Humility & Obedience in our Neighborhoods

Philippians 2:3-4, John 13:34-35

Humility and obedience are two things that do not come naturally to most people. To be humble is to have a modest or low view of oneself, while obedience is submittimg to another person. If we are honest, these things are challenging because we want to make our own decisions, and we all have our own lives to live and schedules to tend to. As we speed off to work, to the grocery store, and rush from kid’s practices back home to quickly inhale dinner, how often do we stop and think about the people God placed in our path that day? It is so easy to allow the busyness of life to rob us of the opportunity to share Jesus with those in our workplace, in our communities, and even with our next-door neighbors.

Something that we can be praying about and really asking the Lord to reveal to us this week is what living a humble and obedient life looks like in our neighborhoods.

Philippians 2:3-4 shares what it means to be humble and obedient as a Christ follower. It states that we are to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” 

OK, but what does all this mean? How does this translate to practical ways we can do this in our neighborhoods? A small but effective way to live like Jesus in our neighborhoods is simply just to slow down and be present. Coming home, closing the garage, and moving on with our day is almost a habit. What would happen if we were more present in our neighborhoods? Engaging our neighbors in conversation, inviting them to church, offering prayer, and genuinely seeking ways to serve them? When we humble ourselves and take the time to step out into our neighborhoods obediently, we are doing as God commands us in John 13:34-35. 

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Monday, 3/25, Prayer Prompt:

As you begin this week in prayer, be praying that the Lord would soften your heart toward your neighbors and that he would give you boldness and fresh ideas to engage those in your neighborhood this week.

Tuesday, 3/26, Prayer Prompt:

Today, take some time to pray for the houses around you. Take a walk and pray over the houses and the people in them.

Wednesday, 3/27, Prayer Prompt:

Our neighborhoods are not bound to the houses that surround us. Take some time today to pray for your coworkers, your teachers, friends, teammates, etc. Pray that God may give you an opportunity to share his goodness with them.

Thursday, 3/28, Prayer Prompt:

Christ came to serve those around Him. Pray that Christ would open your heart to look for ways to serve your neighbors this week. Mowing someone’s lawn, putting away trash cans, asking to pray with them, baking a treat, or simply introducing yourself are practical ways we can serve.

Friday, 3/29, Prayer Prompt:

Easter is a couple of days away. According to Thom Rainer, 8 out of 10 people will say yes to an invitation to church on Easter. Today, pray that you would have the boldness to invite your neighbors to church this Sunday.

Saturday, 3/30, Prayer Prompt:

As we wrap up this week, be praying that Christ’s love would be evident in your life and that those in your neighborhoods would know that you are Christians by how you love each and every one of them. Pray that he would give you many opportunities to pray for your neighbors and that you would have the boldness to do so.

Humility & Obedience in the Church

1 Corinthians 12:7

Humility becomes the most visible and real when we look to the cross. Because of the cross, God shows us perfect humility through his Son, and we are given faith as a gift that we treasure and ponder in our hearts. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ and surrender to his working through obedience, He bestows on us the power of the Holy Spirit. Our lives diminish as He increasingly becomes bigger. As we grow in the knowledge that we are powerless to obey apart from Him, we come to realize our need for dependence on Him. No longer do we need to hide our shame, because He already knows every sin that we have done or will do. We can accept that our life is no longer our own, and because we know that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, humility expands into the far reaches of our souls. We realize that humility is not about making ourselves smaller, but about accepting the truth of God’s bigness. Philips Brooks profoundly writes, “The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is.” Our humility, indeed, allows Christ to shine in us, and as he shines in us as individuals, we shine even brighter through unity with other believers in the body of Christ. We are each given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. As we grasp and understand what true humility is and what it looks like, Christ is able to take His rightful place and we are able to take our rightful place, and that is reflected out into the world.

Monday, 3/18, Prayer Prompt:

Spend time centering your heart on your Heavenly Father. Focus on His goodness and the fact that we are adopted as His children. Our intimacy with Him should mimic that of a child sitting on daddy’s lap (Romans 8:15). He knows all and loves so completely that all fear is driven out.

