HOPE OF THE NATIONS 2024 NEW YEAR DEVOTIONAL - “G0”

21 DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING

WEEK 1

Mark 16:15-20 (NIV) He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Our theme for 2024 is “Go.” In this, our key Scripture passage from Mark 16:15-20, the word “Go,” for our purposes, means: to follow Jesus, to pursue the journey Jesus has called us into, to order our lives after the character and example, commands and teachings of Jesus. We will hopefully find that when Jesus said “Go” it usually wasn’t just about sending someone on an errand, but it was meant more for personal discovery, and development, and then deployment into His mission. Often, before Jesus gave a commission to tell others about Him Jesus gave an invitation to follow Him and to be with Him, to know Him better and to become more like Him. They are all tied together.  In a similar Scripture passage from Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) we read this: Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In order for us to walk in authority we must first submit to God-ordained authority; in order to make true disciples of Jesus we must first be true disciples of Jesus; and in order to teach others, including all nations, to obey everything Jesus commanded us, we must first be learning from Jesus and obeying Jesus. That’s not to imply that we’re living lives of sinless perfection, or that we must wait until we’ve “arrived” at some religiously prescribed level of achievement, but, that we are wholeheartedly pursuing Christ, His will for our lives and how we fit into His Mission for His Church. As we explore this concept of “Go,” may we become more like Jesus, may we fall deeper in love with Him, and may we spread the GOOD NEWS about King Jesus, His Kingdom and salvation, whenever and wherever we “Go,” to whoever we know and meet, with His supernatural signs that follow.

Day 1  As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)

Come, follow, go. In the action-packed Gospel of Mark these verses tell of one of the very first things we see Jesus saying after He was baptized and came out of the wilderness. In other versions it’s also stated: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Basically, Jesus is saying: “Come here, come here now and I will make you ready, I will prepare you to produce fruit and to shoot forth into everything I have ordained for you to walk in.” That’s quite the “how do you do?!” A greeting, invitation, summons and strategic plan rolled into one.  Some possible responses to this “friend request from Jesus” could be to delete it, ignore it, or accept it.  One could also ask a lot of questions, make a bunch of excuses, run away or, do what Simon Peter and Andrew did, “they left their nets and followed him.” Our part is the leaving and following and Jesus does the making, the readying and the sending. In Isaiah 45:1-4 we read: “This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:2 I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”  As we enter this year of “GO,” know that it’s the Lord who “GOES” before us. Prayer: Dear Jesus, we leave our nets to follow you. We reach out our hands to you this day and thank you for taking hold of us and opening doors for us and going before us, leveling, breaking and cutting the way for us, so that we will walk in the fulness of your plan for us.  We answer your summons by showing up and saying: “show us the way and lead the way.” AMEN.

Day 2 “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.” (Mark 3:13-15 NIV)

Come, be with, go. These verses from Mark 3:13-15, to me, represent one of the simplest and best definitions of the discipleship process of Jesus and one of the most basic scriptural foundations of Kingdom leadership we can find.  Jesus calls, we come; He wants us, He’s chosen us, He desires us to be with Him.  He summons us to be with Him, He imparts Himself to us and sends us out from Himself with the great privilege of representing Him, with His delegated power and authority, to be heralds of His Good News and healers of those oppressed by the devil. We hear much today about the authority and power of the believer but let’s not forget Who it all flows from. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for calling us to Yourself.  We gladly and humbly come to You and present ourselves to You, just to be with You.  Help us to enjoy being with You and learning of You so that when we are sent out from You, we represent You well as we carry forward Your purpose of seeking and saving the lost and destroying the works of the devil. IN THE HOLY AND MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS WE PRAY. AMEN and AMEN.

Day 3 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might “go” and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (John 15:16 NIV) But when you pray, “go” into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6 NIV)

