Father, You alone have the power to establish all of us according to the Good News of Christ. You have chosen to reveal through the Church the mystery of Your manifold wisdom, a secret You kept from the beginning of creation until the day You raised Jesus from the dead. You now are making that wisdom manifest to the entire universe through those of us who obey You. To You, the only wise God, be glory through Jesus Christ forever more. You, Father, who through grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, have enriched us in all utterance and knowledge and examples and testimonies to the greatness of Jesus. Therefore we will come behind in no gift. You have enabled us to be steadfast and blameless until the day Jesus returns for us. You are faithful who has called us into the fellowship of Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. You always cause us to triumph in Your Son and You raise the aroma of salvation in every place we preach of You and bring people to know You. You have enabled each of us to be ministers and ambassadors of Your grace regardless of our past and abilities. To You the only wise God, the King eternal, immortal, unseeable by human eyes, who dwells in the light which no one can approach, who is the blessed and only true and Living God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, be the glory through Christ Jesus, the Church, and my life forever and ever.

You did it! Give God the glory for the Victory.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…–2 Corinthians 5:18

Today as you continue in this fast and prayer ask the Holy Spirit to help you restore any of your relationships that you know ended in an abrupt way. You may not be angry or hold any ill feeling towards the person but maybe you feel as if they are upset with you. Sometimes the enemy blinds us into thinking that someone is angry at us or you have done something wrong to them.

Walk in boldness today and with help of the Holy Spirit go to that person and say “can we talk”. Don’t be tricked by your own thoughts, it may not be what you think. How many people do you know are not communicating with distant loved ones just because they think that the other person is mad at them when in fact it’s not that way at all?

Maybe they are waiting on you to make the first move.

Prayer for Today

Father, today I ask you to help me take all of my thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Help me Lord to see all people the way you see them. Help me Lord to be a person of reconciliation, restoring all that may have been lost in the relationships with others you have place in my life. I ask You Father to restore a good relationship between me and all of my family, friends, co-workers, and others.

Verses for additional study

Proverbs 19:11

Ephesians 4:30-32

Romans 12:10

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…–Romans 3:23 KJV

Whether we know it or not our families are a classroom for God’s character traits, including forgiveness, mercy, justice, grace, trust, loyalty, and love. God put us in families to teach us how to be more like Him.

As we care for our aging parents, we learn to serve as He served us in the person of Jesus Christ.
As we raise our children, we learn to love as He loves us as His own children.
As we carry out our marriage vows, we learn to sacrifice self as He sacrificed Himself for our sins.
As we stand by our brothers and sisters in trials, we learn to care for their needs as our Father cares for us.

Through the family, God also teaches us about His covenant. God works through families. Over and over in scripture we see His hand touching generations to bring His plan to fulfillment; Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and even through the genealogy of Jesus Christ. God also uses the family to teach us about community.

In walking through life with our families, we share the good and the bad. We care for one another, pray for one another, and learn the value of standing together in tough times as well as rejoicing in good times. Scripture says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So inevitably we will wound one another or let one another down in some way. But in our family, we can hold each other accountable and walk through forgiveness and repentance.

No matter our family situation, God can use it to teach us more about who He is and to help us rely on Him.

Prayer for Today

Dear God, thank You for what You have taught and are teaching me through my family. Help me to continue to grow in love, joy, peace, forgiveness, self-control, kindness, and goodness. Help me and my family to glorify You in all that we do. Use us to teach another family about Your true love so that they may want You as their Lord and Savior. Help us Lord to love what You love and do what You would do. Amen.

Verses for additional study

Genesis 17:7

Romans 3:23

Galatians 5:16

We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.—James 5:11

As children of God we often find it hard to wait on God to answer our prayers. For some reason we think God needs our help in answering our prayers so we might tend to do things our own way instead of waiting on God.

God’s word tells us that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, so why is it hard for us to wait on God? Maybe it is because of our impatience, immaturity, or lack of trust that will cause us to jump ahead of God instead of waiting and listening for His voice.