Tuesday, 3/19, Prayer Prompt:

Spend time centering your heart on Jesus.  Focus on the incredible rest He provides as the work (of the cross) is done!  What flows out is all in response to the finished work.  Our very being is joined and united with our Creator through the work of the Son.  Let this truth permeate your being as you imagine God living in you.

Wednesday, 3/20, Prayer Prompt

Spend time focusing on the Holy Spirit.  Scripture says He is the person of the Godhead who convicts us, comforts us, and counsels us.  Because Jesus left us and went to heaven, He was able to send someone “greater than Him.”  His absence, rather than becoming a loss, became the gift of His Presence. What joy this brings us!  

Ask yourself, what can you ‘lose’ this week that will make way for more of Him.

Thursday, 3/21, Prayer Prompt:

Why does God call us to humility and obedience? We hear this theme over and over. Ponder the importance of these 2 things. Both are necessary to live out the Gospel and both set Christianity apart from every other religion–this unique relationship with God who paid the price rather than our own works earning us salvation. As we come together in unity, we realize our true place in the body and can accept whatever role we are called to play, knowing that every part is for the glory of God alone. This unity can be illustrated by a mosaic–every piece contributes to the beauty of the whole and any piece that is missing leaves a mark that is evident to all. In this way, no piece is more important than any other, for they all are needed for a complete picture.

Pray for unity in the Body
John 10:30

Friday, 3/22, Prayer Prompt:

In what ways do we contribute to the health of the body?  Conversely, are you doing anything to harm the other parts of the body?  Prayer, encouragement, healing, forgiving, and serving are some of the ways we can be caring for the body.  Ask God to show you how you can build others up.

1 Thess 5:11 Encourage one another–our time is short!

Saturday, 3/23, Prayer Prompt:

As Jesus modeled servanthood, so we must also have a heart of servanthood.  I Peter 4:10, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

Take a moment to meditate and follow in obedience.  Remember that whether we do something or remain still, both are acts of obedience when God is the One we are listening to.

Obedience and Humility in Our Families

Joshua 24:15

At the end of Moses’s life, God chose Joshua to be his successor to lead Israel. Under Joshua’s leadership, the Israelites saw God’s faithful hand move in amazing ways as they swept through the land God promised to them. The book of Joshua is filled with these stories: the toppling of Jericho (ch. 6), God holding back the Jordan River so Israel could cross (ch. 4), and God holding the sun still (ch. 10) are just some of them.

Even after witnessing God’s awesome provision time and time again, the Israelites were tempted to be like the other nations around them; to worship the same gods, eat the same food, perform the same sacrifices. Multiple times, Joshua warned the people against adopting the customs of their neighbors, we might say “living as the world does”. Instead, he encouraged them to remember what God has done for them, and to live the way he called them to: as a people set apart for God.

Notice how Joshua’s commitment to serve the Lord includes his whole household! As you think about your family this week, as small or extended as it may be, consider how serving the Lord as a family can start by loving and serving each other as the Lord loves us. Humble service begins with considering others as more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3) and this can be so hard with family, where we can experience great joy or great pain because of those closest to us. Loving family can be so hard! So we absolutely must begin by asking for the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to love, to forgive, to be thankful, to resist pride; to live less like world does and more like Jesus.

Remember this week the many ways that you have experienced God’s faithfulness and provision. Remember them in your heart, or out loud with your family. Relive the stories of God’s grace. And remember them as you choose each morning whom you will serve.

Sunday, 3/11, Prayer Prompt:

In Joshua 4, God used a mighty wind to hold back the Jordan River so that Israel could cross on dry land. Joshua commanded each tribe to bring a large stone from the middle of the river and set up all 12 on the other side as a monument to God’s faithfulness to them. 

