Revelation 12:11 (NKJV)
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Let’s end this fast by taking some time to write down what God has done in our life through this fast. What would you say you have gained from this fast? Do you feel closer to God? Have you seen personal breakthrough in your life?
Submit your fasting testimony at: https://wearecrossing.com/fast
1 Corinthians 16:9 (NKJV)
For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
Sometimes we think a new door will be filled with joys and happiness, but when God opens a new door for us we may face more adversaries than we expected. The fast can prepare us to be in a stronger place to stand and exercise our faith in the midst of challenges when these new doors of opportunities are opened for us.
Think about Joseph in the Bible (Genesis Ch. 37-42). He was obedient to God, but ended up in prison accused of a crime he didn’t commit. But God used it all and turned it around for good. The same will happen for us if we don’t shrink back.
Prayer Focus
Have you started to experience open doors through this fast? How do you feel about those open doors? Has it been more challenging/scary then you thought?
What is God saying to you about the open door you have seen?
If you have yet to see any open doors, take some time to declare by faith to open doors
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NKJV)
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So, God granted him what he requested.
Author Bruce Wilkerson wrote a book based on these verses called “The Prayer of Jabez.” We are going to take some time to pray through the prayer of Jabez today. These are the only two verses written about Jabez, but what we know about this prayer that makes it stand out is: “God granted him what he requested.”
Prayer Focus
Here are the four areas of prayer:
For God to bless you and increase His favor on your life.
“Oh, that you would bless me…” 1 Chronicles 4:10
This is not a selfish prayer, or praying outside the will of God. We should pray for God’s blessing on our life today. What areas of your life do you want God to bless?
2. For God to enlarge your territory
1 Chronicles 4:10 “…that you would enlarge my territory…”
In what ways does God want to enlarge your territory? Pray over these areas.
Pray also for courage, strength, and faith to step out in ways you have not before.
Pray for the church that God would enlarge our territory and give us more influence in this region.
3. For God to give us guidance and clarity for the future.
“…and that your hand would be with me.” 1 Chronicles 4:10
God’s hand speaks of His guidance and His direction.
Where are you needing His guidance and direction today?
As He gives us the direction, let’s have the faith to step out, remember “You cannot steer a parked car.”
4. For God to keep you from temptation, sin, and failure.
“…That you would keep me from evil, so it does not hurt me!”
We should ask daily for protection from the evil one, which is one of the things Jesus taught the disciples when they were learning to pray “and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)
Psalms 91 (NKJV)
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
As believers, we have confessed Jesus as Lord and believe for salvation, but we can choose not to live near His presence. Through Psalm 91 we see the Lord inviting us to live in intimacy and protection.
The word refuge in Hebrew means “a place of shelter from the rain and storms, a hiding place from sources of danger and falsehood, and a place of safety and hope where you find new trust in God.”
Who doesn’t want to live under the refuge of the Almighty? But this promise is conditional, “If you will, then God will!” If you choose to dwell, which means “to remain, to stay put, to sit down with the intention of not going anywhere soon,” then God will be your refuge.
Prayer Focus
Set times in your calendar where you intentionally take time to dwell in God’s presence.
What are some distractions in your life that prevent you from dwelling in the presence of God, and what changes can you make to ensure those distractions don’t rob your time set with Him?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more of God’s character and heart to you as you dwell in the secret place of the Most High.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal a picture to you of what the refuge of the Lord looks like for you.
1 Samuel 30:9 (NKJV)
So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.
After David received the word “recover all” (refer to Day 14) the men went in pursuit to recover all. As we read in the story, 400 of the men went and fought for the 200 who could go no further, but they all shared in the rewards of the battle.
The point is there are times when you are strong enough to go in and fight, and there are times when you are weary and it’s a struggle to keep praying, fighting, and believing. We all need others to fight alongside us. Victory in spiritual battles requires community and carrying one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Some days you need to call for backup, and other days you are the back up. God created us to need one another, because we cannot win in isolation.
Prayer Focus
Prayer reflection with the Lord: do you have people in your life that you can call upon for help? Are there people who you backup?
Can you think of people in your life that needs refreshing? Pray a prayer of refreshing over their life.
If you are feeling weary, discouraged, facing torment from the enemy, call for back up today. Send a text, email, or ask someone you know for prayer.
Take some time today to connect with one other person via phone, to pray in agreement (Matthew 18:20).
1 Timothy 1:18 (NKJV)
This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare…
One of the keys to being effective in spiritual warfare is to recall the prophetic words God has revealed to you through His Word. To take ground and come against what the enemy is speaking, DECLARE what God has said about your life. You may have to go back a few months or years to prophetic words you have received, but remember God’s word never returns to Him void. If it’s been many years and still no manifestation, continue to stand and declare!
