Live Like The Gospel Matters
This year our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting are centered around Philippians 1:27, as Paul calls the church of Philippi to live like the Gospel matters to them, too stand firm in their faith, to be of one accord, and together to contend for the faith. Over the next 21 Days we pray that through fasting, scripture, and prayer God would transform your more into His image so that those around us might Jesus in our lives all the more.
DAY 1
If you love me, you will keep my commands. John 14:15
Reflect: These are words coming from Jesus himself. When we live a life of obedience, it isn’t to check things off a list, impress others, or make sure you get the biggest mansion in heaven. Rather, it should be an overflow reaction of the love we have for Christ. His love for us was shown through his obedience to the father and his sacrifice on the cross. That’s a big love that we don’t deserve.
Pray: Thank Jesus for the gift of salvation and the act of love that is displayed through His obedience and sacrifice. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of where you need to display more love through obedience in your life.
DAY 2
My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:19-22
Reflect: In verse 22, the “word” is referring to what Jesus did through the gospel, as well as the Bible as a whole. Far too often I catch myself in a routine of just hearing the word. I’ll listen to podcasts, sermons, and worship songs, read some books, go to a few Bible studies, read my Bible - and all of those are great things, but they are for nothing if my actions don’t reflect my intake. James even gives us some action steps on how we can better prepare ourselves for what we have heard to penetrate our hearts and seep into our actions: listen well, think before you speak, don’t be quick tempered. Get rid of the sin in your life.
Pray: How are you being a hearer of the word? What are some things that may be blocking what you hear from turning into what you do? Ask God to help you remove the things that are in your way of being a doer of the word and to point out opportunities in your daily life that you can act upon what you’ve heard.
DAY 3
My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” Jesus told them. John 4:34 CSB
Reflect: When asked what He eats, Jesus responds with this. “Doing the will of him who sent me” isn’t really something I’ve seen on a menu anywhere. Jesus isn’t really eating the will of God for breakfast. But rather, He finds His satisfaction and fulfillment in doing what God sent Him to earth to do. In the same way, we can find true fulfillment and satisfaction in living a Gospel-centered life.
Pray: Ask God to give you a hunger to do His will. Thank Him for the opportunity to serve Him and the joy that is found in doing so!
DAY 4
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passion, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age...” Titus 2:11-12
Reflect: It would be amazing if someone had the capability of running a marathon or benching 225 pounds on a whim. I can’t speak for you, but my body certainly doesn’t work like that! It takes a lot of energy, dedication, and especially time in order to achieve such goals. Similar to physical training, our spiritual lives need training as well! God’s grace not only brings salvation, but His grace also trains us to forsake our old habits of living and adopt the godly characteristics that would honor Him. God is able to do anything He desires, but a part of His desire is that His people would engage with Him in the journey of becoming better image-bearers. We can’t expect to wake up one day as a perfect saint who has completely stopped sinning. We must train day in and day out, starting with the small steps, through His grace and teaching, to replace our ungodly and worldly passions with the self-controlled, upright, and godly life of worship that is worthy of the Gospel!
Pray: Let’s lean into God’s grace! Take some time to thank the Lord for this all-sufficient grace and ask Him for the ability to rely solely on that grace to live a self-controlled, upright, and goldy life in our present age.
DAY 5
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Reflect: We are not worthy! It’s plain and simple. We are not worthy of the breath in our lungs, the life in our bones, or the freedom we now own. But Jesus is! Jesus is worthy and deserving of all glory, honor, and praise; however, the incarnate Christ saw fit to exchange the glory He deserved for the death that we owed. Jesus endured all temptation in His life and never once gave in to sin; then, having established Himself as pure and blameless, He covered us in that righteousness. For our sake, He became our sin so that we would become His righteousness! How truly awesome, the spotless Lamb slain for the sins of the world. That is worth our worship and He is worth our lives!