Today, pray that God to help you remember what he has done for you or your family. May that remembrance lead to thankfulness and that thankfulness spill over in service to those around us. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you see opportunities to serve your family or even with your family this week. Record your experiences of God’s work on a notepad, an app, or something physical that can serve as a reminder of his goodness

Monday, 3/12, Prayer Prompt:

Today, consider the command to “choose this day who you will serve”. Pray for God to keep your eyes on him and to resist the temptation to pursue the things of this earth. They are not what is most worthy of our devotion and commitment. Lent is a good season for pruning back our overgrown loves to focus our attention and our intention on the one who loved us first.

Tuesday, 3/13, Prayer Prompt:

As you remember God’s faithfulness today, consider his forgiveness. “When we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8). It can be hard to love and serve someone when we are holding something against them in our hearts. This can be especially true in our families. Let your prayer be for the Holy Spirit to empower you to forgive others as Christ forgave you so that we can serve with a pure heart.

Wednesday, 3/14, Prayer Prompt:

To serve Jesus as Lord means letting him direct you. But we must take time in the Bible and in prayer to hear what he is saying! God has said and revealed so much about himself and about us already in scripture. Pick a passage to read in your Bible and pray a short prayer of thankfulness. Ask that God would align your will with his will so that you can serve him well. You might even want to spend some of your prayer time in silence, listening and waiting on the Lord.

Thursday, 3/15, Prayer Prompt:

This may be a day that you can get together with a family member or close friend to pray for each other in-person or over the phone. If so, consider how you can bless each other and share deep fellowship in a time of prayer. Alternatively, pray for a family member that you know isn’t walking with Jesus and pray that they would come to know him. Your witness of Jesus, in words or action, may have a profound impact. Consider praying for courage, openness, or opportunity to talk with them about Jesus.

Friday, 3/16, Prayer Prompt:

We are privileged, in prayer, to be able to intercede—to pray for others. Many people have been blessed by of somebody else’s prayers! Set aside time today to pray specifically for your family members (some or all!). Consider their needs and their strengths as you pray prayers of blessing, healing, thankfulness, growth, and God meeting their needs (he gives us our daily bread! (Psalm 23)).

Saturday, 3/17, Prayer Prompt:

Pray a prayer of thankful remembrance as you reflect on how you’ve experienced God’s faithfulness this week. If you made any physical reminders of what you saw God do throughout the week, consider placing them in a place where you can easily see it and remember his goodness as we continue the Lenten season.

Humility & Obedience in my Life

Daniel 3:1-30

As a couple, we try to practice humility and obedience by keeping God in the center of our portrait. How does this look? This involves prayer, humbling ourselves, and attempting to recognize the other person first. This involves us reading and studying God’s word and then following in obedience. Keeping God in the center of our portrait is not always easy because we are two different people; we have free will, and life happens. When we feel off, we go back to the “Portrait” and use the three “C’s” and one “L” method: Christ, Communication, Compromise, and Love. This causes us to be humble and obedient as a couple.

Within the sixty-six books of the Bible, Daniel stands out as a great example of humility and obedience. What we can apply from the book of Daniel is that God empowers us to stand firm in our faith. Daniel is recognized for his wisdom, humility, obedience, faith, and unwavering trust in God. Daniel kept God in the center of his portrait.

Monday, 3/4, Prayer Prompt:
Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 29:23

Pray to recognize when pride arises in daily life. By grace and awareness, a humble person acknowledges when pride surfaces. Humility begins with recognizing areas of pride in our daily lives.

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas in your life where you need to repent. God shows us grace. God’s grace is necessary because we do not always repent due to our lack of humility.

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the areas in your life where you need to be more obedient. Daniel was a man who showed humility & obedience in his daily life.

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what fruits of the Spirit He wants to work on in you.  Jesus’ love is unconditional. We have the fruits of the Spirit as a sign of His life in us.

Jesus is the ultimate example of both humility and obedience. The full humanity of Jesus was evident when he stated, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42).

After being arrested, Jesus was mocked, abused, and taunted, but he remained humble. Jesus was obedient all the way to the cross (Mark 14:65; Mark 10:34; Luke 23:36).

Using Jesus as an example, how does this challenge you in your daily life?  Ask Him to show us how to align our will with His.

