“Did you pray today,” the large, white, square sign read on the back of an 18-wheeler we saw headed south on I-95.
“Yes, I did. I’m praying right now,” I said when Ron brought the sign to my attention. Paul tells us in his letter to the Thessalonians to pray continually, keeping a constant flow of communication open with God. Constant confession keeps me chatting with God. Currently, I’m confessing my anxiety to Him that plagues me after my recent health scare. My thoughts want to go places they shouldn’t, so I pray to capture them and bring them into obedience to Christ.
Not covering up our shortcomings but confessing them helps us move forward, learn our lessons, and grow as people. The Lord forgives us, and we must learn to forgive ourselves. When we recognize sin in our lives, we should immediately take it to the Lord, not trying to hide it but instead dealing with our faults.
Living abundantly in Christ happens when we acknowledge our sins, don’t try to cover them up, and confess them to God. If necessary, we may need to seek forgiveness from someone we’ve injured. If so, the Holy Spirit will prompt us to take the right steps. But all confessions start first with God, then with others.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your immediate forgiveness. Help us forgive ourselves as quickly as You do. Teach us through our mistakes, mature us, and let us become more like Jesus as we keep the lines of communication open. Give eyes to see and ears to hear what You have for us, guiding us on the path of abundant life. IJNIP. Amen
When someone has unconfessed sin in their lives, it weakens them. Living with the heaviness of their wrongdoing weighs them down. My mom had a wooden box where she kept rare change. She collected Susan B. Anthony dollars, minted from 1979-1981, that honored the women’s suffrage leader, the first woman to appear on a coin.[i] I would steal one of these coins for months and use it to buy candy. The weight of my sin caused me much grief. I knew Mom would eventually find out, yet I kept doing it.
The longer I continued my errant ways, the weaker I became. Knowing I not only sinned against my mom but also God plagued me. Living with the constant fear of Mom catching me stole energy from me. Eventually, Mom found out, and I had to pay the price for my sin. She hid her special box from me, and I never stole from her again. But I didn’t repent until I got caught. Even now, decades later, thinking about it, shame fills me. Not only did I disappoint Mom, but God as well.
Obeying God gives us strength, but anything that goes against His will weakens us. If we want to tap into the Almighty’s power, we must walk in His ways. Unconfessed sin will separate us from the Savior and weaken our souls. Right hearts live right with God.
Prayer:
Lord, help us unburden ourselves to You. Give us the courage to submit and humble ourselves before You, admitting our hidden sins and feeling the weight lift from our shoulders. Strengthen us as we seek You, learning to live like Jesus, letting our past go, and finding hope for a different future. IJNIP. Amen
Suffering from lack of repentance causes anguish and separation. Ron and I created a budget for tithing, saving, and spending on our honeymoon. We each have a designated amount we can spend without consulting the other. One month, I dipped into our savings to pay a bill without talking to Ron first. After I did it, I felt horrible, knowing I’d gone against our agreement. When I told my husband, my heart felt lighter, restoring our relationship and becoming right with him again.
The same happens when we try to hide sins from the Lord. Not only did I confess my transgression to Ron, but I also humbled myself before my Maker, learning from my mistake.
Keeping silent about our wrongdoings rots the bones and causes groaning in our hearts. Confessing and receiving the Lord’s grace and mercy restores our souls, strengthens our relationship with Him, and makes us right with our Maker. Everyone falls short; what we do in secret will eventually become public knowledge. Nothing stays hidden forever. Accepting our shortcomings and humbling ourselves before God will renew our spirit and make us whole again.
We receive the Lord’s grace and mercy every time we come before God’s throne with a contrite heart.
Prayer:
Lord, forgive us for our secret sins that rot the bones. Help us take responsibility for our actions, confess our shortcomings to You, and receive Your grace. Guide and direct our paths so that they always come back to You. Give life to our bones as we learn from our mistakes and become right with You. IJNIP. Amen
God freely forgives, regardless of the sin. Understanding the Lord’s grace challenges me. From a human perspective, we often rank people’s misdeeds. Murdering someone seems unforgivable, but telling a white lie doesn’t. Cheating on one’s spouse versus cheating on taxes or stealing millions of dollars versus stealing a piece of candy doesn’t seem like they should receive the same grace, yet they do when people approach the Lord with a repentant heart.
