly, our 21 day Fast can be an opportunity for us to reconnect with our Lord and Savior.What are some other scripture references for fasting?Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 9:14-15, Luke 18:9-14, Acts 14:23,Nehemiah 9:1-3, Mark 9:29What types of fast are there?1. A Normal Fast - There is no food intake for a prescribed period, though there may be an intake of liquids, typically water with light juices as an option. 2. A Partial Fast - The diet is limited in this fast, though some food is allowed. One example of a partial fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, or bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food. 3. Absolute Fast - There is total abstinence from food and liquids, done briefly. 4. Soul Fast - This fast is common for those who may not have a lot of experi-ence fasting from food, have health issues that prevent them from fasting or wish to refocus certain areas of their life that are out of balance. For instance, someone might abstain from using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then choose to carefully bring that element back into their life in an orderly fashion after the fast.Note: Before making significant changes to your diet, it is wise to consult the appropriate doctor or dietician. How can you join the One Church @ Harvest Point 21-day experience?1. Commit to fast and pray for the 21 days. "Fasting" means we humbly deny something of the flesh to glorify God, enhance our spirit, and strengthen our prayer life. 2. Prepare for the fast by reading Psalm 51, 1 Samuel 15, and Isaiah 58. The verses serve as evidence that God is interested in our obedience to do His Will in our lives. He wants us to be more like him, which requires us to forget our will and seek His. 3. Pause for prayer at 7:00 am. An effective way for our Church to be unified is by pausing for prayer together. We will host a prayer call every morning for 21 days for all who want to participate. The call number is 563-999-1272. 4. Get connected to One Church @ Harvest Point's social media pages and participate in daily prayers online.

Copyright© 2025 by One Church @ Harvest PointCover Photo: Church congregation in prayer posture, Pearland, TX, USA © One Church @ Harvest PointEditorial Team: Tameka Tennison & Chimere DavisDesign Team: Shalunda Bates, Philip UghanzePhotography Team: Donte Cherry, LaCresia Montgomery, & Brad HillAcknowledgments: Scripture taken from various Bibleversions English Standard Version® (ESV®), New KingJames Version® (NKJV®), New American Standard Bi- ble® (NASB®), New In-ternational Version (NIV®), NewLiving Translation® (NLT®)You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce anddistribute in whole or in part this publication providedthat you do not alter the wording in any way (or, if applicable make it clear that it is an excerpt), do not chargea fee of any kind for the copied material (including costfor compensation for reproduction cost) and clearingattribute One Church @ Harvest Point as the source of thematerial. Please include the following statement onany distributed or web-posted copy: “By One Church @ Harvest Pointat www.harvestpoint.org.” For web posting, a link to our website is requested.For more information email hello@harvestpoint.org.This is a digital publicationwww.harvestpoint.org

010304AUTHENTIC FELLOWSHIPHERRING FAMILYCORPORATE REVIVAL (continued)HOLSTON FAMILY21 DAY KICK OFFDR. LAWRENCE SCOTT & FAMILYWEL COME05JESUS CENTERED WORSHIPMCLEAN FAMILY06SPIRITUAL MATURITYWOODS FAMILY02CORPORATE REVIVALWHITE FAMILY

TABLE OF CONTENTS070809A PRAYER-POWERED CHURCHHYNDS FAMILY10PASTORS & SPIRITUAL LEADERSLEWIS FAMILY11YOUNG ADULTSIGWEBUEZE FAMILYTEENS & CHILDRENCUMMINGS FAMILYFAMILYUGHANZE FAMILY

1312CLARK FAMILY1715141618EDUCATORS/MENTORS/COACHESWOMENMENELLIS FAMILYMCCAIN FAMILYGAMBLE FAMILY212019OUR CLOSING PRAYERGOVERNMENT/POLITICAL LEADERSLAW ENFORCEMENT/MILITARYLEE FAMILYCARR FAMILYDR. LAWRENCE SCOTTFORGIVENESSSHARING OUR FAITHMARRIAGEBUCKNER FAMILYSENEGAL FAMILYMENTAL HEALTHGORDON FAMILYTABLE OF CONTENTS

DAY 1Praying With Priority and ExpectationAs we engage in this prayer time to-gether, two key words come to mind: priority and expectation. It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the day and overlook the opportunity for intentional, meaningful prayer, espe-cially at the start of the day. Often, as soon as we wake up, we focus on the tasks ahead of us, and in doing so, we miss those crucial moments of intimate 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 sacrice for you and watch.As David considered the injustices around him, he rst called on the Lord to assess and give attention to his prayer. Notice that David said, “consider my groaning.” Sometimes, the pressure we experience is so heavy that we 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 oer are groans and sighs. God is fully aware whether the prayer takes 10 minutes or 10 seconds and can dis-cern our prayers. With every new day, David found renewal. He repeated the phrase” in the morning” to remind us of renewal and priority. Every morning provides a new oppor-tunity to pray to the Lord; he has posi-tioned his prayer to precede his daily tasks; this is the proper posture in good and bad seasons. We ought not come to God only during challenging moments or under distress, but also when things are well and prosperous. Furthermore, at the end of verse three, we see that David prayed with ex-pectation and watched for an answer. Sometimes, we miss God’s responses because we are not actively looking for them. We may oer our prayers 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 He might respond. Let us pray!By Pastor Lawrence Scott & Family

Sharing the Treasure of Christ2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power be-longs to God and not to us.What is treasure? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it is something of great worth or value; a person esteemed as rare or precious. I know a person who far ex-ceeds those qualications, and His name is Jesus. When Paul spoke of the jars of clay, he was referencing the fragile and weak nature of humans. But the beauty of Jesus Christ is that His grace is sucient for you, for his power is made perfect in weakness. – 2 Corinthians 12:9. God’s power is exemplied when He can use broken and fragile vessels like you and me to carry such a life changing treasure and share it with the world. In God’s sovereignty, He chooses whom He reveals Himself and His glory to. Paul is reminding us not to focus on our weakness and fragility, but on the power that resides in us. This is the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Our most important charge as Christians is to go and share the gospel of Christ with the world. Not just with our words (although that is important), but with the way we love, honor and serve others. Paul is reminding us that because of our weakness, we cannot do this on our own. We must stay connected to our power source to do the work we have been called to do for His kingdom. The Bible shares one of Jesus’ teachings about His relationship with His disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branch-es. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5 This dependency on God should keep us from pride knowing that we can do nothing apart from Him. Paul was experiencing aiction and persecution as false teachers were spreading vicious rumors and lies about his motives and undermining his teachings. These tem-DAY 2CORPORATE REVIVAL