Jesus’ seven “I AM’s” are excellent reminders of who Jesus is. They can always be applied to humility and obedience in my life (John 6:35; 8:12, 10:7, 10:11,14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1).

Keep God in the Center of your Portrait as you pray and meditate on all the areas you identified this week.

Obedience

John 6:5-6, 9, 11-13

5 “When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

One of the best decisions I have ever made in my relationship with God was to give up on trying to obey Him.

After Jesus won my heart, I wanted nothing more than to please and serve Him. I loved God so much, and I worked hard to obey Him. I was painfully aware of my lack and desperately tried to make up for it. What I was not aware of was that my life and relationship with the Father were rooted in fear instead of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

It wasn’t until one frigid day in a warehouse in Canada in 2001 that I began to understand how to truly obey God. I was attending a ministry school, and during worship one morning, The Father spoke the strangest thing to me:

“Melissa, I would rather you sit down out of perfect love for me than run a mile out of fear.”

Somehow, at that moment, I knew exactly what God was saying. He was showing me how fear had kept a chasm between Him and me and that that separation was the opposite of His will for me. God did not want me to try to hide, fix, or make up for my weakness or shortcomings. He simply wanted me.

I realize now that many things the Father asks me to do I am simply incapable of doing. I believe that this is intentional and is an assurance of my dependence on Him. Instead of working and trying harder to obey God, I get to take my weakness to a loving Father and ask that Jesus and the precious Holy Spirit obey through me. I believe this union with the Father is what Jesus modeled for us and is all He truly desires. God is a Good Dad. He knows His kids and is never surprised or disappointed when we struggle. I believe that when we bring Jesus our weakness, depravity, and lack while struggling with obedience, the Father only sees our pure love for and faith in Him. Beloved, that is the good news of the Gospel! Instead of doubling down on my own efforts and strength to obey God in the face of the impossible, He simply desires for me to bring the few loaves and fishes I do have and witness His miraculous work in and outside of me.

9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’ 11 “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”

Don’t forget to share your stories with us! We’re eager to hear how God is moving in your life during this sacred season of prayer.

Monday, 2/26, Prayer Prompt:
Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Today, I am asking the Father to show me where in my life I am still striving. How am I still working in my own strength to obey God and ‘feed the five thousand’ instead of simply bringing all I have and all that I do not have to Jesus?
Father, please help me to surrender my efforts to Jesus and allow Him to do the ‘doing’ and live through me.

Tuesday, 2/27, Prayer Prompt:
John 6:5

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do”

Today, I am curiously exploring John 6:5-6, and I find myself wondering what Jesus is doing here. I close my eyes and picture myself standing where Phillip stood, facing the approaching crowd. I imagine Jesus asking me this question, hinting at His call to feed the multitude. I believe my first reaction to Jesus’ question is key to understanding the significance of this passage. Am I simply puzzled? Am I amused? Do I feel pressured? Afraid? Like the disciples, my response to Jesus’ question will reveal the belief system at work in my heart and life, and I know that is what He is after.

Jesus, as I face Your call to obedience in my own life today, please search my heart. Bring to the light what I believe about You, me, and obedience itself. Please reveal any lie that is blocking my efficacy in your Kingdom and, most crucially, my union with you. Please heal my unbelief and refocus my vision on You and Your miraculous power.

Wednesday, 2/28 Prayer Prompt:
Romans 8:5-8

“Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.” 

Today, I am asking the Holy Spirit to reveal where I might still be in bondage to Self. Based on Romans 8, I cannot even obey God without God, and attempting to rely on myself to obey God is counter-productive. This truth leads me to prayerfully examine the posture of my heart. In Jesus’ life and ministry, He asked simple yet revealing questions to most people He encountered. I believe that He cares deeply about the answers because He longs to heal what they reveal in our hearts. I invite you also to ask yourself the following questions as we sit with Jesus today. 