Pray: Throughout your day take your time to lift up a heart of gratitude to God for this freedom given to us through Christ Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
DAY 6
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your words.” Psalm 119:15-16
Reflect: God is worthy of our thoughts. Numerous times within the psalms we see the authors meditate on who God is, His mighty deeds, and His perfect law. So why is it so important that we devote our brain power, our thoughts to the Lord? Well, all of the choices we make are made up in the mind; moreover, the daily battles we face initialize in the mind as a thought before becoming an action or reaction. Meaning, our mind could either be a strong defense in the Lord, or the first weak point to break. It could either be a motivator or a hindrance to living out the godly and upright lives Christ calls us to display. It’s also important to note that the thoughts that most occupy the mind will indicate who or what is on the throne of our life! Comparatively speaking to every other matter in our busy lives, we could probably give more effort to ruminate about the things of God, to prioritize how He would approach a given situation, and to deduce that which would best honor His holy name.
Pray: What do you spend the majority of your time thinking of? Become quiet before the Lord and ask Him to show you what occupies your thoughts the most, then spend your time meditating on Him and his word. Memorizing scripture is one of the best ways to see God and to remember His actions of love for us; these actions thankfully point back to God’s identity. Truly seek to know the Lord our God.
DAY 7
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18
Reflect: God is Worthy of this Present Suffering. Whether it be the death of a loved one, the tension of a broken relationship, a physical ailment, or the seemingly inescapable grip of a recurring sin, we all have and will endure a hardship or point of suffering in this life. It’s pretty much guaranteed! Jesus ensured that we would encounter suffering; yet, to the glory of God this is for our benefit. Within these sufferings God is preparing for Himself a vessel for honorable use. A vessel that is set apart as holy, useful to the Master, and ready for every good work. When we join Christ in His suffering we also join Christ in His glorification! So take heart and know that your story will not end with your suffering because our good Father is using it to mold you into the image of His son, Jesus!
Pray: Are you currently in a season of suffering? Cast your cares on the Lord; He cares for you! Take your time and ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you in this very moment. Ask God for endurance within the struggle and a reminder of the hope that we have, as His children, of the future glory.
DAY 8
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9
Reflect: “You don’t have to cleanse yourself before coming to God.” It seems that we mention this often at church, and rightfully so! For some reason we have this mindset that before we come to God we have to get right with Him. That could mean trying to outweigh our sin with a good deed, some tithe money or a lie that says we are living our best christian lives and we never miss the mark. But that’s not what God wants. Maybe we are still trying to hold on to an idol that we devote ourselves to instead of the Lord. Don’t forget, Jesus came into this world not to call the righteous; but rather, Hecame to call the sinners to repentance. And remember, God will not be mocked, He sees the truth. We are so eager to show God the best parts of our heart that we neglect to give Him the part He desperately wants. In fact, He wants every part of our hearts: the good and the bad, the sanctified and the sinful, because He is the only person who can truly change it. God takes our weaknesses, our shame, and our sin and makes us into His new Creation!
Pray: Jesus is worthy of your whole heart. Ask God to search the depths of your heart right now. Are there any parts of your life, your heart, that you are trying to hide from Him? Is there any part of your old life of sin that you aren’t bringing before the Lord? Give your heart fully to Him, don’t hold onto anything, and watch what He can do!
DAY 9
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:1-5
Reflect: Paul is writing this letter from his prison cell, encouraging believers to stand firm in their faith. He gives a warning that there will be a time where people will turn away from the truth and follow their own earthly pursuits. However, he knows the only way to fight these desires is to remain steadfast in the faith and endure the trials of life by standing firm in the gospel.
Pray: Trials and false teachings will come. Ask the Lord to give you the wisdom, discernment, and strength to remain in Him and His teachings so you may live a life worthy of His gospel.
DAY 10
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”...“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:2-4, 12
Reflect: Your faith will be tested. These verses tell us that we will face trials in life, and we are to count it joy when these trials come. The reward is that you gain perseverance, which leads to maturity and fullness in Christ. When people close to you do you wrong, or when you feel like nothing is going right, may you stand firm in the truth that the Lord is with you wherever you go, and He is working all things for good.
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you find joy in the trials of life by standing firm in His promises.
DAY 11
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27
Reflect: As Christians, if we plant our lives in the “sand” of the world, we are susceptible to fail in any struggles we face. But when our faith is founded and built on the rock, there is nothing that can shake us because when the world shakes, our God does not! We can find peace and confidence in the fact that our Lord is above all and that with Him, there is nothing we can’t overcome!
