by One Church | Jan 23, 2022 | 21 Days of Prayer - January 2022, Uncategorized
21/21 Days of Prayer
Genesis 28:17 – And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!
If you know me, you know that I love Disney! My goal is to be there as often as I can, and I am not content with just going on my own. It brings me so much joy to take as many of my family members and friends through the Disney gates as possible! I love helping others find the joy in all of the little things that I love so much!
In Genesis 28:17 Jacob has an encounter with God that is incredibly powerful. In that encounter he names the place “the house of God” and “the gate of heaven.” 20 years later Jacob makes a long journey with his wife and all of his twelve sons back to this place so that they can encounter the presence of God in the same way he did! I love that the Bible records in Genesis 35 that they also worshipped the Lord there.
If you knew there was a physical gate to Heaven in the world, what sacrifices would you make to get there? There is nothing that I would not do to make it to that place. I would cross the Atlantic Ocean in a canoe if it meant that I could find the gate of Heaven. Even more so, I would make as many trips as I could to get all the people I knew to that place.
God’s house, His Church, is that place. It is the place where we meet with God! Each week we have an opportunity to bring as many people as we can to this gateway to Heaven, so that they too can encounter the same presence that changed our lives! What if we saw the House of God like Jacob? What if we did everything possible to make sure all of our friends and family got to church so they could also have a life changing encounter with God? Our world would be a much different place with that type of tenacity!
Who are some people you are believing to come to church with you this year?
Declare: I am thankful for the House of God, it is the Gateway to Heaven for me and the people I love.
Sign up to have our 21 Day devotional sent straight to your email!
by One Church | Jan 22, 2022 | 21 Days of Prayer - January 2022, Uncategorized
20/21 Days of Prayer
1 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV – Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
People frequently ask, “How does God choose who He uses?” This is an important question, and one often asked by those who desire to be used by the Lord. The word for faithful here isn’t describing someone’s spiritual strength. Faithful describes someone who God has found as reliable, dependable, true, and unfailing.
How does God know if someone is faithful, reliable, dependable, true, and unfailing? 1 Corinthians 4:2 says they are “found” meaning that God watches us over a long period of time and in many different circumstances to see if we will conduct ourselves as people who are faithful, reliable, dependable, true, and unfailing.
Today God is watching your actions and reactions. He is observing how you treat people and how you respond to pressure. He is looking at how you handle people that are unkind towards you. He is watching to see how you respond in the face of opposition. God wants us to be faithful in our giving, faithful in loving people, and faithful in our pursuit of Him.
The great news is that today is a new day! Even if you feel like you haven’t been found faithful so far, you can decide that today you are going to be a faithful, reliable, dependable, true, and unfailing follower of Christ.
What area of your life do you feel challenged to be more faithful in?
Declare: God will find me faithful to do all that He has asked me to do.
Sign up to have our 21 Day devotional sent straight to your email!
by One Church | Jan 21, 2022 | 21 Days of Prayer - January 2022, Uncategorized
19/21 Days of Prayer
John 10:3 NKJV – … He calls his own sheep by name…
Our identity often changes based on our location. At my kids’ school, my name is “Brailey’s mom” or “Bear’s mom.” At a grocery store I’m identified by my phone number. God calls you by name. The Bible says He knows the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). This means He knows every minute detail about you, He knows your bank balance and what you ate for dinner. He knows exactly what you are going through and where you are hurting. He sees you and cares for you.
God’s Word says you are:
Romans 8:37 – Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
According to this verse, what does God call you?
John 15:15 NKJV – No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
According to this verse, what does God call you?
Romans 8:16 NKJV – The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God
According to this verse, what does God call you?
1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV – Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
According to this verse, what does God call you?
Declare: I belong to the Lord. He chose me, and loves me so much that He calls me His own.