When have I shut the Holy Spirit out in favor of self-reliance? Have I taken time to consider why I might do this? Could there be an unmet need in me that leads to this bondage to Self that Jesus is longing to meet? If so, have I ever considered how my self-reliance impacts His heart? Has Jesus revealed steps I can take toward allowing Him to be my source instead of myself? If so, what could my repentance mean for me, my family, my friends, my professional life, my spiritual community, and my neighbor? How might my obedience look and feel differently if I allow Jesus to be my source? Do I believe that God cherishes my need for Him? Am I able to accept His unwavering affection for me?

Holy Spirit, please shine Your light where you want to shine it. Please help me to see the true nature of my bondage to Self and the damage that it does. Please allow me to see my weakness and need as You do, and help me to believe that You can be my source. Lord, please show me what is possible when I turn to You as my source, and give me the power to obey You in all things.

Thursday, 2/29, Prayer Prompt:
Psalm 46

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The LORD Almighty is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortress.” 

Today, I am aware that stillness is obedience. When pressures mount on every side, when I am surrounded by clamoring need, news, responsibilities, and general unrest, with a still and quiet heart, the Lord will keep me. When I have made space and prepared room for Emmanuel in my day, He quiets me with His love. I am then at peace and obey when Jesus asks for stillness of me. When I am not at peace, when I am run down and tired, frustrated, and impatient, I might wail at His feet, but I am stilled in His arms. This is obedience. When I do not feel still, but I stay still, this is obedience. When I wait for His provision when I could just move ahead and work things out myself, my stillness is obedience. When I free a loved one to make their own choices and mistakes, this stillness is obedience. When I am quiet and listen with compassion to the foreign plight of my neighbor, seeking first to understand and serve before fixing or judging them, this stillness is obedience. When I forgive and accept responsibility for my own healing, this stillness is obedience. When I refrain from gossip and retribution for harm done to me, this stillness is obedience. When I search my own heart before pointing out my neighbor’s fault, this stillness is obedience. When I seek first the Kingdom of God before the kingdom of me, this stillness is obedience. 

Father, help me to stay still, close to You, and to rest between Your shoulders. Allow me to feel Your pleasure with me when I choose to trust in You and stay still when pressures rise. Allow me to feel Your pleasure with me when I am not still, but because of what Jesus has done, I am still Your child. 

Friday, 3/1, Prayer Prompt:
Matthew 18:12

“If a man has 100 sheep, but one of the sheep is lost, what will he do? He will leave the other 99 sheep on the hill and go look for the lost sheep. Right?” 

Today, I am reminded that God pursues the disobedient. In the garden, God called out to His two wayward children, asking them to come to Him; in Hosea, we witness a God rejected by His unfaithful bride but buying her back from slavery. In the Gospels, we read parables of shepherds searching for lost sheep and wealthy, respected fathers forsaking their fortunes and their dignity in favor of running to meet their lost child. We see the ransom paid and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who preferred the company of the worst of sinners to the finest lawkeepers. Finally, we were given the bond and baptism of the Holy Spirit to help keep us. Like our first two ancestors, I try to hide my shame from God. Like Gomer in Hosea, I have forsaken Him time and time again. Like the silly sheep and arrogant son, I have been led astray and squandered what the Father has so generously given me. But Jesus–Jesus is the Way where there is no way, and He refuses to give up. He is Perfect Love, Kindness, Goodness, Mercy, and Patience. He is reaching for me when I reach for my sin, and He doesn’t stop until I am back safely in His arms. 

Father, help me to believe in Your unfailing love for me. May that truth soften my heart and increase my trust in and obedience to You.

Saturday, 3/2, Prayer Prompt:
Deuteronomy 5:14

“But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.” 

Today, I am meditating on the call to Sabbath. As a parent of young children, the command to practice a sabbath can seem like a cruel joke! I am sure it can feel the same for any caregiver or for anyone struggling financially. I know that pressure well. While this command to rest can appear as one of the least important commandments, I believe it is a crucial practice. I have often felt a challenge from The Lord to go against the grain of today’s culture, refrain from work, and turn my focus to Him. The pull toward upward mobility is strong, and I can easily be taken under by its current. When I choose to obey God and rest, I am putting a stake in the ground and declaring Who my God is. He is my provider. He is my source. He is my King, and I can rest in the knowledge that He is picking up the slack. I don’t practice a perfect sabbath, and I don’t practice it every week or on a specific day. I don’t know if that is truly what God is after. I believe He is after our hearts. I believe He desires to be the One and only Master we serve with a whole heart. 