porary trials did not de-ter Paul from sharing the gospel but motivated him even more to continue to do God’s will and share the truth with the church in Corinth. Paul’s response in the face of trials provides a great example of how we should respond when we experience problems in this life. We must x our eyes on Jesus and the eternal glory that awaits us. While it does not always feel light when we are in the re, our aictions are light in comparison to the glory that awaits us in eternity. Remember that God wastes nothing. We can rejoice in our suer-ings, knowing that suering produces endurance, and endurance builds charac-ter, and character produc-es hope, and hope does not put us to shame, be-cause God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:4-5 As the body of Christ, when we align ourselves with the greatest commis-sion of sharing the gospel we will experience a cor-porate revival. Sharing the sweetest treasure that God has so graciously given to us will not only revive us but revive the world as oth-ers begin to experience God in a unique and personal way for themselves. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are able to experience God and His power. Jesus tells us in John 14:6-7 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.” So, as you go out and share the treasure that is within you, rest in God’s power and trust that in His perfect plan and grace. He will water every seed you plant while also nourishing and reviving you. In-deed, everything is for your benet so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God. – 2 Corin-thians 4:15PrayerDear God, thank you for placing the power of your Holy Spirit within such broken and fragile vessels like us. Remind us to not keep this precious gift to our-selves, but to share You with as many people as we can. Help us to count it all joy when we experience various trials and remember that they do not compare to the suerings that you willingly chose to experience on our behalf. Help us to remember that we were nev-er meant to walk this life alone but in community with other believers. When the problems of this world weigh us down, we ask that You remind us that greater is He who is in us than he who is in this world. Help us to ex-perience a supernatural revival as we commit to letting your power and light shine through us so that others may be drawn to You. In Jesus Name, Amen.By the White Family

DAY 3CORPORATE REVIVAL A Renewing Strength to ServeIsaiah 40:29-31He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he in-creases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wingslike eagles; they shall runand not be weary;they shall walk and not ber faint.I know this topic in the local church can be a bit short of taboo, but it’s a real thing. We shouldn’t be made to feel bad or unholy about experi-encing it. However, just like everything else in our natural lives, there’s a supernatural cause, response and solution. Serving Burnout is what I’m referring to. A lot of us have experienced or are experiencing it. How many of us are ashamed to call it what it is? Just like so many areas in our lives where we fall short, being burnt out with serving is something we can take to God. And guess what, He has already given us the answer for our natural limitations. Isaiah 40:29-31 tells us that God gives power to the faint. Verse 30 reminds us that even the youth get weary and exhausted. And look no further, because verse 31 tells us what to do to keep on keeping on. Wait for the Lord. When we do, our strength is renewed; “we shall run and not be weary; we shall walk and not faint.”The solution is a simple recalibration in our focus. Even when we are serving unto the Lord, at times, we can get task focused. We must remind ourselves and each other to keep our eyes focused on Him. We have to make sure that what we do, we do it not just for God, but

By the Holston Family because it’s His will for us to do so. We as believers have one common assignment given by the Lord, outlined in Matthew 28:18-20. It states, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” For some this com-mission looks like standing in a pulpit or at the front of a classroom rightly dividing God’s word. To some that may look like sharing with a coworker or a neighbor about how God has impacted your life. God has called all of us to share Him with the world and He has a very specic way in which He has called each of us to serve to accomplish this lifelong commitment. Dierent seasons of our lives can bring about dierent ways that this task is accom-plished. So, remember to keep your focus on God and wait for Him to show you how and in what capacity to serve. Renew your strength to serve in our Heavenly Father. Let’s pray…Father, You are faithful. Thank you for providing us with the answers of this life in Your Word. We’re grateful that You are so intentional in how You’ve created us and what You’ve created us for. Have your way in our lives. Show us how to yield our desires of how we want to or think we should serve You to how You’ve designed us to serve. You are the God who sees ahead and provides according to the need. We are your provision. Help us to live as such. Help us to be so inclined to Your spirit that we can recalibrate before we are totally burned out with much serving. Help us to be honest with ourselves and other brothers and sisters in You that we can confess when we are in a place of burnout without feeling ashamed. Help us to encourage one another in You. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

DAY 4Ephesians 4:1-3 Unity of the SpiritTherefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with pa-tience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.AUTHENTIC FELLOWSHIPIntentional and Diligent Towards One AnotherBy the Herring Family

This message from Apostle Paul to the church of Ephesus reminds us to live a life that is consistent with the calling of God. That every day we must choose to represent the Lord as his children, behaving in humility, gentleness, and patience. We are reminded to live a life that is worthy of God’s calling. We are on assignment from Christ and must spread the gospel through our words and our actions. We must have authentic fellowship with all of God’s children.Sometimes, in our walk with Christ, God allows us to be tested by others. In the beginning of our marriage, we were shaken with the news that Marlin’s father had become ill and soon passed away. When we tried to assist with his ar-rangements, his siblings turned our help away. We soon learned that his father had assets that his aunts had accessed and used while he was sick and after his death, there was a small amount left that was inaccessible without probate. We were soon brought into a legal pro-cedure where relatives that Marlin had grown up with and loved were challenging his birthright and inher-itance.Through such a dicult experience, Marlin and I remembered God’s calling and blessings on our lives. Marlin made every eort to lead with humility and gentleness, still deciding to show love to his ex-tended family and preserve peace and unity. Although the experience challenged us and left us with a lack of understanding, we knew that God was with us and still re-quired us to behave in a way that was worthy of God’s calling on our lives. We are thankful for the gifts and the challenges that help us grow in our faith. Let us pray.Prayer:Father God, thank you for your goodness and greatness. You are a faithful God that has called us into fellowship with your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for loving us and extending your grace and mercy to us even in times when we have failed to reect that grace and mercy. Forgive us for sometimes allowing the events of the day and season to divert our focus from Unity with The Holy Spirit. We ask that you continue to bless us with clarity and illuminate our path to righteous-ness. Help us to be less prideful, more slow-to-anger, and ll our hearts with love for ourselves and our fellow man.In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Nothing makes me feel my age more than hearing these children talk today! I’m sure my mom said the same thing when I would yell “that song was crunk!” from the back-seat of our minivan in the late 90s early 2000s. But “crunk” has nothing on “skibbity” or “Ohio”, as I have heard our 10-year-old describe something he deems weird. Culture is all around us. It shapes the way we speak, admonish one another, and even the way we look at ourselves. In today’s time, the explosion of current culture and every opinion of the world is readily available in the palm of our hands, and in the palm of our children’s hands. The problem that we face as Christ following par-ents is daunting but how can we compete with the deafening sound of culture? The scripture teaches in 1 Timothy 1:3-5 to “combat dierent doctrine and myths with love that comes from a pure heart with a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Our goal as parents and forever learners of the gospel is to be louder than the world. There is no way we can complete such a task without the help of the Holy Spirit guid-ing us. Worship Jesus Not Man’s Culture John 4:20-24Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. Jesus said toher, “Women, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit, and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.DAY 5ESUSCENTEREDWORSHIPJJ