The gap between the prophetic word and the time when it becomes a reality is where we need to fight the good fight of faith according to what God has spoken. Don’t give up! Believe and declare!
Prayer Focus
I encourage you to pull out past journals or word documents where you have stored prophetic words. Take some time in prayer to remind God of His promises and to remind yourself of your prophetic potential and destiny.
1 Corinthians 14:1
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
We believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today and are a great benefit to the Church and the life of every believer.
In 1 Corinthians 14:1 it says to desire spiritual gifts. The Greek word for desire ‘zeloo’ means “to be passionate, to strive after, to pursue with zeal and earnest pursuit.” Therefore, we cannot simply sit back and say, “if God wants me to have these gifts, He will simply give them to me.” No, this verse teaches us that we need to passionately seek after the gifts of the Holy Spirit and see them activated in our lives.
Prayer Focus
Ask God to increase the gifts of the Spirit in your life.
If you know some of the gifts you have seen manifested through your life, ask God to stir up those gifts in your life, and highlight to you if there are any that are lying dormant.
Ask God for the courage and faith to step out and use those gifts today!
Joel 2:25-27 (NKJV)
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.
Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.”
We may all have experienced times in our lives where the enemy has gained access and stolen something from us. God promises in His word through Joel 2:25-27 that He will recover and restore what has been stolen.
To restore means “to bring back to its original state; to build again, to refresh, to repair, and to bring back to full capacity, to take back what has been lost.”
King David was out to war with his men against the Amalekites. When they returned home from battle, they discovered their homes were destroyed and their wives and children taken captive. Right now, you could be seeing how the enemy has taken captive your family and close friends, but David didn’t give in to despair, he strengthened himself in the Lord and inquired of the Lord. The Lord said “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!” 1 Samuel 30:8
David’s wives and children were taken because David was in disobedience; joining forces with the Philistines to fight against the Amalekites. But God was merciful to bring restoration, even when David was at fault. It can be the same with every one of us, even when we are at fault. God is merciful to bring restoration when we turn back to Him.
Prayer Focus
Pray that God would remove any shame and guilt you may be feeling for things that were lost due to your own sins. You also may need to spend some time forgiving yourself.
Pray by faith into all areas where you have seen the enemy come in and take captive; that God will restore and bring healing. Start with your own life and then go to your family, friends, neighbors, work colleges, etc.
Acts 3:19-20 (NKJV)
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
Repent means to have a change of mind, followed by a change of direction. At salvation there is repentance from sin and a lifestyle change that comes (Acts 2:38), but there is ongoing repentance or turning in another direction that keeps us moving closer and closer to God’s heart and his desire for our lives.
In Acts 3:19-20 we see that repentance from sin in our lives is connected to an amazing promise “…that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
God wants to bring refreshing through this time of fasting, therefore let’s take some time to examine our hearts and see if there are areas in our lives that we need to repent.
Prayer Focus
Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your heart that requires repentance. Psalm 139:23-24
Pray that God will bring refreshment to your spirit, soul, and body during this time of your fast.
John 3:30 (NKJV)
He must increase, but I must decrease.
In order to have more of God in our lives, we must displace self, ego, and everything else that desires first place. Fasting and prayer are the spiritual weapons that brings an increase of God and a decrease of self. Fasting diminishes the soul and elevates the Spirit. Fasting reveals wrong motives and deals a death blow to our appetites and temporary desires.
In Psalms 35:13 (AMP) King David said, “I humbled my soul with fasting.”
The “soul” is the place of our mind, will and emotions. Through fasting we can diminish our own desires and receive God’s. We dethrone our will and discover His will.
Prayer Focus
What desires have you discovered during the fast that are just your will, not God’s will?
What are God’s desires that have been revealed to you during the fast that you didn’t know were there.
Pray that all self-ambition, wrong thoughts, and vain imaginations will be identified during this fast, so you are able to bring them into captivity in accordance to 2 Corinthians 10:5
Matthew 5:23-24 (NKJV)
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
While seeking God in prayer, worship, and fasting, if you realize there are unresolved offenses with others we are told very clearly from scripture to leave our “gift” and resolve the issue first. What is important to highlight from this verse is that you may not be the one carrying the offense against someone else. God is saying remember if “someone has something against you.”
If you can think of an offense or hurt that is causing someone in your relational world to be offended, whether the offense is legitimate or they are believing a lie, then we are to stop and seek a resolution with that person. If you have done all you can to resolve the issue and the person is unwilling, then don’t hold onto guilt, you are free to move on and seek God with a clear conscience.
If you are holding an offense against someone, seek to bring a resolution today. There are many times people may offend us and not even realize they have done so. Jesus said in Luke 17:1 “It is impossible that no offenses should come.” We therefore cannot avoid them, but we can definitely do our part to resolve offenses, so that are hearts remain clean and clear before God.