God, please help me to trust in You enough to tune out the world and work around me and simply enjoy You. Help me to allow You to fill, renew, and refresh me with Your supernatural rest. 

Sunday, 3/3, Prayer Prompt:
Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other…” 

Today, I am reminded that saying ‘No’ is obedience. Recently, I felt the Lord leading me to give the totality of my focus to two very specific things in my life. Neither of them was a new thing or surprising to me, but I instinctively knew that saying yes to God in this season would require me to say no and to say no frequently. My saying no has meant letting people down and not doing some things that I enjoyed. My yes to God has meant saying no to people and causes that I care about, but I am already seeing the fruit of my obedience. I know that may not always happen, but I am grateful for God’s kindness to me. I am still often tempted to take on more, and I question my decisions, but I have to keep a yes on my lips and in my heart for God only, so I will continue to say no. 

Father, please give me the willingness to do Your will. Please clarify Your will for me so that I can say yes only to what You ask of me and no to anything that might threaten my obedience. Please help me to discern between good things and God things when necessary.

Humility

Genesis 22

We are introduced to Abraham at the end of Genesis 11. Abraham is the foundation of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The Pentateuch makes it clear that Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was one of, if not the most, beautiful women in the world at that time. Two kings sought to marry her when she was a senior citizen because of her beauty and Abraham lied trying to save his life.

In order to get to this point in world history, Abraham had to pass several tests. There were at least three tests in Abraham’s life where he could have thrown his hands up and quit. He could have said, “Why me, God?” or he could do what he did do, which is to move through these circumstances.
1. He had to leave his hometown of Ur where he was rich and had status (Genesis 12:1-9).
2. He found when he arrived in the Promised Land that he was in a famine (Genesis 12:10).
3. God told him to sacrifice Isaac and they walked three days to get to the place indicated (Genesis 22).

In Genesis 15:6 we are told that Abraham “believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” The apostle James cites this verse and claims that because of his faith, Abraham became the “friend of God” (James 2:23).

Some of these tests were not huge, but together they establish a picture of Abraham as a person whose faith was genuine. After the last of these, God said, in Genesis 22:12, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

What kinds of tests/trials have you been through? What was your response? “Why me?” OR “God, help me.”

James 1:3-4, mentions personal trials and obedience in following through to success, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Don’t forget to share your stories with us! We’re eager to hear how God is moving in your life during this sacred season of prayer.

Tuesday, 2/20, Prayer Prompt:
Genesis 6:11-22

Can you imagine hearing a voice in the middle of the desert telling you to build a boat 600 feet long? This ship was probably the largest wood building the world had ever seen. God did not build it but gave Noah directions to build the ark. And then Noah spent 120 years walking miles around his property with his three sons finding tamarack bushes to build this impossible ship, while people all around him were pointing fingers at him thinking he was crazy.  You may be able to hear these people, “Oh, that is that crazy Noah building this ship hundreds of miles from water. We don’t even know what rain is, but he thinks enough water is going to fall from the sky to float this great big ship out here in the desert. Water has never even come before; I bet it won’t come now.  And those animals he thinks are going to fill the ship? I bet the lions will eat him or the elephants will trample him.”

Abraham obeyed God on the top of a mountain with only his son and a ram but Noah obeyed in the center of the city with constant derision for over 100 years. Every day he got out of bed knowing people were going to make fun of him. Both Abraham and Noah were acting crazy by standards of the day. Were they right to obey God’s instructions? Was Noah’s faith proved true? Yes, but not for many, many years.