The heart posture determines the grace we receive. The thieves on the cross beside Jesus show the difference. Gesmas ridiculed Christ, not sorry for his actions that nailed him to the wood. But Dismas truly repented, asking for mercy.[i]
“Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43
How we approach the Lord determines the grace we receive. Mocking God got Gesmas nowhere. But when Dismas humbly asked Jesus for mercy, he received it, entering paradise with the King. God doesn’t tell us to judge; He commands us to love. We can’t know a person’s heart; only the Lord sees what we can’t. Actions speak louder than words when God transforms a person’s life with His grace.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us the grace we don’t deserve. Help us humble ourselves before You, coming to Your throne with repentant hearts. As we enter into Your presence, let us accept the mercy You offer, allowing it to transform our lives and make us new. IJNIP. Amen
Transgression means an act of rebellion or disloyalty. Often done intentionally, our sin goes against what we know the Lord wants. Like kids who rebel against their parents’ rules, sneaking out after curfew, or willfully disobeying, they do so intentionally. When I snuck out my bedroom window in high school and went skinny dipping with friends, I knew my actions rebelled against my folks, but I did it anyway.
Years later, when I confessed my transgressions to my mom, she sighed and thanked God for protecting me. Like I received my mom’s forgiveness, the Lord forgives us when we confess our sins. The moment we humble ourselves before our maker, He gives us grace. And as we grow closer to Him, we want to rebel less.
As an adult, I regret that I went against my parents’ wishes. Recognizing their love and devotion to me, I’m sorry I took advantage of them. In the same way, understanding Jesus gave His life for my sins humbles me; my heart is contrite that He had to die for my misdeeds. God forgives us completely, covers our sins, and gives us new life. We honor Him with our actions when we strive to obey and become more like Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, we humbly come before You, realizing we don’t deserve Your grace and mercy. Thank You for freely giving what we can’t earn. As You renew our hearts, help us honor and serve You well, obeying Your command to love. Let us become known for our love of You and others. Help us become more like Jesus with each day that passes. IJNIP. Amen
Rejoice, for salvation has come to man. The stone no longer keeps Christ entombed; He is risen. In Him, we find life to the fullest, accepting His unconditional love and letting it flow from our lives to others. Let Jesus’s light shine brightly today as we celebrate His triumph over death.
Give your life to Jesus today and every day. Repent, renew, and refresh on this glorious Sabbath day. Embrace the victory you have in Christ. Let His grace restore your soul. Find rest from the troubles of this world in the Savior’s arms.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus invites you to come to Him today and find rest. Run to Him, and receive what He has to offer.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Cor. 10:31
God’s glory.
In all things, glorify God. Whether fasting and praying, working hard at your job, or raising kids, ultimately, we do it for the Lord. Keeping the Creator in our lens gives us a broader perspective. If we think about taking a panoramic picture on our phone, we capture much more of our surroundings than a standard photo. Holding the camera upright, the image narrows, and peripheral objects get left out. The same happens when we only view life from our perspective, not considering the larger picture.
The Lord has a panoramic view of life from beginning to end. He knows how our actions fit into His eternal story. Corrie Ten Boom, a holocaust survivor, had no idea from her limited perspective how God would use her story. When she studied the Bible in her bare cell with other prisoners, she couldn’t have known her actions would inspire millions. Becoming a public speaker after the Lord freed her, she didn’t know the prison guard where her sister died would attend one of her events in Munich.
“It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives.” Corrie Ten Boom[1]
Extending his hand, the balding prison guard, now a Christ follower, asked Corrie for forgiveness. After speaking on forgiveness, how could she not give Him what the Lord freely gave her? Glorifying God, she forgave Him. Her place in eternity’s story cemented with one act of obedience that continues to inspire and motivate others decades later. Corrie couldn’t see the whole picture then, but she knew that she must glorify her Creator in all things.