Prayer Focus
Ask the Lord if there is anyone you need to call, text, or visit to work through some unresolved offense they have against you.
Ask the Lord to reveal to you any offenses you are still carrying and whether you are to seek that person out to resolve the issue.
Ask the Lord to heal your heart of any wounds and hurts, and to lift off any guilt or condemnation where you have already sought forgiveness.
Mark 11:23 (NKJV)
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
We often underestimate the power of speaking out loud against our enemies, mountains, and obstacles that lie between us and God’s best for our lives. Jesus was very clear that the release-point of power is when we “speak to it.” It’s not enough to simply meditate on the word, we need to take the word and use it to speak to our mountains!
In Genesis 1, when God created the heavens and the earth, God spoke things into existence “Let there be…” There is great power in your words. Don’t allow the enemy to subdue your praise or silence your declarations. Rise up and speak to your mountains!
Prayer Focus
Identify and name the mountains, trials, or oppositions in your life.
Find verses in the Word that deal with your mountain.
Speak those verses out loud, letting faith fill your heart as you declare the Word, then speak to it!
Romans 4:20-21 (NKJV)
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Abraham was 100 years old, his wife was 90, and against all hope they still believed for the promise of a child. He was well aware of the facts, but Abraham declared God’s ability to change them. As you stare at the facts which you or your family face today, whether it’s a doctor’s report, a miscarriage, marital problems, singleness, etc., are you still declaring God’s ability to change them?
Abraham was resilient in declaring God’s ability to bring change. He did not waver and continued to praise God through the extended times of waiting and delay, and his faith was rewarded, 25 years of delay, but God was faithful to bring His word to pass.
Prayer Focus
Take some time to praise God for who He is and what is to come.
Lift His name over every impossible situation and thank Him out loud for the upcoming victory.
Remind yourself of the miracles in the Bible and in your own life that you have seen and declare, “If He did it then…He can do it again.”
Pray against doublemindedness and wavering, stand and declare the word of God that He has given you for the situations you are facing. “For with God nothing is impossible.” Luke 1:37
Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV)
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Does anyone enjoy traffic jams, long lines at the DMV, or being in the car line to pick up your kids from school? None of us enjoy waiting, but throughout scripture we are encouraged to “Wait upon the Lord.”
This idea of waiting is not simply holding out until God gets ready to move. This wait is supposed to be an active waiting that is intended to produce something amazing in the one who waits.
To wait is the Hebrew word, “Qavah” (pronounced “kaw-vaw”) which means “to bind together by twisting, to be bound together with the object of our waiting, and to wait with expectation and hope.”
The closest visual picture is a three-stranded rope. One strand represents the Lord, one strand represents you, and the third strand is the higher purposes of God for our lives. As we “wait” we are being twisted together with God’s character and purpose for our future. We are becoming one with the object of our waiting!”
There is great purpose in the waiting, so don’t give up!
Prayer Focus
Ask the Lord: in what ways do I need to be active in the wait?
Ask the Lord to show you His higher purposes for your life?
Ask the Lord how you can deepen your relationship with Him?
John 16:12-13 (NKJV)
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
We all have the Holy Spirit inside of us once we become born again believers. It is our choice whether we follow His guidance our not, but the promise from John 16:12-13 is if we follow His guidance, He will lead us into all truth. Which means being steered away from deception.
We cannot be led to truth and deceit at the same time. We have to be consistent and willing to follow God’s leading, even when it’s uncomfortable and not what we want. Can you honestly say “Jesus is Lord of my life,” so the Holy Spirit can guide you into all truth?
Prayer Focus
If you have failed to ask the Holy Spirit for direction concerning important decisions you have to make, take some time to confess and repent and invite the Holy Spirit to be Lord over your life.
Write down the top three decisions in which you are needing clarity. Bring them before the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to “lead you into all truth.”
Do you know someone else that needs direction concerning a relationship, business opportunity, or moving to a new state? Pray for them, that the Holy Spirit will lead them into all truth.
Pray for your Pastors at The Crossing that God will give them direction, and that the Holy Spirit will lead them into all truth.
I Samuel 3:8-9
“And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So, he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.”
Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’” So, Samuel went and lay down in his place.”
Have you ever questioned whether you have heard the voice of God? You are not alone. God called the young man Samuel in 1 Samuel Chapter 3 three times before his mentor and priest Eli recognized it was the Lord calling him.
The following we can learn from this story about increasing our ability to hear the voice of God clearly and consistently:
Stay near the presence – verse 3 tells us that Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. He drew close to God; therefore, God could speak to Him. How are you drawing close to God’s presence? (worship, prayer, fasting, reading His word) because God promises as we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us. (James 4:8)
Lay down and wait – The idea is finding a place free from distraction, so you can quiet your heart and mind. Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue.