Do we really trust God to answer us when we call on Him? Well He did say that He will answer us when we call and sometimes it may not be the way we were thinking He should answer. Are you willing to wait on the Lord to answer all your prayers, even if it takes longer than expected?

Prayer for Today

Father show me Your ways, Lord God, and teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me. You are the God of my salvation. I wait before You with expectant hope all the day long. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me as I wait on You. Father God, help me to remember to wait on You at all times and to be of good courage, for I know that as I do these things, You will strengthen my heart. Thank You, Father, for this precious promise from Your word. In Jesus name Amen.

Scriptures to Meditate on

Psalm 25:1-5, 21

Psalm 27:14

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.—1 Timothy 2:1-4

Do you know of someone who does not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior? Chances are you do, it may be a co-worker, a friend, a neighbor, and even your own mother or father. The fact is almost every born again believer knows at least one person who is not saved. Why then do you think that God has placed you in their life? Is it to witness to them or to let your light shine before them so that they will desire to know your God?

Today take time out to pray for someone specifically you know who is not saved. Ask God to show and tell you exactly how to witness to this person or people He has for you to share your faith with. God desires for everyone to be saved not just a select few but EVERYONE!

Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father I pray for (_________), and the lost of the world this day and that every man, woman, and child from here to the farthest corners of the earth be saved. As I intercede, I use my faith, believing that thousands this day have the opportunity to make Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior. I ask the Lord of the harvest to thrust the perfect laborers across these lives this day to share the good news of the Gospel in a special way so that they will listen and understand it, that it will touch their hearts. In the name of Jesus I pray with thanksgiving, Amen.

Verse for additional study

Isaiah 52:10

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.—1 Peter 4:8

If you hang around church folk very long, you will hear them speak about “covering”. I remember when I first heard this phrase; I assumed they were talking about covering up. But there is a huge difference between covering and covering up.

There is only one time in the New Testament that the word “cover” is used in that context, and that is in 1Peter 4:8, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”

Sometimes this passage is misinterpreted to mean that our love for each other blots out our sin. Make no mistake, the only love that can cancel out sin is the love of Jesus manifested in His death on the cross. What Peter is talking about here is the unconditional love and acceptance that should be present in the Body of Christ creating an environment where we feel safe and secure to confess our sins to one another and repent.

Sadly, in some church fellowships that love and acceptance is not present. This results in an environment where we dare not confess our faults to each other for fear we will become exposed and put through a gossip mill. There is no doubt in my mind that the epidemic we are currently seeing in moral failure, divorces, and scandals among church leaders and pastors has it’s roots in the lack of “covering love” present in the church. In most cases, these Leaders and Pastors may have been too proud or too isolated to seek out accountability partners. For every high profile leader who falls, there are scores of Deacons, Elders, Teachers, and others in the church who suffer the same fate out of the spotlight. This is why the divorce rate is higher in the church than outside the church!

This lack of “covering love” in the church is the spirit of the Pharisees, not that of Jesus! When Jesus encountered those struggling with sin He responded with compassion and understanding, saying “I don’t condemn you.” He did this, even though He is the only person who has the right to condemn sinners.

You and I don’t have the right. We are like the Pharisees with rocks in their hands waiting to throw them at the sinful woman; when Jesus reminded them of their own sin, one by one they dropped their stones and walked away, knowing they were every bit as guilty as she was. Covering up your sin will only result in repeating the same behavior.

So through prayer find someone in your fellowship who you can be transparent with, and ask them to help you be accountable.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord, thank You for putting me in a body of believers that I can be accountable to and who won’t gossip about my sins or shortcomings, but will pray with me and for me. Help us Father, Your children to truly edify and pray for each other the way You intend for us to. In Jesus name, I pray Amen.

Verses for additional study

Hebrew 10:24-25

1Thessalonians 4:11

For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.—1 Peter 2:16-NLT

The concept of freedom is one that most Americans would claim to comprehend. But after generations of living free, do we really understand what would be lost if just a piece of our freedom were taken away?