Go and bear fruit; go and pray. In John 15 Jesus identifies Himself as the true vine and each one of His followers as His branches.  He goes on to say that a branch separated from the vine can do nothing and will eventually wither, die, and be burned up. Jesus stresses the importance of remaining, or abiding, in Him and having His words abide in us so that we can GO and bear His fruit.  In Matthew 6:6 Jesus shares with us the secret of abiding in Him, the True Vine: “When you pray.” Prayer is partnership with God.  Prayer demonstrates awareness of God, dependence on God and, faith and trust in God.  Not a lot of equipment or fanfare is needed, just you and Him. Make some time, find a place, close the door and WOWWWW, the Presence of God, the Peace of God, the Voice of God, the Power of God pouring into little ole you. I sense His presence now, bidding me to come closer, stay longer, sing another love song to Him. Just do it. GO into your room (that can be anywhere at any time), close the door (fix your focus on Jesus) and He will open the doors of Heaven for a divine encounter with Him.  “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below,  blessings of the breast and womb. 26 Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. (Genesis 49:22-26) As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. (Exodus 33:9-11) Prayer: Lord, thank you that we can abide in You and branch out from You. We can meet with You and be melted, molded and made ready by You to receive and release Your beauty, blessings, and bounty to a world that’s desperate for You.  AMEN. 

Day 4 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. (Matthew 8:31-32) As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5:18-20) SET FREE TO GO AND TELL!!!

At the end of Mark chapter 4 Jesus leaves a crowd of people, in order to GO to the other side of the lake and find a desperate outcast-of-a-man living among the tombs.  He rebukes a furious squall on the lake and arrives at the other side with His disciples.  A demon-possessed man comes out from the tombs he lived in to meet Jesus and he fell on his knees in front of Him.  This man also lived among a people who were seemingly satisfied to try and bind him with chains and leave him in night and day torment, crying out and cutting himself. How many people in our city are living similar lives of not-so-quiet desperation? Who will GO to them? Jesus went to this one to unbind him, set him free and send him out! Jesus said “GO!” and the legion of demons left him instantly, never to return! The set free man wanted to GO with Jesus, but Jesus had a different idea of what that meant. Jesus said to him “GO HOME, GO TO YOUR OWN PEOPLE, GO, AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU AND HIS MERCY TO YOU.  So, he did, throughout the Decapolis, and all the people were amazed.  Did you hear that? The Decapolis was a ten-city region where Jewish culture collided with Hellenistic (Greek) culture (different language, religion, politics) all within the culture of the Roman Empire.  Jesus stepped into all of it and caused a collision of His own—the culture of the Kingdom of God crashing into the tombstone-culture of the dominion of darkness, demons cast out, former outcast sent out preaching the Gospel to the amazement of everyone.  From now on, let this be included in our definition and practice of “GO.” Prayer: Dear Savior Jesus, thank you for coming after us, finding us, saving us, setting us free and sending us back home to our people as the starting point of us going with You and You going with us. We will go and we will tell. AMEN  

Day 5 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-38 NASB)

Jesus goes. If we have sat with Jesus long enough then His character and example should be rubbing off on us to see what He sees, feel what He feels and do what He does. Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. (John 5:19-20 NIV) As Jesus went doing the Father’s will (teaching and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every sickness) He SAW the people (crowds), He felt their distress and knew they were downcast (the Greek word translated compassion is a strong word that speaks of a deep, deep caring in the inmost being). It’s still true that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Let’s do what Jesus told us to do. Prayer: Father, Lord of the Harvest, first, we present ourselves to You to gather the harvest with You, and we also ask You to help us to raise up more gatherers and also to work with the laborers You send to us.  AMEN. 

Day 6 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:1, 5-8 NIV)

The Send. In the beginning of Matthew 10 it certainly appears that the disciples prayed, and the Lord answered, and they were the initial laborers of The Harvest. Often, the thinking is that the harvest fields are somewhere on the other side of the world and only a few chosen ones GO. The Harvest begins right where we are and expands outward as we are faithful to do what Jesus has sent us to do. Jesus called them, He gave them authority, power, the message to proclaim and specific instructions to heed.  It was a simple yet powerful message: “The Kingdom of heaven has come near.” He also told them who to go to, who not to go to (at that time) and gave them a simple “To Do” list. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Let’s stop complicating it and second guessing it and trust the Lord when He says: “Freely you have received; freely give.” As you GO, do what Jesus says. Prayer: O Lord of the Harvest, help us to take our eyes off ourselves and fix them on You and the harassed, helpless masses that are desperately waiting for a Kingdom laborer to come and offer the Good News with Your great Power.  AMEN!! 