So, as we finish our 40-day study of fasting and prayer, we do so with one thought in mind: glorify God in all things. Aligning our heart posture with the Lord’s will help us honor and serve Him well. Each morning, as I close my quiet time with God and complete my journal entry, I pray for God’s help to honor and serve Him. Without my Maker’s guidance, I can’t do anything. But the impossible becomes possible when I align my heart with His, asking for God’s assistance. Life takes on new meaning and purpose, and the Lord gets glory in all things.
Make glorifying God your life goal. When faced with life decisions, ask the Lord for His perspective. Seeing people through the Creator’s lens will help you love them better. Wanting to glorify God over man will cause you to make different choices. When we live for the applause of One, our worldview changes. No longer will the things of this world influence us when we put God above all things. Under the Lord’s influence, we will find abundant life, live with the peace that surpasses all understanding, and experience eternal joy.
Journal Questions:
How can I apply today’s devotion to my life?
How can you glorify God today?
How does knowing you have a place in God’s eternal story motivate you?
Prayer:
Lord, as we close out this 40-day devotional, I ask for Your blessing on all that read it. Give them eyes to see and hears to hear You. Inspire their lives with divine vision. Fill their hearts with purpose, giving them discernment and direction as they pursue You. Let blessing and favor shower down on them from above, Your guiding light illuminating the world around them. Change and mold us so that we become more like Christ. And in all things, You receive the glory. IJNIP. Amen
“And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Mark 9:29
Prayerful dependence.
Possessed by an unclean spirit, a young boy suffers from seizures that cast him to the ground, his mouth foaming and teeth grinding, his body becoming rigid. When his father asks the disciples for help, they do nothing, powerless to help. Desperately, the dad cries out to Jesus, who responds to the father’s doubts:
‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23
The boy’s father cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Rebuking the unclean spirit, it left the boy’s body, leaving him lifeless on the ground until Jesus took his hand, lifting him up and restoring the youngster to life. Witnessing Christ’s actions, knowing their efforts failed, the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t do what He did since they had authority over all evil spirits. Responding with today’s scripture, Jesus told them they needed divine intervention to deal with this type of spirit.
What the disciples didn’t understand, but learned, they can do nothing without God’s help. Because of their connection to Jesus, they had authority over the evil spirits, but they failed when they tried to do it on their strength. Like a wi-fi connection, we must have it to connect to the internet, but if we don’t join a network, we can’t surf the web. The disciples tried to expel the demon without a connection to God.
How easily can we fall into the trap of doing things on our own accord, not including God in the decision? As a lifelong Christ follower, I still make this mistake, even though I know better. Disconnecting from the Lord happens instantly, just like a power outage from the cable company leaves you without a wi-fi connection. If you want to know how quickly you disconnect from God, try the Soul Revolution Experiment.[1] For 60 days, set your watch or phone’s alarm every 60 minutes. When the alarm dings, stop and think about God and your connection to Him in that moment. Use the timer to reconnect with God and invite Him into the situation.
When I did this experiment, I quickly realized how much time I spend disconnected from the Lord, trying to do things on my strength, with God’s help. Life distracts us from the Lord. Busyness remains one of the enemy’s most successful battle plans. Prayerful dependence gives us access to the Lord’s power, enabling us to achieve more than we could ever imagine. But without God, we can do nothing.
Journal Questions:
How can I apply today’s devotion to my life?
What can you do to keep your connection to God strong?
How can dependence on the Lord help your life?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us access to Your holy network. Forgive us for disconnecting from You and trying to do things on our strength. Help us become more aware of how quickly we turn from You when dealing with life’s problems. Draw us back to Your network; don’t let us stray far from Your divine power. Keep our connection to You solid and uninterrupted. IJNIP. Amen
“Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?”
Zechariah 7:5
Pure heart.