We are our children’s rst teachers and rst examples of how to love like Christ. We must rst examine if we live our lives in worship and reverence to Christ. Worship is not just lifting our voice in praise; it is how we live, how we love, and show the love and forgiveness that Christ freely gifts to us. In John chapter 4, Jesus tells us that the Father is seeking worship-ers who worship Him in spirit and in truth. So, what are we saying? ! Of course our children will be inu-enced by culture but our opportuni-ty and responsibility as their blood bought-Christ following parents and caregivers, is to give the gift of what it means to know, love and worship our Lord, in word and in deed. No one said it would be easy, but it sure is worth it because God worth it all.ESUSBy the McLean Family

Romans 12:1-2DAY 6“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”Are you studying the Word of God and allowing His Holy Spirit to guide you into living according to His way?In today’s scriptural passage, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Rome regarding their faith in Christ, and he begs them to lay down their own way of life as an act of spiritual worship. He echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:24, when Jesus said, “if anyone wants to follow Me, they must deny their self-centered ways; lay down their own way (of acting and thinking); take up their cross, and follow in My footsteps”.Dying to self is hard for those who have not decided to make Jesus the leader of their lives. When you accept Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, He gives you His Holy Spirit, who empowers you to live a holy life. Paul says in Galatians 5:16-17, that if you walk according to the Spirit, you will not fulll the desires of your old, eshly nature.As Christians, we can successfully live out Paul’s instructions to Renewed Minds forTransformative Lives MATURITYSPIRITUAL

By the Woods Family not be conformed to the world around us (Romans 12:2), when we yield to God’s Holy Spirit. Once we are born again, we enter into a spiritual metamorphosis, or as Paul describes it, a transformation of thinking more like Christ. This change is accelerated by studying and applying God’s Word. The psalmist declares that God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths (Psalm 119:105). God gave us His Holy Word, the Bible, to guide us into living a life that is well-pleasing and acceptable. It is our mandate to study His Word and hide it in our hearts, so that we will not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).Are you growing and maturing in your faith? If not, choose to lay down your ways, study God’s Word, and yield to the transformative power of His Holy Spirit today!Prayer:Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for lovingly redeeming us through the sacrice of Your Son Jesus Christ. You loved us while we were still in our sins, and for that, we are eternally grateful. The gift of Your Holy Spirit empowers us to lay down our lives as a living sacrice to You. Lord, give us a hunger and thirst for Your Words that will guide us into becoming more like You. Help us to truly sur-render our will and allow Your perfect will to be done in us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

DAY 7I know many of you have heard the saying, “Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.” Ready means to be completely prepared or in t condition for immediate use.Readiness is also how we can describe believers who have a consistent and normal prayer life.When we look at our devotion scripture, we see a” ready Daniel, going before God, “just as he had done before” or some translations say “as he had done previously.”When we talk about an unwavering prayer life, imagine an image of a strong heartbeat, that keeps its rhythm, never becoming un-steady or weak. This is how our prayer life should be. It doesn’t matter if life is going Daniel 6:10 (NIV)Now when Daniel learned that the de-cree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.Unwavering in Prayer A PRAYERPOWEREDCHURCHas well as you’d like or whether you are facing challenges. The need to go before God daily with all things is consistent.We live in a fallen world, and we know that suering will come, but if we are as the seasoned saints say “prayed up” we are not easily shaken by life’s challenges.We can look at the life of Daniel and see that he had what the world would consid-er some highs.For example, in Daniel 2:48 we see the Lord elevate Daniel through King Ne-buchadnezzar when he made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon. Also, in Daniel 5:29, King Belshazzar clothed him in purple garments, gave him a gold chain and made him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.But Daniel also had some lows. In the text we are studying today, Daniel’s col-leagues sought to get rid of Daniel. They convinced the King to issue a decree that would directly aect Daniel’s lifeline, his prayer life. The enforced decree would

By the Hynds Family CHURCHfor the next 30 days, throw anyone into the lion’s den who prayed to any god or man other than the King. Daniel, completely aware of this, went home and did what he had done before! The text doesn’t say that he pleaded with God that he would not get thrown into the lion’s den, nor does it say he asked God to strike his enemies. The text says that he got down on his knees and prayed giving thanks, just as he had done be-fore!His actions showed that he valued his fellowship and time with God through prayer more than any decree that could bring about death.That is how prayer life should be for us today. It should be as normal as breathing. Talking to God daily not only strengthens our faith, but it’s also evidence of a maturing relationship with God.An unwavering prayer life puts us in a position of constant readiness for life’s challenges and the schemes of the enemy. It also makes us ready to acknowledge all those good things that come in life. If a promotion at work comes, or an unexpected nancial blessing, our rst thoughts shouldn’t be “wow I deserved that”, but rather one of thanks to God from whom all good things come.Prayer not only benets you, but also edies the body of Christ and brings about unity. A church that prays together can bring about healing and restoration. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, con-fess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”Even further, a unied church impacts its sur-rounding communities by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and serving those in need.Paul wrote it well in his letter to the Thessalo-nians, when he wrote “ Rejoice always! pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstanc-es; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you! Let’s Pray Together!PrayerHeavenly Father, Thank you for listening to our unspoken struggles during tough times and sharing in our joy when we thrive. Lord forgive us for not coming to you in all seasons of our life. Move by your Spirit and remind us of the gift of prayer we have. Thank you for your son Je-sus who made it possible for us to come to you, and for your Holy Spirit who intercedes on our behalf when we don’t know what to say.

