Day 1
Psalms 139:23-24
In order to pray effectively you must make sure the connection is not hindered by sin in your life. Just as David prayed, allow God to search you and show you any issues you need to deal with as you start these 40 days of walking with Him in prayer and fasting.
Day 2
1 John 1:5-10
Through Jesus’ death on the cross God made the way for us to relate to Him one on one. But we often stray from this path, we go our own way and find ourselves outside His will for our lives. God does not abandon us when this happens. He has made the way for us to return to Him… Confession.
Day 3
Luke 11:5-13
God never gets tired of hearing from us! He actually rewards persistence in prayer. Many times, we give up and stop praying when the answer is just around the corner. God is looking at your heart when you persist in prayer, seeing your faith, your trust in Him.
Day 4
Matthew 7:7-11
It’s ok to ask! Many times, we feel that what we are praying for is too insignificant to bother God with. We especially have a hard time praying for ourselves. God doesn’t look at prayer that way. In fact, He is pleased when you ask and loves to bless His children.
Day 5
Mark 1:35
It was common knowledge among the disciples that they would find Jesus praying during the early morning hours. Every time Jesus faced an important decision He prayed. Jesus knew that His mission was not to attract a crowd, but to remain obedient to His Father’s will. It was prayer that set the agenda and was the fuel for Jesus’ ministry.
Day 6
Mark 14:35
At the greatest moment of intercession in human history, no one was willing to go with Jesus and pray with Him. The life of Jesus provides the model for our prayer lives. If we are to act like Christ, our prayer lives must be conformed to His. If you are willing, Jesus can take you into His most sacred moments and you will experience what the angels shared.
Day 7
Revelation 7:3-4
Your prayers are pleasing to God. In fact, they are like a fragrant aroma coming up before Him. Don’t ever think that your prayers are not important. Prayer has preceded every major act of God in the lives of men and it is Prayer that propels the Gospel to the world!
Day 8
James 1:5-8
Matthew 21:18-22
Do you really believe God will answer your prayers? Many times we pray but it is just an act. We ask but we don’t think God can deliver. This kind of prayer accomplishes nothing. Believing that God will do everything He promises in His Word is the key to a strong prayer life, one that is effective.
Day 9
Mark 9:14-29
Prayer is not an optional part of the Christian life. In fact, without prayer your chances of living ‘the abundant life’ are slim at best. Many of the obstacles we face in life can only be overcome through direct interaction with our Heavenly Father. The disciples learned this when they realized how powerless they were without prayer.
Day 10
2 Chronicles 7:12-15
Prayer is the proof that we know who we are and who God is. When we pray, we humble ourselves before God who can do all things, knowing we can do nothing. Humility is key to our prayer life in fact, it is the first thing God looks for in a person or a nation before He does great things in their life or their country.
Day 11
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Prayer is not an activity; it is a lifestyle. Can you imagine never talking to your family? It’s the same with our Heavenly Father, we need to talk with Him throughout our day. Paul carried the Gospel to the world, but his secret was his desire to ‘pray without ceasing’. Take the challenge make prayer as natural as breathing.
Day 12
Philippians 4:6-7
Is fear a factor for you? Do you spend your time in worry and anxiety? Prayer is God’s cure for worry! His peace will replace your anxiety as your turnover your struggles to Him in prayer. The Bible tells us that perfect love casts out fear, that casting out is accomplished through prayer.
Day 13
James 5:13-18
You can pray with power! There is nothing that God cannot do. There is no obstacle too big for Him to handle. In fact, He tells us that our prayers can do great things and that when we pray for one another awesome things happen. So, what are you waiting for, unleash the power of God on earth… Pray!
Day 14
Acts 1:6-8
Our mission begins at our front door… Jesus told the disciples they would be witnesses starting at home then reaching out to the world. Your neighbor, your family, your friends, are your responsibility… have you prayed for them to connect with Jesus? Begin praying today for those in your sphere of influence.
Day 15
Matthew 18:12-14
Every person we meet is a divine appointment. God wants us to see them as He does, a lost sheep in need of a savior. He wants us to seek them out and to help them find their way back to Him. There is nothing more valuable in the eyes of God than one lost sheep. We must invest in the lives of others to help them find their way back home.
Day 16
Matthew 18:11
Jesus came to the earth with one and only one mission… to save mankind from their sin. Nothing could come between Him and the cross where that ransom had to be paid. We focus on many things in our lives and dedicate a great amount of time to a great number of activities; but how much time are we investing in seeking and saving the lost.
Day 17
1 Corinthians 9:20-22
How are you living your life? What is your goal? Paul had a definite goal; in all he did his aim was to connect people with Christ. No matter the situation he was in, he lived in such a way as to point people to Jesus. What is your life saying? Sacrificial investing requires that we realize the impact of how we live and our witness to others.
Day 18
Luke 15:11-24
The story of the prodigal son is not really about the son… it’s about the loving father. This father who so loved his son and continued to look for him every day until his return. Loved the son no matter how the son treated him. And rejoiced when the son returned home. This is the love Christ has for the lost. We must love with that love and refuse to give up until the lost return home.
Day 19
Mathew 9:35-38
Jesus’ compassion drove him. His heart was broken as he saw the great need in the lives of men and the lack of anyone who cared. As he looked over a crowd, he let his disciples, and us, see his heart as he instructed them to pray for people who cared, laborers to reap the harvest for Him. Look out your window at the harvest it is great…pray for the laborers.
Day 20
Matthew 25:31-46
Being the body of Christ compels us to go beyond concern and to take action. The world will not be won by our words but by His love lived out in our lives. Our mission is to love the world with His love. To enter into their suffering and to bring Jesus’ love into the center of it. We received His love, not to hoard it up but that it might overflow from us and touch the lost world.