Sign up to have our 21 Day devotional sent straight to your email!
by One Church | Jan 20, 2022 | 21 Days of Prayer - January 2022, Uncategorized
18/21 Days of Prayer
Mark 16:15 NKJV – And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”
All through the Bible you see God using people in amazing ways. God used people that were judges, kings, soldiers, fishermen, tent makers, fathers, sheepherders, among many other vocations. When people ask what God’s purpose is for their life they are usually asking what vocation God wants them to be in. They are curious, “Does God want me to be a firefighter or a nurse? Does God want me to be a school teacher, or does He want me to live on the mission field?”
I have found that God is less concerned with what career we choose, and much more concerned with the difference we are making in the world. Throughout the New Testament we see God showing up powerfully in the lives of so many people, but He never talks to them about what career to choose! We always see Him talking to people about making a difference in the lives of other people.
God’s commission for our lives is to make a difference. His commission for us hasn’t changed since He spoke in Mark 16:15. His desire is still that we tell people about Jesus, pray for people that need prayer, encourage the distraught, and become a bright light to the dark world we live in! I declare over my kids every morning when they go to school that they are the pastors of their school and a leader to their generation! What impact would you make if you went to work each day with that same mindset?
What would it look like to be the pastor…
In your workplace/school:
In your family:
In your neighborhood:
Declare: God I thank you that I am making a difference everywhere I go.
Sign up to have our 21 Day devotional sent straight to your email!
by One Church | Jan 19, 2022 | 21 Days of Prayer - January 2022, Uncategorized
17/21 Days of Prayer
Romans 3:23 AMPC – Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.
It is easy to think we are the only ones who sin, but this verse assures us that every man, woman, and child who was ever born, has a problem with sin.
All have sinned, but through the sacrifice of Jesus, all have been made righteous. The moment we become a believer we receive “rightness” instead of “wrongness”. The enemy wants us to live our lives feeling wrong, worthless, and guilty. These negative feelings keep us from living the life Christ paid for and actually pulls us into wrong living, instead of right living.
Galatians 5:13 AMPC – For you, brethren were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh and an opportunity or excuse [for selfishness], but through love you should serve one another.
In 1885 the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York and serves as a symbol of freedom for people arriving in America. Victor Frankl said, “I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”
Often when we think of God’s grace we think of the freedom that is given, but with that freedom comes responsibility. Christ’s forgiveness does not give us permission to live our lives in any way that we wish. In fact, it brings with it a higher responsibility and accountability. Grace is continually calling us higher, while also empowering us to live the life God has called us to live. When we think about living a holy life it can feel overwhelming, and without the empowerment of grace, it is impossible.
What does it mean to live both free and responsible?
Declare: God’s grace allows me to live free and responsible.
Sign up to have our 21 Day devotional sent straight to your email!
by One Church | Jan 18, 2022 | 21 Days of Prayer - January 2022, Uncategorized
16/21 Days of Prayer
Proverbs 3:5 AMPC – Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
Fear has no benefit and impacts our lives in negative ways. I heard a long time ago that fear stands for:
False | Expectations | Appearing | Real
The cause for fear is simple. Fear is the failure to trust God to take care of our needs. Most of us have spent our lives trying to take care of ourselves rather than allowing God to take care of us. When we trust our own abilities we will always come up short-handed. However, God always has the perfect solution for the things that are making us fearful and worried.
1 Peter 5:7 NKJV – Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
We are unable to cast our cares on God unless we believe that He loves us completely. The deeper my revelation of God’s love, the easier it is to release my fears to Him. When we have problems, we have to learn not to worry about the things we are unable to change in our own power. Fearful thoughts only leave us feeling trapped and hopeless. When we let feelings of fear and anxiety drive us we often do irrational things that only make the problems worse. God assures us that He will always provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). Even though there may not seem like a solution right now, one does exist, and rest assured God is working on your behalf!
What situation are you facing right now that you can choose to trust God instead of being fearful?
Declare: I trust God completely; there is no need to be fearful!
Sign up to have our 21 Day devotional sent straight to your email!