Numbers 6:24-26The Blessing Upon UsThe LORD bless you and keep you. The LORD makes His face to shine on you. And be gracious to you. The LORD looks with favor on you and gives you peace. These words have been declared over God’s chosen people, Israel, for centu-ries and have been adopted in Christian churches today. After all, God has chosen us to be His own, as well.The blessing from Numbers 6:24–26 serves as a powerful reminder of God's presence and care in the lives of His cho-sen people, the Israelites, and now our lives because we are believers in Jesus Christ. Give attention to the fact that it is God who is doing something for both the Israelites and us that we cannot do for ourselves. The author makes sure we know it is God because of the repetition of Who it is. Three times, the verses start with The LORD in English Bibles. This not only speaks of Him as the source of blessing but of His daily, moment-by-mo-ment presence in our lives. Noticing this calls for us to pause for silence, reect on God’s history, and embrace His divine promises of protection, favor, grace, and peace. As we meditate on these words, let us allow them to saturate our hearts and minds. When we hear these words, “I will bless you”; we experience the incredible priv-ilege of knowing that we belong to Him and these words are meant for us, too! Let us remember the foundation of these words. God called Moses His friend and walked the desert with His people to lead them to the Promised Land. His plans were good from the very beginning, and He delighted in declaring them over His people. The good news is that He de-clares these words over us today. He has blessed us! As He was with the Israelites back then and He is with us today!Shamar is a Hebrew word that means to keep, watch, preserve, guard, protect, attend to and observe. This word commu-nicates to us that God places a hedge of protection around us.His face to shine upon you makes us aware of His position. Because His face is shining upon us, we are in His gaze. He is fully intentional in His view. He is looking at us, and there is a brightness that gives o great light. This represents His joyful love in blessing, protecting, and caring for His people. And be gracious unto you, relays the message of God’s deep concern and heart compelling mercy, grace, and kind-DAY 8PASTORS & SPIRITUAL LEADERS

ness towards us. His unmerited but nevertheless unlimited love for His people moves Him to be gracious towards us, though it is undeserved. His favor means acceptance, good-will, and superior treatment. This favor is not something that can be earned, nor is it deserved. It is be-cause you are His chosen.“And give you peace”, this blessing ends with an emphasis on peace, which is Shalom in Hebrew. It is not based on what is happening around us but in us, our total well-being, fully ourishing and looking to and counting on Him in all things. True peace.Through the pronouncing of this blessing, God says He puts His name on His people. He identies them as His own. They belong to Him. They know it, and so will the surrounding nations. As His people, chosen by Him, He has put His name on us; and fullls His blessing to us. We should repre-sent Him well in this land. He makes it known that we are His. And we are those who make known to everyone He allows to grace our presence that He is God, the only True and Living God, and He loves us. This is our assignment. In this New Year, let us be true to Him and in-tentionally live in obedience to Him and in the blessings, He has spoken over us. Prayer: LORD God Almighty, the One Who was, and is, and is to come, we acknowledge You as the Great God. Hallelujah!We are grateful to be Your people. Thank you for calling us out of the darkness and into the light. Thank you for the fulllment of the blessing that will come this New Year.On this day, we rededicate ourselves to Your service and to live in obedience to Your word. Father, forgive us for sinning against You. Search us and know our hearts; test us and know our thoughts. See if there is any oen-sive way in us and lead us in the way ever-lasting. We love and shall praise You forever-more, in Jesus’ name. Amen.By the Lewis Family

Making the Godly ChoiceDAY 9YOUNGADULTS James 1:5“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without nding fault, and it will be given to you.”When thinking about making choices, as people we often draw from expe-riences we’ve lived and those we’ve witnessed. We make decisions every day, some as simple as what to wear and others more critical such as which job to take or city to move to. Thank-fully we serve a God that gives us free will to make decisions on our own but loves us enough to guide us and order our steps (Psalm 119:105), if we let Him.Recently, as a family we have had to make several critical decisions that would shape our future. Of the many decisions, one that comes to mind was deciding on a home church for us in Houston. As individuals, my wife and I knew that we could make a good, even great, choice on our own, but as believers we wanted to make the god-ly choice. Although there were many churches to choose from, we knew we had to give it to God and let Him direct us. Making the godly choice meant that we (1) sought wise biblical counsel, (2) agreed that we would be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and (3) decided we would be disciplined by remaining at the church God revealed to us, regardless of our feelings.The bible is lled with verses that encour-ages us as believers to seek wise counsel (Proverbs 1:5, 12:15, 19: 20-21) as we make decisions. However, according to James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generous-ly to all without nding fault, and it will be given to you” – we can ask God directly for His wisdom and we will receive it free-ly. Not only can we ask God for wisdom, but we can also search the scriptures for guidance and direction. For the Scripture is protable for teaching, correcting, and training (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When we want to make a godly decision, we should seek wisdom from the Word, from godly leaders, and draw from our previous ex-

By the Igwebueze Family periences. Our obedience to God’s direction will also ensure we’re making the god-ly choice. What does obedience look like? This could be listening to the Holy Spirit through your inner voice that tells you what you should or shouldn’t do. According to Isaiah 30:21, we can trust that “whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it,” and being obedient is walking that way, or making the decision that you’re being led to do. Being disciplined to stick to what you’re hearing from the Holy Spirit, even when it’s the unpopular choice, is another way to ensure you’re making a godly decision. After you’ve sought wise counsel and the Holy Spirit reveals to you what to do, now you must do it! That’s the hardest part – following through. Use Psalms 25:4-5 as your guide in times of need and watch God give you supernatural strength to hold-fast. Prayer:Heavenly Father, I need you today, and every day. I need you to help me make choices that are pleasing and acceptable to You. Provide me with Your daily bread to make the right choices. Lead me to the scripture that will give me the wisdom I need for the day.Holy Spirit, as I go about my day, tell me which way I should go and give me the strength to walk in it. Lord, I thank you for giving me access to your wisdom and guidance, may I not take it for granted and try to move in my own strength. As I’m faced daily with decisions to make, may I continue to look to You for direction to make the godly choice.I thank you Father for your love and protection over me. As you give me wisdom, may I also share it with others so that I can be of wise counsel to those seeking it as well. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Psalm 121:7-8The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. The LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.In this passage, the Psalmist reminds us of a few essential things. We are reminded that God sees us, He cares about us and wants to protect us. In a world full of seen and unseen threats, going at it alone can be downright terri-fying. The scripture tells us that God will guard us from evil and protect our souls, but not everyone chooses the Lord’s protection for their life. Why? Deciding to walk with God and live God Can Defeat Negative under His protection seems like a simple choice but inuences we may not have considered may make this much more complex than we may have imagined.Growing up in an environment a little dierent than the one our family lives in today, the temptations we faced were visible all around us. Drugs, gangs, vio-lence, teenage pregnancy, and many oth-er things plagued our community. From what we learned in church, we knew these things were wrong.By the Cummings Family TEENS & CHILDRENDAY 10