Remember the days just after September 11, 2001?

The airlines where shut down, and air travel suffered for months.
Professional football games were postponed.
Large events were canceled.
The security measures implemented since then have cost billions of dollars and demanded countless hours.

Imagine what life would be like if we suffered a barrage of suicide bombers, truck bombs and armed assaults similar to what happens in places like Iraq and Israel.

An old saying warns that you don’t know what you have until it is gone. Truly, we take so much for granted in this country that it is easy to loose sight of how much is at stake. We must not allow terrorist to shut us down and isolate us from the rest of the world. Our soldiers are risking (and some losing) their lives to protect our freedom. The rest of us must do our part to secure the future for our children and grandchildren, not only for the sake of our loved ones, but also for the sake of freedom.

This is where our prayers for freedom and protection, not just for America, but for all those other countries like Darfur, and Israel etc. that suffer through terror everyday, become very important. We must pray for the protection of this Country. God is waiting to here from us about everything that concerns us.

Prayer for Today

Thank You, Lord for the freedom we enjoy in this country. You have blessed us beyond what we deserve. Thank you for the gifts of transportation, recreation, financial security and so much more. We are guilty of taking Your blessings for granted. Remind us continually of how You protect us and cause us to prosper. Help us not to squander the freedom You have bestowed upon us. Help us to protect it as the treasure that it is.

Verses for additional study 

Psalm 91

Psalm 100

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.—Romans 12:16

Have you ever heard the saying “Elephant in the Room”?

I’m sure you have. Around the office, with friends, or even at the dinner table, it’s an old English idiom that many of us use to describe an obvious truth that is either being ignored, or at times, rarely being addressed. We all have seen elephants at the zoo or maybe on TV, and we know how impossible it is for an elephant to be ignored. They are the largest land animals in the world, weighing anywhere between 9000-12,000 pounds. So you would think that if you and I were in a room with an elephant, we would probably know it!

While doing some soul searching this week, I began to ask myself this question; as Christians, what are the elephants you and I have in the room today?

What are the biggest elephants we have in the church today?

I’m sure, depending on whom you ask, the answers to that question would differ greatly, money, divorce, racism, homosexuality, politics, and sexism. The list is endless. There is however one “elephant” in particular that we as Christians rarely seem to uncover enough. Despite its size and ability to frighten all in its path, this elephant has been chained to the rooms (and hearts) of every believer by God Himself. It simply cannot be avoided.

That elephant is ACCOUNTABILITY.

Romans 12:16 says, “Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.” If we are really honest with one another we can all say at one point or another that we have a hard time asking for help. Whether it was from a family member, friend, or even fellow believer, for some reason we equate a need for help as a sign of weakness. Nothing like figuring things out on your own, or so we think until our “elephants of accountability” grow bigger than the 9 rooms we hide them in.

As Christians, there is nothing more important than seeking out and embracing the accountability of the friends and loved ones God has placed around us. More often than not, many of us can fall victim to a dangerous belief system that our relationship with Christ (and no one else) is all that we need to be successful in our daily walk with Him.

Without accountability, the voice of God can sound A LOT LIKE YOUR OWN. I encourage you today to become a person of accountability.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord, I humble myself before You and ask You to forgive me of thinking that I am wise in my own opinion. I ask You Father to help me see when I need to be held accountable for wrong actions or thoughts. Father take away the shame and help me to see that my need for help is not a sign of weakness. Father I want to please You in all that I do and say, I want to be a true Ambassador for Christ sharing Your Gospel without any issues that will hold me back from being who You want me to be. Amen

Verses for additional study

Romans 12:16

Matthew 12:33-37

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.—Isaiah 41:10

                From the Daniel Fast—Isabelle wasn’t coming down without a fight.  Our six-year-old had just climbed a thirty-five foot rock face like a seasoned pro.  She had no problem navigating the various rock formations, easily finding a handhold here, a foothold there.  Avid rock climbers, my husband and I were beaming with pride when she did it all by herself.  Once she got to the top, her dad talked her through what she needed to do to come back to the ground.  She had done it at least a dozen times in the past, so we were confident she would descend easily without a problem.

