By Orlando Cabrera
Every month we put out a Bible Reading Plan because we believe wholeheartedly that regular time in God’s Word and prayer is vital to our intimacy with God, which is one of our discipleship outcomes. As Elders, we pray regularly that our people would make personal time with God a priority, experiencing the grace and beauty that comes with communing with Him.
With that said, this month you will see a slight difference to our reading plan. Beginning October 1st, and continuing for the next 40 days, we are calling our people to times of reading, prayer and fasting. While we know that we are Kingdom Citizens, sojourners and exiles in this world, we also know that God had sovereignly placed us in this nation to be the salt and light Christ has called us to be. Right now, the landscape of our country right is filled with challenges, brokenness, division, restlessness, pain and a polarizing political climate. But I think God would say we have a prime opportunity to live into the Truth we hold and profess, and proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness and into marvelous light.
Over the next 40 days our prayer is that this Reading Plan will help center our hearts on the Gospel, focus our eyes on our King, and energize us to live fully into His redemptive mission. If you are physically able to fast, consider doing so once each week as a part of this intentional time of prayer and focus.
The book of 2 Chronicles depicts the reign of Solomon, a continuation of the reign of his father, King David. We also find the stories of the many kings that followed Solomon. Solomon enjoyed a united kingdom but after his death the nation of Israel was divided again. One of the kings of the southern kingdom, known as Judah, was Jehoshaphat. The Scriptures describe him as a man of wisdom and as walking faithfully in the ways of his ancestor David. In chapter 20 of 2 Chronicles the Bible records one of his faithful prayers during a time of unrest and threats of war from neighboring enemies. Jehoshaphat’s prayer is a declaration of faith in God’s power, promises and presence. Jehoshaphat calls the people to turn their eyes to the Lord. He reminds them that God is the one that fights their battles. Their responsibility was to “stand firm, hold their position and see the salvation of the Lord.” (v.17) I can’t help but to believe God is calling us to do the same today. Let us stand firm as we kneel before the Lord in prayer. Let us hold our position as we trust in the Lord and in His promises. And may we see the salvation of the Lord as we walk by the Holy Spirit! God is not done, He is alive and He is working all of His will to His good pleasure and to the good of His saints.
Standing Before the Lord
40 days of prayer and fasting for Summit Church
“All Judah was standing before the Lord with their infants, their wives, and their children.”
2 Chronicles 20:13
Day 1
In order to pray effectively you must make sure your intimacy with God 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Prayer is not an optional part of the Christian life. In fact, without prayer your chances of living ‘the abundant life’ are slim to none. 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
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
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
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 you turn over 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
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
The personal mission God gives each of us 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 the places where you live, work, and play.
Day 15
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
Jesus came to the earth with the mission to restore all things to himself and 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 the lost and sharing Christ?
Day 17
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
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
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
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
Our mission goes beyond borders. The world needs to connect with Jesus, and it is up to the church to bring the Gospel to where they are and make disciples of all people. From Haiti to India, our faith becomes action as we become channels of God’s grace to the world. Pray for our mission partners around the world. Check them out here. Pray to see the world through God’s eyes.
Day 22
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
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
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
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
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 to the nations and ask how you can get involved.
Day 27
When you participate in the mission of God, 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 ministries struggle for funds or prayer support… love takes action.
Day 28
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 and we are called to steward it all for his glory (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
I can’t say I actually understand how this works. How it is that in giving we receive? Yet 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
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
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
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
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
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). Look at the results.
Day 35
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
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
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
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
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
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.