TEENS & CHILDRENWe avoided those people, plac-es, and activities that we knew weren’t positive, to avoid trou-ble. We told ourselves that if we were to become parents, we would raise our children in a place where less of the stu we saw was common placed . So, we moved, and our plan seemed to work at rst.As our children began to get older and run into the same issues many of us faced during our youth, we realized their inuences were much dierent than ours. Our children were always accessible through their phones, which provided a gate-way to inuences constantly promoting extreme behaviors, nonstop partying, a life of luxury, and the idea of doing whatever they wanted. Inuencers and entertainers show us a lifestyle that promotes greed, lust, pride, overindulgence, and more We know these things can separate us from God, but they make it look so fun. But can what they show us be trusted? Rented houses, camera crews, fake jewelry, surgery, and so much more are put into selling us this dream that the meaning of life is the pursuit of fame and fortune. But what about your soul? What about the person your family raised you to be or that Sun-day school teacher who taught you about Jesus? Would they tell you that chasing stu was the reason God put you on this earth? Moving away from temptations was never going to work. They are everywhere and always will be. However, despite it all, God still loves you, can see you, and desires a relationship with you. Some of us will never be rich or live the glamorous life of a so-called celebrity, but that does not make us less loveable or im-portant than anyone else. God’s love doesn’t require production value. It is authentic, has been conrmed, and has stood the test of time. People have lived ful-lled lives by trusting God’s word for thousands of years, yet new trends are changing as quickly as the days go by. Not measuring up to these standards can make us feel anxious or as though we’ve failed, leaving us feeling alone. But always remember, the Lord will watch over both your coming and going, now and forevermore. So, when we feel like we’ve failed or are unworthy, we can speak with our Father in Heaven. We can ask for His protection, seek His watchful care, and nd peace knowing that He is willing and able, and that His word will never changeDear Lord, thank you for being God by yourself and always providing for us, protecting us, and making provision for us. We ask that you give us the strength to walk through this life boldly with the condence that you are with us and all-knowing. When we feel anxious or alone, please allow us to rest with the assurance that you are in control and protecting our coming and our going. Prayer:Father, we ask that negativity or the things that are not pleasing to you have no power over us and that we can be the people you called us to be. We want to walk according to Your Will, Lord, and Your Way. We love you and thank you, and we ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Culture of Love and DiscipleshipProverbs 24:3-4"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is es-tablished; by knowledge the rooms are lled with all precious and pleasant riches." Every house has a foundation, and you don’t need to be an expert in home building to recognize this. A solid foundation is essential before anything else can be constructed. This principle also ap-plies to the way we build up our families and home culture. The word of God oers His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, giving us the blueprint on how we should build up our families and homes.Proverbs 24:3-4 serves as a metaphor for how God expects be-lievers in Jesus to create cultures of love and discipleship within their families and homes. The opening line of verse three clearly states that wisdom is what builds the house. So, where and how do we acquire this wisdom that the scriptures refer to? The an-swer is found in Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 1:30 tells us that God made Jesus our wisdom. This powerful truth means that as believers, Jesus Christ is our gift of divine wisdom. We obtain this wisdom by knowing Him through the Word of God. By engaging with Scripture and devel-FAMILYBy the Ughanze Family DAY 11

oping a relationship with Jesus, we cultivate the understanding and insight necessary to nurture our families and create a positive, loving home environment. This journey starts with intentionality, prayer, and a commitment to growing together in faith.As wise builders, we must study to understand the Bible. In our homes, we must create a culture where the Word of God serves as the standard for everyday living. We can achieve this by engaging in regular family Bible study, encouraging scripture memoriza-tion, and maintaining open dialogue with our spouses and children. These practices will help strengthen our Christian convictions and ensure they do not waver in the face of worldviews that contradict the truth of God.The world often does not value many of the principles that Jesus taught and died for. In Philippians 2:3-4 Jesus teaches and demonstrates how we are to love and prioritize others above ourselves. Jesus sacriced His life to prove this love. Throughout scrip-tures, Jesus instructs us to love one another unconditionally, and by doing so, we prove to the world that we are His disciples (John 13:34-35). In other words, we must live out our love like Jesus did: every day exercising kindness, humility, patience, and forgive-ness with those around us, especially our families.We are also called into a life of discipleship. Jesus wants us to grow in knowledge and understanding of His word by daily expressing our faith with our families and establish-ing a standard of authentic living beginning in our homes.In our family, we strive to intentionally demonstrate love and discipleship. Although we don't always get it right, we remain committed to the process of building our family. We have established the expectation that we pray about everything—when we're going out, coming in, at dinner, when we make mistakes, and when we need help. Every morn-ing, before we head o in our cars to begin the day, we gather as a family to thank God for a new day and to ask for His guidance to make the most of it. Additionally, we have our children say armations with us every morning. They speak aloud truths about themselves, ending with the armation, “I am a child of God.” As husband and wife, we make it a priority before we go to bed to hold hands and pray together.Just like our family, we should all seek ways to follow Jesus’s lead every day and create habits and traditions that foster a culture of love and discipleship in our homes.PrayerThank You, God, for Your incredible love and the gift of Your son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for the divine wisdom You provide to help us build strong families that honor You. We pray that You guide our families to prioritize studying Your Word and grant us the knowledge and understanding to create a culture that reveres and celebrates Jesus Christ. Give us the courage to be Your disciples, even in the face of worldly pressures that challenge our values. Heavenly Father, please enlarge our capacity to love, especially those in our household. Help us to model thankfulness, unconditional love, generosity, and forgiveness. May You receive all the glory from our lives, in Jesus' name. Amen.

MENEmbracing the Power of Fasting Acts 13:2While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.Fasting involves abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink especially as a religious observance, health, ritual-istic or ethical practice .Have you ever fasted? Most of us have fasted before blood work for a doctor’s appointment, prior to a surgical proce-dure or to lose weight. Fasting is not merely abstaining from food, but it is an opportunity to seek spiritual nourish-ment from God.We rst began fasting when we lived in San Diego. Each year, our Pastor faithfully encouraged our congrega-tion to pray and fast for forty days from mid-September to the end of October. To be honest, we didn’t look forward to fasting because we knew denying our-selves was challenging. Is it dicult? It can be if you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Jesus teaches us about the heart behind fasting, emphasizing it should not be a performance for others, but a personal act of devotion. We take away the distractions of the world to make space for intimacy with God through prayer and meditation. Matthew 6:16-18Why Should I Fast?• Fasting to personally relate to God: Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:8-9 • Fasting to be in His presence: Psalms 46:10, Psalms 139:7, Exo-dus 33: 11-16, 2 Cor. 3:18 • Fasting to seek intimacy: Matt. 22:37-38, Exodus: 11-16• Fasting for protection in times of trouble: Ezra 8:21-23 • Fasting to break strongholds: Mark 9:28-29, Matt 17:21 • Fasting for God’s directions: Acts 13:2, 14:23• Fasting for our enemies: Psalms 35:13• Fasting for repentance: Nehemiah 1:4, 1 Samuel 7:3-6, Joel 2:12-13DAY 12