Today, through our Sunday morning study of Acts, we have been challenged to be missional neighbors. Who are neighbors to whom you can reach out? Ask God to bring opportunities your way to build relationships and to be used in their lives. Listen to the Holy Spirit when He asks you to take in your neighbors’ garbage cans or just to give a smile and a wave. He may ask you to do more than that. Will we ever know if it was worth it? Maybe not for many years, and maybe not until heaven. But should we obey? Yes! There is joy in obedience. Let’s be friends with our neighbors and guide them toward the Lord and heaven.

Wednesday, 2/21, Prayer Prompt:
Daniel 1

The Bible instructed the Israelites in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 to eat only approved things, and when Daniel, probably a young man of Jewish nobility taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, these were the Jewish laws with which he was raised. He was trained in the king’s court and then elevated to a high rank in the Babylonian and Persian kingdoms.

But when he was brought to Babylon from Israel the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the  nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all  wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and  competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the  wine that he drank” (Daniel 1:3-5 ESV). 

Daniel and his friends were part of that group.  The four of them requested not to eat the king’s food and to eat water and vegetables, instead, in order to follow God’s laws.

“Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days.”

There is much to learn in this story. Eating what tastes good isn’t necessarily good for us.  A good diet is healthy. God blessed the four young men for being obedient and doing what was right. And the four of them asked humbly to be able to follow the laws of God that they had been given.  Once again, we are reminded to listen to God and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Spend time today praying for what He wants you to do and take time to listen to what He says.

Thursday, 2/22, Prayer Prompt:
Acts 8:26-40

Philip was one of the seven Deacons listed in Acts 6:4, “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochurus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch.” Interestingly, at City Park in Antioch, CA, there is a plaque stating that Antioch, CA was named after Antioch of Syria.

An angel (Ἄγγελος messenger) told Philip to go south to the road to Gaza which is the same direction as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza today.  “And he rose and went.”  Philip ran across an unnamed Ethiopian eunuch, a court official wanting to know more about the Book of Isaiah, and he was reading from Isaiah 53. Philip ran up in this desolate desert and asked the Ethiopian in his chariot, “Hey, do you understand what you are reading?” and the Ethiopian replied, “How can I, unless someone teaches me?” So Philip jumps in the chariot and they ride until they find water. Then, the Ethiopian gets baptized. So both Philip and the Ethiopian were obeying what they knew to be true. And then an interesting miracle happened. “And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away,” back to the north.

So what?  Listen to what Wikipedia says, “Christianity in Ethiopia dates back to the ancient Kingdom of Aksum, when the King Ezana first adopted the faith in the 4th century AD. This makes Ethiopia one of the first regions in the world to officially adopt Christianity.” Wikipedia states that today there are between 36 and 49.8 million Christians in Ethiopia. Wow! In this case, obedience to the Spirit of the Lord led to evangelism that bore fruit centuries later.

What does God want you to do?  Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know.”  Spend time today in prayer, asking God what He wants you to do.

Friday, 2/23, Prayer Prompt:
Acts 15:36-41

In Acts 12:12, Luke introduces Mark this way, “And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.” John Mark is frequently just called Mark, but before he wrote one of four gospels of Jesus Christ, he had a unique history.

We next meet Mark in Acts 12:25,“And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

One of the mysteries of the history of Christianity is Acts 15:38, “John Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia and left the work. The Bible does not say why Mark deserted, and there have been many suggestions as to why he left.

“Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best    not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed” (Acts 15:37-40 ESV).

Paul was an interesting guy, but he could change his mind and did so with John Mark. In Colossians 4:10, Paul writes, “Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’ cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him).”

Paul later writes in 2 Timothy 4:11, Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

By Philemon 24, Paul includes Mark as part of his team, “as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, and my fellow workers.”

And by Barnabas’ encouragement and Paul’s humility in realizing he made a mistake, we have the Gospel of Mark.

