Day 3: Big Problem? Bigger God!

3/21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

READ:

PSALM 24 (NIV)

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

 

We live in a world that’s full of problems. The odds are pretty high that you are facing a problem in one or more areas of your life right now. Isn’t it interesting that one area of your life can be going amazing and another area of your life can be struggling?

In the middle of difficulty, I have a tendency to talk about the difficulty to anyone that will listen, including myself. I have learned that focusing and talking about how big the problem is doesn’t fix the problem. The key is to talk about how big our God is not how big our problems are.

I know that you may be going through a difficult time but the fact that you are reading this tells me that God hasn’t failed you yet. And if He hasn’t failed you up to this point then you better believe He’s not going to start now!

Talk to your problems about how big your God is.

 

PRAY:

Lord, forgive me for elevating my problems and making them bigger than you. I know that you’ve never failed me. I declare that you are bigger than any problem I could ever face! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Day 2: He’s That Good

2/21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

READ:

PSALM 23 (NIV)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

 

I think a lot of people get confused about God’s plans for their life. The reason is because we hear so many different views on what God is like. A Gallup poll asked Christians how they viewed God. They were surprised that a large majority of people from the southern portion of the United States said, “God is angry and impossible to please.”

When I read Psalm 23 we see a God who longs to lead us by still waters, to take us to green pastures, and to restore our souls. Everything about this passage speaks of a loving God that has good plans for our lives.

How do you view God?

PRAY:

God, forgive me if I have had the wrong view of you. Show me who you are. Reveal yourself to me in a personal way. In Jesus’ name, Amen

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Day 1: Feed Your Faith & Starve Your Fear

1/21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

READ:

PSALM 22 (NIV)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
 In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
 To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

 But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
 From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

 Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

 Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

 Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
 All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
 Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

 I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
 for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
 They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

 

I love and relate to the Psalms so much! They are real and they are honest. On one hand we see someone crying out “Where are you?” Then it seems like faith rises up and says “I know you won’t fail me.”

It’s an interesting contrast. When flesh and faith meet, there is a battle taking place. The question is, “which one will win?”

One girl had become a new Christian and told her youth pastor that it felt like two dogs were fighting on the inside. Her youth pastor asked, “Which one will win?” The girl replied, “I guess the one I feed the most.”

 

There’s nothing wrong with having doubt. It happens to us all. The key to overcoming our doubts is to feed our faith. As Christians we must remember to feed our faith and to starve our fear.

 

PRAY:

Lord, strengthen my faith today. Show me how to starve the fear that has been controlling me and remind me to feed and grow my faith. Thank you for always being with me. You have never forsaken me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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