What Are the Benets?Fasting is an opportunity to bring ourselves closer to God, and in doing so, our faith in Christ grows into spiritual truth. As we remember God’s glorious character he lls our soul with trust, comfort and joy. Dierent Types of FastsDestiny Fast: Liquids only (Luke 4:1-13)Elijah Fast: No worldly entertainment (1 Kings 19:2-18)Disciple Fast: Self-denial specic to you (Matthew 17:20-21)Daniel Fast: Fruits, vegetables and water (Daniel 1:12-20)Esther Fast: No meat of any kind (Esther 4:16)Prayer:Our Father, as we embark on this time of prayer and fasting, we pray that you would give each of us a desire to grow closer and to feel your By the Gamble Family

Colossians 1:11Being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;Gods GraceThrough Tough DaysWOMENDicult days are inevitable. Specif-ically, there are challenges that are unique to women. How can we in-corporate patience and grace during those days? And what is the benet?Dicult days are an opportunity to learn more about God’s grace, love and mercy. It is an opportunity to ex-perience his protection in an intimate way. But what does God call us to do in return? Col 1:11 reminds us that our strength comes from HIS glorious power and that very strength will give us the patience to endure any chal-lenge we may face. God is calling us to rely on Him and he will supply His supernatural patience and grace when our own runs out. As a woman, there are days that feel particularly challenging. Whether it is dealing with “mom guilt”, socie-tal pressures or shifts in our bodies, it can be tough to navigate. This is when I must remind myself to have patience and grace towards myself. Ephesians 4:1-2 urges us to live a life worthy of what God has called us for. What a powerful statement! God is in-viting us to extend patience and grace towards ourselves so we may see the bigger picture, the bigger blessing He has for us. During the challenging days I face as a woman, I strive to lean more into God and provide myself grace as God does. Although we may experience challeng-es, as God’s people, we are asked to continue to lead with patience and grace. Ephesians 4:3 states “ Make every eort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (NIV). Walking with a heart of patience does not only benet you, but it is a benet to God’s kingdom. We are asked to illumi-nate God’s patience with us by extend-ing grace to others, no matter what trial we may be facing. In return, God prom-ises to provide us with the very amount of patience and grace we need as we navigate our challenges. Now that is a good God!DAY 13

By the Lee Family As a husband and a father, I understand the value of supporting and encouraging my wife. This looks like praying that she will be sustained by God’s love during dif-cult times. It looks like listening to her and using God’s word to encourage her. It looks like assisting in the areas of stress to reduce her load. Support can look like many dierent things as we build each other up in Christ. Prayer: God, be patient with me as I navigate challenging situations. Extend your grace and ll me with your strength so that I may be equipped to face any challenge. Allow me to be a vessel so that I share that same grace, patience and compassion towards others as you have shared with me. Thank you for seeing me through every situa-tion. Thank you for reminding me, through your word, where my strength and pa-tience comes from. Continue to work in me so that I may continue to contribute to your Kingdom. Thank you for calling us to do your will. Thank you for the opportunity to experience your glorious might. May our days be lled with opportunities to give you glory. Our prayer is for strength in moments of weakness throughout our day. It is in your Holy name I pray, Amen!

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. This passage is such a good reminder of where we should focus our atten-tion. The world presents opportunities to throw in the towel, especially when we feel like our good is going unno-ticed or unappreciated. At this time in scripture, Paul was strongly encour-aging the Galatians to turn away from the false teachings that were causing division in the body of faith. Similarly, in today’s time, teachers, educators and mentors stand in the place of great inuence for the next genera-tion.EDUCATORS/MENTORS/COACHESDiscernment, Diligence and DiscipleshipBy the McCain Family DAY 14

And that power should not be taken for granted, nor should it be abused. It is imperative that this esteemed group of leaders submit their prayers to God for direction to guide the youth in their sphere of inuence. But maybe you don’t know what that looks like or how to do it…God directs us in James 1:5-8 to seek wisdom directly from Him and He makes us a guarantee that wisdom will be gifted liberally. You need only ask and believe. This means that you have the power to walk into your classroom, the dorms, administrative oces and on any athletic eld armed with the insight of God, know-ing that you are in those positions to do more than just coach or teach; you are there to encourage, uplift and be the light. Your work as a teacher, educator or men-tor may sometimes feel thankless and you may wonder if you are even getting through to them; but don’t give up and don’t stop doing the good God has charged you to do. Although this particular passage in Galatians was focused on exposing the false teachers of that time, we all stand in the place of inuence. God’s Word is applicable to the entire body of Christ and each of us has an obligation to continue doing good knowing that the harvest will be ours in due time. There is a child, a family, a gen-eration depending on our obedience to seek, ask and believe. And where we lack knowledge, allow God’s wisdom to ll the void. Prayer:God, you have given teachers, educa-tors and mentors a special calling to love and develop your people. And for that we say thank you. We are honored to bring the petitions of our heart to you knowing that your Word is true. Father, we humbly ask that you cover, guide and direct each person that operates in a role to inspire your children and that they seek you daily for strength and wisdom to continue do-ing the work that you have called them to do. Ignite in each of us a re to zealously support and encourage each other so that when life’s storms come, we will be stead-fast and unmovable. It is only by your power that we can operate in this fallen world so we submit this prayer to you believing to see the manifestation of your kingdom here on earth.

The Call to HelpLAW ENFORCEMENT/MILITARYPsalm 82:3-4Give justice to the weak and the father-less; maintain the right of the aicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”God is good. His will is perfect. James 1:17 says Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. He blesses us every day with things we sometimes take for granted. Things, frankly, we do not deserve. If most of us would just take a second to examine our lives, we would have to acknowledge that we are obviously blessed.But sometimes it's not so obvious. Some-times we nd ourselves in undesirable spaces. These are the times in which we look to God to deliver us from whatever is troubling us. Sometimes we pray for healing. Sometimes we pray for nancial stability. Sometimes we pray for our rela-tionships. Sometimes we simply pray for peace while we endure. We nd ourselves in need of God for many dierent things So what happens when we are the ones in the position to be an instrument of God and help others?As Christians, we are called to help others when we can (1 John 3:16-18, Galatians 6:2, Leviticus 25:35). Just as our Heav-enly Father helps us when we are in our low points, we should imitate Christ’s love when interacting with people in need. Psalm 82:3-4 perfectly sums up what those with the means to help should do for those without. This Psalm is a vision of what God desires from those in positions of power and authority.This rings especially true for those in ar-eas of law making, law enforcement and military. Individuals in positions of authority and/or power should use the resources at their disposal to help those who can’t help themselves. When Psalm 82:4 mentions DAY 15