Spend time today in prayer, reflecting not on your mistakes, but on what God will continue to do in your life. Philippians 1:6 (NIV) says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Saturday, 2/24, Prayer Prompt:
Exodus 33

Moses was a baby born into a family of the tribe of Levi while the Israelites lived in Egypt. This was during the time when the Israelites were slaves and were being persecuted.  It was also during a time when all baby boys were to be killed.  But when Moses was born, his mother saw “that he was a fine child,” and she hid him as long as she dared.  She then placed him in a prepared basket in the Nile River. He was found and raised by an Egyptian Princess and had an Egyptian name. It appears that he spent much of his time with the prince who became the Pharaoh whom he challenged to “let my people go.”

One day, he killed an Egyptian and ran from Pharaoh. He spent days and weeks by himself as a shepherd with just his sheep in the desert where he met his wife. Then God intervened in the life of Moses.

Moses saw a form of God at the burning bush. Eventually he talked with God in Exodus 20 as Jehovah gave the Decalogue (10 Commandments). He also ate lunch with 73 leaders of Israel bringing Heaven to earth in Exodus 24:9-11. Later, God and Moses talked, and God granted Moses’ wish to see the Glory and back of God (Exodus 33).

Moses was enjoying the quiet life of being a shepherd, and he didn’t much care for the job that Jehovah had chosen for him of leading Israel out of Egypt.  We see more of the character of Moses as an angry man who hit the rock twice when told to hit it once. On the other hand, Moses led upwards of three million people from one nation to another, unprecedented in world history. 

Moses was a real person who had flaws, as we can see from the above examples.  He got angry, he got frustrated, but Moses, even if somewhat belligerently, did what God asked him to do, no matter how much he didn’t want to. Once he died in Deuteronomy 34:10, his epitaph read, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom he LORD knew face to face.”

Would you like that said about you? Do you want to have the mind of Christ? Do you want to be a man or woman after God’s own heart? Jesus said in Luke 18:1 (NIV) “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” God honors our prayers.  Be perseverant.  Keep praying and obeying.  God never gives up on us.

Preparing Our Hearts

Psalm 10:17, 2 Chronicles 19:3

The word “prepare” means to establish, fix, or apply. It conveys the idea of deliberate effort over a prolonged period of time. God must be involved in preparing our hearts.

Psalm 10:17 says, “The Lord has heard the desires of the humble and will prepare their heart.” Ask the Lord for strength to make our hearts not change or vary during this time but to let Jesus live His life in and through us.

2 Chronicles 19:3, “Nevertheless, there are good things found in you. Thou has taken away the groves out of the land and has prepared thy heart to seek God.”

Use this time over the next 40 days to make space for what He has for you. In doing so, ask Him to create in you a humble and obedient heart in your life, family, church, and neighborhood. You were appointed to believe, called to repent, and empowered by the Lord to open your heart.

Don’t forget to share your stories with us! We’re eager to hear how God is moving in your life during this sacred season of prayer.

Wednesday, 2/14, Prayer Prompt: 

Humble Heart 
Philippians 2:3-4 

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” The humble of heart are cognizant of the needs of others, and they are willing to sacrifice, so that others can be ministered to.

As you meditate on this Scripture, ask God to show you how He may be calling you to sacrifice for the needs of others.

Obedient Heart 
John 14:15

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Ask God to reveal areas in your life that you might be holding back from obedience to Him.  

Thursday, 3/15, Prayer Prompt:

Family 
1 Timothy 1:8

“But if someone doesn’t provide for their own family, and especially for a member of their household, they have denied the faith. They are worse than those who have no faith.” 

Church
Colossians 4:3 

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

Spend some time praying for the larger church body around the world.  How is God asking you to partner with Him?

Friday, 2/16, Prayer Prompt:

Neighborhood
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

How is God calling you to be in community with others?  Are you following through on what He is asking you?  If not, ask Him to embolden you with the power from His Holy Spirit to fulfill what He is asking you to do.

Saturday, 2/17, Prayer Prompt:

Self 
2 Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Spend time thanking God for all the good gifts He has given you.  Are you using them to “abound in every good work?”  If not, ask Him to show you what you might do instead in order to use His gifts as intended, rather than keeping them to yourself.  Praise Him for His faithfulness in using you for His glory.