Day 7 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:42-48 NIV)

Who touched Me? GO IN PEACE! What’s going on in your life today? What challenges are you facing? What sickness is unlawfully invading your body and sapping you of energy, life, and strength? What long-standing issue has lingered far too long? What attack is trying to take you out? Today is your day of breakthrough; today is your day of healing; today is your day of victory; today is your day of miracles!!! GO TOUCH JESUS then GO IN PEACE. In 2012 there was a clock in our home that always read: 8:48. It was 3 years after Teresa was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. We asked the Lord: “What does this 8:48 mean?” This was His answer to us: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48 NIV) GO; TOUCH JESUS and GO LIVE THE ANOINTED LIFE OF MIRACLES HE HAS CREATED YOU TO LIVE. Prayer: We touch You right now Lord Jesus.  Do what only You can do and BE GLORIFIED. AMEN!!

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting DEVOTIONAL - “G0” - WEEK 2

Matthew 9:9-13 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

As we enter Week 2 of 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting our mini theme for the week will be “Go and learn.” In Matthew 9:9-13, Jesus calls a tax collector named Matthew to follow Him. Wasn’t it bad enough that He called four fishermen (they were most likely scratching their heads about this next selection); now a despised tax collector?!? Jesus then “goes” to Matthew’s house and has dinner with a whole bunch of tax collectors and other assorted “sinners.” The Pharisees questioned this behavior of Jesus: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” In His answer Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6 is a chapter that calls us to acknowledge the Lord and return to Him for healing, revival and restoration in order to live in His Presence and see the rain of His Presence fall for an appointed harvest. GO AND LEARN. Fasting isn’t just about abstaining from food, drink or some activity but it’s about learning of the Lord, learning who we are without Him and learning what He wants us to accomplish with Him. Read Isaiah 58. Here’s a snippet, verses 5-7 of that great chapter: “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Fasting will bring to the surface some of our ugly fleshly attitudes, habits and sin so that we can deal with them by the grace of God and live by the Spirit rather than the flesh. “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:13-18 NIV) The grace of God calls us to a much higher standard than the Old Testament Law, but God’s grace also comes with the Divine ability to live the higher standard. LET’S LEARN.

Day 8 Matthew 5:21-24 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’(good for nothing) is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.                                                                                                               

In this passage we can certainly see the higher standard required by grace as compared to the Law. It’s no longer just the actual act of murder that comes with consequences but also the attitude of anger that could eventually lead to harming someone else. Going even further Jesus lets us know that merely speaking bad to someone is a dangerous offense before God. These offenses can weigh us down and bind us up and cause multiple problems in our lives, ministries, and relationships. Right attitudes and right relationships are important to God, and they are impossible without God. Fortunately, Jesus shows us the way to freedom and healing. I paraphrase: if you’re going to the One Who can heal you and show you kindness and then remember (God has a way of reminding us of unrepented sin, unresolved conflicts, unforgiven offenses and broken relationships) that there is something between you and someone else first  “GO” and make things right, ask for forgiveness, give forgiveness, change that person’s mind (through Christ-likeness), renew your friendship, be reconciled to them and then “GO,” preferably with them, and present yourself to God. That’s not to say we must pay for our sins before we can go to God, but it is to say that when God is conforming us into the image of Jesus that the ministry of reconciliation will be at work in us.  Reconciliation, making enemies friends, is a powerful thing and we have been called to it. “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:10-11) “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:16-20) Humility is needed for reconciliation to take place; so is selflessness and unconditional love. The attitude of Christ is needed. Matthew chapter 5 is chock full of the attitudes of Christ and His Kingdom.  It’s Jesus’ inaugural address as the King of God’s Kingdom. Go and learn, go and reconcile, go and bring others to Him. Prayer: Lord, you have reconciled us to Yourself that we would join in this ministry of reconciliation. The sick need a doctor and You alone are the Savior, Healer, and Deliverer. Teach us to be reconcilers and ambassadors of Your Kingdom right here on earth. Amen.

Day 9 Matthew 5:38-41 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.                                                                                                                                              GO THE EXTRA MILE - In pulling some additional verses from Matthew 5 we find Jesus continuing to announce the principles of His Kingdom and of representing King Jesus well.  When Jesus comes inside of us, He leads us into situations where we have the opportunity to show forth His Goodness by acting differently than we used to and making better choices and decisions than we used to. In this passage He is teaching His disciples not to return evil for evil. That’s not an easy thing for our old self, but if we yield to the Holy Spirit, He will give us the ability to do it.  That’s awesome, but Jesus doesn’t stop there; He teaches us to return good for evil. Wow, I’m not sure I can do that! Yes, we can! “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:20b-23) Again, awesome, but Jesus takes it even further by teaching us not to merely do the minimum but to go above and beyond by so extravagantly demonstrating the love of Jesus that people are blown away by it. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21) Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to go the extra mile and live the high and holy standards of Your Kingdom by the grace You provide. We surrender our rights and will to You and we entrust ourselves to You Who judges justly.  Thank you for grace to follow in Your steps. Be glorified.  Amen.