Coming to God with a clean heart requires confession. God doubts the people’s sincerity in today’s passage. In His sovereignty, the Lord knows our heart’s condition. Instead of coming to Him with contrite hearts, the Israelites turned fasting into a ritual, feeling sorry for themselves because of their current life situation. Instead of obeying God’s word, they turned the spiritual practice into a religious form.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24
Asking God to search our hearts will lead to revelations we may not like but need addressed. Accepting responsibility for our actions and owning our shortcomings allows us to live freely in Christ. The Lord doesn’t expect perfection from us, but He does desire honesty. Insincere fasting and praying only anger God, but coming to the Lord with moldable hearts that desire change pleases Him.
The Israelites grumbled before the Lord, not trusting Him for provision. What if we came before God and asked for nothing, approaching the King with hearts full of gratitude and love for the life He gives us? Instead of asking the Lord for this or that, we thank Him for what we already have. Cleansing and purifying our hearts makes us approach the Lord with humility instead of entitlement.
After my recent hospital stay, gratitude overwhelms me. Each morning, I awake with renewed purpose, knowing the Lord has plans for me. If He didn’t, I would have died. When we fulfill our calling on Earth, God calls us home. Living my life for the Lord, allowing Him full access to my heart, and letting Him guide my life fills me with joy. Writing for God humbles and excites me. Discovering each day’s purpose makes me live with a sense of anticipation for what the Lord will do. I don’t want to approach God’s throne with anything less than a pure heart desiring more of Him.
Let God search your heart today. Approach His throne with humility. Fast and pray with a pure heart, seeking a deeper connection with your Savior. Don’t let your walk with the Lord become a formality. Discover your purpose as you pursue the King; each day, a mystery to discover and enjoy.
Journal Questions:
How can I apply today’s devotion to my life?
When did you last let the Lord search your heart?
What has God revealed to you lately?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your saving grace that loves us despite our sins. Search our hearts today and reveal any areas of sin we must address. Help us develop pure hearts with the right intentions set on You. As we fast and pray, let it draw us closer to You, helping us discover our purpose and fulfill the calling on our lives. In You, we can have life to the fullest. IJNIP. Amen
“Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” Zechariah 7:2-3
To fast or not to fast?
During exile, the Israel nation fasted and prayed, but with the temple near completion, it didn’t seem necessary to continue the practice. The Jews instituted a fast day to commemorate the fall and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Fasts occurred in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months. At first, the people felt remorse, but as time passed, the tradition became a mere formality, prompting the question.
Fasting can become a routine. A few years ago, I decided to fast every Monday. My spiritual mentor told me how she practiced fasts one day a week, praying for her husband and children. Loving the idea, I decided to institute the practice into my spiritual journey. The fast became less meaningful and more of a chore as time passed. Eventually, I stopped my Monday routine because I realized it had lost its original purpose. Feelings of resentment started to invade my heart, causing me to draw away from the Lord instead of closer to Him.
Maintaining a soft heart towards the Lord and others takes vigilance. Allowing God to search our hearts and reveal bitter roots helps to keep our souls pure. Using traditions to re-engage with our Creator regularly shouldn’t become a burden. A sign on a local business gave me pause: “Practice makes perfect. Be careful what you practice.” Doing things to make yourself look good in front of others versus doing them to connect with God makes a huge difference in our spiritual journey.
The Pharisees fasted and prayed to make themselves look good to the religious community. Jesus called them out on their wrongful practice with love, and they didn’t like it. Coming to the Lord with a contrite heart will cause mountains to move. But doing things for the glory of self won’t have any effect. God knows our motivations better than we do sometimes. We can’t fool Him, nor should we try.
Fasting and prayer in your spiritual journey should enrich your walk with God. If the practice becomes more of a task than an act of faith, reevaluate your motivation. Ask the Lord for guidance. Legalism can cause separation. But a sincere heart desiring a deeper relationship with God will approach the spiritual practice with a sense of anticipation for what the Lord will do with your self-sacrifice.
Journal Questions:
How can I apply today’s devotion to my life?
How has fasting become a chore for you?
What can you do to re-invigorate fasting as a spiritual practice?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for pointing out the pitfalls that can occur if we make fasting a formality instead of the way You intended. As we practice this act of faith, give us an expectant heart for what You will do with our obedience. Mold and shape us into faithful servants of Christ as we give our lives to You. IJNIP. Amen