Willingness to do what God says — The key to hearing God is to consistently and repeatedly do the last thing He told you to do. Then, always be ready and willing for a change in direction.
How much value do you place on hearing God’s voice? We value what we are willing to invest in and sacrifice for.
Prayer Focus
Ask God to clearly speak to you.
Pray for all other competing voices to be silenced
Pray for a hunger to live near the presence of God and a removal of distractions.
Grab your journal and Bible and wait with full expectation that God will speak to you.
Daniel 10:12-13 (NIV)
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.
Daniel was standing in the gap for his nation, the Children of Israel, by fasting and praying for 21 days. He prayed for God’s mercy on the nation and the deliverance of his people.
The enemy never wants us free and fulfilling our purpose on the earth. When you stand in the gap for such things like the salvation of a loved one, or healing in your own life so you can walk out God’s purpose, the enemy will oppose you and it can sometimes make us think “Is God hearing my prayers?”
In Daniel 10:12-13 we learn that on the first day God heard Daniel’s prayer, and I want to encourage you that God heard your prayer on day 1. For 21 days the enemy resisted the answer from coming to pass. Daniel did as we are doing right now: fasting and praying for 21 days. There is a very real spiritual war taking place in the heavenlies right now, over every prayer. That is why we need resilience and persistence.
Prayer Focus
Pray for the Crossing and our nation. Pray for revival, fresh conviction, a new move of the Holy Spirit, for signs, wonders, and miracles to take place.
Pray that we become aware of the schemes of the enemy so we won’t become discouraged and lose heart, when we face resistance. “…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV)
Let’s declare today from Revelation 10:6 “There will be no more delay!”
Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV)
“So, I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
At times our prayers can become too “Me Focused.” What can God do for me? What breakthrough do I want God to bring about in my life? What promise is God wanting me to stand on? Whereas God is looking for people to boldly approach the throne of God, making petitions on behalf of others.
Intercession means to “stand between” or “to go in behalf of.” From Ezekiel 22:30 God is searching for those who are willing to pray selflessly for others until breakthrough comes. If you think back to your own salvation story, can you pinpoint someone in your life who was praying for you? God is looking to you to do the same for others. Nowhere in the Bible is intercession seen as a spiritual gift, exclusive calling, or a special burden for a select few. Therefore we all can and should “stand in the gap” for one another.
Prayer Focus
Prayerfully write down the names of the top 3-5 people in your world who cannot or will not pray for themselves.
Prayerfully write the names of 3-5 brothers/sisters in Christ who need you to stand in the gap for them.
Pray for those on your list and pray that God will give you the faith and perseverance to continue to pray until you see a breakthrough take place.
Luke 4:1-2
“Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.”
No one signs up for a wilderness journey to be tempted by the devil and unable to eat anything. But right now, on day 3 you could be tempted to satisfy hunger with your favorite snack or dessert. It’s at this point that we need to fix our eyes on the blessings that come through our fast.
Remember these four key things that happened to Jesus during the time of His fast that will help us stay the course:
1) Develop a deep dependency on the sustaining strength of God
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
2) Learning how to fight with the sword of the Spirit.
“It is written…it is written…it is written!”
3) Learning to resist and defeat the devil.
“Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:10)
4) Concluding our fast in the power of the Spirit.
Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. (Matthew 4:14)
If Jesus needed to fast to see the power of God released in His life, so do we. May this be an encouragement as you continue to fast.
Prayer Focus
If you feel like quitting, pray for the strength to see it through.
Reflect on your goals for why you are fasting, as this will encourage you to keep going.
This may be the time you will need to reach out for support from your accountability partner to encourage you to continue.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”
As born again believers we have been born into a battle, and we are told about weapons of warfare available to us. But how many of us as believers really know what they are? We cannot fight with what we do not know, and the enemy would love for us to remain ignorant of these weapons. If we do not understand our weapons, we remain ineffective in our war against him. Did you know that fasting is one of our weapons as believers? Therefore, the enemy will do everything he can to keep you from it
A spiritual weapon can be defined as anything found in scripture that drives back the powers of darkness, defeats our spiritual enemies, and establishes the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth.
Here are some weapons found in the word (not all-inclusive list):
Prayer
Intercession (prayer for others)
Thanksgiving
Singing
Giving
Tithing
Time in the secret place
Unity
Praise
Communion (observing the table of the Lord)
Memorizing Scripture (battle ground of the mind)
Forgiving Others
Resolving Offense
Declaring the Word
Binding and Loosing
Fasting
Prayer Focus
Which weapons have you neglected or perhaps have yet to discover? Ask the Lord how you can apply these weapons.
Ask the Lord if there is a specific weapon that you need to use today.