Day 10 Luke 10:30-37 Jesus said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

GO AND DO LIKEWISE – Jesus spoke this parable to an “expert” of the Law who stood up to test Jesus (usually not a great idea). This is how things began in verses 25-28: “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” The conversation was going along OK until verse 29: “but he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Trying to justify ourselves is never a good route to take.  We are not justice personified therefore we cannot justify ourselves and furthermore, the little defense attorney that lives inside each of us will attempt to “justify” all manner of sinful behavior rather than confess our sin before a Holy God.  “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” (Romans 5:1-2) We have been justified through faith in Jesus and now we stand in God’s Grace. If we stand in God’s grace, we will walk in God’s goodness with a Divine ability to love our neighbor as ourselves. If not, we will be selfish, self-righteous religious people who won’t lift a finger to spread God’s goodness. Jesus casts two men (a priest and a Levite) as the villains of this short story, who should have done something to help but did nothing. They left the man half dead in the road. Jesus uses a despised man of Samaria to be the hero who, out of his own means, attends to the both the immediate and future needs of this brutally beaten traveler until he was better. GO AND DO LIKEWISE. In Luke 6:31-32 Jesus said this: “Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.”  Prayer: Lord, teach us to love “the unlovable” and reach “the unreachable” by standing in Your grace and walking in Your goodness and healing power. Help us to look past external things and go for the heart of the beaten down hurting ones who are waiting for “Heaven-sent Roadside Assistance.”  Amen. 

Day 11 (Read John 4:1-42) John 4:15-18a The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”

When Jesus exposes the dark places of our lives it is not to reject us or shame us. but to redeem us, transform us and send us out as heralds of the Good News. Jesus specifically went after this sinful woman of Samaria not to point out her failure but to point her to freedom and life. He is the Living Water that wells up in us to eternal life and eternal impact in the world. The Words of Knowledge that Jesus spoke to this woman caused her to know that something special from God was happening in her life, broken but about to be healed. She went out and told her whole city about Jesus; they went to Him and believed. So, GO, pull the old skeletons out your past and let Jesus transform you. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for finding us and saving us.  Give us Words of Knowledge that we might do the same. Give us Your Living Water. AMEN. 

Day 12 – John 8:2-11 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This is a very well-known passage of Scripture and like John 4 it introduces us to a sinful woman shown the mercy of Jesus. Remember, Jesus said: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Matt. 9:13) James 2:12-13 says: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Notice how Jesus treats this woman in contrast to how the teachers of the law and the Pharisees treat her. They interrupt the teaching of Jesus to accuse this woman in front of everyone there (we’re not sure how they caught her “in the act” of adultery but it could be that at least one of her accusers was not guiltless). Not only were they looking for the death penalty for the woman, but it appears she was just a pawn in the Pharisees’ larger conspiracy to try and trap Jesus and accuse Him of violating the Law. Jesus receives the wisdom from Heaven to not only disarm this trap and rescue this woman from certain death, He also spoke the powerful words that forgave her and set her free: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  Those words of Jesus carried with them the power and grace for her to leave her old life and live a new life in Christ! GO AND SIN NO MORE. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for Your mercy and grace.  Thank you for rescuing us from sin and death and catapulting us onto the path of life. We want to walk in paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake. We put off the old man with it’s practices and put on the new man being renewed in the knowledge and image of our Creator. We give mercy and grace, living and releasing the power of Go and sin no more.