Lord God, Your powerful Word holds the answers for every problem or situation in my life.  Help me to discipline myself to read it daily.  I want to saturate my mind with Your truth so I can be strong in You.

                Suddenly, though, her foot slipped.  She spun around, slammed her elbow against the rock wall, and ended up dangling in the air.  All I hard was her bloodcurdling scream.  Actually, it was a series of screams.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so panicked.

                We tried to calm her down, but it was to no use.  Nothing we said got through to her.  Between sobs, she cried out, “I’m scared! I can’t do it! My elbow hurts!  I don’t know what to do!”  She was paralyzed with fear and determined to stay right where she was until her father came to her rescue.

                It was very frustrating for me to see my daughter struggle, especially when she didn’t have to.  I tried to remain patient and loving, but after several unsuccessful attempts to coax her down, I began to get angry.  Why wouldn’t she let us help her?  Didn’t she trust us?  Couldn’t she see we weren’t going to let her fall?

                Eventually, my husband climbed up to her. At first, Isabelle didn’t even want his help and refused to move toward him.  Stubborn.  Eventually, though, she took her father’s hand and slowly made her way to the ground.  She cried the whole way down.

                As we drove home, I thought about how often I am just like Isabelle.  Many times I’m hanging out on the side of a mountain in my life, white-knuckled with worry and fear.  All I can think about are the what-ifs: What if I can’t do it?  What if I make a mistake?  What it I get hurt?  I cry out to God for His help, but when He reaches out to me, I resist.  Yet the Lord is always the perfect parent.  He doesn’t chastise or condemn.  He simply waits patiently until I get my act together.  If I refuse to submit and remain in rebellion, He comes to my rescue.  He brings me back to Himself, even if I kick and scream all the way. 

                God loves us and wants the best for us.  All we have to do is trust Him.  Our Father has a tight grip and won’t ever let us go.

Verses for additional study:

Psalm 27:1

Psalm 56:3

Isaiah 26:3

Romans 8:15

2 Timothy 1:7

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. — Psalm 119:105 NLT

I am a tool man through and through. If something around the house is broken and needs repairing, I feel giddy, rather than inconvenienced. I like bolting to my man cave, and dig through my arsenal of contraptions, gadgets, and thingamajigs in search of just the right tool for the job.

I enjoy the process of restoration, making whatever has been damaged whole again. However, there are moments when I will emerge from the mancave feeling frustrated and incompetent because I can’t find what is needed to finish the work. Progress is halted until the proper tool is located.

How do you respond when something in your life breaks and needs to be repaired? Do problems prompt anger, or are you able to receive them with a sense of anticipation? James 1:2 – 4 shows us how trials can benefit us: “When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT). When struggles come our way, we don’t ever lack the right tool for the job. We have one multipurpose tool—the Word of God—which is capable of guiding us through every repair job we encounter. The Bible is both a lamp and a light, which means that it shines brightly into our circumstances as well as illuminates the steps we should take. If we embrace this powerful tool God has given us, we will experience peace and hope, even during the most difficult challenges of life. Because, in the words of my handyman husband, “Having the right tool makes all the difference.”

Testimony about the Daniel Fast–When I heard about the idea of a Daniel Fast, I wondered how it could benefit us as a church and as individuals. Well, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. After going through our first fast of twenty-one days in January, my wife and I can say that it was a great blessing in our lives personally, and I believe we will be seeing the long-term results at our church. It’s amazing how focused you can become during a fast. I believe this could become a unifying experience for our entire church family, so we plan to call a Daniel Fast at the beginning of next year. — PASTOR D. MERCALDO

Verses for additional study:

Psalm 19:8

Psalm 119:11, 33 – 35

Proverbs 6:23