the “…weak and needy…”, it does not literally mean weak; It means those who don’t necessarily have the tools to improve their situations alone. God puts people in places to be a blessing to oth-ers. Sometimes that person God puts in place is us! As an Air Force veteran, I (Derrick) understand the command to help and protect those who are “weak” and in need. Not only is it something done for country, but on an individual & spiritual level, it is done because God desires that from us (John 15:13). Whenever militaries deploy to help rebuild areas after a natural disaster, God is pleased. When law enforcement & police ocers give victims of crimes justice and protection, God is pleased. When law makers use the resources that they have – resources not available to everyone – to help change unjust laws, God is pleased.The reward for doing these things is not always apparent. Sometimes being an advocate for others is dicult and thankless. But know that God sees your eorts to love your fellow man, and for that you will be blessed (Hebrews 13:16, Proverbs 3:27). Jesus shared a parable in Mattew 25:45 that speaks to our part of caring for ALL as if they are Jesus himself; “… Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” This is a profound way of stating that we should look at those in need as if they were Jesus Himself. Although it may be dicult to look out for others when they may not do the same for you, do it anyway. What a great way to please our heavenly father when you look out for others when they can’t do the same for you. The reward is from Him - not man. So, let’s give some grace to those in dicult situations and always try to help others as God desires from us.PrayerThank you, God, for the opportunity to be a vessel for those who are weak, in need, aicted and destitute. We pray for those in law enforcement, military & other positions of authority. Lord, give them discernment, wisdom and knowledge on how to use their position in power for your glory. May they bring justice and peace to those around them. Give them the courage to stand and demon-strate your word in every circumstance presented to them. Thank you, Lord for your word and may this devotional penetrate the hearts of the readers to live it boldly. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!By the Ellis Family

Trusting in God’s Purposefor Our NationPsalm 33:10-12"The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand rm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance." Psalm 33 provides profound reassurance during times of uncertainty and division. David, the psalmist, reminds us that God is the ultimate authority, steadfast and unchang-ing, working out His purposes even when human plans falter. This truth oers a deep sense of comfort for those of us who may feel anxious or unsettled in the wake of re-cent political shifts.In America, we see the reality of a divided nation. The recent election has left some rejoicing and others grieving, uncertain about the future. But Psalm 33 invites us to look beyond human leadership, reminding us that God’s pur-poses remain steady regardless of who holds power. His vision for justice, mercy, and compassion does not change with elections; it stands rm forever.As believers, we are called to trust that God’s purposes for our nation will prevail. He sees beyond our divisions, working through all things to bring about a greater good. We can nd peace in knowing that He is guiding, shaping, POLITICAL LEADERSGOVERNMENT/DAY 16

and redeeming every aspect of our society according to His plan. Our hope is not in the government, policies, or leaders, but in a God whose purposes endure through all generations.In this time, let us be a people who actively seek God’s will for our nation and align ourselves with His values—justice, humility, and love for one another. While we may feel the weight of political tension, we can rest assured that God's hand is upon Amer-ica. May we become instruments of His peace, remembering that God’s purposes for our nation are far higher and deeper than any earthly agenda. Let us trust in His eter-nal rule, knowing that He holds the future of our nation in His hands.By the Carr Family

FORGIVENESSEphesians 4:32“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you”.This verse is a command from God to forgive others in the same way that we have been forgiven. It sum-marizes the biblical mes-sage that people should be kind, compassionate, and forgiving. Modeling Forgiveness of the CrossBut if you’re like me (it’s okay to admit it, most of you are) you don’t really want to carry out this part of the Christian Walk. What we are really displaying is an attitude of “let’s ignore the part where God has forgiven us” and instead focus on what others have done to us. Now, that’s much easier to focus on others but that’s not what forgive-ness is about. The rst part of this scripture gives us the rule to live by and could easily be totally independent of the Written by The Buckner FamilyDAY 17

second part. Think about what is said – be kind to one another. I’ve found that being kind and tender hearted is not hard because those traits are based on spontaneity and don’t require you to be familiar with the person or situation. You see the person, react, smile, and most of the time keep going about your day. But forgiveness is from the heart and requires more intimacy, more famil-iarity, and more energy to pull it o. Most times, you don’t get to forgive and just wash your hands of the act. God takes forgiveness so seriously that He allows the Holy Spirit to re-mind us that we have already forgiv-en Joe or Sue when interacting with them again.The second part of Ephesians 4:32 serves to remind us personally that God is not asking us to do anything He hasn’t done for you and me. Jesus said we are to forgive others “seventy times seven” in response to Peter’s question, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21-22). This lets me know this Christian Walk is a continuous journey lled with forgiv-ing. Now that we’ve discussed how we should forgive others and how God forgives us, I would like to introduce one seldom considered point – for-giving ourselves. The Bible does not explicitly mention “forgiving yourself” in the Old or New Testaments. Re-member, only God can forgive sins. However, the Bible does address the concept of forgiving yourself, but in a dierent way. I only mention this because I have seen situations where a person has asked for God’s forgiveness and believes God has forgiven them. Yet they still seem to condemn themselves for those sins and can’t move past them. God wants us to move forward, trust in His forgiveness, and focus on the future. Here are some Bible verses that may be related to forgiving yourself:• Romans 8:1: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.• Galatians 5:13: “All who are in Christ are freed to love”.• 1 Timothy 1:15-16: “We are meant to display the mercies of God as sinners forgiven of their sins”.• John 8:36: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”.So, as we go forward into this new

Matthew 5:16, Jesus said, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify to your Fa-ther in heaven".Titus 2:7 states, "In everything set an ex-ample by doing what is good,"God has commanded us to be a light. To testify, tell and be an ex-ample to a dark dying world about the goodness of a Loving God. To step into the depths of darkness and diculty, to be and make a dierence. To be evidence that God can do the extraordinary with the ordinary. God can work in the impossible to make all things pos-sible. Mark 10:27, say’s, “with man things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.”To set examples that will compel others to come see a man who can change situations.Matthew 11:5, Sick people are healed, blind receive sight and lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear and the dead are raised up. Today you can suggest mountains to move and believe they will relocate at your request. You can shout peace be still to the storm and it stops and sets still at your statement. God uses darkness to bring forth light. He allows and permits darkness to exist and calls forth light to put it in its place. God gave light purpose then and it has purpose today. You can speak light into darkness. Let there be light. The miracle of change is in your mouth. You cannot allow it to be on pause or mute.SHARINGOURFAITH“Light it up” Let Your Light ShineDAY 18