Day 13 Matthew 19:16-23 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Here we meet a young man who has great worldly wealth but is seriously lacking in true riches. As he converses with Jesus we can see that this young man knows he is lacking something because even though he says he has kept all the commandments he knows he doesn’t have eternal life and asks: “What do I still lack?” Jesus put His finger on the very thing that was keeping the man from feeling complete. Jesus tells him that he will be: wanting nothing necessary for completeness, fully mature, lacking nothing, if he would just sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Him. Jesus assured him he would have treasures in heaven, but the “rich young ruler” couldn’t let go.  He didn’t have the riches; the riches had him. The very embodiment of all riches and treasures was standing right in front of him but he could not perceive it.  “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3) “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ…” (Phil. 3:7-10a) Nothing or no one can compare to Jesus. There is nothing in this world more valuable than the gift of eternal life in Christ. “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36) No career or endeavor is as fulfilling as the journey of faith in Christ Jesus. Christ may lead you into a career, endeavor, relationship or riches but they are empty without Him. The young man went away sad when he could have had joy. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9) GO, get rid of whatever is holding you back from a fulfilling life, and eternal life, in Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior. Someone reading this may still not have surrendered your life to Jesus. What are you waiting for? Let go of the worthless and lay hold of eternal life. Prayer: Lord, we let go of that which doesn’t last to gain an eternity with You and true riches that endure forever. We don’t want any idols in our lives or be bound by anything. We want the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. 

Day 14 Luke 7:18-23 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

We can stumble in our faith walk when things don’t go the way we hoped, planned or thought. We get fixated on our circumstances and predicaments that seem impossible to get out of or move on from. We tend to forget everything the Lord has already done in our lives and all that He has brought us through. We focus on our perceived failures.  We get upset with God, ourselves and those closest to us. We can begin to question our choice to follow Jesus. John, the Baptizer, the forerunner of the Messiah, the fervent preacher of repentance and “prepare the way of the Lord,” the one who baptized multitudes in the Jordan River, finds himself in jail and probably thinking to himself: What’s up with this?!? I didn’t see this coming. Does Jesus know what’s happening in my life? What now? John sends messengers to Jesus to ask Him the deep questions of his heart and mind. Are you who I said you are, or did I miss it? His current situation did not fit into John’s grid of understanding. If you’re The One then surely I wouldn’t be in this mess. Jesus did exactly what would reorder John’s perspective and refocus him on everything the Lord had done. Jesus demonstrated the power of the Kingdom of God, which John had announced, and then Jesus said: GO BACK. Jesus performed more miracles and sent the messengers back with an amazing report and a strong encouragement: “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Read Psalm 77. Here are verses 10-15: “Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” 13 Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. 15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,  the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.” GO BACK AND REMEMBER EVERY WONDERFUL THING THAT GOD HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE. HE’S THE GOD OF MIRACLES AND MIGHTY DEEDS. HE’S THE GOD OF WONDERS AND BREAKTHROUGHS. God has not forgotten or forsaken you.  His right hand is ready to do the next great thing in your life. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:4-9) WOW. Prayer: Lord, we meditate on Your Goodness, Faithfulness and Miracle-working Power. Our eyes are on You. Our hope and trust is in You. Our future and forever is in You. “But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.” (Psalm 31:14-16)

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting DEVOTIONAL – “GO” - WEEK 3

Luke 14:15-23 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” 16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

As we enter the third and final week of this 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting may each one of us receive great grace to finish strong as we draw near to Jesus, spend time with Jesus, learn of Him and go out from Him. In this passage of Scripture from Luke 14 known as “The Parable of the Great Banquet” (most likely a reference to Israel rejecting Jesus as Messiah and opening the door of salvation to the Gentile nations) we draw our mini theme of: “GO out; bring in.” I am convinced that this next great wave of soul harvest will be among an even more unlikely bunch of salvation candidates than the hippies and flower children of the “Jesus People Movement” of the late 1960’s into the 1970’s. The ones that would be voted “least likely to come to Jesus” are ready to come to Jesus and Jesus wants them.  The Father is drawing them by the Holy Spirit and Jesus is waiting with open arms, even running to meet them much like the father in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. We are the servants that the Master is sending out with last minute invitations to fill the Father’s Banquet Hall with any guest that will come and feast on the abundance of God’s Goodness. The first phase of invited guests made excuses, and this made room for whole host of ‘undesirables,” living on the outskirts of society, living in the darkness of despair, living in the depression of disappointment, living in the depravity of deception, delusion and disillusionment, to become the “Cinderellas” that the Prince of Peace wants at The Ball. It will take concerted prayer, compelling love and Christ-like acceptance to “go out and bring in” this abundant harvest of seemingly unreachable, unseeking, unremorseful, unrepenting, unapproachable lost souls; but they are ripe, they are ready, they are waiting, and they will be receptive to the Good News of the Kingdom and receptive of the Savior, Jesus Christ.  Come one; come all, come to Jesus, call upon the Name of Jesus and be saved!!! Go out; bring in. 