Pray: Thank The Lord for being your rock and strength. There is nothing we can’t overcome with Him. He is steadfast through every trial and tribulation. Ask God to remind you to keep your faith planted on the truth of His Word.
DAY 12
As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves — but Jesus kept sleeping. So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27
Reflect: When the storm came and rocked the disciples’ boat, they were filled with fear. But an important aspect of this story is to remember where Jesus was. He was asleep at the front of the boat, unphased by the violent storm. He knew that nothing in this storm was stronger than our God. When the storms of life hit us, remember that our God is in the boat with us, and He will never leave our side! Stand firm in the fact that our Lord is working for our good through all circumstances.
Pray: Our first response should be prayer rather than worry and doubt. Ask God to help you to remember that He will never leave your side when the storms of life come crashing. God is above all things; have faith that He will calm the storm around you.
DAY 13
“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Reflect: From the moment of salvation, God has set aside every believer apart from the world - no longer associated with the former way of life we once walked. But, even though we have been set apart, there is still a long way to go before the journey is complete. In this letter, Paul is referencing the sanctification of believers, calling upon God to sanctify them completely. Contrary to our desire, unfortunately, sanctification is not an overnight process. Sanctification is an unending process that unravels during the entirety of our lifetime, up until the moment we enter Heaven. To some, that may elicit feelings of discouragement; how can God sanctify me if I keep missing the mark? But praise be to God because He is the one who brings sanctification, not us! Sanctification isn’t dependent upon our might. God equips those who He has called; so, if He has called you to be sanctified, you better believe He will get what He wants! But don’t be mistaken, we too have a part to play. God requires His people to live like His people. How are we to become holy and set-apart if we aren’t in close communion with the holy, set-apart, most high God? We are to abstain from every form of evil, fleeing the very appearance of sin. We are to lean into His Spirit, not relying on our own strength, knowledge, power, or experiences. And we will see, day by day, our thoughts, our hearts, our actions, and our very will change into those that reflect the heart of our Father!
Pray: Dwell on the faithfulness of our Father! He is bringing our sanctification into view within this life, so thank Him for His faithfulness to do what He said He would do. Ask Him to supply the faithfulness of your own life as you seek to lean into Him and become more like Him.
DAY 14
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1
Reflect: Have you ever walked around the grocery store and noticed one of those short, bright yellow caution signs; typically in an A-frame style or in the shape of a cone? More often than not you would find it at the entrance of the facility, right next to a bucket collecting water, or in an area where someone has recently mopped the floors. As you may or may not know, I hope you do, we call those “wet floor signs” and they are intended to heighten your awareness of the surrounding area with the intention to prevent an injury from falling due to slippery, wet conditions. So now that we know what a “wet floor sign” is and its intended purpose, how does it relate? Well, Scripture is full of these “wet floor signs.” Some of them are subtle and some of them are blatantly obvious! Unfortunately, the mindset that some people have when they place a “wet floor sign” is to prevent someone from suing in case of an accident; that’s not the case with God, however. He warns us for our benefit and His glory. If you are like me, you have become so accustomed to seeing these yellow signs that you disregard it and don’t adjust your awareness to the surrounding area. But again, God’s Word is full of these “wet floor signs” which tell me that we need this constant reminder of our flesh and our inevitable sin. Let me say it clearly, you will sin. And I’m sorry to tell you, but you can’t sue God when you slip and fall! But, when you fall, God has prepared for you the means by which to get back up: Jesus Christ the righteous! Right now Jesus is pleading your case, declaring that your sin debt was paid by his perfect blood. So next time you give into sin, you backslide, you hide from the light to play in the darkness, remember that Jesus, our advocate, is “the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Pray: Take some time in prayer to prepare your heart for the next time you give way to sin. Don’t tread lightly when confronted with His warnings. Pray now and ask God to reveal the “wet floor signs” in your life, but also to remind you of His grace in moments of your weakness. He is a loving Father and will pick you back up when you fall. So get back up and praise Him for His grace today!