Genesis 1: 1-4, say, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hover-ing over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he sep-arated the light from the darkness.” No matter how dark or deep, situations may be, if you do what God did, when confronted by darkness. You can change the outcome.1 John 4:4, say’s, “Greater is he that is within you than he that is in the world.”Let me give you 4 principles to ponder to activate God’s power and make the impossible possible. FirstBe authentic, when we show up as our authentic selves, we demonstrate to the world that light is Powerful, Possible and Positive in darkness. SecondBe innovative, step out on nothing and make something happen. Light has purpose, is poignant, and paramount to transform any situation. Philippians 4:13, say’s, “I can do all things through Christ which strengths me.”ThirdBe resourceful, lights are a resource. When light is called by God, darkness can’t detain, delay or deny light. Re-member, “Can’t died when Jesus got up”.Fourth & FinallyBe determined when things seem dark and dicult. Lights impact and give illumi-nation to dark situations. John 1:4-5, say’s, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not over-come it.”Darkness is only a test to add content to your testimony and if I didn’t have any test, I wouldn’t have ateatimony. Romans 8:28, say’s, “All things work to-gether for the good of them that love God and are called according to His purpose.”Here is the thesis, “Everything happens for your good and God’s Glory!” God de-veloped darkness before light, so when he calls you. You could set an example and shine in it.By the Senegal Family

MENTAL HEALTHPeace in the StormThe Gordon FamilyJohn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.DAY 19

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” What a wonderful promise! The scripture discusses Jesus and the peace he leaves can give to us but what is peace? Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace and can also refer to to the feelings of safe-ty, welfare, assurance, prosperity, success, and strength. Which of these do you need in your situation? The peace of God is with us lling in the gap . . . helping us to be well, assured, prosperous, successful, and strong. Shalom is wholeness and completeness. Jesus gives us everything that we need for wholeness and complete-ness in any situation. John 14:27 goes on to say, “not as the world gives do I give to you.” Isn’t that true? Many people pur-sue a false peace through alcohol, drugs, or other behaviors that have negative eects. These things do not give peace, they are an es-cape. When people come down from the high, the same storm in which they tried to escape still ex-ists. Sometimes when we become Christians, we think that it means that bad things won’t happen . . . that we won’t experience any storms. The reality is that we live in a fallen world where evil, pain, and struggle exist. But the good news is that we are made whole and complete in Christ. His peace helps us to endure and even thrive in any situation. We all go through things . . . but whatever challenge or storm may come, our hearts can experience peace. John 14:27 ends with the words, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”Psalm 28:7 echoes this sentiment. It says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”In whatever we are going through, we can have peace because the Lord is both our strength and our shield. He strengthens our hearts and our spirit, and He is our shield and our protector. Our heart can trust in Him. Our job is to give thanks; knowing that whatev-er we are going through, we do not have to go through it alone. Our God is in us, as our strength, and with us as our shield. So, let not your hearts be troubled today. But give thanks to Him and experience His peace.Prayer:God, we thank you for your love, your pro-tection, and your peace in the midst of ev-ery storm. We thank you for being both our strength and our shield. We ask you to strengthen our hearts each day. And to strengthen the hearts of everyone in our fam-ily. We pray for your shield of protection over our lives and over our families. We thank you that whatever we are going through, we do not have to go through it alone and our hearts can rest; knowing that we have you in us and working for us. We ask you for peace today. Peace in our hearts, peace in our homes, peace in our minds, and peace in our families. Let your will be done in our lives. We love you. We honor you. We praise you, and we thank you. In Jesus name. Amen.

An Enduring CommitmentRomans 12:9 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Ephesians 4:2 “with all humility and gen-tleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”Do you recall your marriage vows? What exactly did you vow to do? We wrote our own vows, and to be honest, we don’t recall every single word we said on that summer day 18 years ago. When writing vows, most of don’t remember to included things like “I vow to always like you” or “I vow to always agree with you”. Despite not remembering the exact words, we both recall that our vows indicated that even in extreme conditions that we would “have and hold” each other until death do us part. At the time, we were young so death was not even on our radar, and neither of us fully knew what “have and hold” would entail. “To have” means to fully belong to each other and “to hold” means to be there for each other with aection and tenderness. What happens when you don’t feel like being aectionate towards the other person? This is where things can get a bit complicated. MARRIAGEDAY 20

Sometimes to love someone or show aection means to sacrice one’s own interests or love the other person when they are not behaving in a lovable way. The reference verse talks about “let love be genuine”. We don’t love in this manner for medals or awards, but because we are rst committed to Christ and then to each other. When we don’t like each other’s actions or don’t feel like showing this love, the verse says to “hold fast to what is good”. The Greek word, kollaó, for “hold” means to unite which gives the image of two things coming together. Consider the following analogy of cement mix and water. Separately, they are simply two individual resources. When you combine them, they create a solid foundation on which homes are built. To be solid, a couple must unite! Consider that the text is telling us to unite fast to what is good. This doesn’t mean that everything will be good all the time, but it means that we should consider our love for each other, forgive often, and become the mixture that creates an enduring marriage. Long marriages are a part of Scottie’s fam-ily legacy. His parents were married for over 40 years before his father passed. Their long marriage didn’t happen by chance or accident. It was successful because there were plenty of apologies, humility, forgiveness, endurance, patience, and most of all love. Corinthians 13:7 reads, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”By the Clark Family

DAY 21PASTOR’SCLOSINGDay 21 Our Closing PrayerAs we conclude the 21 days of prayer and fasting, I pray that you have experienced a deep personal and communal connection with the Lord. We hold fast to the scripture that states, “the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). Our time together was not merely a religious exercise; rather, it was an opportunity to draw near to the throne of grace, united in seeking our great high priest.For those who felt that your prayer life had become stagnant, we hope you have found re-newed energy and a better rhythm of prayer moving forward. We encourage you to make prayer a daily priority even after these 21 days. Sit in a posture of expectation, knowing that we serve a sovereign God. May you find satisfaction not only in His responses to your prayers but also in the fact that God is available to listen to your petitions.We pray that you approached the Lord boldly with your requests, holding firmly to the belief that it’s God’s will or nothing. For those whose prayer lives were already vibrant, we trust you experienced great encouragement through gathering with fellow believers, some of whom you may not know by name, as we lifted a unified voice to our gracious and loving Fa-ther. We hope that God moved uniquely in your life, filling you with joy and hope in Jesus.Lastly, if you participated in this prayer period out of curiosity and do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we pray that you will accept Him as your personal Savior and Lord. We encourage you to put your faith and trust in Jesus, believing that He died on the cross for your sins and accepting His offer of forgiveness.Family, let us take a moment to pause and celebrate God for all He has done during these 21 days together. Let’s anticipate all that He has in store for us. And 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).

OUR FAMILY