Day 15 Matthew 8:5-13 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

In this passage from Matthew chapter 8 we see an unlikely individual going to Jesus with an unlikely request in an unusual way. I don’t think anyone expected a Roman Centurion to personally go to Jesus and ask Him for help. Additionally, it appears that the centurion held Jesus in such high honor and came with such humility that when Jesus offered to go to the centurion’s home to heal his servant, he replied that he was unworthy to have Jesus come into his home. We’re living in a world that has an overactive sense of entitlement, especially among those in authority positions who abuse their position and power to enhance their own lives and serve themselves rather than enhancing the lives of those they are supposed to be serving. Refreshingly, this Roman army officer had the right attitude, heart and spirit, and an admirable concern for his servant. With such amazing honor and humility before Jesus it is no wonder that he also had such amazing faith. This centurion understood authority and acknowledged that Jesus walked in great authority and power. The centurion wasn’t looking to use his authority to coerce Jesus to go to his home and use His power for the centurion’s benefit. With simple faith he humbly asked Jesus to just “speak the word,” believing his servant would be healed. Jesus was amazed and declared that he had not found “such great faith” in all Israel, also referring to His own people rejecting Him but other nations receiving Him. The time is NOW for us, the Church, to humble ourselves, consecrate ourselves, seek the Lord while He may be found and receive fresh wind and fresh fire to walk in fresh faith. “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5) Listen to the words Jesus spoke to the centurion who had great faith: “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” The words of Jesus are not empty, the are Spirit and Life and they come packed with His Power. And his servant was healed at that moment. I encourage us today to read The Word, believe The Word, live The Word, speak The Word, and see The Word accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. Prayer: Lord, we honor You today; we humble ourselves before You and we ask You to SPEAK THE WORD unto us, into us and out of us. Help us to welcome and gather into Your House those who seem unlikely and feel unworthy. Anoint us afresh to speak Your Word with humility, yet with authority and power. “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” AMEN!!                  Day 16 Matthew 20:1-16 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Jesus is teaching about The Kingdom of Heaven. He is describing what The Kingdom is like and sharing the principles thereof. God owns the land, the vineyard, the fruit, He hires the workers, and He decides the wages (thank God we’re not receiving the wages of our sin, which is death, but the gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus Our Lord). This Kingdom principle of the first being last and last being first seems to be a raw deal for “the first” and a sweet deal for “the last.”  The landowner could have paid the first, first, and the last, last, and there probably would have been no envy or grumbling because the first would have taken their wages and not waited around to see what the last received.  Why didn’t it happen that way? God has a way of testing devotion, hearts, and motives. A pure heart is important to the Lord. Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. (Psalm 24:3-4) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8) In outward appearance the first batch of workers to be hired were probably the brightest and best.  The desirability of each batch of workers probably diminished as the day wore on and the last batch to be hired at five in the afternoon (the eleventh hour) certainly would have been hired by someone else if they seemed to possess any worth as a worker. “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b) I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. (John 4:34-35) God is raising up eleventh-hour vineyard workers to help gather the harvest. They may seem too young or too old or not fit for the task at hand, but we must work shoulder to shoulder with them, teach them the ropes and finish the job strong together. Let’s not be envious grumblers but thankful for the reinforcements. Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You Are the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last and we are eternally grateful to be gatherers of Your Harvest and recipients of Your generosity. We’re thankful that the Lord of the Harvest is hearing our prayer for more laborers; we will receive them and run with them rejoicing that the plentiful harvest is coming in. It’s all about You and souls. “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:7) AMEN!!

Day 17 Luke 5:17-26 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

this unlikely scenario from Luke chapter 5 a paralyzed man is carried on a mat, lowered through the roof of a packed house, and dropped in the middle of the crowd right in front of Jesus. People had come from far and wide (including Pharisees and teachers of the law) to hear Jesus teach. Jesus was a teacher who wasn’t just disseminating information and requiring people to follow Him but demonstrating the power of God and inspiring multitudes to follow Him. “The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.” Jesus was moved by the faith of those who lowered the paralyzed man through the roof. Remarkable faith will see remarkable things. Jesus, the friend of sinners looked at the ma