DAY 15
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” Romans 12:16 (CSB)
Reflect: Living in harmony with others today seems to be a really rare thing. Everywhere we look there are divisions and fractions. Paul said that this shouldn’t be so of the church, that as believers we should live in harmony with one another, and sometimes this means that we must humble ourselves in order to do so.
Pray: Ask the Lord to allow you to see where you could show more humility. Ask the Lord to help give you the ability to live in harmony with those around you.
DAY 16
“So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.” Romans 14:19 (CSB)
Reflect: What are you pursuing in your life? Are you pursuing what is promoting peace? Are you pursuing what will build one another up? God’s desire is that His people would be unified, and part of that unity comes from living in peace with one another. The easiest bridge to peace is encouragement, but, the problem is, we don’t always hand that out. As God’s people let’s seek to be encouragers through the power of the Holy Spirit so we might be peacemakers in the circles of people we live in.
Pray: Ask the Lord to allow you to be a person of peace! Ask Him to show you how you might build one another up.
DAY 17
“Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common.” Acts 4:32 (CSB)
Reflect: The early church was unified around one person: Jesus. They didn’t all have the same interests, they didn't all enjoy the same food, they didn’t all like the same stuff, but they all loved and believed in Jesus and, because of that, they were unified. They made the main thing, the main thing. Too often we reject the idea of allowing ourselves to grow deeper in community with other believers because of the differences we have. The early church showed us that when we are unified around Jesus, He can do and will do amazing things through His church.
Pray: Ask God to help you to make Him the main thing in your life. Ask Him to help you not see how different you are from other believers but how much you have in common because of Jesus. Ask God to help each of us as followers of Christ be unified for the purpose of honoring and glorifying Him in our lives.
DAY 18
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:2-3
Reflect: You may not see yourself as a preacher in the sense that we communicate it today, but you are called to always be ready to preach the word in season and out of season. Preaching isn’t limited to standing on a stage, with a group of people in front of you. We preach the word to one another and to ourselves daily, because the word of God is sufficient to correct, rebuke, and encourage us. It helps us stay centered in our own walks with Christ as it also helps our brothers and sisters in Christ to not drift into unsound doctrine or put together teachers who say what they want to hear. We contend for the faith together as we preach the word to one another each and every day.
Pray: Begin by thanking the Lord for putting people in your life that faithfully preach the word to you. Who are willing to contend with you for the faith. Ask God to continue to bring others into your life that will do this and for you to be able to do it for others.
DAY 19
“Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.” Romans 15:5-6 (CSB)
Reflect: God desires that we live in harmony with one another. If you take the time to read the letters written to the churches in the New Testament, you will find that saved people don't always get along with one another. When we figure this out, God receives the Glory. He uses it for His purpose because in a world full of decision and disagreement, a family united with the same mind and voice stands out.
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you put aside your differences for the sake of being united with other believers. That God would grant you to live in harmony with other believers, so that together we would point others to Jesus and give God the glory He deserves.
DAY 20
“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (CSB)
Reflect: Each of us were created to live in community, we are in desperate need of relationships with others, especially like minded followers of Jesus. Solomon’s words ring out in Ecclesiastes that “two are better than one.” There is so much good that comes when we share our lives with others and they share their lives with us. God uses that to encourage us, motivate us, equip us, spur us to His Kingdom's work.
Pray: Take a moment to thank God for those who encourage you in the journey, especially those followers of Jesus who encourage you to accomplish God’s work and will in your life. Ask God to reveal ways in which you might do the same for others in your community.
DAY 21
“And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24 (CSB)
Reflect: The first thing that stands out is “consider one another.” In a self centered, self saturated world, God instructs us to think about others. Think about their needs, their hearts, their walks. We do this by provoking them. It’s funny to think that God places people in our lives so that we might provoke them. This word in our context doesn’t always bring with it a positive meaning, but it’s exactly what God intends to communicate. When we are living in community with one another, God opens the door for us to provoke one another to action; to love and good works.
Pray: Who provokes you (in a good way)? Thank God for those people! Thank God that He places people around us to intentionally move us towards accomplishing His work in our lives. Ask God to help you to consider others more and understand how you can provoke them to love and good works!