Day 21
Matthew 28:18-20
Our mission goes beyond borders. The world needs to connect with Jesus, and it is up to us to bring the Gospel to where they are. From Russia to Rio our faith becomes action as we become channels of God’s grace to the world. Pray for our mission partners around the world. Pray to see the world through God’s eyes.
Day 22
Colossians 4:2-3
As we take the Gospel to the world prayer is needed to open the doors. Prayer is the key to getting the Gospel into countries where it is not allowed. No government or false religion can stop the power of God’s people praying for the spreading of the Gospel. Paul knew that this was the key when he asked the believers to pray for an ‘open door’ for the spread of the Gospel.
Day 23
John 3:16
God’s love is worldwide. This is nowhere more obvious than in John 3:16. God so LOVED the WORLD. We cannot sit back and enjoy the blessing of being connected to Jesus while ignoring all those around the world who are starving for the Gospel. How big is your heart, how wide is your love… it must be worldwide!
Day 24
Matthew 5:13-16
We are given the responsibility of bringing the light of the Gospel to the world. It is not someone else’s job it is ours. Each and every believer is accountable for what we do with the light we are given; it is not to be hidden behind our church walls but is to shine in a dark world to lead it to Jesus.
Day 25
Acts 1:6-8
Our mission field goes from the corner of our living room to the far corners of the world. Our vision must expand so that we can see all the people waiting for us to be obedient to Christ’s command for us to be worldwide witnesses. The book of Acts starts out with this command and the rest of it is just a journal of what will happen when we obey!
Day 26
Acts 16:9-10
The world is crying out for the good news of the Gospel. Just watch the nightly news and you will see a modern-day version of the Macedonian man who called out to Paul in a vision to “Come over to Macedonia and help us”. Pray for those who God calls to go over to the mission field and ask how you can get involved.
Day 27
1 John 4:7-21
When you are asked to participate in missions just remember it all comes down to love. It is love that compels us to reach the world, it was love that put Christ on the cross, and it is love that will win the world to Him. Love will not stand by as the ministry of the Gospel to the world struggles for funds or prayer support… love takes action.
Day 28
Matthew 10:8
When we begin to struggle in giving what we have to others, we have forgotten where we received our possessions. Every good thing we have received has come from God. (James 1:7) If you struggle to give to others, you have become more attached to the gift than to the Giver. We need to be a conduit through whom God can pour out His blessings.
Day 29
Proverbs 28:27
I can’t say I actually understand how this works, how it is that in giving we receive, I have seen it in operation time after time. Giving out of your abundance is an act of thanksgiving but giving out of your need is an act of faith. “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.”
Day 30
Luke 6:38
By the same measure you give is the measure by which you will be blessed!
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
Day 31
Matthew 6:19-21
There is an old saying that the last part of a person to be converted is their wallet. But God challenges us to let Him have control of our earthly possessions while we store up treasures in Heaven. He blesses us so abundantly so that we may bless others, but we tend to hoard instead of sharing. Where is your treasure?
Day 32
Matthew 19:16-22
We have all drawn a line in the sand with God. We have set a limit on what we are willing to sacrifice for Him. God is calling us out on this, He wants us to kneel down and humbly wipe that line out of the sand. The rich young ruler in Matthew 19 had done all the right things, obeyed all the laws, did the good works but he had a line in the sand. Where is your line?
Day 33
Malachi 3:8-12
Do you know of a superhero that would dare to rob God? Who would dare to attempt such a foolhardy plan? Malachi the prophet asked this very question… and he gives us the answer. The superhero that is dumb enough to steal from God is the one He has blessed beyond measure, redeemed from eternal destruction, and showered with love… it is us!
Day 34
Luke 6:46-49
How we handle our possessions is a direct reflection of our level of obedience. It’s all His, anything we have He has given us. It’s not the stuff He desires, it is our obedience. He wants us to trust Him, not what He has given us. What is your foundation… your stuff or your trust in Him? We see two builders in Luke 6 one built on the sand (our stuff) the other on the rock (trust in Him) see the results.
Day 35
Luke 12:13-21
Our faith is never to be based upon an abundance of God’s blessings. When we begin to trust in possessions to sustain us, we drift farther and farther away from a relationship of absolute trust with Him. God calls this foolish. In Luke 12 we see this thought process acted out and the results are not good…
Day 36
Luke 12:22-34
We are called to be kingdom builders, the kingdom of God that is. We often seek to build our own kingdoms only to find they crumble in our hands. God wants us to experience great joy as we build up His kingdom. Once we put our resources in His hands, we can experience true freedom from worry.
Day 37
Mark 12:41-44
Sacrificial giving is not based on the amount, it is based on the heart. This type of giving is absolute obedience to what God asks of you. Not all will give the same amount, but all can be sacrificial givers. Jesus taught this with the example of a widow who obeyed God and gave all she had.
Day 38
Acts 5:1-11
Sacrificial giving requires absolute honesty with God. Whatever He asks of you be sure you obey fully; partial obedience is disobedience. Better not to give than to give for the wrong reasons or half-heartedly. Diligently pray and seek God’s desire for you and your family, then give as He has asked. Don’t hold back on God.
Day 39
2 Corinthians 8:1-5
Sacrificial giving is based on your understanding of the need. Visualize the people who will connect with Jesus in the new building not the color of the paint. This is about reaching the world for Jesus, a launching pad to connect them to Him! The Macedonians saw the great need in Jerusalem and begged Paul to let them give.
Day 40
John 3:16
Giving is the normal reaction to God’s grace. We were lost without hope, headed for destruction; but God would not let that happen! He sent His Son to the cross to redeem us, He gave the best He had for us. Now we trade our life for His, we give all we have as little as it is in return for the greatest gift ever given. Give as you have received.
